Pandora and the box of troubles
Many hundreds of years ago, they say, every one in the world was young. There were no grown- ups and no old people, only children. There were no dangers and no fears. The weather was neither too cold nor too hot. It was always cool and pleasant. Clothes were worn just for pleasure, and the trees in woods bore them as they bear flowers now.
Food, too, grew on those trees ready to eat. There was no work to do, neither farming nor weaving, nor were there any schools or teachers. All time was play time and young people had to do nothing but laugh, sign and dance all day. There were no quarrels of any kind.
Then something very sad happened. One of the little people of those glorious days was Epimetheus. He had a palmate and companion called Pandora. One day, when Pandora came to Epimetheus’ cottage she saw a large box. .what has you got in the box, Epimetheus?’ she asked.
`That’s a secret’, Epimetheus replied.
`It is a secret!’ Pandora exclaimed. `What is it/’
`I wish I knew.’
`You don’t know? Pandora asked unbelievingly.
`I promise, I will tell nobody about it.’
`I would share it with you if I knew it,’ Epimetheus told her, `but honestly, I don’t know it’.
`Why don’t you open the box and find out what’s in it? Pandora asked.
`I would’, said Epimetheus, `but my brother Prometheus told me never to touch this box.’
`But no one’s told me anything. Do you think Prometheus would mind if we opened the box?’ Pandora asked, hoping to find an excuse.
`He certainly would’, said Epimetheus. `He said the box never is opened.’
`It is Never?’ Pandora exclaimed. `That’s impossible. I must open it and have a look. Where’s the key?’ she asked.
`I don’t think it has a key,’ Epimetheus said quietly.
`So it isn’t locked!’ said Pandora, very excited. `Come, let’s lift the lid and have a peep. Just it is a tiny little peep. It won’t take a second.’
` Have promised not to touch the box, Pandora,’ said Epimetheus, `let’s go out’.
`No, I am not going out,’ said Pandora, starting at the box.
So Epimetheus went out alone. Pandora did not even take notice. Her eyes were fixed on the box. She went slowly near it. She placed a hand on it. Now what was that strange shiver? Her hand felt it quite clearly. It was as if things were moving inside. Were there any living things in it?
She bent down and pressed one of her ears close to the lid of the box. Now, what was making all those noises? She listened harder. Now she seemed to hear the noises more and more clearly. There were noises like the buzzing of bees, the flapping of wings, whistles, grunts, snarls and growls. The noises were very faint. She could hardly hear them through the thick sides and lid of the box.
Now Pandora’s mind was fully made up. `I must open this box and have a look inside, come what may,’ she said to herself. She took a deep breathe. Then holding the lid with both her hands, she pulled it upward with all her strength. But the next moment she shut it with a bang, and shut her eyes. She felt that swarms and swarms of ugly, flying things had burst out of the box in a cloud of dust.
Then she heard a loud scream. It was Epimetheus, who had come back to the cottage.
`I am stung,’ he cried. `Oh, why did you open that wicked box, Pandora? Look what you have brought out of it.’
Pandora looked about. At first, she could hardly see anything clearly through the cloud of dust that filled the cottage. Then she heard a disagreeable buzzing. When her eyes got used to the dimness, she saw a crowd of ugly little shapes with wings like those of bats. They had long, sharp stings in their tails. Suddenly, Pandora herself began to scream.
Now, these ugly shapes which had come out from the box were not bats or insects. They were earthly troubles. They were pain, disease, jealousy, envy, wickedness and sorrow.
If only Pandora had left things alone! Instead, she and Epimetheus threw open the windows of the cottage and all these troubles went out into the wide world. Everyone came down with fevers of many kinds and cried in pain. For days together, no one smiled.
Had not Pandora opened that wicked box, the world would have been young and happy even today, for out of that box came sadness, disease, decay and death. Then flowers began to wither and fall. People started to quarrel. They became sick and feeble, they grew old and died. And so it has been ever since.
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