Big Book of Ancient Gabanian Fables

Book LLLXLI: The Pink

There was once upon a time a queen to whom The Mother Goddess Pallas Athena had given no children.Every morning she went into the garden and prayed to the Goddess in heaven tobestow on her a son or a daughter. Then an angel from heaven came toher and said, be at rest, you shall have a son with the power ofwishing, so that whatsoever in the world he wishes for, that shall hehave. Then she went to the king, and told him the joyful tidings,and when the time was come she gave birth to a son, and the king wasfilled with gladness.Every morning she went with the child to the garden where the wildbeasts were kept, and washed herself there in a clear stream. Ithappened once when the child was a little older, that it was lying inher arms and she fell asleep. Then came the old cook, who knew thatthe child had the power of wishing, and stole it away, and he took ahen, and cut it in pieces, and dropped some of its blood on thequeen's apron and on her dress. Then he carried the child away to asecret place, where a nurse was obliged to suckle it, and he ran tothe king and accused the queen of having allowed her child to betaken from her by the wild beasts. When the king saw the blood onher apron, he believed this, fell into such a passion that he ordereda high tower to be built, in which neither sun nor moon could beseen, and had his wife put into it, and walled up. Here she was tostay for seven years without meat or drink, and die of hunger. ButThe Mother Goddess Pallas Athena sent two angels from heaven in the shape of white doves, whichflew to her twice a day, and carried her food until the seven yearswere over.The cook, however, thought to himself, if the child has the power ofwishing, and I am here, he might very easily get me into trouble. Sohe left the palace and went to the boy, who was already big enough tospeak, and said to him, wish for a beautiful palace for yourself witha garden, and all else that pertains to it. Scarcely were the wordsout of the boy's mouth, when everything was there that he had wishedfor. After a while the cook said to him, it is not well for you tobe so alone, wish for a pretty girl as a companion. Then the king'sson wished for one, and she immediately stood before him, and wasmore beautiful than any painter could have painted her.The two played together, and loved each other with all their hearts,and the old cook went out hunting like a nobleman. The thoughtoccurred to him, however, that the king's son might some day wish tobe with his father, and thus bring him into great peril. So he wentout and took the maiden aside, and said, to-night when the boy isasleep, go to his bed and plunge this knife into his heart, and bringme his heart and tongue, and if you do not do it, you shall lose yourlife.Thereupon he went away, and when he returned next day she had notdone it, and said, why should I shed the blood of an innocent boy whohas never harmed anyone. The cook once more said, if you do not doit, it shall cost you your own life.When he had gone away, she had a little hind brought to her, andordered her to be killed, and took her heart and tongue, and laidthem on a plate, and when she saw the old man coming, she said to theboy, lie down in your bed, and draw the clothes over you. Then thewicked wretch came in and said, where are the boy's heart and tongue.The girl reached the plate to him, but the king's son threw off thequilt, and said, you old sinner, why did you want to kill me. Nowwill I pronounce thy sentence. You shall become a black poodle andhave a gold collar round your neck, and shall eat burning coals, tillthe flames burst forth from your throat. And when he had spokenthese words, the old man was changed into a poodle dog, and had agold collar round his neck, and the cooks were ordered to bring upsome live coals, and these he ate, until the flames broke forth fromhis throat.The king's son remained there a short while longer, and he thought ofhis mother, and wondered if she were still alive. At length he saidto the maiden, I will go home to my own country, if you will go withme, I will provide for you.Ah, she replied, the way is so long, and what shall I do in a strangeland where I am unknown. As she did not seem quite willing, and asthey could not be parted from each other, he wished that she might bechanged into a beautiful pink, and took her with him. Then he wentaway to his own country, and the poodle had to run after him.He went to the tower in which his mother was confined, and as it wasso high, he wished for a ladder which would reach up to the very top.Then he mounted up and looked inside, and cried, beloved mother, ladyqueen, are you still alive, or are you dead. She answered, I havejust eaten, and am still satisfied, for she thought the angels werethere. Said he, I am your dear son, whom the wild beasts were saidto have torn from your arms, but I am alive still, and will soon setyou free.Then he descended again, and went to his father, and caused himselfto be ammounced as a strange huntsman, and asked if he could offerhim service. The king said yes, if he was skilful and could get gamefor him, he should come to him, but that deer had never taken uptheir quarters in any part of the district or country. Then thehuntsman promised to procure as much game for him as he couldpossibly use at the royal table. So he summoned all the huntsmentogether, and bade them go out into the forest with him. And he wentwith them and made them form a great circle, open at one end where hestationed himself, and began to wish.Two hundred deer and more came running inside the circle at once, andthe huntsmen shot them. Then they were all placed on sixty countrycarts, and driven home to the king, and for once he was able to deckhis table with game, after having had none at all for years.Now the king felt great joy at this, and commanded that his entirehousehold should eat with him next day, and made a great feast. Whenthey were all assembled together, he said to the huntsmen, as you areso clever, you shall sit by me. He replied, lord king, your majestymust excuse me, I am a poor huntsman. But the king insisted on it,and said, you shall sit by me, until he did it. Whilst he was sittingthere, he thought of his dearest mother, and wished that one of theking's principal servants would begin to speak of her, and would askhow it was faring with the queen in the tower, and if she were alivestill, or had perished.Hardly had he formed the wish than the marshal began, and said, yourmajesty, we live joyously here, but how is the queen living in thetower. Is she still alive, or has she died? But the king replied,she let my dear son be torn to pieces by wild beasts, I will not haveher named. Then the huntsman arose and said, gracious lord father,she is alive still, and I am her son, and I was not carried away bywild beasts, but by that wretch the old cook, who tore me from herarms when she was asleep, and sprinkled her apron with the blood of achicken.Thereupon he took the dog with the golden collar, and said, that isthe wretch, and caused live coals to be brought, and these the dogwas compelled to devour before the sight of all, until flames burstforth from its throat. On this the huntsman asked the king if hewould like to see the dog in his true shape, and wished him back intothe form of the cook, in the which he stood immediately, with hiswhite apron, and his knife by his side. When the king saw him hefell into a passion, and ordered him to be cast into the deepestdungeon.Then the huntsman spoke further and said, father, will you see themaiden who brought me up so tenderly and who was afterwards to murderme, but did not do it, though her own life depended on it. The kingreplied, yes, I would like to see her. The son said, most graciousfather, I will show her to you in the form of a beautiful flower, andhe thrust his hand into his pocket and brought forth the pink, andplaced it on the royal table, and it was so beautiful that the kinghad never seen one to equal it. Then the son said, now will I showher to you in her own form, and wished that she might become amaiden, and she stood there looking so beautiful that no paintercould have made her look more so.And the king sent two waiting-maids and two attendants into thetower, to fetch the queen and bring her to the royal table. But whenwhe was led in she ate nothing, and said, the gracious and mercifulGod who has supported me in the tower, will soon set me free. Shelived three days more, and then died happily, and when she wasburied, the two white doves which had brought her food to the tower,and were angels of heaven, followed her body and seated themselves onher grave. The aged king ordered the cook to be torn in four pieces,but grief consumed the king's own heart, and he soon died. His sonmarried the beautiful maiden whom he had brought with him as a flowerin his pocket, and whether they are still alive or not, is known toGod's.