The Serpent's Little Tree

Once upon a time, there lived a poor man named Kostakis. He worked from sunrise to sunset every day, and on Sundays, he would go out to his little garden, sit under the apple tree, eat a good meal, and then play his flute until evening, spending his day in pleasure. Kostakis had a kind heart—he never got angry with anyone and never quarreled with anyone.

One Sunday, as he was playing his flute and humming a tune, a snake slithered out from a hidden corner and, swaying and bowing, began to dance in front of him to the rhythm of the music. At first, Kostakis was frightened, but then he calmed down. And so it went—he played, and the snake danced. Finally, the snake bowed one last time and disappeared, and where it had danced, the poor man saw a bag of gold coins. Overjoyed, he almost started dancing himself, and then he said to his wife:

"Next Sunday, I'll play the flute again, and we'll see if the snake returns. But remember, don't tell anyone! This isn't an ordinary snake—it's the good spirit of our home!"

"What are you talking about! Have I lost my mind to gossip about such things? Of course, it's the good spirit of our home; the legends about it aren't for nothing. I've heard that snakes love music—maybe it likes how you play?"

"And you, foolish woman, used to mock me and run off to the neighbors every Sunday to avoid hearing me play! Now you see what happened!" So they spent the week talking, and on Sunday, they saw the snake again. This went on for a whole year, and each time the snake left Kostakis a bag of gold. The villagers were amazed that the poor couple had started living in prosperity. Rumors and gossip spread, and soon everyone was talking about how to uncover Kostakis' secret. But then, suddenly, the snake disappeared!

The poor man waited and waited, played his flute and played—but it was all in vain: the snake did not return.

Then Kostakis decided to find the snake's den. When he found it, he saw the little snake curled up in a ball, dead. The poor man was heartbroken, wept bitterly, and buried it in the garden near the fence.

A few days later, a strange tree grew in that very spot, unlike any other in the world. Kostakis dug a little around the roots and saw that the tree had grown on the snake's bones. He covered the roots with soil and secretly named the tree "Snake Tree." Everyone marveled at the tree, but no one knew its secret name—not even Kostakis' wife. He never told her that the tree had grown on the snake's bones.

And so, on Sundays, people began to gather and place bets. But they always lost because they didn't know the tree's secret name. One would come, place a bet, and ask:

"Is this an apple tree? Is it a pear tree? Is it a mirabelle?" Another would approach and ask: "Is it a pomegranate? Is it a peach? Is it a currant?" A third would ask: "Is it an apricot? Is it a fig? Is it a pomelo?"

No one could guess, and the poor man won many bets. But there was a cunning and greedy merchant in the village who decided to find out the secret from Kostakis' wife. He brought her embroideries, trinkets, and fake gold jewelry, selling them to her cheaply. They became friends. One day, the merchant said:

"Surely, my dear, you don't know what kind of tree grows in your garden by the fence?"

"I don't know the secret, my dear friend. My husband keeps it from me!"

"Then persuade him, convince him. I'll give you gold-embroidered slippers with silk tassels. But make sure you say the tree's name out loud twice in your bedroom. I'll hide under the window and listen. That way, you won't feel guilty for revealing the secret."

So he persuaded her, and the next day, the cunning merchant hid under the window in the alley and listened intently. The woman began to pester her husband:

"Tell me, my dear, what is the name of the tree by the fence?"

"Why do you need to know? Isn't it good that we win the bets?"

"Why are you worried, my Kostakis? Would I ever gossip? Don't you know me? Or don't you love me at all?"

The poor man thought for a moment and revealed the secret.

"Finally! So it's the Snake Tree! It grew on the bones of our little snake! Oh, our dear snake, even in death, you help us!" And, so the merchant under the window could hear, she shouted at the top of her lungs: "Snake Tree! Snake Tree!"

On Sunday, the villagers gathered again to place their bets. The merchant came wearing a colorful vest. Two lost, three lost, and then the merchant stepped forward and said:

"I bet all my property! You bet everything you have, Kostakis!"

The poor man was stunned; he hadn't expected such a large bet, but confident that no one knew the secret, he agreed:

"Deal! I bet everything I have!"

"Agreed! Is it a poplar?"

"No! You lose the first time!"

"Is it a linden?"

"No! You lose the second time!"

"Is it... is it..." The merchant pretended to think, clutching his head tightly, as if he were about to guess the name. "Could it be... the Snake Tree?"

Kostakis froze, his mouth agape, as if struck by lightning. His vision darkened: just moments ago, he had been prosperous, but now he had lost everything and was poorer than before!

He had to leave his own house: when his wife found out what had happened, she quarreled with him bitterly. The poor man wandered along the road, lamenting:

"I deserve this, fool that I am, for trusting a wicked woman!" Then he met an old woman.

"Hello, son!"

"Hello, grandmother!"

"What are you looking for here, where even birds don't fly?"

"I'm searching for my fate!"

"Your fate lives in the House of the Sun."

"How do I get there, grandmother?"

"It's far from here, son. First, you'll pass a rock that hangs in the air and sways but never falls to the ground, then a river with just a little water, and then you'll be close to the Sun!" The old woman said this and disappeared. And Kostakis wandered on. He walked and walked for a long time.

Finally, a house appeared, red and glowing! A woman sat by the door, neither young nor old. Kostakis understood—this was his fate!

"Why have you come here, Kostakis?"

"I've come to ask for your help," he replied. "I can't bear this life anymore! I surrender to your will—do with me as you please!"

"Very well," said Fate. "I'll try to help you. Let's wait for the Sun and ask for its advice."

So they sat and waited. When it grew dark, the Sun went to rest, so it could rise early the next morning. The woman gave it dinner, showed Kostakis, and asked:

"Help this poor man, Sun! He's the one who played the flute for my little snake!"

Then the Sun spoke:

"Return to your village and challenge the merchant to a bet. Let him wager all his property. The bet will be this: ask him where the Sun rises. He'll answer, without thinking: from the east. But you say from the north, and don't be afraid!"

"But how can I bet? I have nothing to wager!"

"Look by the roots of the Snake Tree—maybe you'll find something!" Finally, the poor man reached his village. He waited until night, approached his house, climbed over the fence into the garden, dug under the Snake Tree, and found a bag of gold coins. He grabbed the bag, jumped over the fence, and hid outside the village, waiting for Sunday. At dawn on Sunday, he went to the merchant.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" the merchant asked in surprise.

"I want to challenge you to a bet!"

"And what will you wager? You're a beggar! No wager, no bet!"

"I'm not entirely a beggar. Here's my wager! Or don't you like it?"

With these words, Kostakis shook the bag of gold coins. He knew the merchant would agree to any bet for gold. And so it happened. The merchant saw the money, his head clouded with greed, and, forgetting all caution, he shouted:

"So what's the bet?"

"Let's bet on where the Sun rises!"

"Ha! From the east, of course!"

"I say it rises from the north!"

The merchant thought Kostakis had lost his mind from grief and exclaimed:

"I'll bet on that a thousand times, for any wager!"

"If you're so sure," replied the poor man, "bet all your property! And I'll bet this bag—it's all I have!" The greedy merchant laughed: soon that gold would be in his pocket!

The next day, before dawn, they both climbed onto the roof of the house, along with all the neighbors, and waited for the sunrise. The poor man's heart pounded with fear—had Fate deceived him? The merchant's heart pounded with joy—soon the gold would be his. Some looked east, others north. Suddenly, the sky lit up, and red rays of the Sun appeared in the north! The crowd gasped in amazement, and the merchant fainted. He had no choice but to give all his property to the poor man. And so Kostakis lived well, and we live even better!

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The Serpent's Little Tree

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