FAIRY TALES (text) - 69. THE SISTER BETRAYED THE LITTLE HALIL

THE SISTER BETRAYED THE LITTLE HALIL

Halil had only a sister and one day he went to the mountain for hunting. But when he turned back home he didn’t find his sister there. Halil was a very young boy, he had just turned twelve. A few years passed and Halil grew up and become bigger, and he couldn’t stay with his friends anymore because he was afraid they would make fun of him. When he was convinced that he had become a strong big man, he went to his uncle and asked him the donkey. But the uncle told him:

 – I can’t give you the donkey because it has been nine years that it stays closed without seeing the light and I am afraid it will tear you.

Halil took the way home and began to cry because he didn’t like what uncle told him. Walking on the street, he encountered the wife of his uncle and she asked him why he was crying, so Halil said:

– I asked uncle to give me the donkey but he didn’t give it to me.

– Wait just a second, – said the woman and went immediately to her husband and told him:

– Why didn’t you give Halil the donkey? He has stayed at home without seeing the light of the sun for such a long time, you should be happy that he wants to go out.

The uncle was moved from her words and changed his mind, so he gave Halil the donkey. Halil rode the donkey and went like a lightning to his brother-in-law’s house. But at that moment he wasn’t at home, so her sister hosted him. Halil told him:

How do you know that I am Halil? I have changed so much!

I noticed the uncle’s donkey and saddle, – said his sister. 

So she invited him to go inside and asked him about everything till he would get tired. Then she gave him a very old rhaki and he finally got asleep. Then she went to the most solid room in the house and fired the riffle. She took a pair of heavy iron shackles and bound her brother’s hands and feet.

Her husband came home running and she said to him:

– How much money will you give me if I catch the little Halil?

Her husband didn’t believe that she would do it and said:

Come on woman, the seven braves didn’t catch Halil, how will you!

In fact the brother-in-law expected every day that Halil would come and kill him because he had taken his sister without his permission. The woman said to her husband:

– Go upstairs and take a look.

He ran to go upstairs and when he saw Halil bound up, he began to kick him.

– Kick as much as you want, – said Halil. – But when the time comes, you’ll pay for everything.

The next day it was Sunday. The brother-in-law was the rich of the country and he announce that who wanted to see Halil hanging, they could come to the arena where the men had fights. Thousands of men showed up and they led Halil to the arena to hang him. 

– Before they went to the rope, Halil told his brother-in-law:

– Can you let me say a few words to the donkey?

– Tell the donkey whatever you want, it’s just a donkey, – said the brother-in-law.

Halil saw the donkey with anger and said:

– Haram the food my uncle gave you, haram the water you’ve drank. How could you let them hang the young Halil like this?

Three drops of tear fell down the donkey’s face, it stood up on its back feet and broke the shackles in Halil’s hands and feet. But Halil had become so ugly because his brother-in-law had cut his mustache. Once he was released, he cut his brother-in-law’s head and went to his sister’s house. 

His sister had come out with a tray on her hands to fill it with golden coins when she’d give the news that Halil was executed. But when she saw that Halil was alive, she jumped and said:

– Oh my brother, I am so glad that you’re alive. But you’ve become so ugly because that washout has spoilt your mustache and it looks so bad. She spoke like that because she was afraid of Halil and she wanted to rescue herself. 

– I am safe now but I want you to bring me you sons, – said Halil. 

His sister understood that he wanted to kill them and said:

– Let them live brother, they are so young and they are sleeping now. But Halil didn’t change his mind and the sister was forced to bring her three sons. Halil cut their heads and later he cut his sister’s head, then he put the heads in the sack where he had his brother-in-law’s head. Then he rode the donkey to get back home. His mother was waiting for him and she greeted him when he arrived saying: – Welcome my son, – said the mother. 

I am so happy to find you safe and sound my dear mother, – said Halil. – Look at the sack because your daughter gave me some apples and told me to give those to you. The mother opened the sack and saw that there were five heads inside and told him:

– Okay with these four apples that are mine, but what do I do with the other one?