The Pumpkin in the Jar – Riddle Stories for Kids

Bedtime stories for kids are very interesting to get involved in. As a parent or a teacher, you can teach your child different bedtime stories every day, before they go to bed. By doing this regularly, they will increase their knowledge, learn moral values, and know how to behave with their elders and superiors.

The Pumpkin in the jar is one such fascinating story for kids, where it makes them get completely involved. Let us look at the complete story of The Pumpkin in the Jar from this article.

The Story: The Pumpkin in The Jar 

King Adoveneis went out into the plains to hunt for deer one day, and he fell separated from his companions by accident.

While wandering about, the king came across a hut surrounded by a garden. A lovely young maiden was in charge of the garden.

The king speaking to the Maiden

"Tell me, lass, what plants are you growing here?" the king asked the maiden.

"I raise pumpkins and melons," she said.

The king was thirsty at the time, so he asked the girl for a drink. "I felt a terrible thirst come over me as we were hunting in the heat of the day," he added.

"Yes," the maiden replied "Greetings, great king! Sure, we have water, but all we have is an old, damaged jar in which to offer it. Surely, it is neither right nor proper for your Majesty to drink from such a dirty jar! That would be a proper offering for your Majesty if we had a jar of pure gold into which we could pour water from a crystal clear fountain."

To the girl, the king said, "I don't care about the jar; I'm thirsty! I don't mind whether the jar is old as long as the water is chilled."

The maiden entered the house, took the jar, and filled it with cool, pure water. The king had finished his drink at this point.

The king returned the jar to her after he finished. Then, out of nowhere, the maiden threw the jar into the staircase. It had been shattered into a number of pieces.

The king was taken aback by this unexpected gesture, and he suspected that the maiden lost all manners.

He cried, "You can see that I am a noble king, and you are aware that I am the heir to the throne. What possible reason could you have had for breaking the jar you took from my hands?"

"The reason I broke the jar, which my mother had preserved for many years, O king! is that I would not desire it to be used by anybody else after you, your majesty, have touched it." the maiden said.

The king did not respond when he heard this. In his heart, he was surprised at the woman's acts and concluded that she was, after all, a decent, pure maiden. As he made his way back to the city, a thought occurred to him. He wondered if the maiden was as intelligent as she was good.

After some time had passed, the king ordered a soldier to deliver a new jar to the maiden, one with a top opening of less than one inch across. The soldier's orders were to tell the maiden that the jar belonged to the king and that she should fill it with a whole pumpkin. The soldier was also supposed to inform the maiden that she should never ever break the jar. The pumpkin, as well as the jar with the little opening at the top, must stay complete.

The maiden informed the king that she was confident in her ability to carry out his majesty's orders, but that such a feat would take time. Indeed, the maiden did not arrive at the castle for some months. She held the same jar in her hands, and inside it, sure enough, sat a full pumpkin. The king studied the jar thoroughly and confirmed that it was the identical one he had delivered. He also noticed that the container and the pumpkin were in perfect condition. He asked the maiden to marry him on the spot, and she readily accepted because she was as intelligent as she was virtuous.

When his new wife disclosed her secret later in their royal chambers, the king burst out laughing.

How Did She Do It? How did the Maiden Get the Pumpkin Inside the Jar?

The maiden's secret was that she had inserted a pumpkin bud, still attached to a vine in the ground, through the small mouth of the jar. The pumpkin blossom evolved into a full-sized pumpkin over time. She just chopped off the stem and delivered the jar with the pumpkin to the palace once the pumpkin had filled the jar.

Summary

This is a wonderful story that has happened between the king and the maiden, who has raised the pumpkins and melons. The maiden accepts the words that the king said and performs the same.