The King has a secret nobody should know. What can it be?

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The King's Secret
A Santali folktale
There once lived a king
who had a son
with the ears of an ox.
The king was ashamed of him,
and kept the prince
hidden away
in a secluded room
in the palace.
Soon the time came
for the prince's head-shaving
ceremony.
The king called
the royal barber
from another kingdom
and the ceremony was held
in secret.
When it was finished,
the king summoned the barber
to his personal chamber
and warned him.
"Never tell anyone
about the prince's ears.
If you do, I will throw you
into the dungeon!"
The barber promised
not to say a word about it
to anyone.
But alas, he was very bad
at keeping secrets.
Days passed and his stomach
began to swell.
"I must tell someone
or else my stomach
will explode!"
thought the barber.
Just then a splendid idea
crossed his mind.
He walked up to an old tree
and quickly whispered
the secret to it.
His stomach immediately
shrank back
to its normal size,
and he felt much better.
"The tree will definitely
keep the king's secret safe,"
said the barber to himself.
A few days later
a drummer came
in search of some good wood
to make a new drum.
He stopped in front
of the same tree
the barber had whispered
his secret to.
"This is exactly what
I’m looking for!"
he thought to himself,
looking at the tree.
He soon made himself
a new drum
and went to the palace
to sing in front of the king.
The guard at the gate
was happy to see him.
"Sing something
to please the king.
He's in a bad mood today,"
said the guard.
Suddenly
the drum began to sing
on its own.
“I have a secret
no one should hear.
The king's son has
ox's ears!”
The guard quickly
grabbed the drum
and shouted at the drummer,
"Nobody can reveal
the king's secret!
Run away before
someone catches you!"
But it was too late.
The king had heard the song
and ordered the drummer
to be brought in.
The poor drummer
was dragged into court.
"Throw him in the dungeon!"
thundered the king.
"But he didn’t do it,”
said the guard.
“It was his drum,
Your Majesty."
"Then throw the drum
in the dungeon too.
And punish all those
who heard my secret!"
roared the king.
He was so angry
that his mustache quivered.
The guard boldly
stepped forward.
"Then you'd better throw
your whole kingdom
into the dungeon,
Your Majesty,
because we all know
your secret."
The king was stunned.
He looked at his most
trusted minister.
"Is this true?" he asked.
"Yes, Your Majesty.
We never said anything
because we didn't want
to upset you"
replied the minister.
The king felt ashamed.
He realised what
a cruel father he had been
to keep his son hidden away
for so many years.
The next day,
the king declared a holiday.
He held a special parade
and proudly took his son
around the kingdom.
Everyone cheered
and waved
at the young prince
in spite of his ox’s ears.
The guard led
the procession,
followed by the drummer,
who played his new drum.

Illustration : Emanuele Scanziani
Music : Ladislav Brozman & Riccardo Carlotta
Animation: BookBox

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