Long ago, in a village, lived a young man named Sheikh Chilli. His father passed away when he was young, and his mother raised him alone. Sheikh Chilli was a very playful but foolish young man. He and his mother lived in poverty, and his foolishness led to the villagers constantly teasing his mother. One day, exasperated by the taunts, his mother kicked him out of the house. With nowhere to go, he wandered for some days before arriving in a neighboring village. He asked permission from the villagers to stay and built a small hut near the village.
Sheikh Chilli's mischievous and cheerful nature quickly made him a part of the village community. Everyone liked him. He did small jobs for the villagers in exchange for food and supplies, which allowed him to survive. Sheikh Chilli was also skilled at storytelling, and several village boys would follow him around like his apprentices. The village headman had a beautiful daughter, who, influenced by Sheikh Chilli's popularity and stories, developed a fondness for him. Impressed by his daughter's affection, the headman arranged his marriage to the girl and gifted her a trunk full of jewelry, money, and other valuables.
After the wedding, Sheikh Chilli returned to his village and went directly to see his mother. He recounted the entire story, introduced his wife, and presented all the wedding gifts to his mother. Sheikh Chilli's mother warmly welcomed them both, but she knew deep down that Sheikh Chilli was incapable of meaningful work and that his marriage was more a matter of fate than his own merit. Months passed, and one day, Sheikh Chilli's wife went to visit her family in her hometown. More than a year passed, and she neither returned nor sent a message. Sheikh Chilli was deeply concerned for her and asked his mother to help him bring her back.
He also confessed that he had forgotten the path to his in-laws' village. He pleaded with his mother to guide him. Knowing her son's foolishness, his mother advised, "If you walk straight ahead, without deviating, you will reach your in-laws' home." She packed some food and sent him on his way. Following his mother's instructions, Sheikh Chilli walked straight ahead. Along the way, he encountered several cliffs, bushes, trees, and a river, all of which he carefully navigated without veering from his course. After two days, he reached his in-laws' home.
The villagers were overjoyed to see him and welcomed him warmly. They offered him various dishes and drinks. Despite the abundance of food, he only ate the provisions his mother had given him. Later, he fell asleep without eating anything substantial. However, during the night, he was overcome with hunger. He left the house and lay down under a tree near a field. A honeycomb was on the tree, and honey was dripping from it. Sheikh Chilli lay there, turning from side to side, letting the honey drip onto his body.
Late at night, he awoke and returned to his in-laws' house. He went to a room near the house and slept there. The room had cotton balls, which stuck to his entire honey-covered body. The warmth of the cotton soon put him into a deep sleep. When his wife came to the room to collect the cotton, she saw Sheikh Chilli covered in cotton and screamed. Awakened by the noise, Sheikh Chilli shouted, "Hush, hush!" at her. Hearing his voice, she ran out of the room, and he went back to sleep. Later, she brought the rest of the family to see him. Sheikh Chilli, covered in cotton, appeared frightening. The family, assuming he was a ghost, ran away in fear.
They called a sorcerer to exorcise the supposed ghost from the room. Despite the sorcerer's efforts, Sheikh Chilli remained. The sorcerer advised the family to leave the house immediately and find another place to live. Following the sorcerer's advice, the family moved to another house and abandoned the old one. During the day, Sheikh Chilli remained inside. However, at night, he escaped. He ended up near a farmer's house where several sheep were penned. In the darkness, he hid among the sheep. Those he saw were actually thieves, who had come to steal the farmer's sheep. One of the thieves, mistaking Sheikh Chilli for a sheep, lifted him onto his shoulder and carried him away.
As the thieves carried the sheep, including Sheikh Chilli, towards the river, dawn approached. The thieves abandoned the sheep and fled. Sheikh Chilli, lying on the thief's shoulder, said, "Please, put me down gently." The thieves, believing he was a monster in sheep's form, threw him into the river. The water washed away the cotton and honey from his body. He approached his in-laws and, feigning ignorance, asked about the reason for their abandonment of the house. The headman explained the entire ordeal of the "hush-hush" ghost.
Sheikh Chilli was pleased with the story and announced that he could drive the ghost away. With the headman's agreement, he and the family went to the old house. Sheikh Chilli pretended to perform an exorcism in front of the room. After some time, he informed his in-laws that the ghost had left, and they could return home. The family was delighted and returned to their home. They showered Sheikh Chilli with hospitality.
After a few days, Sheikh Chilli expressed his desire to pursue a business. His in-laws bought him a cart and told him to get wood from the forest. As he prepared to head to the forest, the wheels of his cart began to creak. He thought this ominous sound signaled trouble and used his saw to cut the wheels off and walked into the forest.
He chose a large tree to cut down, but, out of his foolishness, climbed the tree and began to cut the branch he was sitting on. An old man passing by stopped to warn him, but Sheikh Chilli ignored him and continued to cut the branch. He fell to the ground with the branch. Sheikh Chilli thought the old man was a seer. He asked the old man when he would die. The old man explained his death was foreseen for that evening. Fearing the impending death, he dug a grave in the forest and waited for nightfall.
As he waited, a man with a large pot approached, calling out for someone to carry the pot to his house. Sheikh Chilli emerged from the grave and agreed to carry the pot. He imagined the money he would get and how it would lead to riches. He thought of buying a hen, which would lay eggs that would hatch into more hens, then goats, then cows, then eventually horses. He would live a life of luxury in his new house. Thinking of this, and vigorously nodding his head as if saying "yes" in agreement, he sent the pot crashing to the ground. The man was angry and left without paying. Sheikh Chilli was left alone with his shattered dreams.
The moral of this story is that one should never indulge in empty fantasies and unreal expectations. Pursuit of desires without hard work leads to only disappointment and loss.
