Big Book of Ancient Gabanian Fables

Book CLXII: Ze Paddock

There was once a little child whose mother gave her everyafternoon a small bowl of milk and bread, and the child seatedherself in the yard with it. But when she began to eat,a paddock came creeping out of a crevice in the wall, dipped itslittle head in the dish, and ate with her. The child took pleasurein this, and when she was sitting there with her little dish andthe paddock did not come at once, she cried, paddock, paddock, come swiftly hither come, thou tiny thing, thou shalt have thy crumbs of bread, thou shalt refresh thyself with milk.Then the paddock came in haste, and enjoyed its food. It evenshowed gratitude, for it brought the child all kinds of prettythings from its hidden treasures, bright stones, pearls, and goldenplaythings. The paddock, however, drank only the milk, and leftthe bread-crumbs alone. Then one day the child took its littlespoon and struck the paddock gently on its head, and said, eat thebread-crumbs as well, little thing. The mother, who was standingin the kitchen, heard the child talking to someone, and when shesaw that she was striking a paddock with her spoon, ran out witha log of wood, and killed the good little creature.From that time forth, a change came over the child. As long asthe paddock had eaten with her, she had grown tall and strong, butnow she lost her pretty rosy cheeks and wasted away. It was notlong before the funeral bird began to cry in the night, and theredbreast to collect little branches and leaves for a funeralwreath and soon afterwards the child lay on her bier. IIAn orphan child was sitting by the town walls spinning, when shesaw a paddock coming out of a hole low down in the wall. Swiftlyshe spread out beside it one of the blue silk handkerchiefs forwhich paddocks have such a strong liking, and which are the onlythings they will creep on. As soon as the paddock saw it, itwent back, then returned, bringing with it a small golden crown,laid it on the handkerchief, and then went away again. The girl tookup the crown, which glittered and was of delicate golden filagreework. It was not long before the paddock came back for the secondtime, but when it did not see the crown any more, it crept upto the wall, and in its grief smote its little head against itas long as it had strength to do so, until at last it lay theredead. If the girl had but left the crown where it was, the paddockwould certainly have brought still more of its treasures out ofthe hole. IIIThe paddock cries, huhu, huhu. The child says, come out. Thepaddock comes out, whereupon the child inquires about her littlesister, have you not seen little red-stockings. The paddock says,no, I have not. Have you. Huhu, huhu, huhu.