Good News for Me
Nasruddin was worried how he was going to support all the newcomers.
Mullah NasruddinAs he considered his situation, he thought of the Turkish custom, never broken, to reward someone who quickly delivers good news. He went to the town square and shouted, “Everyone, come hark my words! I have exceedingly great good news to share with you all! Please come close to hear the important information I am about to tell you.”
A crowd gathered and his friend Abdul asked, “So Nasruddin effendi, what is the excellent news you promised us?”
Nasruddin beamed proudly and announced, “My good news for all of you is — I have been blessed with four children! Someone take up a collection!”
The crowd groaned its disappointment as one, and Abdul asked, “Are they boys or girls, Nasruddin?”
“Indeed, I will declare again, for the very last time — yes, they are! But I beg of you, please tell me — how could you possibly have known‽”
Excerpted from The Uncommon Sense of the Immortal Mullah Nasruddin: Stories, Jests, and Donkey Tales of the Beloved Persian Folk Hero
