Chapter 99 98. Crystal Rooster

Once upon a time, there was a rooster who was walking swaggeringly around. When he saw a letter on the road, he nodded and pecked it up, and read: Crystal cock, crystal hen, Countess goose, abbot duck, canary bird : All of you are invited to attend Tom Thumb's wedding. So the Cock went to Tom Thumb's house.After a while, he met the hen. "Rooster brother, where are you going?" "I'm going to Tom Thumb's wedding." "Can I go too?" "If you are mentioned in this letter, you may go." He spread the letter and read: Crystal Rooster, Crystal Hen... "I mentioned you, I mentioned you, then let's go on the road!"

They walked on together.After a while, they met a goose. "Oh, sister hen, brother rooster! Where are you going?" "We're going to Tom Thumb's wedding." "Can I go too?" "If you are mentioned in this letter, you may go." The rooster spread out the letter again and read: Crystal rooster, crystal hen, Countess Goose... "I mentioned you, so let's go on the road together!" The three of them walked and walked, and soon they met ducks. "Sister goose, sister hen, brother rooster! Where are you going?" "We're going to Tom Thumb's wedding."

"Can I go too?" "Yes, of course, if you are mentioned in this letter." He read: Crystal Cock, Crystal Hen, Countess Goose, Abbess Duck... "And you are mentioned, then, come with us let's go." After a while, they met the golden bird. "Sister Duck, Sister Goose, Sister Hen and Brother Rooster, where are you going?" "We're going to Tom Thumb's wedding." "Can I go too?" "Of course, if you are mentioned in the letter!" He spread the letter again: crystal rooster, crystal hen, countess goose, abbot duck, golden bird... "I mentioned you too."

So, the five of them left together. Oops, look!They met a wolf!He asked where they were going. "We're going to Tom Thumb's wedding," answered the rooster. "Can I go too?" "Well, if you are mentioned in the letter!" The Cock read the letter, but there was no mention of the Wolf at all. "But I'm going!" said the Wolf. Out of fear, they all replied, "Okay, let's all go." They hadn't gone far when the wolf said suddenly, "I'm hungry." The rooster replied: "I have nothing for you..." "Then I'll eat you!" He opened his mouth wide and swallowed the cock whole.

Then the wolf said, "I'm hungry." The hen answered him like the rooster, and the wolf devoured her too.Then, the geese and ducks were eaten in the same way. At this moment, only the wolf and the golden bird are left.The wolf said: "Golden Bird, I'm hungry!" "What can I have for you to eat?" "Then, I will eat you!" He opened his mouth wide... the canary bird flew over his head.The wolf tried with all its might to catch him, but the canary bird flew here and there, jumping from branch to branch, and then back to the wolf's head, and to his tail, to amuse him. Go crazy.Just when the wolf was completely exhausted, the canary caught a glimpse of a woman on the road, bringing lunch to the peasants with a basket on her head.The golden bird said to the wolf: "If you don't hurt me, I promise you to eat the basket of noodles and meat that the woman brought to the farmers, so that you can enjoy it. As soon as she sees me, she will come and arrest me. Then Then I'd fly up and fly from branch to branch. She'd drop her basket and come after me. Then you could go up to the basket and eat all that's hers."

And so it happened.When the woman came over, she spotted the beautiful bird and immediately reached out to catch him.He flew a short distance, and the woman dropped the basket and went after him.So the wolf approached the basket and began to eat. "Come here! Come here!" the woman shouted.The reapers came running with scythes and clubs, grabbed the wolf, and killed him.The Peasant cut open the Wolf's belly, and the Crystal Cock, the Crystal Hen, the Countess Goose, and the Abbess Duck all jumped out, all safe and sound, and the Canary Bird went with them to Tom Thumb's wedding.

(Marche region) -------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ [1] Tom Thumb is a legendary figure in some European fairy tales. -------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Notes: Source of material: No. 5 of "Short Stories and Fairy Tales of the Marche" (Jesse, 1878 edition) edited by Antonio Giannendra; collection area: Jesse, Marche Province. Fairy tales featuring a pack of animals are always fun.The story is made all the more comical by the repetition of that almost solemn invitation.