"Checkmate!" said the jester, delighted.
The king was enraged and began throwing chess pieces at the jester. "Take that, damn you!" he shouted. "And that! And that!"
The king then insisted that they play another game.
That game did not go well for the king either.
Then the jester suddenly got up, grabbed some blankets, and covered himself completely.
"What are you doing?" shouted the king.
"I'm about to say checkmate," replied the jester. "I only speak the truth, and thus I must first protect myself from your fire and fury."
Inspired by: The English prose version of Rumi in More Tales from the Masnavi by A. J. Arberry.
Notes: This is story 162 in the book. In the story, Dalqak hides under the furniture, but I had him use blankets instead. Compare the story of Nasruddin preparing to send himself to jail for criticizing the ruler's poetry: The Governor's Poetry. Rumi tells this story about the jester Dalqak and the King of Tirmidh. For another Dalqak story, see: The Court Jester Gets Married.
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