Hari lived with his mother in a small hut. They were so poor that they went to sleep hungry. Hari would run errands for the villagers and earn a little money, but it was never enough. He wished there was something he could do to help his mother.
One night, there was a terrible storm. The roof leaked and he wondered what would happen if their hut was swept away. Hari dreamt that there was a big eagle sitting on their roof and it carried him off far away.
He found himself in a strange land. It was market day and people had come to sell and buy cows, goats, sheep, ducks and hens. There were many stalls selling food and trinkets and everyone was shouting.
Hari had no money and couldn’t buy anything. Then he felt that there was something in his pocket. He put his hand into it and found a golden eagle’s feather.
He sold the feather and jingled the coins he got. Then he bought a hen and a cow and decided to walk back home. But he didn’t know which way to go! Leading the cow and carrying the hen he closed his eyes and thought about the eagle.
In a flash, he found them all back at his hut! He woke up and told his mother all about his dream. She laughed at him, “You silly boy! It was just a dream!”
Hari realized that it had only been a dream! The storm was over, so he went out to wash up at the well. He heard the long-drawn-out cry of an eagle and looked up. There on the roof of the hut sat an eagle with golden feathers!
The eagle swooped down and carried Hari off over the treetops and the rivers, far away. This was so much like his dream!
The eagle put him down in a strange land. He found himself in the market place he remembered. The eagle was nowhere to be seen. But he found the golden feather in his pocket and soon he had the cow and the hen.
In a moment, the eagle returned and carried him back home. His mother was wondering where he was and was surprised to find him walking home with a cow and a hen. “Mother, look!” he called out, “We’ll never be hungry again at all!”
The eagle returned to Hari’s hut each time after a storm, because he was such a kind and helpful boy!
