This is a Tunisian tradition story taken from the tale 'the grasshopper and the bird' of Abd Aziz El Arwi and it's our work for the project  Folk tales : from past to present.

Once upon a time there was a young couple whose wife was called Grasshopper and the man was called Bird. Grasshoper was a seamtress she worked hard to get some money to survive, but Bird was jobless. He spent all the day lounging between the sofa and the neighborhood café.

One day Grasshopper got fed up with her husband's behavior and she said:

-We can't continue to live like this you must find a job

- Like what? answered the bird

-You can become fortune teller, many idiots would pay to know their future, so don't be lazy it isn't too complicated.

Bird having no choice bought a crystal ball and went near to the souk to start his new work when a man saw the fortune teller and stopped to ask him: 

- Hello sir bird my boat is late on delivery is it really late or has it sunk?

Bird looked at his ball and answered simulating confidence:

- Don't worry it's just late

- if what you have said is true I will give you 500 Dinar.

After two days while the bird was eating his meal, there was a knock on the door.  It was the man from the souk.

- I can explain, ehhh..., said Bird, my wife told me ...

-oh thank you very much, announced the man by cutting him off, your prediction was true and as i promised here is your reward.

The bird was so happy. he became famous and everyone  started talking about him.

One day the king didn't find his precious ring. He was very angry. He looked for it everywhere but in vain. Then a minister advised him to ask a fortune teller about it. So he invited Bird and explained him the situation.

Bird was worried and he didn't know what to do. So he answred the king that he would be able to find it in three days, the time enaugh for him to find a solution.

Bird returned back to his house frightened and said to his wife:

-This time it's over. We must leave the country immediately. They will find out that I'm a depective and the king will execute me.

- Stop complaining, it's not too complicated, replied Grasshopper.

-The solution will not come by itself.

Suddenly someone knocked on the door. The bird opened it and it was a young woman who looked worried, she said:

- hello sir bird, I am a servant in the royal palace. I found the king's ring when I cleared the table and I stole it. Please don't indicate them on me!

And she gave him a heavy bag full of money.

So without hesitation he accepted her request happilly then he went back to the castle, he greeted the king and asked him for a hen. The soltan brought him what he wanted. Then, Bird pretended to examine it and put the ring in his throat discretly. 

After a while, he took a knife and killed it. Finally, the fortune teller gave the stolen ring to the king who asked him for an explanation.

- Sir, said Bird, the ring was mixed with the leftover bread that was gave after cleaning the table to the hens and one of them ate it.

 After hearing that, the king paid him a large sum of money.

Bird returned to his house very glad.

After a few months the king invited the fortune teller again but this time it was because his daughter’s wedding’s jewelery was stolen. So Bird was terrified, and asked for 40 days and 40 hens.

When he came back home he decided to run away with his wife but as usual the Grasshopper said:

-Stop being lazy and complaining, it's not too complicated.

During this time, the gang of the 40 thiefs, who stole the jewelery, heard about the deviner and his detection ability, So they sent one of them to kill him.

The first thief, looking from the window of Bird’s house, heard him telling his wife« that’s the first one» without even raising his head, consequently he return to his gang telling them that they was exposed. The day after,a second thief was selected for the mission, and the same act happened again. This time the boss decided to go by himself, once he arrived to the fortune teller’s house he heard him saying « that’s the third one and the bigger one». In this moment the criminal was completly convinced that Bird’s power was real then he returned to his gang and discussed with them how to convince Bird to save them from the punishment of the king.

Actually what the thiefs didn’t know is that all this events arrived by coincidence and that Bird was counting the chikens that he was slaying every day for dinner, in fact the third day was in which he slayed the cock.

The next day, when the fake deviner was preparing himself to leave, someone was knocking on the door, once he opened he was startled from the crowd standing out, 40 thiefs were holding boxes full of jewelry and a big bag of money. One of them presented himself and admitted stealling the princesse’s jewlery, then he begged Bird to cover them up and gave him the bag as a reward.

Bird was surprised, he accepted the deal and took the boxes to a secret place, after that he went to the castle and told the king that he found the tresure after seeing it in his magical ball.

In this moment, the king was very amazed that he ordred a big gift to him.

One day, another king came to visit the kingdom of our soltane. While they were having lunch, our soltane said: 

- You know what ... I have a special fortune teller ... he is called bird.

- hahaha. a fortune teller !! you are trolling me 

-no, I am very serious. In fact, he found my ring and my daughter's jewelery.

- Sorry friend, but i won't belive that. I bet he is a liar.

- OK, what is your bet? 

-I will bring a boat full of goods and the bird needs to tell us what are those goods if he says the truth he is an actual fortune teller and if he is wrong he is a big liar and need to get arrested.

- ok then, I will prove your wrong.

The next day, Bird heard the news that when the boat cames, the soltan will ask him about it so he returned to his wife very anxious and said :

- Now it's really over ! let's take our luggage and get out off here .

- but WHY ? 

-I'll tell you later now do what I'm telling you.