Big Book of Ancient Gabanian Fables

Book LCXXXI: The Beast of Many Eyes

There was once a woman who had three daughters, the eldest of whomwas called One-Eye, because she had only one eye in the middle of herforehead, and the second, Two-Eyes, because she had two eyes likeother folks, and the youngest, Three-Eyes, because she had threeeyes, and her third eye was also in the center of her forehead.However, as Two-Eyes saw just as other human beings did, her sistersand her mother could not endure her. They said to her, "You, withyour two eyes, are no better than the common people, you do notbelong to us." They pushed her about, and threw old clothes to her,and gave her nothing to eat but what they left, and did everythingthat they could to make her unhappy.It came to pass that Two-Eyes had to go out into the fields and tendthe goat, but she was still quite hungry, because her sisters hadgiven her so little to eat. So she sat down on a ridge and began toweep, and so bitterly that two streams ran down from her eyes. Andonce when she looked up in her grief, a woman was standing besideher, who said, "Why are you weeping, little Two-Eyes?" Two-Eyesanswered, "Have I not reason to weep, when I have two eyes like otherpeople, and my sisters and mother hate me for it, and push me fromone corner to another, throw old clothes to me, and give me nothingto eat but the scraps they leave. Today they have given me so littlethat I am still quite hungry." Then the wise woman said, "Wipe awayyour tears, Two-Eyes, and I will tell you something to stop your eversuffering from hunger again. Just say to your goat - 'Bleat, my little goat, bleat, Cover the table with something to eat,'and then a clean well-spread little table will stand before you withthe most delicious food upon it of which you may eat as much as youare inclined for, and when you have had enough, and have no more needof the little table, just say, 'Bleat, bleat, my little goat, I pray, and take the table quite away,'and then it will vanish again from your sight." Hereupon the wisewoman departed. But Two-Eyes thought, "I must instantly make atrial, and see if what she said is true, for I am far too hungry,"and she said - "Bleat, my little goat, bleat, Cover the table with something to eat,"and scarcely had she spoken the words than a little table, coveredwith a white cloth, was standing there, and on it was a plate with aknife and fork, and a silver spoon, and the most delicious food wasthere also, warm and smoking as if it had just come out of thekitchen. Then Two-Eyes said the shortest prayer she knew, "Lord God,be our guest forever, amen," and helped herself to some food, andenjoyed it. And when she was satisfied, she said, as the wise womanhad taught her - "Bleat, bleat, my little goat, I pray, And take the table quite away,"and immediately the little table and everything on it was gone again.That is a delightful way of keeping house, thought Two-Eyes, and wasquite glad and happy.In the evening, when she went home with her goat, she found a smallearthenware dish with some food, which her sisters had set ready forher, but she did not touch it. Next day she again went out with hergoat, and left the few bits of broken bread which had been handed toher, lying untouched. The first and second time that she did this,her sisters did not notice it at all, but as it happened every time,they did observe it, and said, "There is something wrong aboutTwo-Eyes, she always leaves her food untasted, and she used to eat upeverything that was given her, she must have discovered other ways ofgetting food." In order that they might learn the truth, theyresolved to send One-Eye with Two-Eyes when she went to drive hergoat to the pasture, to observe what Two-Eyes did when she was there,and whether anyone brought her anything to eat and drink.So when Two-Eyes set out the next time, One-Eye went to her and said,"I will go with you to the pasture, and see that the goat is welltaken care of, and driven where there is food." But Two-Eyes knewwhat was in One-Eye's mind, and drove the goat into high grass andsaid, "Come, One-Eye, we will sit down, and I will sing something toyou." One-Eye sat down and was tired with the unaccustomed walk andthe heat of the sun, and Two-Eyes sang constantly - "One-eye, are you waking? One-eye, are you sleeping?"Until One-Eye shut her one eye, and fell asleep, and as soon asTwo-Eyes saw that One-Eye was fast asleep, and could discovernothing, she said, "Bleat, my little goat, bleat, Cover the table with something to eat,"and seated herself at her table, and ate and drank until she wassatisfied, and then she again cried - "Bleat, bleat, my little goat, I pray, And take the table quite away,"and in an instant all had vanished. Two-Eyes now awakened One-Eye,and said, "One-Eye, you want to take care of the goat, and go tosleep while you are doing it, but in the meantime the goat might runall over the world. Come, let us go home again."So they went home, and again Two-Eyes let her dish stand untouched,and One-Eye could not tell her mother why she would not eat it, andto excuse herself said, "I fell asleep when I was out." Next day themother said to Three-Eyes, this time you shall go and observe ifTwo-Eyes eats anything when she is out, and if anyone fetches herfood and drink, for she must eat and drink in secret. So Three-Eyeswent to Two-Eyes, and said, "I will go with you and see if the goatis taken proper care of, and driven where there is food." ButTwo-Eyes knew what was in Three-Eyes' mind, and drove the goat intohigh grass and said, "We will sit down, and I will sing something toyou, Three-Eyes." Three-Eyes sat down and was tired with the walk andwith the heat of the sun, and Two-Eyes began the same song as before,and sang - "Three-Eyes, are you waking?"But then, instead of singing - "Three-Eyes, are you sleeping?"As she ought to have done, she thoughtlessly sang - "Two-Eyes, are you sleeping?"And sang all the time - "Three-Eyes, are you waking? Two-Eyes, are you sleeping?"Then two of the eyes which Three-Eyes had, shut and fell asleep, butthe third, as it had not been named in the song, did not sleep. Itis true that three-eyes shut it, but only in her cunning, to pretendit was asleep too, but it blinked, and could see everything verywell. And when two-eyes thought that three-eyes was fast asleep, sheused her little charm - "Bleat, my little goat, bleat, Cover the table with something to eat,"and ate and drank as much as her heart desired, and then ordered thetable to go away again, "Bleat, bleat, my little goat, I pray, And take the table quite away,"and Three-Eyes had seen everything. Then Two-Eyes came to her, wakedher and said, "Have you been asleep, Three-Eyes? You keep watch verywell. Come, we will go home." And when they got home, Two-Eyes againdid not eat, and Three-Eyes said to the mother, "Now, I know why thathaughty thing there does not eat. When she is out, she says to thegoat - 'Bleat, my little goat, bleat, Cover the table with something to eat,'and then a little table appears before her covered with the best offood, much better than any we have here, and when she has eaten allshe wants, she says - 'Bleat, bleat, my little goat, I pray, And take the table quite away,'and all disappears. I watched everything closely. She put two of myeyes to sleep by means of a charm, but luckily the one in my foreheadkept awake."Then the envious mother cried, "Do you want to fare better than wedo? The desire shall pass from you," and she fetched a butcher'sknife, and thrust it into the heart of the goat, which fell downdead. When Two-Eyes saw that, she went out full of sadness, seatedherself on the ridge of grass at the edge of the field, and weptbitter tears. Suddenly the wise woman once more stood by her side,and said, "Two-Eyes, why are you weeping?" "Have I not reason toweep?" she answered. "The goat which covered the table for me everyday when I spoke your charm, has been killed by my mother, and now Ishall again have to bear hunger and want." The wise woman said,"Two-Eyes, I will give you a piece of good advice, ask your sistersto give you the entrails of the slaughtered goat, and bury them inthe ground in front of the house, and your fortune will be made."Then she vanished, and Two-Eyes went home and said to her sisters,"Dear sisters, do give me some part of my goat, I don't wish for whatis good, but give me the entrails." Then they laughed and said, "Ifthat's all you want, you can have it." So Two-Eyes took the entrailsand buried them quietly in the evening, in front of the house-door,as the wise woman had counseled her to do.Next morning, when they all awoke, and went to the house-door, therestood a strangely magnificent tree with leaves of silver, and fruitof gold hanging among them, so that in all the wide world there wasnothing more beautiful or precious. They did not know how the treecould have come there during the night, but Two-Eyes saw that it hadgrown up out of the entrails of the goat, for it was standing on theexact spot where she had buried them. Then the mother said toOne-Eye, "Climb up, my child, and gather some of the fruit of thetree for us." One-eye climbed up, but when she was about to get holdof one of the golden apples, the branch escaped from her hands, andthat happened each time, so that she could not pluck a single apple,let her do what she might. Then said the mother, "Three-Eyes, youclimb up, you with your three eyes can look about you better thanOne-Eye." One-Eye slipped down, and Three-Eyes climbed up.Three-Eyes was not more skillful, and might try as she would, but thegolden apples always escaped her.At length the mother grew impatient, and climbed up herself, butcould get hold of the fruit no better than One-Eye and Three-Eyes,for she always clutched empty air. Then said Two-Eyes, "Let me goup, perhaps I may succeed better." The sisters cried, "You indeed,with your two eyes, what can you do?" But Two-Eyes climbed up, andthe golden apples did not avoid her, but came into her hand of theirown accord, so that she could pluck them one after the other, andbrought a whole apronful down with her. The mother took them awayfrom her, and instead of treating poor Two-Eyes any better for this,she and One-Eye and Three-Eyes were only envious, because Two-Eyesalone had been able to get the fruit, and they treated her still morecruelly.It so befell that once when they were all standing together by thetree, a young knight came up. "Quick, Two-Eyes," cried the twosisters, "creep under this, and don't disgrace us," and with allspeed they turned an empty barrel which was standing close by thetree over poor Two-Eyes, and they swept the golden apples which shehad been gathering, under it too. When the knight came nearer he wasa handsome lord, who stopped and admired the magnificent gold andsilver tree, and said to the two sisters, "To whom does this finetree belong? Anyone who would bestow one branch of it on me might inreturn for it ask whatsoever he desired." Then One-Eye and Three-Eyesreplied that the tree belonged to them, and that they would give hima branch. They both took great trouble, but they were not able to doit, for the branches and fruit both moved away from them every time.Then said the knight, "It is very strange that the tree should belongto you, and that you should not have the power to break a piece off."They again asserted that the tree was their property.Whilst they were saying so, Two-Eyes rolled out a couple of goldenapples from under the barrel to the feet of the knight, for she wasvexed with One-Eye and Three-Eyes, for not speaking the truth. Whenthe knight saw the apples he was astonished, and asked where theycame from. One-Eye and Three-Eyes answered that they had anothersister, who was not allowed to show herself, for she had only twoeyes like any common person. The knight, however, desired to seeher, and cried, "Two-Eyes, come forth." Then Two-Eyes, quitecomforted, came from beneath the barrel, and the knight was surprisedat her great beauty, and said, "You, Two-Eyes, can certainly breakoff a branch from the tree for me." "Yes," replied Two-Eyes, "that Icertainly shall be able to do, for the tree belongs to me." And sheclimbed up, and with the greatest ease broke off a branch withbeautiful silver leaves and golden fruit, and gave it to the knight.Then said the knight, "Two-Eyes, what shall I give you for it?""Alas, answered two-eyes, "I suffer from hunger and thirst, grief andwant, from early morning till late night. If you would take me withyou, and rescue me, I should be happy." So the knight lifted Two-Eyeson to his horse, and took her home with him to his father's castle,and there he gave her beautiful clothes, and meat and drink to herheart's content, and as he loved her so much he married her, and thewedding was solemnized with great rejoicing.When Two-Eyes was thus carried away by the handsome knight, her twosisters grudged her good fortune in downright earnest. "The wonderfultree, however, still remains with us," thought they, "and even if wecan gather no fruit from it, still every one will stand still andlook at it, and come to us and admire it. Who knows what good thingsmay be in store for us." But next morning, the tree had vanished, andall their hopes were at an end. And when Two-Eyes looked out of thewindow of her own room, to her great delight it was standing in frontof it, and so it had followed her.Two-Eyes lived a long time in happiness. Once two poor women came toher in her castle, and begged for alms. She looked in their faces,and recognized her sisters, One-Eye, and Three-Eyes, who had falleninto such poverty that they had to wander about and beg their breadfrom door to door. Two-Eyes, however, made them welcome, and waskind to them, and took care of them, so that they both with all theirhearts repented the evil that they had done their sister in theiryouth.