The Tale of the Thirteen Flies
Once upon a time, in Mune-du-Hur, there lived a weaver—a slacker like no other. No one had ever heard the sound of his loom clattering. And yet, this weaver had no equal and always managed to weave as much fine and beautiful fabric as was ordered, right on time.He never dug up his garden. He never tilled the soil. He never tended to his vineyard. And yet, every year his harvest was thirteen times greater than that of his neighbors.
The weaver's wife was amazed at how he managed it.
Day and night, she questioned him, watched him. But even after seven years of marriage, she knew no more than she had on the first day.
One morning, on Saint Martin's Day, the weaver woke up and said to his wife:
"Wife, I need to go to Lectoure for the fair. Keep an eye on the house until I return."
"Don't worry, dear husband, I'll guard it well."
The weaver left. And his wife quietly followed him, hiding behind trees and fences. When the weaver reached a small grove, he took something out of his pocket, placed it under a juniper bush, and walked on. Not even five minutes had passed before his wife found the hidden object—it was a nut the size of a turkey egg, and something inside was buzzing:
"Bzz-bzz-bzz, open the nut! Bzz-bzz-bzz, give us work! Bzz-bzz-bzz, open the nut!"
The wife grabbed the find and ran back home. All the while, she heard:
"Bzz-bzz-bzz, give us work! Bzz-bzz-bzz, give us work! Bzz-bzz-bzz, open the nut!"
Finally, the wife opened the nut. Immediately, thirteen flies flew out and began circling the room:
"Bzz-bzz-bzz, give us work! Bzz-bzz-bzz, give us work! Bzz-bzz-bzz, give us work!"
Terrified, the wife commanded:
"Flies, return to the nut."
The thirteen flies immediately returned to the nut. But they continued to buzz:
"Bzz-bzz-bzz, open the nut! Bzz-bzz-bzz, give us work! Bzz-bzz-bzz, open the nut!"
Losing patience, the wife took the nut back to the juniper bush where the weaver had hidden it. That evening, when her husband returned, she said to him at dinner:
"Dear husband, now I know the workers who do everything for you: they are thirteen flies, and they live in a nut the size of a turkey egg."
"Wife, you've guessed it. Well, since you know my workers, command them as you wish. They will obey you as they obey me."
From that day on, the weaver's wife had only to sit back, open the nut, and give orders. No matter the task, the thirteen flies completed it in a minute.
Then they returned to the nut, which the mistress hid under her pillow, and buzzed:
"Bzz-bzz-bzz, open the nut! Bzz-bzz-bzz, give us work! Bzz-bzz-bzz, open the nut!"
The constant buzzing often drove the weaver's wife to frustration. In her anger, she gave the thirteen flies the most difficult tasks. But no matter the work, they completed it in a minute.
Then they immediately returned to the nut, which the mistress hid under her pillow, and began to buzz again.
"Bzz-bzz-bzz, open the nut! Bzz-bzz-bzz, give us work! Bzz-bzz-bzz, open the nut!"
One day, the weaver's wife couldn't take it anymore. She opened the nut and shouted:
"Flies, here are six sieves, six strainers, and a leaky barrel. Fly to the Gers River and bring all its water here."
In a minute, the Gers River dried up completely, and all of Mune-du-Hur was covered in water. Immediately, the thirteen flies returned to the nut, which their mistress hid under her pillow, and buzzed:
"Bzz-bzz-bzz, open the nut! Bzz-bzz-bzz, give us work! Bzz-bzz-bzz, open the nut!"
"Dear husband," the wife cried, green with anger, "these flies will be the death of me! Get rid of them!"
"As you wish, wife. Flies, fly away!"
"Bzz-bzz-bzz, pay us for our work! Bzz-bzz-bzz, we will fly away! Bzz-bzz-bzz, pay us for our work! Bzz-bzz-bzz, we will fly away!"
"Flies, there are thirteen ravens flying over the Ramie forest. Take them as your reward for your labor."
The thirteen flies flew away, taking the thirteen ravens with them, and the weaver and his wife never saw them again.
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