Once upon a time, there was a king called Manikbasa, the Ruby King, who had seven wives and seven kids. One sunny day, he told his wives he was going on a fun hunting trip! He rode his horse super far away from his fancy palace.
On the side of the road, a scary monster was hiding. When she saw the king coming, she quickly changed herself into a pretty queen and pretended to cry. The king asked, “Why are you so sad?” The monster-queen said, “My husband is gone! He’s been gone for so long, and I don’t think he’s coming back. I wish a king would take me home and marry me!” So the king said, “Will you come with me?” And the monster-queen said, “Yes, I will!”
The king took the fake queen to his palace and married her. He even gave her a special room. But every night at midnight, the monster would sneak out and eat a huge elephant or a strong horse! The king was worried. “What’s happening to my animals? Every day, an elephant or horse disappears! Who is taking them?” The monster-queen lied and said, “Your seven wives are monsters too! They eat a horse or elephant every night!”
The king believed her! He dug a giant hole outside his kingdom and threw his seven wives and their kids inside. Then, he told a guard to take out all the wives’ eyes and bring them to him. The guard did what he was told.
After a while, the poor queens were super hungry. Six of them ate their own kids! But the youngest queen said, “I will never eat my child! I love him too much, even if I’m starving!” God was happy that the youngest queen was so loving. So, every day, he sent her a little bit of yummy food, and she shared it with the other queens. Every day, her little boy grew bigger and stronger, until he was a big, strong kid!
One day, the boy thought it was too dark in the hole, so he climbed out and looked around. Then, he went back to his moms (he called all seven queens “Mom”). They told him not to climb out again because someone might hurt him. “But if you have to go,” they said, “don’t go to your dad’s kingdom. Stay close to this hole.” The boy said, “Okay!” Every day, he climbed out and only went where his moms told him he could. He would ask people for a little bit of rice, flour, or bread, and they would give it to him.
One day, he said to his moms, “Can I go to my dad’s kingdom now?” “Okay, you can go,” they said. “But come back soon!” He promised he would, and he went to his dad’s kingdom. He stood at the palace door every day and then went back to the hole. One day, the monster-queen was in the balcony and thought, “That boy looks like the king’s son!” The servants asked the boy, “Why do you always stand at the palace door?” He said, “I want to work for the king! If he has any job for me, I’ll take it!”
The monster-queen told the king, “That boy wants to work here. Can I hire him?” The king said, “Sure, go get him.” So the servants brought the boy to her. The monster-queen asked, “Will you do anything I tell you?” The boy said, “Yes!” “Then you’re my servant now!” she said. First, she told him to go to the monster land to get her some rose-water. “I’ll give you a letter,” she said, “so you’ll be safe.” The boy said, “Okay, but you have to give me three shields full of money!” She gave him the money, and he took it to his moms. He hired two helpers for them: one to take care of them and one to go to the store. His moms gave him food for his trip, and he left the rest of the money with them, telling them to be careful.
Then, he went back to the monster-queen for the letter. She told the king she was feeling sick and wouldn’t feel better until she got rose-water from the monster land. The king said, “Then send the boy to get it!” So she gave him a letter that said, “When this boy arrives, kill him and eat him right away!” And he started his journey.
He walked and walked until he came to a big river with a giant water snake. The water snake saw him and started to cry. “If you go to the monster land, you’ll be eaten!” the snake cried. The boy, whose name was Hiralalbasa, said, “I can’t help it! I’m the queen’s servant, so I have to do what she says.” “Okay,” said the water snake. “Get on my back, and I’ll take you across the river!” So he did, and the snake took him to the other side.
Hiralalbasa walked and walked until he came to a house where a monster lived. A princess lived there too! The monster had taken her away from her parents when she was a little girl. She was playing in her dad’s garden, which was full of yummy fruit, when the monster came to eat the fruit. He saw Sonahri, the princess, grabbed her, and ran away! She was so beautiful that he couldn’t eat her. Instead, he raised her like his own daughter. Her name was Sonahri, which means Golden Princess, because her teeth and hair were made of gold!
The monster had a big, thick stick. When he put the stick at her feet, she couldn’t move. But when he put the stick at her head, she could move again!
When the king’s son came, Sonahri was lying on her bed with the stick at her feet. As soon as she saw him, she started to cry. “Oh no! Why did you come here? You’re going to get killed!” she said. The king’s son said, “I can’t help that. I’m the queen’s servant, so I have to do what she says.” “Of course,” said Sonahri. “But put this stick at my head, and then I can move!” The king’s son put the stick at her head, and she got up and gave him some food. Then, she asked if he had a letter. “Yes,” he answered. “Let me see it!” said Sonahri. So he gave her the letter, and when she read it, she cried, “Oh no! This is a very bad letter! It will bring you no good. If the monsters see it, they will kill you!” “Really?” said Hiralalbasa. Sonahri tore up the letter and wrote a new one that said, “Be nice to this boy. Send him home quickly. Give him a jug of rose-water to take back, and don’t let him get hurt!”
Then, the king’s son started back. He hadn’t gone far when he met a big monster, and he called out, “Uncle!” “Who is this boy calling me uncle?” said the monster. He was about to kill him when Hiralalbasa showed him the letter. The monster let him go. He went a little further and met another monster, bigger than the first! The monster yelled at him and was about to attack, but the king’s son showed him the letter, and the monster let him pass.
When Hiralalbasa got to the monster-queen’s mother’s house, he showed her the letter. She gave him the rose-water right away and sent him off. All the monsters were nice to him, and some even helped him on his way home. When he got to Sonahri’s house, she was lying on her bed with the stick at her feet. As soon as she saw Hiralalbasa, she laughed and said, “Oh, you came back? Put the stick at my head!” “Yes,” said the king’s son. “I came back, but I was very scared sometimes!” Then, he put the stick at her head, and she gave him some food. After he ate, he left again. When he got to the river, the water snake carried him to the other side, and he went to his father’s kingdom. He gave the rose-water to the monster-queen.
She was very angry to see him and said, “My family must not love me at all!”
She said to Hiralalbasa, “You have to go to the monster kingdom again tomorrow to get me flowers!” “I’ll go,” said Hiralal, “but this time, I need four shields full of money!” The monster-queen gave him the money. The king’s son went to his moms’ hole and bought them lots of food, enough to last the whole time he’d be gone. He hired two helpers for them and said goodbye to his seven moms. Then, he went back to the palace for his letter. The monster-queen gave it to him, and it said, “Kill him and eat him right away! If you don’t send him back, I’ll never see your faces again!”
Hiralal took the letter and started his journey. When he got to the river, the water snake took him across. He walked until he got to Sonahri’s house. She was lying on her bed with the stick at her feet. “Oh no, you’re back again?” she said. “How can I not come back?” said the king’s son. “I have to do what my boss tells me.” “That’s right,” said Sonahri, “but put this stick at my head!” He did, and she got up and gave him food. Then, she asked to see his letter. When she read it, she cried, “This is a terrible letter! If you take it with you, you’ll die!” She tore up the letter, burned it, and wrote a new one that said, “Be very nice to this boy. Show him all the gardens and make sure he doesn’t get hurt!” She gave it to Hiralal and asked him to find out where her monster-dad kept his soul. Sonahri promised she would help.
She turned Hiralal into a tiny fly, put him in a little box, and put the box under her pillow. When the monster came home, he started sniffing around and said, “I smell a man here!” “Oh, no,” said Sonahri. “No one is here but me!” The monster believed her. When Sonahri and her dad were in bed, she asked, “Dad, where is your soul?” “Why do you want to know?” said the monster. “I’ll tell you another day.”
The next day, at nine in the morning, the monster went away. Sonahri took Hiralal out and turned him back into a boy. She gave him some food, and he went to the monster-queen’s mom’s house, whom he called Grandma. She welcomed him and showed him the garden, which was very big! The king’s son saw lots of jugs and jars. He asked, “Grandma, what’s in all these jars?” She answered, showing him each one. “This has this, and that has that,” she said. Then, she came to a jar that had his moms’ eyes in it! “This jar,” said the monster, “has your seven moms’ eyes!” “Oh, please!” said Hiralal. “Can I have my moms’ eyes?” “Of course, dear boy!” said the old monster. “You can have them!” She gave him some special cream too and told him to rub the cream on the eyes before putting them back. Then, his moms would see perfectly! He took the eyes and tied them in a corner of his shirt. His grandma gave him the flowers, and he went back to Sonahri’s house.
She was lying on her bed with the stick at her feet. When she saw him, she laughed and said, “Oh, you came back again?” “Yes, I did!” said Hiralal. “And I have the flowers and my moms’ eyes too!” “Really?” said Sonahri. “Put the stick at my head!” He did, and she got up and gave him some food. Then, he told her to ask her dad, the monster, where his soul was. She promised she would and changed him into a tiny fly, shutting him up in a tiny box and putting it under her pillow.
Soon, the monster came home and started sniffing, crying, “A man is here!” “Oh, no!” said Sonahri. She gave him dinner, and when they were in bed, she asked him, “Dad, where is your soul?” “I’ll tell you another day!” said the monster. The next day, when he went out to find food, Sonahri took the little fly, Hiralal, and turned him back into a boy. She gave him some food and sent him on his way. When he got to the river, the water snake took him across to the other side. He went to his father’s kingdom. First, he went to his moms’ hole and gave them their fourteen eyes. He put the eyes back with the special cream that the monster-grandma had given him.
Then, he went to the palace. When the monster-queen saw him, she was furious! “My family doesn’t care about me! I’ll never see them again! But I’ll send him one more time!”
That’s what she thought. She took the flowers and said, “You have to go to the monster land a third time!” “I will!” said the boy, “but not until four days from now because I’m very tired. And you have to give me four shields full of money!” “Good!” said the monster-queen. “This time, get me a fancy shawl!” And she gave him the money. He went to his moms, bought them a house, and got them food. He stayed with them for four days.
At the end of four days, he went to the monster-queen. She gave him a letter that said, “If you don’t kill and eat this boy as soon as he arrives, I’ll never see your faces again!” The king’s son took the letter and left.
When he got to the river, the water snake took him across. When he got to Sonahri’s house, she was lying on her bed with the stick at her feet. She said, “Oh, you’re back again, are you?” “Yes,” he said. “I’m here for the last time!” “Put the stick at my head!” she said. So he did. Then, she gave him some food, and just before the monster came home, she told him to find out where he kept his soul.
When she saw him coming, Sonahri turned Hiralalbasa into a little fly, put him in a tiny box, and put the box under her pillow. As soon as she and the monster were in bed, she asked him, “Dad, where do you keep your soul?” “Ten miles from here,” he said, “is a tree. Around the tree are tigers, bears, scorpions, and snakes. On top of the tree is a fat snake. On the snake’s head is a little cage. Inside the cage is a bird, and my soul is in that bird!” The little fly heard everything.
The next morning, when the monster had gone, Sonahri took the fly and turned him back into a boy. She gave him some food and asked to see his letter. When she read it, she screamed and said, “Oh no! If you go with this letter, you’ll die!” She tore it into little pieces and threw it into the fire. She wrote another one that said, “Be very nice to this boy. Make sure he doesn’t get hurt. Give him the shawl for me. Show him the garden and be very kind to him!” She gave Hiralal the letter, and he traveled safely until he reached his monster-grandma’s house.
The monster-grandma was very nice to him. She showed him the garden and gave him the shawl. Then, he said his mom, the monster-queen, was very worried about her soul and wanted to have it back. So the monster-grandma gave him a bird with the monster-queen’s soul inside, telling him to be very careful. Then, he said, “My mom also wants a magic rock that turns everything into gold and your long, gold necklace!” The monster-grandma gave him both!
He went back to Sonahri’s house. She was lying on her bed with the stick at her feet. “Oh, there you are!” said Sonahri, laughing. “Yes,” he said, “I’ve come!” He put the stick at her head, and she gave him some food.
He told her he was going to get her monster-dad’s soul but didn’t know how to get past the tigers, bears, scorpions, and snakes. So she gave him a feather and said, “As long as you hold this feather straight, you’ll be safe. You’ll see everything, but nothing will see you!”
He carried the feather straight and reached the tree safely. He climbed up, took the little cage, and came down. Even though the monster was far away, he knew something had happened to his bird! Hiralal pulled off the bird’s right leg, and the monster’s right leg fell off! But he hopped on one leg. Then, the king’s son pulled off the bird’s left leg, and the monster’s left leg fell off! Still, he crawled towards his house on his hands. Then, Hiralal pulled off the bird’s wings, and the monster’s arms fell off! Just as the monster reached his house, Hiralal twisted the bird’s neck, and the monster fell dead!
Sonahri was scared when she heard something fall so hard near the house, but she couldn’t move because the stick was at her feet. Hiralal ran to Sonahri as fast as he could! When he got to her house, he saw the monster lying dead. He went inside and told Sonahri that her monster-dad was gone! “No way!” she said. “It’s true!” said Hiralal. “Come see!” He put the stick at her head. “You’re lying!” said Sonahri. “I wish he was dead. I don’t like living with him! I’m scared of him!” “He is dead! Come see!” said Hiralal. They went outside. When Sonahri saw her monster-dad lying dead, she was very happy! She said to Hiralal, “I’ll go home with you and be your wife!” So they got married and went into Sonahri’s monster-dad’s house. They took all the money and jewels they could find. Hiralal gave the shawl, the stone, and the necklace to Sonahri. He took some flowers for the monster-queen.
When they got to the river, the water snake carried them across. They went to King Manikbasa’s kingdom. Hiralal went to his moms first. When they saw Sonahri, they wondered who this beautiful woman was! He said, “This is Sonahri, my wife. I would have died without her!” Then, he bought a big, beautiful house for Sonahri and his seven moms to live in. He got four helpers for Sonahri: two to cook and two to help her. The seven moms and Sonahri would sit on a big, soft cushion, as big as a rug. Sonahri sat in the middle, and the seven moms sat around her while they sewed, wrote, or talked.
Hiralal went to the monster-queen and said, “I couldn’t get the shawl, so I brought you these flowers!” When she saw the flowers, she went crazy! She said, “My family doesn’t care about me at all! I’ll never see them again! I’ll send someone else!”
One day, the king’s son came to Manikbasa and said, “Do you want to see something amazing?” Manikbasa said, “What is it?” Hiralal said, “If you want to see something really amazing, do what I tell you!” “Okay!” said Manikbasa. “I’ll do whatever you say!” “Well,” said his son, “build a strong iron house and put wood all around it. Then, put your monster-queen inside!” So King Manikbasa had a strong iron house built with walls of wood around it. Then, he went to his monster-queen and said, “Will you go inside the iron house and see what it’s like?” “Yes!” she said. The king made it so there was only one door. As soon as the monster-queen went in, he locked the door! Then, Hiralal took the little bird, a cockatoo, with the monster-queen’s soul inside. He showed it to the monster-queen from far away. When she saw it, she turned into a huge monster, as big as the house! She couldn’t turn around in the iron house because she was so big! Manikbasa was scared when he saw his queen was a horrible monster!
Hiralal pulled off the bird’s legs, and as the monster broke through the iron house to grab Hiralal, he twisted the cockatoo’s neck. The monster died right away! They set fire to the walls of wood, and the monster’s body burned to ashes.
The king’s advisor turned to the king and said, “You were silly to marry that monster! You sent your seven wives and kids into the jungle, took out your wives’ eyes, and were so mean to them! You’re a fool!” The poor king cried. The advisor pointed to Hiralal and said, “This is your seventh and youngest wife’s son!” The king hugged Hiralalbasa and asked for forgiveness.
Hiralal told his story. How he and his moms lived in the hole, how six of the moms ate their kids, how his mom didn’t have the heart to eat him, how he got his seven moms’ eyes from the monster-grandma, and how he married Sonahri! Then, the king ordered seven carriages for his seven wives and a beautiful carriage with fancy cloth for Sonahri. The king, his advisor, his helpers, and his son went with the carriages to Hiralal’s house. When the king saw Sonahri, he was amazed by her beauty! She had fair skin, rosy cheeks, blue eyes, rosy lips, golden eyelashes, golden eyebrows, and golden hair! When she brushed her hair, she put the hair she brushed out on paper and put the paper on the river. The poor people caught it, sold it, and got lots of money! Her shawl was gold, her shoes were gold, because God loved her very much!
The king hugged all his wives and Sonahri. The seven wives got into the seven carriages. Sonahri was carried to hers so she wouldn’t get hurt or dirty her feet. Then, King Manikbasa gave Hiralal’s house to his advisor. The seven wives, Hiralal, and Sonahri lived with him in his palace and were happy forever!
