Hen has one leg (1)

Once upon a time, there was no one other than God.
There was a dervish in one of the villages of Isfahan. He searched around the village and the city trying to gather follower for him. But, whatever he searched more, lesser followers he found.
One day he saw some children in a lane who were playing marbles. He saw one of them who was very clever. He went ahead and asked him his name. He answered that his name was Hasan. The dervish asked him if he wished to be the follower of him. Hasan said he should take permission from his mother. Dervish and Hasan went toward Hasan's home. They hit the door and Hasan's mother opened the door. After greeting, Dervish said that he was passing through the lane that he saw Hasan and liked that Hasan be his follower, and if she let, he would take Hasan with himself. Hasan's mother said if Dervish gave her some money in lieu, she would permit. Dervish said that he wanted to take Hasan as his pupil for one year, and asked how much he should pay. Hasan's mother wanted 20 Toomans. Dervish agreed and gave her 10 Toomans and said he would give her additional 10 Tooman six months later. After paying the money, Dervish took the hand of Hasan and said goodbye to Hasan's mother and went out of the village. They went and went and when they were half milestone far from the village, Dervish saw a donkey was coming and its load were hens and roosters. He faced to the owner of the donkey and asked how much was each hen. He answered each one was 2 Rials. Dervish bought a hen and called Hasan and wanted him to take the legs of the hen to prevent it to escape. Hasan took the hen. They went until they reached a spring. Dervish ordered Hasan to cut off the hen's head and cook it for their lunch. Hasan cut off the head of the hen and swiftly plucked the feathers of the hen and dropped the hen into a pot having water, and ignited under the pot and remained waiting to be cooked.
Dervish said Hasan that until when the hen would be cooked he would go to the neighbor village to buy some bread in order that they could eat lunch. Hasan cooked the hen. But Dervish was late. On the other hand Hasan was very hungry. When no longer he could tolerate hungriness he opened the lid of the pot containing the hen and cut a leg of the hen and ate it. As he was eating it he saw that Dervish was coming. When Dervish reached him asked him if the hen was cooked. Hasan answered that he did not know. He opened the lid of the pot and noticed that it had been cooked. They brought the hen and began ti eat it. Dervish noticed that the hen lacked one leg. So he asked Hasan why the hen lacked one leg. Hasan answered that maybe the hen had only one leg. Dervish did not accept and said: "It is impossible that a hen has only one leg. Until now I have not seen such a thing." Hasan said: "Maybe this hen is a novel creature you have not seen beforehand." Dervish said: "Hasan! I told you to take strongly the leg of the hen to prevent its escape. Why didn't you say that the hen had only one leg?" Hasan said: "You asked me to take strongly the leg of the hen to prevent its escape, and I did so. But you didn't want me to see how many legs it has."
Dervish said: "Well, let's eat lunch." Hasan come ahead. He had just begun to eat that Dervish took his hand and said: "Hasan! Tell me! Did the hen have two legs or one leg?" Hasan answered: "One leg." Dervish said: "One leg?" Hasan answered: "Yes." Dervish said: "Thus, don't eat lunch." Hasan agreed and no longer continued eating and tolerate his hungriness until the evening when was the time of dinner. They took half of the hen they saved for dinner and began to eat it. As Hasan began to eat, Dervish took his hand and asked: "Hasan! How many legs did the hen have?" Hasan answered: "One leg." Dervish said: "Don't eat dinner."
Hasan slept that night hungry too. In the morning they moved and went and went up to near Isfahan. They remained there at that night. Dervish faced to Hasan and said him not to be sad because the next noon he would give him a good lunch. When they want to eat dinner and again when Hasan just had begun to eat Dervish took his hand and said: "Tell me really how much legs the hen had." Hasan said: "Dervish! See, you have paid 2 Rials. How much do you annoy me? As I said, the hen had only one leg." Dervish said: "Don't eat dinner." Hasan went aside and said: "OK, I don't eat. You have paid 2 Rials for buying a hen and want to kill me from hungriness!"
In the morning when they ate tea, Dervish brought his box of kohl and drew it to the eyes of Hasan and ordered him to go to the city and find the palace of the king, and then he had to go to the kitchen of the king. There at the noon the cook got ready the lunch and called the chef to take it. Hasan must be swift and put the tray of lunch on his head and bring it here in order that they had a very good lunch that day. Hasan went and reached the city. He was worry about being arrested. So he preferred to go a place without any danger at first to estimate the conditions, and afterwards go to the king's palace. So he went to a shop and picked a thing from there and noticed that no one objected him. In this manner he understood that the kohl had made him invisible and Dervish was right. When he was certain, he went to the king's palace after finding it. When he arrived there, he noticed that there too no one objected him. He kept going up to the kitchen. He stood up there at a corner until the noon. The cook got ready the lunch and called the chef to take the lunch. At this time, Hasan ran ahead and put the tray of lunch on his head and went to where Dervish was, and put the tray down and they began to eat.
On the other hand, at noon, the king noticed the delay in his lunch. So he called the chef and asked why his lunch had not come yet. The chef who knew what happened said nothing but went to kitchen and wanted the cook to cook again the same lunch for the king as soon as possible. Anyway that day the cook could do his work with much difficulty without much noticeable problem.
But hear from Hasan and Dervish. As they began to eat the lunch which Hasan had brought, when Hasan had eaten a few pieces of food, Dervish took his hand and said: "Hasan! Presently, the hen has been eaten and that story has finished. But be brave and tell me whether the hen had one or two legs." Hasan replied: "Dervish! Don't annoy me. True speech is uttered one time. Now too I say that the hen had only one leg." Dervish said: "Thus, don't eat lunch." Hasan went aside and did not eat lunch. Dervish ate his lunch and reserved the remainder for the dinner. He also put the empty dishes on the head of Hasan and ordered him to take back them to the kitchen of the king's palace and return back. Hasan took the empty dishes and put them in the kitchen of the palace and returned back.
Hasan due to several days not eating food was very hungry. At night when the dinner was brought and Hasan had just eaten only a few pieces of food, Dervish took his wrist and asked how many legs the hen had. The answer of Hasan was the same answer in those recent days. Dervish too as before did not let him to eat dinner. Hasan went aside and said: "dervish! For 2 Rials, how far do you want to annoy me?" Dervish said: "Hasan! Decide to tell the truth. If so, I will forgive you, otherwise I will make your life dark." Hasan replied: "Dervish! I had not lied throughout my life. The truth is the same that I have said."