The prince who wanted to be immortal
Once upon a time in a spectacular city, there was an old king who had a single gracious son. The king expected a lot from him, so he got a good education, he was sent to many countries to learn. He had been away for several years, when his father asked him to come back. However, his nature changed dramatically, he became apprehensive and sad. The old king was very surprised to see that, and he started to wonder why. He thought that the prince must be in love.
Once, when they were alone in a room, the wall of which was full of pictures of many beautiful girls, he said to him: Sweet son of mine, you seem very listless, it would be good for you to get married. Here you can see pictures of the daughters of many great emperors, kings and lords. You can choose whoever you wish, and you will marry her. The prince replied: Oh, dear father, I’m not in love, and I don’t wish to get married, I just feel sad when I think about the fact that all men, even a king must die. So, I decided to go as far as I need to, to find a realm, where death has no power.
The old king tried to persuade his son not to go, he told him it was impossible, and that he had been ruling his kingdom for 50 years happily. He even offered him to be a king and rule, if he just stayed at home with him. However, the prince stuck to his intense, and set off in the next morning.
A few days later, as he was walking on the street, he noticed a big tree with an eagle on the top, kicking the branches. As he went closer, the eagle landed next to him, transformed into a king and asked him:
- What are you staring at, brother?
- I’m staring at you, and wonder, why are you kicking the branches?-replied the prince.
- I’m cursed, me and my people cannot die until I kick this tree completely out of the ground - said the eagle king. Anyway, it’s getting late and I’m going home, you are welcomed to come with me.
So, they walked back to the house of the eagle king. It turned out that he had a beautiful daughter, who cooked a dinner for them. As they were eating, the king asked the prince where he was heading to. He said that he was looking for a realm, where death had no power.
-Sweet brother - replied the king- then you’ve come to the right place, death has no power over me and my people until I kick that big tree out of the ground. And that will take at least 600 years. Marry my daughter, and you can live a long life together here!
- I would love to, but still: 600 years from now, I’ll have to die here, and I want to find a place, where I’ll never have to.
They princess begged him to stay as well, but he demanded on going further. Before he left, the girl gave him a locket with a picture of her inside. She told him, if he gets tired of walking, he just needs to open it, and he can travel in the way he wants: in the air or on land, as fast as the wind. They prince thanked her, and said goodbye.
He was walking for a while and was getting tired, so he took his locket, and wished for continuing his journey in the air, as fast as the wind. Flying over a huge mountain, he saw a bald man with a basket, a shovel and a hoe, carrying soil to the feet of the mountain. He stopped and stared.
- What are you staring at, brother?-asked the bald man.
- I’m staring at you and wonder, where are you taking that basket of soil?
- Oh, dear brother!-replied the man- I’m cursed, me and my family cannot die, until I carry all the soil from this mountain and it disappears. But it’s late and I’m going home.
He transformed into a bald king, and asked the prince to join him. In his house, he met the king’s daughter, who was a hundred times more beautiful, than the previous one. She prepared a dinner for them, and as they were eating, the king asked him where he was heading to. He replied that he wanted to find a realm, where death had no power.
- You’ve come to the right place, then.- said the king.- As I mentioned, me and my family cannot die, until I make that huge mountain disappear, by carrying all the soil from it in a basket. That will take at least 800 years. Marry my daughter, and you can live happily here for 800 years.
- It sounds good-said the prince-but I want to find a place where death has no power.
So, he started to prepare and saying good night, he went into the bedroom. Next day they got up, and the little queen asked the prince to stay, but he just dug heels in, and said no. The little queen didn’t want him to leave without any memory, so she gave him a golden ring, with a special power: just one wish and one rotation, and its owner can teleport to wherever he wants. The prince thanked the nice gift and started his way again.
He was walking out he highway for a while when he realized he had an extraordinary ring. So, he closed his eyes, rotated the ring… Opening it, he found himself in the center of a gorgeous city, just like he wished. He decided to discover it, finding throngs of beautiful buildings and fabulous people. He tried to talk with them in 27 different languages, but nobody answered him.
He was disappointed and had no idea what to do… After having wandered around the city, he glimpsed a familiar man. They started talking, and realized that they both were from the same country. The man told him about this strange city: This is the capital of the Blue King’s empire, who died a few months ago, and now his beautiful young daughter governs the whole empire. The man led him to the royal castle, in order to find the queen, the son of the Blue King. She was sitting in front of the castle, embroidering. He noticed and also realized the prince, so she treated him like a special person. The beautiful queen offered him to stay, and govern the empire together, but the prince wanted to stay there, where everyone is immortal. After that, the queen led the prince to a room, full of thousands of needles on the walls, and she said : ’Can you see those? I was cursed. I won’t die until i use all of those needles for sewing, and neither my family. You can join me, we govern together the empire for a thousand years’ ’Yes, but a thousand year later, we will die, and I don’t want to die!’ – said the prince. He was so stubborn, that the queen couldn’t change his mind. However, the queen liked him, so she gave him a golden stick, with which he can change to anything or anybody if he’s in trouble. The prince thanked her nicely, said goodbye, and left again.
He had just come out of the city, when found a huge river, but its other side seemed dark and unsafe – probably the end of the world – so he decided to go along the river. Suddenly, he glimpsed at a large, stunning castle, but he didn’t see any road or bridge through which he could reach the castle. Suddenly, he realized, that he had a special golden stick. He took it out of his packet, dropped it with and thought : I wish I was in that shining castle right now. And in that moment, the stick became a golden bridge through which the prince could go to the castle. Arriving there he found huge creatures, he hadn’t seen before. He got frightened, and said: Sword, get out of your case. The sword did what the prince wanted: it cut the heads of those animals, but a few seconds later new ones grew. So the prince just stood there, and had no idea what to do. The queen of the castle saw the whole from a window, so she sent a footman to stop the guard animals, and to take the prince to her. The footman ran down quickly and did what he was told to do.
When the prince met the queen, the queen said to him: I can see you’re an extraordinary man, but I also want to know who are you and where are you from? The prince told her he was the son of a king, and he wanted to find a kingdom where death has no power.
- You’ve come to the right place, then, because I’m the queen of immortality, you’ll be safe from death here. She invited the prince for dinner.
The prince stayed for a century in the castle, but it seemed as it was only half a year.
When the century went by, the prince saw a dream, in which he was at home having a party with his parents, and got homesick.
The Queen of Immorality became astonished and said: Prince, how do you want to do that, your parents died more than 800 years ago and you won’t find them anywhere. But the Prince insisted on his decision.
Then the Queen told him if he wants to go anyway, before he leaves let her to equip him.
She gave him a golden and a silver bottle, led him into a small room and opened a door there. She said: „Fill the silver bottle with the water you can find behind this door. Later if you sprinkle it onto someone, that person will die immediately.”
Then she lead him into another room and opened a small door there. She told him: „If you fill the golden bottle with the water you find behind this door, the dead who you sprinkle it on will wake up.”
The Prince thanked the gifts, said goodbye to the Queen and then left.
He quickly arrived at the city where the Sewing Queen lived. He went to the palace, which was as quiet as if nobody lived in it. When he got into the sitting-room, the Queen was sleeping on her sewing-machine. He could recognize her hardly, because she changed a lot. The prince couldn’t wake her up. He ran into that room which earlier was full of needles, but now it was empty. The Queen died when she used up the last needle.
The prince got the golden bottle out of his pocket and sprinkled her with the water. When the Queen got up, she said: „My friend, thank you for waking me up, I must have been sleeping for a long time.” The prince replied: „You could’ve slept forever if didn’t ressurrect you.” The Queen noticed that she died and that the prince helped her to survive. She thanked him and promised some goods in place of his action.
After that, the prince went straight to the Bald King. He saw that the mountain disappeared and the king was lying on the ground dead. The prince got the golden bottle out of his pocket, sprinkled the king with the water and resurrected him. He also thanked him and promised good things in place of his action. The prince said goodbye and went to the Eagle King. He saw that the huge tree disappeared and the King was died. The prince sprinkled the king with the water from the golden bottle and resurrected him. When the Eagle King totally woke up said: „My friend, thank you for waking me up, I must have been sleeping for a long time.” The prince replied: „You could’ve sleep forever if I wouldn’t have helped you.” The king realized that he died. He thanked the prince the resurrection and promised goods in place of the help.
The prince said goodbye to the Eagle King and set off. Far away from the city of his father he saw that it has sunk and now it has a lake on its top. The prince lost all his expectations to see his mother and father again in his life.
He set off again, but when he was at the border of the city, he heard someone talking to him behind his back. „Stop, prince, you are at the right place, I have been searching you for a thousand years.” The prince glanced over his shoulders and realized that the man was the Death. He took the ring, he got from the Bald King, off his finger and at first he arrived at the Eagle King, then the Bald King and after that at the Sewing Queen. They all helped him slow down the Death while he was running towards the palace of the Queen of Immortality.
He could just step into the palace with one foot, the other was grabbed by the Death who said: „Stop, you are mine!” The Queen of Immortality noticed what had happened and from the window shouted at the Death what he was doing in her country. The Death said: „One of his feet is in my country, so that is mine.” The Queen replied: „But half of him is mine. For what on earth is good for us if we cut him into two? That is not useful for me, neither for you. I say: Come into my palace and let’s get over the problem by making a bet.”
The Death said okay and went into the palace of the Queen. The Queen suggested kicking the prince up to the sky and if he falls among the walls of the palace, the prince will be the property of her, but if outside them, then he will be the Death’s. The Death consented to the bet.
The Queen made the prince stand in the middle of the palace and kicked him up until the stars with an enormous force. The prince was so high in the sky that he couldn’t be seen. That’s why the Queen felt nervous about where he would land and was watching upwards waiting for the prince to appear. She glimpsed the prince and and started to figure out where he would fall. He touched down just on the wall of the palace. A gentle wind finally helped him to land inside of the walls. The Queen jumped to the prince and brought him into the palace. When she saw he was a bit unconscious she kissed him to get awoke.
She ordered the members of the court to find a broom, set it on fire and with the burning brooms expel the Death out of the palace. The Queen also commanded the Death not to step into her territory again.
The Prince and the Queen are still living happily with full of glory; who doesn’t believe that, find them in the palace of the Queen of Immortality at the end of the world. When the adventurer reaches it he will become aware of the fact that the palace exists.
Seven in one hit
Once upon a time, there was a skinner. He had so many children like the holes on a sifter, plus one more. One day he made mush for his children. Each child got one crumb of mush. It was warm. It was summer. There were a lot of flies. They almost covered the mush. But the skinner got very angry and he hit into one of the groups of flies. It was seven in one hit. Then he wondered:
„I am a very valiant man, because it was seven in one hit.”
He made a board and wrote on it: Seven in one hit, and hanged it into his neck.
He went to see the world. Once the evening fell, he was in a forest, next to a well. There he laid down. The devils always went there for water. When one of the devils saw him, he said: „This is a very valiant man, I should not disturb him.”
But the skinner woke up. Then the devil asked:
„Would you like to serve in our midst? You just have to carry water with this buff.”
Then they went home to the house of the devil, to the hell or who knows… And the devil boys drunk all water immediately. The king of devils asked:
„ How much salary do you want?”
„A bath of gold taken to my home and I will sit on the top of it.”
They agreed. Then the devils threw the buff to him. The poor skinner almost broke under the weight of the empty buff. He went to the well to get more water. He thought:
„How will I carry it when it is full of water, if I can’t even hold it when it is empty?”
On his way he chalked up a spade. When he arrived to the well he began to dig around it.
The devils got bored with waiting for the water. One of them went to him and said:
„ What are you doing, you skinner?”
„I won’t always carry water for you, I take the whole well at the same time.”
„Just don’t do it, my mother is blind and she will fall into it! Rather I will carry it for you, and you will carry wood from the forest.”
Then they went home. The devil led the skinner to the forest to show him how much wood he had to collect and how. The devil got a branch of a tree and bant it. The skinner also grabbed it but the devil let go of it. As the branch sprang back, the skinner was thrown through the forest. He fell next to a bush from which a rabbit jumped out. The skinner run after it. The devil asked him:
„Where are you running?”
„As you can see, after this rabbit. I have jumped through the forest, but could not catch it.”
Then the devil run home and told the others:
„ Get this skinner out of our home, because he is a bigger devil than us!”
But the skinner said:
„I won’t go because there is one devil that is stronger than me.” And he pointed at one.
„This is the stronger one.”
That said:
„I am stronger than you, now come with me to a high mountain, we take a copper lash with us and we will crack. Those who can crack louder that will be the stronger one.”
The skinner responded:
„I don’t mind, but give me a mace too.”
When they arrived the devil said:
„Crack before me!”
The skinner said:
„No, just do it, be the first!”
Then the devil began to crack. The skinner fell over because of the big clash and said to the devil:
„I wanted to grab your lash but you were too fast.”
„Now, it is your turn”said the devil.
„If it is my turn you should close your eyes before I crack. Because if I crack you will be blind.” The devil closed his eyes. Then the skinner hit him with the mace on his forehead. He asked:
„Who can crack louder?”
After that the devil said:
„You can crack louder.” You are a bigger devil than any of us.”
Finally they went home and he told the others to get rid of the skinner. Then they packed his money into a bath and he sat on top of it.
When they arrived home the children of the skinner shouted:
„Hey,father it has been long time since we ate devil’s meat.”
The devil dropped the money with the skinner to the ground and run to the hell frantically. „It is good that we saw the last of him. Even his children wanted to eat devil’s meat.”
This was the tale, this is the end.
„I am a very valiant man, because it was seven in one hit.”
He made a board and wrote on it: Seven in one hit, and hanged it into his neck.
He went to see the world. Once the evening fell, he was in a forest, next to a well. There he laid down. The devils always went there for water. When one of the devils saw him, he said: „This is a very valiant man, I should not disturb him.”
But the skinner woke up. Then the devil asked:
„Would you like to serve in our midst? You just have to carry water with this buff.”
Then they went home to the house of the devil, to the hell or who knows… And the devil boys drunk all water immediately. The king of devils asked:
„ How much salary do you want?”
„A bath of gold taken to my home and I will sit on the top of it.”
They agreed. Then the devils threw the buff to him. The poor skinner almost broke under the weight of the empty buff. He went to the well to get more water. He thought:
„How will I carry it when it is full of water, if I can’t even hold it when it is empty?”
On his way he chalked up a spade. When he arrived to the well he began to dig around it.
The devils got bored with waiting for the water. One of them went to him and said:
„ What are you doing, you skinner?”
„I won’t always carry water for you, I take the whole well at the same time.”
„Just don’t do it, my mother is blind and she will fall into it! Rather I will carry it for you, and you will carry wood from the forest.”
Then they went home. The devil led the skinner to the forest to show him how much wood he had to collect and how. The devil got a branch of a tree and bant it. The skinner also grabbed it but the devil let go of it. As the branch sprang back, the skinner was thrown through the forest. He fell next to a bush from which a rabbit jumped out. The skinner run after it. The devil asked him:
„Where are you running?”
„As you can see, after this rabbit. I have jumped through the forest, but could not catch it.”
Then the devil run home and told the others:
„ Get this skinner out of our home, because he is a bigger devil than us!”
But the skinner said:
„I won’t go because there is one devil that is stronger than me.” And he pointed at one.
„This is the stronger one.”
That said:
„I am stronger than you, now come with me to a high mountain, we take a copper lash with us and we will crack. Those who can crack louder that will be the stronger one.”
The skinner responded:
„I don’t mind, but give me a mace too.”
When they arrived the devil said:
„Crack before me!”
The skinner said:
„No, just do it, be the first!”
Then the devil began to crack. The skinner fell over because of the big clash and said to the devil:
„I wanted to grab your lash but you were too fast.”
„Now, it is your turn”said the devil.
„If it is my turn you should close your eyes before I crack. Because if I crack you will be blind.” The devil closed his eyes. Then the skinner hit him with the mace on his forehead. He asked:
„Who can crack louder?”
After that the devil said:
„You can crack louder.” You are a bigger devil than any of us.”
Finally they went home and he told the others to get rid of the skinner. Then they packed his money into a bath and he sat on top of it.
When they arrived home the children of the skinner shouted:
„Hey,father it has been long time since we ate devil’s meat.”
The devil dropped the money with the skinner to the ground and run to the hell frantically. „It is good that we saw the last of him. Even his children wanted to eat devil’s meat.”
This was the tale, this is the end.
The "simple" couple
Once upon a time, there lived a poor man and his wife in a shack. They were so poor they only had that shack and their clothes.
The wife was envious of their well-off neighbors – that man’s wife could even wash clothes in the creek! So she complained to her man, and he sent her to wash their small tablecloth.
She did, and she was happy. But they had no drier, but her man told him to put the cloth onto the nearby bush, to let it dry overnight.
And it did. Except for the damned cold, which froze the cloth onto the bush. But the man brought the whole bush inside the house to let the whole thing thaw.
But upon digging the frozen bush out, he discovered a pot, filled with silver coins – but they were so poor, they’ve never seen silver –they thought it was cottage cheese. The man asked her to make “cottage cheese noodles”. And the wife tried, but they just pushed the coins around in the bowl, as they were too hard to chew.
A shepherd, who was passing by, saw the silver-filled bowls, and wanted some of that, so he asked them for some “leftover food”, and claiming to “eat it later” he put it all into his bag, but promised to trade them a sheep for the help.
The couple thought it was stupid to trade cottage cheese for a sheep, so they were waiting for tomorrow anxiously, while the shepherd was laughing behind their backs, knowing the real value of the silver. He thought they were stupid for the trade. LOL.
The next day, they chose which sheep they wanted, and they got it. Having no way to give it shelter, the man slaughtered the sheep, and they prepared a nice meal. But having eaten most of it, they realized they’ll have no firewood for the night, so they went to the forest to gather some.
They met a soldier on vacation there, and they invited him to share the meal with him, but he refused. And they invited him again, and again he refused. But they told him it’s a shame, he could even enter the house any time he needed to, because they kept the key in a pot by the door.
While the simple couple continued to gather the firewood, the soldier sneaked into the house using the key, ate all the leftovers to the bones, and left.
Returning, the poor man thought that flies had eaten the food. He went to the judge of village to make a report against flies for doing so. The judge told him to swat all flies he sees. But then, a fly happened to land on his forehead. Swatting it, the man accidentally killed the judge.
Later, the gendarmes came to arrest him. But they saw that “he had a wheel missing”, so they left him alone.
The end.
The Salt
Once upon a time there was an old king, and he had 3 daughters. He was very very old and he wanted her daughters to get married soon. It shouldn't be a problem because he had 3 countries, so every daughter could inherit one. But because there aren't 3 apples that look the same, the 3 countries are different in size and shape. So the king decided to give his most beautiful country to the daughter who loves him the most. He asked the girls, how much they loved him. The oldest answered: -" I love you my dad as much as the pigeon loves the pure wheat". He asked his second daughter and she said: -"I love you as much as people love the gentle wind in a hot summer”. The next question was asked from the youngest girl, whose answer was: "I love you my dear father as much as one loves the salt”. -"What the hell are you talking about?" replied the king and he got furious. -"Get out of my country, I do not want to see you again if you love me that small amount!" The little princess begged his dad that people love salt, but there was no mercy: the young girl had to leave the castle.
So the little princess ran away in tears, and found herself in a wild forest. She couldn’t get out of the trees, so made a shelter for herself in a decayed tree. She collected berries, nuts, and whatever she could find, and she was living alone.
After a year had passed by, the prince from the neighborhood noticed her in the forest. But the princess noticed him as well and fled to her shelter as she got scared.
The prince followed her and asked:
„Who’s there?”
The princess was shaking in her shelter and hoped the prince wouldn’t find him, and stayed silent. He asked again:
„Hey, who’s there? Man or devil? If man, come outside, if devil, go back to hell!”
The princess still didn’t dare replying. So the prince asked for the third time:
„Hey! Who’s there? Tell me if you’re a man or the devil or else I’ll shoot you!”
The princess couldn’t stand staying inside, so she climbed out of her shelter, sniffling. Her clothes were dirty and tatty, she was ashamed and while still crying, she told the prince who she really was.
The prince caught the fancy of the princess. Despite the fact that she had tatty and dirty clothes she was beautiful and her face was pretty. He took her hand gently, brought her back to his palace; there she was dressed in expensive dress elaborated with gold and diamonds. He didn’t wait 2 weeks, nor 1 and I think not even a day, not an hour, they got married and had a huge nuptials.
As time went by, the young couple lived in peace and loved each other like 2 pigeon. Once the king said that:
„My wife, when I first saw you I didn’t even ask you about why your father had sent you away. Please tell me the truth.”
„My lord -said the queen- I can’t explain to you in other way than I did before. My father asked me how I love him and I answered like the men the salt.”
„Very well -said the king.- I’ll help you to change your father’s mind.”
About how he planned it, didn’t say a word to his wife just went to the other room and wrote a letter to the old king in which he invited him for lunch. The letter was sent out the following day and on the third day the old king came on a cart with six horses. The young king led the old king into the palace, into the most beautiful room where the table was ready for 2.They sat down to the table and the butlers brought the tastiest meals but the young king ordered the cooks not to put salt into the old king’s dishes.
Now that was a lunch! The old king tasted the soup, ladled once and twice and immediately put down the spoon because he couldn’t eat the soup, it was so saltless. The old king thought that they must have forgotten to put salt into it but they surely wouldn’t forget from the next one. But it didn’t even contain a pickle of it. The butlers kept bringing the roast joints but they had to take them back because the old king didn’t even bite them because they were so saltless and tasteless.
The king couldn’t help but mention it:
„Dear son, what kind of cook do you have who cooks and bakes without salt?”
„He always uses salt but now I ordered him not to put any salt into your meals because I’ve heard you hated it.”
„Dear son, it was a horrible decision because I madly love salt. From who have you heard it? ”
„I personally from your majesty’s daughter-said the young king.”
At that moment the door opened and entered the queen, the old king’s youngest daughter.
Oh God, how happy the old king was. Because he regretted sending away his daughter and he had been looking for her everywhere. Now he gave his largest kingdom to his smallest daughter. The young king started to rule in that one too and they lived happily ever after, only if they haven’t died.