The Little Trickster

Once upon a time, there lived a husband and wife. They lived without a care, but alas, fate had not blessed them with a child.

One day, while the wife was home alone, a Gypsy woman with two small children knocked on her door and, without greeting her, asked:

"Give us something to eat, or else, heaven forbid, we might starve to death."

The lady was a kind-hearted woman, so she didn’t need much convincing. Hearing these words, she clasped her hands, sighed, and immediately gave each of the three a mug of milk and a slice of bread.

The Gypsy woman and her children ate their fill, wiped their lips, and without a word of thanks, went on their way. But the next day, the Gypsy woman returned with her children and again asked the kind woman to feed them. The woman didn’t refuse and treated all three to milk and bread.

This went on for an entire week. Only on the seventh day did the Gypsy woman thank the lady and, smiling, said:

"I see, my dear, that sorrow gnaws at your heart. If you wish to be rid of it, go to your garden, find a drop of hardened tree sap on the trunk of a cherry tree, and eat it.

And before a year has passed, your dearest wish will come true."

As soon as the Gypsy woman left, the woman ran to the garden, found the cherry tree, and indeed saw a drop of hardened sap on its trunk.

She plucked it off with her fingertips and ate it. The appointed time passed, and she gave birth to a baby boy. He was so handsome that everyone marveled at him.

Time went by, other children grew up, but her little boy, unlike the others, never grew much taller: he grew a little, but remained small. Yet, though he was tiny, he was incredibly lively and clever. No wonder they called him Rascal-Tiny.

When he turned twenty, he decided to enter the king’s service. No sooner said than done. And so, he set off on his journey.

He walked and walked, covering many roads, and one evening, he got lost in a deep forest. He wandered for a long time until he stumbled upon a huge house with lit windows. He approached the house and knocked on the door. A giantess came to the doorstep, and Rascal-Tiny asked her:

"Could I spend the night here, good lady? I’m on my way to the king, hoping to enter his service, but I’ve gotten lost in the forest."

"Oh, poor thing, you’re out of luck," sighed the giantess. "This house belongs to the evil Giant-with-the-Golden-Beard. So you’d better leave while you still can. Otherwise, the Giant will eat you!"

"I can’t go any further," admitted Rascal-Tiny. "I’m very tired and lost. The wild beasts will eat me in the forest. I’d rather stay here, and you can hide me somewhere out of sight. I’ll leave quietly in the morning."

"Well, all right, stay then. I’ll try to outwit my husband."

The giantess led him to the kitchen, where a bull, a piglet, and a lamb were roasting on an iron spit. She fed him, gave him something to drink, and hid him in the cellar behind barrels of wine.

Soon, Rascal-Tiny heard a terrible noise—it was the Giant-with-the-Golden-Beard returning home. The Giant sat down at the table and ordered his wife to serve him the roasted bull. After finishing the bull, he ate the piglet and the lamb and decided to go down to the cellar to enjoy some wine. He lifted a barrel of wine from the shelf, drained it in one gulp, and was about to head back upstairs when he noticed the young man in the corner.

"Aha," the Giant said with delight, "my thoughtful wife. Something to snack on before bed. Too bad the boy’s such a runt, so tiny.

Eh... oh well!"

He grabbed the young man with his enormous paw and dragged him to the kitchen.

"Thank you, wife, for your care," laughed the Giant, lifting the young man by the collar.

"Don’t touch him, husband," pleaded the Giant’s wife. "I saved him for your breakfast."

"For breakfast, you say? All right, let him live another night. And what can you do, you little runt? Do you know any amusing stories?"

Summoning his courage, Rascal-Tiny began telling the Giant various stories, funnier and more amusing ones. And the Giant listened, laughing so hard he nearly fell over. When Rascal-Tiny fell silent, the Giant asked:

"So, what’s your name?"

"Rascal-Tiny!"

"Ha-ha-ha... A fine name! You’re a merry lad, I see. With you around, boredom won’t stand a chance. Here’s the deal, Rascal-Tiny: I can always eat you later, but for now, you’ll entertain me with your tales. Agreed?"

"You’re absolutely right," Rascal-Tiny readily agreed. "No need to rush—I won’t run away from you, and I know stories about everything under the sun!"

"Everything, everything?"
- Absolutely everything! - replied the Rogue-Kid.

After dinner, the Giant led the young man to a neighboring room and ordered him to go to bed, while he returned to the kitchen and said to the ash tree:

- Did you hear how that Rogue-Kid boasted? He knows everything in the world! But he doesn’t know that in my stable there’s a mule wearing golden boots. And not just golden boots, but seven-league boots. With one step, he covers forty leagues. Oh, that little braggart! Well, never mind, I’m going to bed too.

The Giant lay down on the bed, started snoring, but suddenly burst out laughing:

- Ha-ha-ha!.. He knows everything! What a riot! I swear by my golden beard, he doesn’t know that I have a bright moon in a bag behind the door, lighting up everything for forty leagues around.

Some time passed, and the Giant laughed again:

- Ha-ha-ha!.. That Rogue-Kid knows a lot, but he doesn’t know that under my bed there’s a fiddle with silver strings. And it doesn’t occur to him, that know-it-all, that this fiddle is magical. As soon as people hear it, they can’t help but start dancing. Ha-ha-ha!..

After laughing his fill, the Giant yawned and suddenly started snoring so loudly that the whole house shook.

But the Rogue-Kid wasn’t asleep and heard everything. As soon as the Giant started snoring, he jumped out of bed and sneaked into the stable, untied the mule in golden boots, and was about to saddle it when the mule brayed so loudly it echoed through the forest. The Giant woke up, got angry, and shouted:

- Shut up, you donkey! Don’t disturb my sleep! - That’s what he said to the mule.

Meanwhile, the Rogue-Kid saddled the mule, led it out of the stable, and jumped on its back. The mule brayed a second time, but again the Giant was too lazy to get out of bed and only shouted:

- Shut up, you beast! Don’t disturb my sleep! Or I’ll get up and give you a good thrashing with my club.

When the Rogue-Kid tugged on the reins, the mule brayed a third time.

- Oh, so that’s how it is! - the Giant flew into a rage. - Just you wait! You’ll get what’s coming to you!

The Giant jumped out of bed, grabbed his club, and rushed out of the bedroom. When the Rogue-Kid saw him in the doorway, he cheerfully shouted:

- Hey, Giant! Here’s my first joke! You’ll remember what the Rogue-Kid is like! And now, let’s go, my swift mule!

The mule took a step forward and immediately found itself forty leagues away from that dreadful place. The Giant, in just his shirt, tried to chase after them, but how could he catch up with a seven-league mule? He returned home empty-handed and started scolding his wife. But why scold her?

Early in the morning, the Rogue-Kid arrived at the royal castle and told the king about his nighttime adventure. The king listened and laughed so hard he nearly fell over, and then, without hesitation, took him into his service as an advisor.

And everything would have been fine, if not for the king’s daughter. She also wanted to hear the funny stories the Rogue-Kid told. And so one day he told her about the Giant-with-the-Golden-Beard who lived in a deep forest in a big house and kept a bright moon in a bag that lit up everything for forty leagues around. Not only that, he also had a magical fiddle with silver strings that made everyone dance. The princess became so obsessed with getting these wonders that she lost all peace. She refused to eat or drink, locked herself in her rooms, and let no one in. The king grew worried.

- What’s wrong, my dear? - he asked. - Are you ill?

- Oh, father! - sighed the princess. - Nothing pleases me unless I have the bright moon that lights up everything for forty leagues around. Order the Rogue-Kid to go to the Giant and bring me the bright moon. If he doesn’t, I’ll die of longing.

And so the king had to summon his young advisor and tell him of the princess’s wish. The Rogue-Kid grew sad, for he really didn’t want to return to the Giant’s house. “What if he plays one of his tricks on me?” - the Rogue-Kid thought fearfully. But the king’s word was law, so he had to obey. He only asked the king for a bag of salt for the journey, mounted the mule, and in no time found himself in the clearing where the Giant-with-the-Golden-Beard’s house stood.

Waiting until nightfall, the Rogue-Kid climbed onto the roof, peeked down the chimney, and saw a huge cauldron of stew on the stove, with flames dancing merrily beneath it. He made a hole in the bag and carefully started pouring salt directly into the cauldron. He poured all the salt into the stew. A little later, the Giant sat down at the table, pulled the cauldron of stew toward him, and swallowed the first spoonful.

- Oh, that’s salty! - he gasped, but he ate all the stew and decided to go fetch some water to wash down the strong saltiness.

He took the bright moon out of the bag, hung it on the corner of the roof so it would be light, and, slinging two empty barrels over his shoulders, ran to the river.

And the Rogue-Kid was right there: he sneaked up to the house and grabbed the moon by its horn. Then he stuffed it into the empty salt bag and shouted at the top of his lungs:

- Hey, Giant-with-the-Golden-Beard, here’s my second joke!

The Giant was so startled he even stumbled, but, recovering, he rushed after the little Rogue. However, he didn’t get far, because in the dark he tripped over a root, fell to the ground, and bruised his nose. Well, that’s how it goes. Meanwhile, the Rogue-Kid jumped on the mule and in an instant found himself at the royal castle.

The king and his daughter were overjoyed to receive the bright moon that lit up everything for forty leagues around. In the evening, the king ordered the moon to be hung on the highest tower, and the city became as bright as day. Hearing about this wonder, curious people flocked to the city: they just had to see such a marvel!

But the capricious princess didn’t enjoy this amusing toy for long and soon grew sad again, refused to eat, and locked herself in her chambers.
- "What's wrong with you, my dear daughter?" the king asked with concern again. "Are you ill?"

- "No, Father, I'm not ill, but I really want to hear the magic violin with silver strings."

- "You shall have the violin, don't worry!" said the king.

And he ordered his advisor to be summoned. So and so, he said, my daughter, the crown princess, wishes to obtain the magic violin with silver strings.

- "And if you don't bring it, your head will roll!"

Poor Rascal-Boy! Going to the Giant—he won't let him leave alive, staying with the king—he'll lose his head. Well, what would you advise him? He thought and thought and decided to go anyway, but he asked the king for a barrel of sleeping potion.

They gave him the barrel of sleeping potion. And by evening, Rascal-Boy found himself on the clearing near the house of the Giant-with-the-Golden-Beard. When it grew completely dark, he sneaked through the attic window into the cellar, poured the sleeping potion into an open barrel of wine, and hid himself in a corner.

After dinner, the Giant himself descended into the cellar, drank all the wine from the barrel, and returned upstairs.

- "Oh... I feel so sleepy," he said. "Wife, make the bed quickly, or I might fall asleep on my feet."

His wife made the bed, he lay down, and immediately began snoring loudly throughout the house. Rascal-Boy waited a little longer, then went up to his room and pulled out the violin with silver strings from under the bed. But as soon as he stepped over the threshold of the house to run away with the violin to the king, it began playing by itself. What's so surprising about that, after all, it was a magic violin!

Hearing the violin, the Giant woke up and, willy-nilly, started dancing. His eyes were closing, but his feet were dancing on their own.

- "Oh, I can't take it..." groaned the Giant. "Stop it!" he shouted, but he kept dancing and went out of the house.

He stepped out onto the clearing and saw: it was Rascal-Boy playing his violin!

- "Stop playing!" pleaded the Giant. "I want to sleep!"

- "If the violin is mine, I'll command it to be silent, but as it is, it won't obey me!" Rascal-Boy found a clever response.

- "Yours, yours!" agreed the Giant-with-the-Golden-Beard. "I give it to you forever! And let this be your third trick. But, mind you, the last one!"

Rascal-Boy gladly agreed, grabbed the violin, mounted his mule, and was off.

Having received the magic violin, the king threw a lavish ball. He invited guests from all over France. They danced for a day, and another, and a third, while the violin played and played. They would long remember this celebration! But after some time, the princess began to complain of boredom again. The food didn't appeal to her, the conversations were tiresome, and she grew tired of the violin.

- "I want," she said, "the golden beard of the Giant. Let Rascal-Boy fetch it, or I'll die of longing." This time, the king himself became truly angry.

- "This is dangerous!" he said. "The Giant won't let him leave alive. Because of your whim, I'll lose my best advisor!"

But the princess wouldn't budge, took to her bed, refused to eat, spoke to no one, and didn't want to see anyone. The king couldn't bear it and gave the order for Rascal-Boy to set off the very next day to fetch the Giant's golden beard.

"Serves me right," thought Rascal-Boy. "I chose the wrong service. The wrong master. But like it or not, I have to go."

He mounted his mule in golden boots and in an instant found himself on the clearing near the house of the Giant-with-the-Golden-Beard. And the Giant was already eagerly awaiting him.

So and so, Rascal-Boy told him everything frankly. And the Giant laughed at his misfortune! He laughed so hard that he forgot all his old grievances and said:

- "Here's my beard! Cut it off! A new one will grow. You'll remember what the Giant-with-the-Golden-Beard is like."

Yes, it turns out giants can be better than some people.

Rascal-Boy returned to the king with the Giant's golden beard and, without waiting for new orders from the capricious princess, mounted his swift mule and in no time found himself back in his home village.

You'd say he should have done that long ago? Well, yes, but if we knew everything in advance, no one would fall into pits or get bruised. In short, Rascal-Boy grew wiser from his hard service.

Well, and his mother and father were so happy to see him, so happy, that they threw a celebration for the whole village. The best fiddler played for them, even if it was on a simple violin, but the guests danced all night. And the full moon shone upon them, that's how it was. I myself was at that celebration, but, as luck would have it, my head started spinning by morning, and I went home. I walked and walked, but never made it—I collapsed from exhaustion on our long Mulen Street.

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The Little Trickster

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