Telesik

Once upon a time, there lived an old man and an old woman, and they had no children. The old man grieved, and the old woman grieved:
"Who will take care of us in our old age if we have no children?"
So the old woman said to the old man:
"Go, old man, go to the forest, cut down a little tree, and make a cradle. I’ll put a little log in the cradle and rock it. At least it will be something to amuse me!"

The old man went, cut down a little tree, and made a cradle. The old woman placed the little log in the cradle, rocked it, and sang a song:

*"Luli-luli, my little Telezik,
I’ve cooked you some porridge,
With little legs and little arms,
Enough to feed you well!"*

She rocked and sang, rocked and sang. In the evening, they went to bed. In the morning, they woke up and saw that the little log had turned into a baby boy. They were so overjoyed, oh my goodness! And they named the boy Telezik.

The boy grew and grew, becoming so handsome that it was beyond imagination, something only a fairy tale could describe.

When he grew up, he said:
"Father, make me a golden boat and a silver oar. I will catch fish and feed you!"

So the old man made a golden boat and a silver oar, launched it on the river, and Telezik sailed away. He sailed along the river, catching fish to feed his parents. Whatever he caught, he gave to them and then sailed off again. He lived on the river, and his mother brought him food. One day she said:
"Listen, son, don’t make a mistake. When I call you, come to the shore. But if someone else calls, sail farther away!"

One day, his mother cooked him breakfast, brought it to the shore, and called:

*"Telezik, my Telezik!
I’ve cooked you some porridge,
With little legs and little arms,
Enough to feed you well!"*

Telezik heard her.
"That’s my mother bringing me breakfast!"

He sailed to the shore, ate his fill, drank, pushed off with his silver oar, and sailed away to catch more fish.

But a witch had overheard how Telezik’s mother called him. She went to the shore and began to shout in a deep voice:

*"Telezik, my Telezik!
I’ve cooked you some porridge,
With little legs and little arms,
Enough to feed you well!"*

Telezik heard her.
"No, that’s not my mother’s voice. Sail on, sail on, little boat, farther away!"

The boat sailed on, and the witch stood there for a while before leaving.

Later, Telezik’s mother cooked him lunch, brought it to the shore, and called:

*"Telezik, my Telezik!
I’ve cooked you some porridge,
With little legs and little arms,
Enough to feed you well!"*

He heard her.
"That’s my mother bringing me lunch!"

He sailed to the shore, ate, drank, gave his mother the fish he had caught, pushed off, and sailed away again.

The witch came to the shore and called again in her deep voice:

*"Telezik, my Telezik!
I’ve cooked you some porridge,
With little legs and little arms,
Enough to feed you well!"*

Telezik heard her and waved his oar:
"Sail on, sail on, little boat, farther away!"

And the boat sailed on.

This happened several times: when his mother called, he came to the shore, but when the witch called, he sailed away.

The witch saw that she couldn’t trick him, so she went to the blacksmith:
"Blacksmith, blacksmith! Forge me a voice as thin as Telezik’s mother’s!"

The blacksmith forged it. The witch went to the shore and began to call:

*"Telezik, my Telezik!
I’ve cooked you some porridge,
With little legs and little arms,
Enough to feed you well!"*

Telezik thought it was his mother:
"That’s my mother bringing me food!"

He sailed to the shore, and the witch grabbed him, took him to her house, and called:
"Olenka, Olenka, open the door!"
Olenka opened the door, and the witch entered.

"Olenka, Olenka, heat the stove so hot that the stones crack!"

Olenka heated the stove until the stones cracked.

"Olenka, Olenka, bake Telezik for me while I go visiting!"

Olenka said:
"Sit on the shovel, Telezik! Let me see if you’re heavy or not."

Telezik replied:
"I don’t know how to sit."
"Just sit!" said Olenka.

He put his head on the shovel.
"Is this right?" he asked.
"No, not like that!"

He put one hand on the shovel.
"Like this?"
"No, not like that!"

He put the other hand on the shovel.
"Like this?"
"No, not like that! Sit all the way!"
"How? Like this?" He put one leg on the shovel.
"No!" said Olenka. "Not like that!"
"Then show me," said Telezik, "because I don’t know how."

As soon as Olenka sat on the shovel, Telezik grabbed it, threw her into the stove, and closed the door. Then he locked the house, climbed a sycamore tree, and sat there.

The witch returned.
"Olenka, Olenka, open the door!"
Silence.
"Olenka, Olenka, open the door!"
No answer.
"That cursed Olenka, she’s already run off to play with the boys!"

The witch opened the door herself, opened the stove, took out what she thought was Telezik, and ate her fill. She went outside and rolled on the grass, saying:

"Roll, roll, after eating Telezik’s meat!"

Telezik called from the tree:
"Roll, roll, after eating Olenka’s meat!"

The witch heard him and looked up, seeing Telezik. She rushed to the tree and began to gnaw at it. She gnawed and gnawed, breaking all her teeth, but couldn’t gnaw through. She ran to the blacksmith:
"Blacksmith, blacksmith! Forge me teeth strong enough to gnaw through the tree and eat Telezik!"

The blacksmith forged them. The witch began gnawing again. She was about to succeed when a flock of geese flew by. Telezik begged them:

*"Geese, geese, goslings!
Take me on your wings,
Carry me to my father,
Where I can eat and drink,
And live happily!"*

The geese replied:
"Let the middle ones take you!"

The witch gnawed and gnawed. Telezik sat and cried. Another flock of geese flew by. Telezik begged again:

*"Geese, geese, goslings!
Take me on your wings,
Carry me to my father,
Where I can eat and drink,
And live happily!"*

They replied:
"Let the rear ones take you!"

Telezik cried again. The tree creaked. The witch grew tired, drank some water, and continued gnawing. Another flock of geese flew by. Telezik begged:

*"Geese, geese, goslings!
Take me on your wings,
Carry me to my father,
Where I can eat and drink,
And live happily!"*

They said:
"Let the last one take you!" and flew away.

Telezik thought, "I’m lost forever," and cried bitterly. The witch was about to topple the tree when a lone gosling, lagging behind, flew by. Telezik begged:

*"Gosling, gosling, little one!
Take me on your wing,
Carry me to my father,
Where I can eat and drink,
And live happily!"*

The gosling said:
"Climb on."

Telezik climbed on, and the gosling carried him to his father’s house, placing him on the porch before flying away.

Telezik sat on the porch. His mother was baking pies, taking them out of the oven, and saying:
"This pie is for you, old man, and this one is for me!"
Telezik called from the yard:
"What about me?"

She took out more pies:
"This pie is for you, old man, and this one is for me!"
Telezik called again:
"What about me?"

They were surprised.
"Old man, do you know who’s calling, ‘What about me?’"
"No," said the old man.
"Maybe I imagined it," said the old woman, and took out more pies:
"This pie is for you, old man, and this one is for me!"
Telezik called again:
"What about me?"

The old man looked out the window and saw Telezik! They ran out, grabbed him, brought him inside, and rejoiced. His mother fed him, gave him water, washed his head, and gave him a clean shirt.

And so they lived, chewing bread, carrying water with a yoke, and wearing good shoes. And I was there, drinking honey, but it ran down my beard and never reached my mouth.

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Telesik

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