FAIRY TALES (text) - 66. THE CHARMING SPECIALIST OF HALWA

THE CHARMING SPECIALIST OF HALWA

Once upon a time there was a poor man who went every day to the market to sell items to bring food to his children in the evening. One day he took a sack to sell it. When he went nearby a lawn, he saw a ten small herdsmen who had caught a small snake and they had lit a fire because they wanted to burn the snake. But the poor man told them not to burn the snake and give it to him. They said they would give him the snake if he gave his sack, and the man said: 

– I would give the sack away, but I have to go and sell it so that to buy food for my children. 

The man gave them his sack and they gave the snake to him, but they changed their mind and turned the sack back.

When he got ready to leave, the snake followed him and he ran away. But the snake called him and said:

– You saved my life and I will be your friend forever. Go and sell the sack and when you get back come and take me with you at your house, I am waiting you here.

The man went to the market to sell the sack and bought some bread, and when he turned back he found the snake at the same place.

– Now put me inside the pocket and let’s go home, -said the snake.

The man was afraid and didn’t trust the snake, but the snake persuaded him that he would do nothing to the man. The man put him inside the pocket and from that day on things began to change for the best. The snake grew bigger and he spoke only to the man, no one else heard him talking like a human. 

There was a Bey in the village, who had three nice daughters. One day the snake went to the man and said:

– Go to the Bey and tell him allow me to marry his oldest daughter. 

The man was surprised and didn’t know what to say, but the snake told him to go and tell the truth. So the man went to the Bey and told him he wanted to take his oldest daughter for the snake. Bey thought for a while and he felt there was something hidden in this, so he gave his daughter to the man. The next day, the wedding people went to take the oldest daughter of Bey and brought her to the snake’s house. In the evening the snake entered the room and he was staying by the fireplace, while the girl stood all the night long on her feet. When the morning came, the snake told the man:

– Take the oldest daughter of Bey and tell him that I want to see the middle daughter.

The man went to Bey and told him the snake’s words and Bey gave him the middle daughter. The same thing happened with the middle daughter and in the morning he asked for the youngest daughter. Bey gave the youngest daughter since the day the snake asked for her. When the night came, the groom entered the room and went by the fireplace, while the bride was standing on her feet. At midnight she told him:

– Since you know how to talk and you asked for my hand, you can say something now that are only both of us. Allow me to sit down or I’ll become numb with cold.

At that moment the snake took off his skin and a very handsome guy showed up. And he wanted her to be his wife. But in the morning he put on his skin again and told the girl:

– I won’t wear it when the time comes, but for now I have to keep it.

After spending a month there, the girl went to the house of her father and her sisters were very jealous when they saw her so happy. When she went back to the snake, they followed her and hid in the snake’s room. When he took off his skin, they took it and burnt it. At that moment, the boy disappeared trackless. The girl was so sad and she turned back to her father.

Little time passed, and Bey told his daughter to get married again, but she didn’t want that and said:

– I won’t marry another man, just give me some gold and I am going to find my husband. 

After she took the gold, she wore like a man and went to a place where a large group of men were working. There she opened a restaurant and a hotel and named it ‘The Charming Specialist of Halwa’. One day the girl went to the workers that were excavating and said:

– Who wants to eat and sleep for free may come to my hotel. You’ll just show me what you see on the ground and under the ground, that’s the only thing I want from you.

And that was what the workers wanted, they ate for free and went to spend the night ‘The Charming Specialist of Halwa’. They went to spend the night there, some by telling her the truth and the others told lies just to have a place to sleep for free. Few days after the girl met a man who came to the workers to bring them water with his mule, and he said:

– When I take the water at the spring, I see an object that gets full and goes away by itself.

– Tomorrow I will come with you. – said the girl.

The next morning, the girl went with the waterman and when they arrived at the spring, the can filled and left without a man to carry it. Then the girl followed him and she saw it entering a secret cave. The girl entered after the can. Inside the cave she saw her husband tied. There were a hundred snakes around him and amongst them there was a man, who was the king of the snakes. The girl went and kneeled down to the king of snakes and begged him to let her husband free. The snakes’ king stayed calm and said:

– He has done a big bad thing, he trusted his wife his greatest secret.

– It is not his fault, it’s mine. – said the girl. – Take me instead of him and let him go. 

The king of snakes was very moved from the words of the girl and ordered to let him free. 

Then the snakes untied their friend and the girl took her husband and went home. Then they made a big wedding and they were all amazed by the charm of the boy.