Cerodena
Once upon a time, or maybe not, there lived an old man and an old woman. The poor souls grieved because they had no children.One day, the old man was plowing his field. At noon, the old woman decided to bring him some food. She put a corn flatbread and a jug of sour milk into a bag and headed to the field. As she passed the outskirts of the village, she suddenly heard a squeaky little voice:
— Mother, let me carry the bag!
— Who are you, little one? Where are you?
— I’m here on the ground, your son!
The old woman bent down and saw a tiny boy standing on the ground, reaching for the bag.
— Alright, try carrying it, my Cerodena! — the old woman laughed. She handed him the bag and helped him sling it over his shoulder. But how could such a burden be within Cerodena’s strength? The bag weighed him down, nearly crushing him. The old woman picked up her little son and carried him.
They arrived at the field. Cerodena saw the plow and demanded:
— Father, let me lead the ox! Put me on the yoke!
— Where are you going, little one? — the old man exclaimed in surprise. — You won’t stay on the yoke, you’ll fall, and the ox will trample you.
— But I want to lead the ox, I want to! — Cerodena stubbornly insisted. The old man sat his son on the yoke. Cerodena couldn’t hold on, fell, and disappeared into the loose soil.
— Our Cerodena is lost! — the old couple grieved, unable to find the little boy.
Cerodena means "thumb-sized."
But Cerodena didn’t perish, nor did he get lost in the soil. By his good fortune, the wind blew in dark clouds, rolling iron balls across the sky — thunder rumbled, and a downpour began! The water washed away the soil, and Cerodena crawled out of the furrow.
The boy got soaked in the rain and shivered from the cold. He climbed into a vineyard, lit a fire under a vine, and sat down to warm himself. He sat there, warming up, singing a little song and poking at the embers.
Just then, a hungry wolf ran by. He spotted Cerodena and bared his teeth in joy — at last, a bite-sized meal!
— I’ll eat you! — said the wolf.
— Oh no, you won’t! — replied Cerodena.
The wolf opened his jaws, grabbed the boy, but Cerodena got stuck in a broken tooth.
He sat there, poking at the tooth with a sharp stick. The wolf howled in pain.
— Get out! — the wolf roared.
— I won’t — you’ll swallow me!
— I swear I won’t swallow you!
Cerodena didn’t believe him and kept poking at the tooth with his stick.
The wolf couldn’t bear the pain any longer. He swore he wouldn’t eat the boy.
— Come out, Cerodena, and I’ll give you a sheep with golden fleece, — the wolf pleaded.
The wolf opened his mouth, and the boy jumped out onto the ground. The wolf brought Cerodena a sheep with golden fleece and ran away. Cerodena herded the sheep back to the village. As they walked, the sheep nibbled on grass, and Cerodena played a tune on a straw flute. And so, they reached home. The old couple rejoiced at the sight of the boy — small as he was, he was still their son!
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