The Little Lizard's Sadness

In my reading group, the Jedi  Knights I have just read a book called The Little Lizard's Sadness. It is a traditional  Vietnamese legend about a rich man and a beggar here is my retelling.

A long time ago in Vietnam there was a very Rich Man who had invented a game. He loved to play this game with other rich men in the country because he would win almost every time.

This is how the game was played. One man would say I have 50 gold bars and the second man would say I to have 50 gold bars and no one would win. But if the first man said I have 10 cows and the second man said I only have 5 cows the first man would win.

One day a stranger in ragged old clothes came to see the man. "What are you doing here?" the Rich Man asked.

"I have come to play your game," he said. The Rich Man thought that this man looked to poor to play this game but he let him play anyway.

"Where do you come from? What is your occupation?" asked the Rich Man.

"What does it matter to you? Lets just play," the stranger replied.

"But," said the stranger "I have some Ideas to add, to this game of yours,"

"What sort of Ideas?"

"Well I think the winner should get a prize," replied the stranger "So if I win, I would like in return all your belongings and if you win you can have all my belongings and myself, as your personal slave."

"Well... What sort of thing do you have to offer me?"

"You will be amazed at what I own," answered he.

"Very well then. Lets begin!"

"Oh and one more thing," said the stranger "I would like to go first"

"Well I guess that will be ok,?" the Rich Man replied.

"Ok" said the stranger removing something from his belt and holding it out "Do you have one of these?" In his hand was a chipped up, old coconut cup. The Rich Man thought that for sure he had a cup like that and told his men to find it. But the men did not find it. All the coconut cups were new not old. And smooth, not chipped.

The Stranger had won and was very pleased. In the next few months the stranger gave away all his new belongings to the poor people of the country. When he had given away all his riches, he once again set off, and was never seen again.

As for the Rich Man, he turned into a lizard. These days he crawls around on the ground crying "tsst tsst" in self pitty saying "tsst tsst what a pity."

And that is the story of the little lizard and why lizards say tsst tsst.