About How the Wives of Schildburgers Decided to Get Their Husbands Back

What a parable it is: neither a wife without a husband nor a husband without a wife can manage a household. Such division only brings harm and disorder.

If there is no master in the house, there is no harmony, and where there is no harmony, work does not go well—everyone does as they please, no one listens to each other; and where no one listens to each other, it is unlikely that anything good will come of it. In any work, one must help the other, as we see in all crafts and trades.

If there is no mistress in the house, then do not expect any order. And if there is no order in the house, there will be none in the entire household. After all, it is not for nothing that they say: if the roof leaks in one corner, the bench and the floor will be wet too. So it turns out that spouses cannot live without each other. That is why, when foreign princes took all the men of Schilda as advisors, and only the wives remained, the town of Schilda fell into complete desolation. However, the wives of the Schildburgers did not want to put up with such disorder and, remembering the common good, decided to hold a council on how to save the town. They debated for a long time, pondered over and over, and came to one conclusion: the husbands must be brought back. But this is easier said than done.

First and foremost, they decided to write a letter to their husbands and send it far and wide.

This letter has not reached us, but if my memory serves me right, it said something like this:

"Hello, dear husbands! Your wives write to you and send their humble greetings from the town of Schilda, to all of you together and to each of you individually.

Your mothers and all your little children, big and small, who are growing up without you as orphans, like blades of grass in a field—and this while their fathers are still alive! Great honor to you and glory to the Schildian lineage, for princes from distant lands have appointed you as their advisors and heed your wise words. But your wives, children, and all your relatives have suffered great loss: the household has fallen into decline, the fields do not yield, the cattle run wild, and the little children grow up disobedient. So we ask you to return home as soon as possible, each to your own house, to put the household in order and teach your children sense and reason.

And allow us to say one more thing: the favor of lords is like April weather. They are generous with handouts and promises, but you, tempted by profit, have forgotten the way home. It seems you have forgotten how a hunter treats a toothless dog: as a reward for faithful service, he hangs it on the first branch. The same fate will befall you when the princes turn their favor to anger and deprive you of your freedom. Freedom must be cherished more than gold. And whoever needs your advice will find you themselves. So hurry back, so that your little children and we, your faithful wives, may rejoice in your return, and the household may rise again, and your parents, seeing you, may pass away in peace. We bow low to you and eagerly await your return home."

More fairy tales

• How the Schildburgers Prepared Chambers in Their Town Hall
• How the Schildburgers Built a New Town Hall and What They Forgot in the Process
• How the Schildbürgers Sowed Salt
• How the Schildburgers Delivered Logs for the New Town Hall
• How the Schildburgers Lifted a Cow onto the Fortress Wall