Cook and Count

A long time ago a farmer was working in his garden. He dug up a nice, fat sweet potato.

“This sweet potato will make a delicious dinner”, said the farmer.

“Put me down! Put me down!” said the sweet potato.  “I want to stay in the earth. I don’t want to be your dinner.”

Now, everybody knows sweet potatoes can’t talk. The farmer did not know what to do. So he ran off to tell the Emperor. On the way he met a woman and her cow.

“Why are you running like that?”

“There’s a talking sweet potato in my garden!” said the farmer. "It said,  ‘Put me down!’"

“Well, did you put it down,” asked the cow?

Now everybody knows that cows can’t talk. The woman and the farmer did not know what to do. So they ran off to tell the Emperor.

On the way they met a man. He was cutting down bamboo with a big knife.

“Why are you running like that?” he asked.

“There’s a talking sweet potato in my garden!” said the farmer. “It said, ‘Put me down!’"

“My cow talked, too!” said the woman.

“Well, what did the cow say?” asked the big knife.

Now, everybody knows a big knife can’t talk. The man, the woman, and the farmer did not know what to do. So they ran off to tell the emperor.

“Stop, stop!” said the emperor’s guard. “Why are you running like that?”

“There’s a talking sweet potato in my garden!” said the farmer.

“My cow talked, too!” said the woman.

“So did my big knife!” said the man

“We don’t know what to do, so we want to tell the emperor,” said the farmer.

So the guard took the farmer and the woman and the man to see the emperor.

The emperor was very angry.

“Go home, all of you.” he said. “ And stop telling such silly stories or I will chop off your heads.”

The man, the woman and the farmer had to do what the emperor said. So they went back home.

The emperor sat down on his emperor’s chair and shook his head sadly. “A talking sweet potato!” he said. “That is just plain silly!”

“Yes, it is silly, isn’t it?” said the emperor’s throne.

“Everybody knows that sweet potatoes can’t talk.”