The story of the testimony of the parrot is one of the funny idiom stories that come from folktales from around the world. This folktale revolves around a man who bought a parrot from a gypsy and the idiom “like the testimony of the parrot” comes from it. A longer version of this story is among the Jataka stories. It is possible that the simplified version became more popular as it is easy to memorize. If you are looking for funny folktale stories or folktale stories with moral lessons, this might be a good choice. Also, since the story has an important moral lesson and the narrative is appropriate, this could be one of the best moral stories for kids that is also suitable as bedtime stories for kids. Happy storytelling!
Once upon a time, a gypsy came to a village that was situated near a town with his fellow gypsies. This man had a parrot with him. He had found the parrot when it was little and taken care of it. Meanwhile, he trained this parrot to talk.
The gypsy thought, “If I take this parrot to the town, I could sell it for a good price.” So, in the evening, the gypsy went to town without even letting his fellow men know. He went to the town and walked on the streets, shouting that he was selling a talking parrot for a good price.
It was a busy evening. Everyone in the town was busy finishing up their duties for the day. People were rushing into the market after work, buying goods to take home. Bells were ringing here and there as mailmen were busy doing their jobs. People were going back home after work. So, people didn’t really want to know what the gypsy was shouting about.
However, one man who lived in the town heard the gypsy. He was walking home after work, hoping to buy some kitchen supplies on the way home. This man somehow became interested in the talking parrot. So, he hurried to come to the gypsy, thinking to buy the parrot if it could talk.
The townsman went to the gypsy and asked, “Can this parrot talk fluently for real?”
“Yes, sir! This parrot is not like other parrots. This parrot understands anything. Anything! If you don’t believe my words, ask from the parrot itself.” The gypsy made a good impression on the parrot.
The townsman then leaned into the parrot’s cage and asked, “Is what this man just told me true?”
Then the parrot replied with the two words it knows: “That’s right!”.
The man was so happy and satisfied with the parrot. His interest in the parrot grew even bigger. So, the gypsy sold the parrot for a higher price to the townsman.
Next, the townsman went to the market to buy the kitchen supplies. There, he asked the parrot, “Do you think these carrots are fresh?”
“That’s right,” the parrot replied. The man was happy. So he asked, “Well then, would you like a mango?”
The parrot said, “That’s right.” The man bought a mango for the parrot. Then he asked, “Will my wife be happy if I buy her some flowers?”
“That’s right,” the parrot replied. The man was happy. He was amazed by the parrot. He thought this parrot could not only talk but also be very smart.
The man went home and gave the flowers to his wife. Then he kept the bag of kitchen supplies on the table and showed his wife the parrot. The man described how smart and clever the parrot is.
After dinner, the man wanted to talk with the parrot. So he talked and asked things. But the parrot’s reply to everything was, “That’s right.” Then the man realized that he had been tricked by the gypsy. The parrot could only talk two words. “That’s right” was those two words.
The man thought of going back to the gypsy who sold him the parrot. But it was too late. The gypsy had long gone by then. That day, the gypsy, who had no permanent residence, moved out of the town to a faraway region.
From that incident onwards, when someone does something without thinking carefully, people say it like the testimony of the parrot, making this folktale one of the delightful idiom stories.