Cigaal and the Enemy

Once there was a man named Cigaal (Igal). While Cigaal was asleep, his wife heard that enemies from a neighboring town would soon attack them. Cigaal’s wife quickly ran home to wake her husband, to tell him about the attack. Cigaal didn’t believe his wife. He said, “You always make things up, and tell stories to frighten me.”

His wife said, “I didn’t make this up. It’s true. All the women and children are talking about the attack. The men are already gathered to get ready for the attack. You are a man. You must help them now.”

While they were talking, the enemy arrived. The people in town shouted, “Here they come.” Cigaal wondered what he should do. Then he said to his wife, “We can’t escape now. The enemy will kill all the men. I am going to sleep in front of our house. Roll me in a rug, and cry, ‘Oh, my husband is dead.’” Cigaal’s wife wrapped him in a rug, and she cried and cried. Cigaal didn’t trust her to cry as much as he wanted her to cry.

So he said to her, “Cry louder! Cry until tears come from your eyes.” While she was crying, the enemy came. They asked her when her husband had died. Before she could answer, Cigaal said from inside the rug, “Say that he died yesterday.” His wife said, “He died yesterday.” The enemy was shocked to hear Cigaal speak. They said, “This is not a real man. He is such a coward that he cannot hurt us. Let him live with the women and the children. Let’s go.”

Lesson: People don’t respect a coward.