Chapter 173 200. Jump Into My Bag

Many, many years ago, in the barren mountains of Niolo lived an old man who had twelve sons.At that time, famine was spreading.The old man said, "Children, I have nothing more for you to eat. Go outside, it is better than starving at home." Eleven older children were packing their bags for departure, but the youngest was crippled, and he cried, "How can a cripple like me earn a living?" "My child," said the father, "don't cry. Go with your brothers, and you will have what they eat." So the twelve children, all promising to stay together forever, set off.They walked all day, and another day, and the limping little brother was often left behind.On the third day, the eldest said, "Our little brother Francis is always lagging behind and a total liability! Let's leave him alone and let him stay on the road. It will be good for him too, because there will be good-hearted people." Pass by here, pity him."

So, instead of stopping and waiting for him to catch up, they continued on their way.They begged all the way to Bonifacio. In Bonifacio, they saw a boat moored at the pier. "How about we get on board and sail her to Sardinia?" said the eldest. "Perhaps the famine is less severe there than here." The brothers got into the boat, set sail and set sail.When they were in the middle of the strait, a violent wind rose up, and the ship struck a rock, was smashed to pieces, and all eleven brothers were drowned. But at this time, little Francie, who was resting, could not see her brother. He cried and screamed, and was tired and irritable, so he fell asleep on the side of the road.The local patron saint has seen and heard what happened from the top of the tree.As soon as Francis fell asleep, she came down from the tree, picked some special herbs, made a poultice, and applied it to Francis' lame leg.In an instant, his legs improved.Then, dressed as a poor, little old woman, she sat on a bundle of firewood and waited for Francis to wake up.

Francis awoke, stood up, and was about to limp on his way.At this time, he found that he was no longer a cripple, but could walk like everyone else.Seeing a thin old woman sitting there, he asked, "Grandma, have you ever met a doctor around here?" "Doctor? What do you want a doctor for?" "I want to thank him to his face. A good doctor must have passed by here while I was asleep, and healed my lameness." "I am the one who heals your legs," said the thin old woman, "because I am familiar with the properties of all herbs, including this herb that heals your legs."

Francis was so happy that he couldn't close his mouth from ear to ear, he stretched out his arms to hug the thin old woman, and kissed her on the cheek. "Old woman, how can I thank you? Well, let me carry this bundle of firewood for you." He bent down to carry the bundle of firewood, but when he stood up, it was no longer the thin old woman in front of him, but a beautiful young girl.She was covered with glittering gems, and her golden hair hung down to her waist; she wore a dark blue dress, embroidered with gold, and two star-shaped gemstones were left on her boots, shining brightly.Francis, dumbfounded, knelt at the Fairy's feet.

"Get up," she said, "I know very well that you are grateful. I want to help you. You name two wishes, and I will grant you at once. I tell you, I am the Fairy Queen of the Fairyland of Lake Crino." Francis thought for a moment, and said, "I long for a bag that sucks whatever I say into it." "You will have such a bag. Well, say another wish." "I long for a stick that will do whatever I command it to do." "You will have such a stick." After saying that, the fairy disappeared without a trace.A bag and a stick were placed at Francis' feet.

Francis was full of joy and decided to try these two magic weapons.He was hungry, and he called out, "A roast grouse come to my bag!" Huh!A roasted grouse flew into the bag. "One more piece of bread!" Huh!A piece of bread fluttered into the bag. "One more bottle of wine!" Huh!Another bottle of wine came.Francis ate a delicious meal. He set off again, but no longer lame.The next day, without knowing it, he came to the city of Mariana, where famous gamblers from Corsica and continental Europe gathered to gamble.Francis was penniless, so he ordered: "One hundred thousand crowns come to my bag!" As a result, the bag was full of one hundred thousand crowns.Now, the news spread like wildfire and spread throughout Mariana, saying that the wealthy Prince San Francesco had arrived in the city.

Let me tell you that the Demon King is also particularly fond of Mariana City at this time.He transformed into a handsome young man who beat all the gamblers at the poker table.When gamblers lose their money, he buys their souls.Hearing that a foreign rich man in the name of Prince San Francesco had arrived in the city, the Demon King dressed up without hesitation and came to meet the prince. "Noble prince, forgive me for coming to see you, but you are famous as a gambler, so I must come to visit you." "You speak too highly of me," said Francis. "To tell you the truth, I know nothing about gambling, and I have never played poker. Nevertheless, I am glad to play with you, for the purpose of learning. I promise, with the guidance of a famous teacher like you, I will soon become an expert."

The Demon Lord was very satisfied with this visit, so when he got up to leave, he accidentally stretched his legs and showed his claws and toes. "Oh, my God!" Francis thought, "it seems, I am honored, old Satan came to pay a visit in person. Well, this time he has met his match." After the devil left, he Let the bag prepare dinner for him, and had a good meal. The next day, Francis went to the casino.There, there is a place that is particularly lively, and people are crowded around.Francis slipped through the crowd and saw the body of a young man lying on the ground with blood on his chest. "He's a gambler," explained someone, "and has lost all his money. Not long ago he drove a dagger into his heart."

The gamblers were all mourning, but Francis noticed that only one of the group was laughing to themselves, and that was the devil who had visited Francis. "Quick!" said the devil, "let us carry this wretch out, and continue to gamble!" Then the gamblers took up their cards again and began to gamble. Francis didn't even know how to draw cards, and ended up losing all the money he brought that day.At the end of the second day, he knew a little bit about how to play poker, but he had lost more money than he had the day before.By the third day, he was already an expert at poker, but he had lost so much money that everyone must have thought that he was.Now he was going broke, and losing money didn't bother him at all, because he could order as much as he wanted from the bag.

He had lost so much money that the devil thought to himself: The prince may have been the richest man in the world when he started gambling, but now he must have nothing left. "My lord prince," said the devil, pulling the prince aside, "I cannot tell you how much I am sorry for your loss, but I also have good news for you: do as I say, and you will be able to repay the lost money." Take half back!" "any idea?" The Demon Lord looked around and whispered, "Sell me your soul!" "Hmph!" Francis exclaimed, "Satan, is this what you suggested to me? Watch your nonsense and jump into my bag!"

The devil put on a smiling face and was about to run away, but he couldn't escape, and flew upside down into the bag with its mouth wide open.Francis quickly tightened the bag, and said to the stick, "Now hit him as hard as you can!" The wooden stick hit the bag urgently and hard like raindrops, and the devil writhed, shouted, and cursed in pain. "Let me out! Let me out! Stop or you'll kill me!" "Really? You admit that you are the devil? Don't you think it's a loss to yourself to admit it?" The stick hit him one after another. After playing for three hours, Francis said, "Okay, I'll stop calling here today." "What conditions do you want to let me out?" the devil asked weakly. "Listen, you've made many people commit suicide in casinos. You must bring those people back to life immediately if you want to be free!" "It's a deal!" replied the Demon King. "Then, come out. But you have to remember, if I want, I can catch you anytime." The devil dared not go back on his word.Almost immediately after he went underground, a group of young men came to life.Their faces were pale, and there was excitement in their eyes. "My friends," Francis said to the gang, "you all went bankrupt at the casino and had to kill yourself.This time, I can bring you back to life, but next time maybe I won't be able to.You promise me that you will not gamble anymore, okay? " "Okay, okay, we promise!" "Very well, each of you take a thousand crowns, and leave here safely, and live honestly from now on." The resurrected young men departed ecstatically.Some returned home mourning, while others fended for themselves as their previous sins weighed down the family and bereaved their parents. Franz also missed his old father.He left there and walked towards his hometown.However, he meets an anxious and hopeless young man on the road. "Well, what's the matter, young man? Are you here to make faces and sell them for money?" Francis asked enthusiastically. "How much are faces worth a dozen?" "Sir, I'm not in the mood for jokes," said the young man. "What happened?" "My father was a lumberjack, and the whole family depended on him. He fell from a chestnut tree this morning and broke his arm. I ran to the city for a doctor, but he knew we were poor and wouldn't see him. .” "Are you just worried about this matter? Well, you can relax, and I will take care of this matter." "Are you a doctor?" "No, but I can have the doctor come. What's his name?" "Doctor Pancracho." "Okay, Dr. Pancracio, jump into my bag!" A doctor with all his medical equipment dove into the bag. "Stick, hit me hard!" The stick waved and hit. "Forgive me! Forgive me!" "Go and cure that lumberjack for free, do you agree or not?" "I promise anything." "Well, come out of the bag." So the doctor hurried to the lumberjack's bedside. Francis continued on his way and returned to his village a few days later.At this time, a famine worse than before was spreading there.Francis improvised a small tavern, and he kept sending out orders: "Roast chicken in my bag! A bottle of wine in my bag!" so that people could go there and eat their fill. , without paying. He kept this inn until the end of the famine.Every year when there is a good harvest, he closes the inn, so as not to make people develop lazy habits. But do you think Francis is very pleasant?Of course there are also unpleasant things!He was saddened that none of his eleven older brothers had been heard from.For a long time he had forgotten them, for they had deserted him--a poor cripple.At this moment, he tried to say, "Brother John, jump into my bag!" Something in the bag trembled.Francis opened it and saw a pile of bones. "Brother Paul, jump into my bag!" Another pile of bones. "Brother Peter, jump into my bag!" Francis called his brothers' names one by one until the eleventh.But, alas, every time the bag was a small pile of bones, all rotting into little pieces.There was no doubt that his brothers were all dead. Francis is sad.His father had also died, leaving him all alone.Later, when it was Francis' turn, he too became an old man. Before he died, his last wish was to see the Fairy Queen of Lake Kreynor who made him so lucky in his life.So he left home and went to the place where he had first met the Fairy Queen.He waited and waited, but the fairy queen did not appear. "Good fairy queen, where are you? Please reappear! I cannot die until I see you again!" Night fell, but there was still no shadow of the fairy queen.Instead, the Grim Reaper came here.She carried a black flag in one hand and a scythe in the other.She came up to Francis and said, "Hey, old man, are you not tired of life? Haven't you seen all the vicissitudes of life? You are like everyone else, and the time has come, and you don't want to come with me?" " "Ah, Death!" said old Francis, "it is true that I have lived through all things, and am content with everything. But I must say good-bye to someone before I go with you. Permit Let me live one more day." "If you don't want to die like a heathen, hurry up and say your dying prayers. Come with me!" "Will you wait until dawn when the rooster crows?" "no." "So, how about waiting an hour?" "Not even one more minute." "Since you're so cruel, well, jump into my bag!" Death trembled with terror, and her bones rattled, but she had no choice but to jump obediently into the bag.At this moment, the fairy queen came.She was as young, beautiful and radiant as when she first appeared. "The Fairy Queen," said Francis, "I thank you!" Then he said to Death: "Get out of the bag, and come with me." "Francis," said the Fairy Queen, "you have never misused the magic I gave you. Your bag and stick have always served you well. If you tell me what you like, I will reward you." "I don't have any wishes." "Would you like to be the leader?" "No." "Would you like to be king?" "I have no more wishes." "Now that you are old, would you like to be a healthy young man again?" "I have seen you, and I am content to die." "Farewell, Francis. But first burn the bag and the stick." Then the Fairy disappeared. Honest Francis lit a great fire, warmed his frozen hands and feet, and threw the bag and stick into the fire.In this way, no one will use them to do bad things. Death hides behind a bush. "Whoa! Whoa!" the rooster began to crow. Francis did not hear, for he was old and deaf. "The rooster is crowing and the dawn is breaking!" the god of death shouted, then hooked the old man with a long-handled sickle, and carried his body away.