The Magic Whistle and the Golden Apples
Once upon a time, there lived a king. This king had a bird, so beautiful and charming that no other like it could be found in the whole world. The king adored it dearly.One day, while he was feeding the bird, the door was left open, and the bird flew away. The king called his two sons and said:
"The one of you who finds this bird within a year will receive half of my kingdom."
The brothers set off together; when they reached a crossroads, they parted ways. Soon, the elder brother met an old woman—she was a fairy.
"Where are you headed?" she asked him.
"I'm going where I need to go; it's none of your business."
The old woman then crossed over to the path where the younger brother was walking.
"Where are you headed, fair young man?"
"I'm searching for the bird that my father lost."
"Here is a whistle for you. Take it to the Ardennes Forest; blow it once and say, 'I have come for my father's bird.' All the birds will cry out, 'It's me! It's me!' But only one will say, 'It's not me!' That's the one you must take."
The prince thanked the old woman, put the whistle in his pocket, and went to the Ardennes Forest. There, he blew the whistle once and said:
"I have come for my father's bird." All the birds cried out:
"It's me! It's me! It's me!" But only one said:
"It's not me."
The prince caught it and headed back to his father's castle.
Soon, he met his brother, who immediately asked:
"Did you find the bird?"
"Yes, I found it."
"Give it to me!"
"No!"
"Then I'll kill you!"
"Kill me if you wish."
The brother killed the prince, dug a hole, and buried him there. Then he returned to the castle with the bird. The king was overjoyed that the bird had been found and ordered a grand feast, inviting many people.
Meanwhile, a shepherd was walking through the forest; his dog began scratching the ground where the young prince was buried. The shepherd followed the dog and noticed something sticking out of the ground. At first, he thought it was a finger, but upon closer inspection, he saw it was a whistle. The shepherd picked it up and put it to his lips, and suddenly the whistle spoke:
"Whistle, shepherd, with all your might,
My own brother took my life
In the dark Ardennes Forest."
The local mayor, who lived nearby, heard about the whistle and bought it. When he was invited to the king's feast, he brought the whistle, and the guests suddenly heard the words:
"Whistle, mayor, with all your might,
My own brother took my life
In the dark Ardennes Forest."
Then the king, in turn, took the whistle, and it spoke again:
"Whistle, father, with all your might,
My own brother took my life
In the dark Ardennes Forest."
The king's eldest son realized the words were about him. He tried to flee, but he was caught, brought back, and forced to whistle. And the whistle repeated:
"Whistle, executioner, with all your might,
For it was you who took my life
In the dark Ardennes Forest."
The king immediately ordered his son to be burned alive at the stake.
Then he asked the shepherd if he could show the place where he had found the whistle. The shepherd said he couldn't remember exactly but would try to find the way, and his dog led them straight to the spot. As soon as the body was dug up, the young man sprang to his feet.
Overjoyed, the king ordered a lavish celebration. I was there, and then I returned home.
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