THE YOUTH AND THE VILA
Once upon a time there was a father who had three sons. Two of them passed for clever, but the third and youngest was stupid, as every one agreed. When people wanted anything done they only called upon the two clever ones, while they would not let the stupid one have anything to do with them.
In their father’s garden was a silver pear-tree which every night bore flowers and fruit; but the pears were regularly plucked and carried away by the Vilas. “What the mischief!” said the eldest and the second brother, “how long is this thing going to last?” and they determined to mount guard over the tree. But to their youngest brother they said, “You are too stupid for this work.”
So they carried feather-beds and pillows out under the tree, lay down, and went to sleep. While they were sleeping the Vilas came, plucked the pears, and went away. As soon as they were gone the brothers awoke, went back to the house, and told what had happened.
Then the stupid brother declared that he would watch the tree. That he might not be overcome with sleep he made himself a bed of thorns; but in spite of all he fell asleep. Yet he awaked when the Vilas came, and saw one of them standing at his side. He pulled out one of her hairs, whereupon the Vila vanished.
When morning came he saw that the hair was of gold. Going home, he told what had happened to him, and declared his intention to go through the world to seek out that Vila. But the two clever brothers answered, “What would you be able to find? It is better for us two clever ones to go and seek her. Something may come of it then.”
So the two set out upon their way. The eldest found a shovel and took it with him, and it did him good service. For when they got to the Moon they found the door locked. Then they dug under the door and went in. They found only the Moon-mother at home, and of her they inquired if such-and-such a Vila lived there.
The Moon-mother answered, “She lives in the Sun. How will you get there? But see, here is a spider; she shall spin you a chain that will reach from here to there.”
The spider went to work, spun a chain, and fastened it to the lock of the Sun-door. So the brothers set out upon this bridge; but while they were on the way the Sun came home, opened the door, and snapped the chain in two. So the brothers fell off, and very luckily they tumbled into their god-father’s cabbage-garden. So they felt no harm, but went home and told their adventures.
Then the stupid brother set out. He found an ancient crone and begged her to show him the way to the Moon. The old crone told him it was not very hard to go there, and gave him a bucketful of down. So he seated himself in the bucket and flew up to the Moon.
He entered the house and asked if a certain Vila lived there who looked so-and-so. The Moon-mother answered, No, she lived in the Sun. So he flew up to the Sun, arrived there safely, and carefully hid his bucket in the cellar in the coolest place he could find, that it might not be melted by the heat.
Meantime the Sun came home and asked, “What is your wish?”
“I seek such-and-such a Vila.”
The Sun brought her out and gave her to him, and he seated himself beside her in the bucket and set out.
When they were half-way home the Sun came out to see how the travellers were getting on; and he shone on them so scorchingly that all the down was melted, the bucket lost its balance, and the youth and the Vila fell down to earth and were caught in a tree. They cannot go down, for under the tree sits an old wizard sorting out a capful of human hairs. But the Vila slipped softly down the tree and put the wizard to sleep. Then the youth clambered down and took the Vila home.
They reached his father’s house, where he told all his adventures; but the Vila was invisible to every one but her rescuer, so that no one believed his story. Then the Vila began to weep, and the brothers said, “Good! now we believe that she is here, but just where she is we do not know.”
Then the youth clambered down and took the Vila home
Meantime the old wizard under the tree awoke, started out, and came into the room where they were. He greeted the Vila with “Good-day!” whereupon she became visible to every one as a beautiful maiden.
Soon after the youth married her. I was present at the wedding, ate and drank with the old man and conversed much with him; and we moistened our throats so often with sweet wine from Zagorje that my grandfather and I can taste it yet.
“Can you really, mother’s-mother?” exclaimed the little boy.
The other grandmother laughed. “That is only the way it ends,” she said. “Some stories end that way.”
CHAPTER XVI
THE LITTLE BOY SLEEPLESS
The little boy could not sleep. The room was full of people very excitedly talking about the action of the zemstvo on some subject of importance, and although he did not understand a word that they were saying, the talking and the thought of to-morrow’s journey kept him awake. He was lying on a pallet laid upon the bench against the wall in a far corner of the room, and he turned over so often that at last he fell upon the floor. He tried hard not to cry, but he could not quite help it.
The other grandmother picked him up and cuddled him in her arms. “Go to sleep,” she said, patting him gently.
The little boy shut his eyes, but in a minute they were open again.
“Mother’s-mother, I can’t sleep. Couldn’t you tell me one more story, very softly, so that the others can’t hear?”
The other grandmother laid the little boy back upon his pallet, covered him up warm, and told him about