Chapter 1:

Once upon a time in Sri Lanka, there was a clever jester named Andare. He was famous for making everyone laugh with his funny jokes and tricky pranks. Andare could even make fun of the King without getting into trouble. He was also a talented poet who could make up rhymes instantly.

One day, Andare saw something interesting at the palace. The King had a sweet tooth and loved sugar, which was brought from faraway lands. Since sugar sometimes got damp during the journey, the palace staff would spread it out on mats to dry in the sun. Andare saw a mat full of shiny sugar crystals drying in the palace yard.

Andare's eyes sparkled with a mischievous idea. He walked up to the King and pretended to be puzzled. 'Your Majesty, what is that white stuff on the mat?' he asked.

The King, thinking he could fool Andare, replied, 'Oh, that’s just some pas (earth).'

Andare nodded and walked away, but he was already planning a clever trick. He went home and called his son. 'Son,' he said, 'I'm going back to the palace. In a little while, you come there crying and say that your mother has died.'

Andare returned to the palace. Soon after, his son ran in, wailing loudly, 'Oh no, Mother has died! We are so sad!'

Andare joined in, crying loudly too. They both went to the mat of sugar, pretending to be heartbroken. Andare sat down by the mat and started scooping up the sugar, putting it in his mouth and saying, 'Son, magey kateth pas and umbey kateth pas!' His son did the same, eating the sugar while crying, 'Yes, magey kateth pas and umbey kateth pas!'

Hearing the noise, the King came out to see what was happening. He saw Andare and his son eating the sugar while saying, 'Magey kateth pas and umbey kateth pas!' The King realized that Andare had tricked him with his own words. The King couldn't help but laugh and admitted that Andare was indeed very clever.

And that's how the witty Andare got to eat the delicious sugar while making everyone, even the King, laugh at his clever prank.

(When Sri Lankan people are in distress, they say 'katet pas' which means 'there's earth in my mouth.' 'Katey' means mouth and 'pas' means earth. 'Magey' means my and 'umbey' means yours.)