How the Devils Cured the Old Man
Long ago, in a village, there lived an old man. This old man had a huge lump on his right cheek. It dangled to the side and was always in his way.One day, the old man went to the forest to gather firewood. Suddenly, a terrible storm arose, lightning flashed, thunder roared, and rain poured down in streams.
The old man wanted to return home, but how could he in such weather? He began to think about what to do next. Then he noticed a tree with a large hollow nearby. The old man climbed into the hollow and waited for the rain to stop. Meanwhile, night fell. The dense forest was pitch dark, and the wind howled eerily. The old man was terrified. He sat in the hollow, trembling, unable to close his eyes.
At midnight, the rain subsided, and the wind died down. Then the old man heard voices in the forest, as if a crowd of people were descending from a high mountain. The old man had been sitting alone in the dark, filled with fear, but when he heard the voices, he felt a bit better.
"Ah," he thought, "I’ve found some companions." He peeked out of the hollow and froze in horror. Instead of people, there were strange creatures walking one after another—no doubt, devils! They were of different colors and dressed in bright, mismatched clothes. They chattered loudly, lighting their way with lanterns. It seemed as if dozens of glowing cat eyes were shining in the dark.
The old man’s soul sank to his heels in fear. He huddled back into the hollow, sitting there half-dead, trembling so much that his teeth chattered.
The devils came closer and closer. They reached the tree where the old man was hiding, made some noise in their own language, and stopped.
"Well," thought the old man, "I’m done for!" And he became even more frightened.
Meanwhile, one of the devils, apparently the leader, sat right in front of the hollow, while the others took their places to his right and left. What horrors were there! One-eyed, with mouths stretching to their ears, flat, noseless faces—such repulsive and terrifying creatures that words cannot describe!
Out of nowhere, the devils produced wine and clay cups, and a feast began. The devils drank and got tipsy, especially the leader: he sat there, his eyes bulging, laughing at the top of his lungs. Then a young devil jumped up, took a dish with some food, and respectfully offered it to the leader. He began to say something, but what it was, no one could understand. The leader sat there, holding a cup in his left hand, listening to the young devil and laughing. It looked just like humans! Then the devils started singing in different voices. The young devil leaped forward and began to dance. And then it began! One after another, the devils stepped into the circle to show off their skills. There were skilled dancers—they were praised. And there were clumsy ones—they were met with loud laughter. The leader was in high spirits.
"Such a merry feast as tonight has never happened before. Come on, who else wants to dance? Step forward!" he shouted.
All this time, the old man sat curled up in the hollow, thinking fearfully, "I’m in trouble!" But then curiosity got the better of him. He began to peek out of the hollow and, before he knew it, forgot all his fears. He watched the devils' dancing as if it were the most natural thing, even tapping his feet. More and more, the old man became cheerful. And when he heard the leader’s words, he felt like stepping into the circle and dancing himself. But then he caught himself and thought:
"If I step out, the devils will grab me and eat me! No, I’ll endure it and stay here."
But the devils, as if on purpose, clapped their hands even more cheerfully and sang along. The old man couldn’t resist:
"Ah, whatever happens, I’ll go! If they eat me, well, we only die once!"
He tucked his axe into his belt, pulled his hat down firmly, and jumped out onto the clearing right in front of the leader’s nose.
"Now I’ll show you how to dance!" The devils were more frightened by this sudden appearance than the old man himself. They jumped up from their seats, shouting:
"What’s this? Who’s this? Why, it’s an old man who’s come to visit us!"
But the old man didn’t care anymore. He energetically danced around, moving faster than a squirrel, and, as if tipsy, shouted, "Eh! Eh!"
It was so amusing that the devils soon recovered. They began to clap in rhythm and cheer the old man on.
"Bravo! Go on, go on! Show us how it’s done!" they shouted loudly, forgetting everything else.
When the old man tired and stopped, the leader said in admiration:
"What a dancer you are! I’ve never seen anything like it. Come back tomorrow evening and dance for us again!"
"Heh-heh, I’ll come without your order," the old man replied smugly. "Today I danced without any preparation, but tomorrow evening I’ll prepare and dance even better."
But then the devil sitting third to the left of the leader stood up and said:
"Oh no, that won’t do. What if the old man deceives us and doesn’t come? Let’s take something from him as a pledge to keep his word."
"Yes, you’re probably right," agreed the leader.
The devils began to argue about what to take from the old man. One shouted for his hat, another for his axe. The leader silenced the noise.
"No," he said, "the best thing is to take the lump from his cheek. The lump must bring good luck. And surely the old man values it more than anything in the world."
The old man rejoiced inwardly: "Lucky me!" But he didn’t show it and, pretending to be truly frightened, begged the devils:
"What are you saying? How can you? You might as well cut off my nose or pluck out my eyes, but please, don’t touch my lump! I’ve treasured it for so many years. If you take it, I’ll be lost!"
Hearing this, the leader was delighted.
"What did I tell you? The old man truly values his lump. Take it as a pledge. Hey, you there!"
The devils rushed at the old man, and before he knew it, they twisted off his lump. The old man didn’t even feel it.
By then, dawn was breaking, and crows began to caw in the trees.
The devils got scared and jumped up.
"Well, old man, come back tomorrow evening without fail! Then you’ll get your lump back."
With these words, the devils scattered in all directions and disappeared.
The old man ran his hand over his cheek—it was smooth. The huge lump was gone!
"Thank you for this. Miracles do happen!" And, unable to contain his joy, the old man ran home to show himself to his wife. When the old woman saw that the old man had returned without his lump, she was frightened and asked:
"Where did you leave your lump?"
The old man told her how the devils had taken his lump as a pledge.
The old woman listened, gasping, her eyes wide with amazement! Although the old man asked her not to tell anyone about this miracle, the old woman spread the news throughout the village that very day.
Next to them lived another old man with a similar lump, but on his left cheek.
He heard that his neighbor had gotten rid of his "decoration," and envy took hold of him. He went to the old man and asked:
"Tell me, where did your lump go? Who is this skilled healer who managed to cut it off? How can I find this person? I’d like to be cured too."
"No!" replied the old man. "I didn’t go to any healer. The devils in the forest took my lump last night."
"How did they take it?" the neighbor asked, astonished.
Then the old man told him everything in detail: how he danced and how the devils took his lump as a pledge.
The neighbor listened to the story and said:
"What a tale! Perhaps I’ll go dance for the devils too. Just tell me how to find them."
"With pleasure," replied the old man. And he told his neighbor how to reach the clearing with the big tree.
The neighbor was delighted and hurried to the forest. He found the hollow, climbed into it, and waited anxiously for the devils to arrive.
At midnight, a crowd of devils indeed appeared. Dressed in bright clothes and carrying lanterns, they emerged from the forest, chatting among themselves.
Soon, as on the previous night, the devils sat in front of the hollow and began feasting.
"Something’s missing. Where’s our old man?" the leader noticed.
"Why isn’t he here?" the others clamored. "Hey, old man, come out quickly!"
Hearing their cries, the old man thought, "Now’s the time!"
Timidly, he crawled out of the hollow and stopped. The devils noticed him immediately.
"Here he is, here he is!" they shouted. The leader was pleased:
"Finally! Come here! Dance something amusing for us!"
The old man glanced around fearfully, awkwardly waved his arms, and began to shuffle in place. The leader frowned:
"What’s wrong with you today, old man? You dance so poorly it’s unbearable! Enough, stop. Go back where you came from. Hey, you there! Give the old man yesterday’s lump!"
The young devil who had kept the lump from the previous night ran out.
"Here, take it!" he shouted and planted the lump on the old man’s right cheek.
"That’s not mine! Not mine!" the old man wailed, but it was too late.
And so he ran back from the forest with lumps on both cheeks.
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