FAIRY TALES (text) - 55. MILLETGRAIN

MILLETGRAIN

Once upon a time there were an old couple who had no child, and each day they prayed to god to give them one. And after a very long time, they gave birth to a little baby, who was as little as a millet grain, so they called him Milletgrain.

Although he was so small they could barely see him, his parents loved him so much because he an obedient child and heard them about everything.

One day, mother said to Milletgrain:

– Son, go and bring the meal to your father, he is working in the field.

Milletgrain took the meal and was lost inside the mess tin, he took it and was jumping, but it seemed like the mess tin was jumping.

That day his father had gone to plow the land, and when he saw his son coming, he took him in his arms and covered him in kisses.

Dad, – said Milletgrain – can I try once the plough and plow the land?

But you are still a little boy, son- said the father – and you can’t do it.

But Milletgrain didn’t leave him alone, and when the night came, he let his son try the plough. When the father sat to eat the meal, Milletgrain took the plough and began to shout out to the oxen. But one of the oxen beat the Milletgrain at his spine with the tail and covered him. When the father finished eating, he got up and called his son, tried to find him but he didn’t hear his voice. He looked everywhere around and went away very sad.

 He returned home and told his wife everything, that night they couldn’t sleep. At midnight, two passengers were walking through the old man’s field. Milletgrain heard and shouted:

Be careful, don’t trample me under your feet! 

The passengers got scared the first time, but after they heard the same thing two or three other times, they asked:

Who are you?

Here, here at your feet I am, – replied Milletgrain – can I join you?

You want to come with us? And what would you do with us? Would you obey for anything we asked?

Yessss! I will do whatever you want me to do – he said.

Then travelers took him with them and told him to go home and take an ox. Milletgrain went to the barn of his house and shouted out loud:

Hey sir, which one of the oxen may I get, the red or the skewbald one?

Who has entered in our barn? – the old man asked his wife.

Both went to the barn and looked everywhere, but none of them saw that Milletgrain was hidden at the ear of the ox. Then the old man and his wife went upstairs and Milletgrain shouted back:

Hey sir, which one of the oxen can I have, the red or the skewbald one?

So the old man, to whack him, said:

Take the skewbald, the skewbald!

So Milletgrain took the skewbald ox and led it to the travelers. They divided the meat and wanted to give him the best part, but got only the paunch. Just as when Milletgrain was looking at the paunch, a wolf came and ate him with the paunch. So Milletgrain was struck at the wolf teeth. Since that day the wolf could not eat because whenever he tried to catch a prey, Milletgrain showed up and told him the wolf was coming. The wolf became raw-boned and one day the shepherds caught and killed him. Then Milletgrain came out smiling and returned home.