Andrew Lan's Twelve-Color Fairy Tale Series: Pink Fairy Tale Books

Chapter 34 Esben and the Witch (1)
Once upon a time, there was a man who had twelve sons, and the first eleven were all strong and strong, but the youngest son, named Esben, was a dwarf.The eleven eldest brothers followed their father to farm and hunt in the forest, but Esben preferred to stay at home with his mother, so his brothers never looked down on him and ignored him.

Eleven older brothers were all grown up, determined to go out and try their luck, and pestered their father to get them everything they needed for the trip.Father was very unhappy, because he was old and in poor health, and he couldn't work without them, but in the end he gave in.In this way, each of the eleven sons got a fine white horse, as well as travel expenses along the way, so they bid farewell to their father, left home, and rode on the road.

As for Espen, no one thought of him, nor did his brothers say good-bye to him.

After the eleven brothers left, Espen went to his father and said, "Dad, give me a horse and some money too. I want to see the world too."

"You little fool," said his father, "it would be better for me if I let you go and leave your eleven brothers at home, since I am getting old."

"Well, you'll get rid of me soon enough, anyway," said Esborn.

Not having a horse, he went into the forest, broke off a branch, and peeled off the bark, so that the branch would be whiter than his brothers' horses.He rode on the wooden horse and set off after his eleven brothers.

The brothers rode all day, and in the evening they came to a great forest.They walked into the depths of the forest, came to a small house, and knocked on the door.An old ugly old woman with a beard opened the door, and they asked her if she could stay here for the night.

"Yes," said the bearded old woman, "you can stay here for one night, and each of you can sleep with one of my daughters in your arms."

The eleven brothers thought to themselves that they really met a hospitable person.They were well cared for, and each of them slept with his arms around one of the old woman's daughters.

Esben followed them all along the same way, and he also discovered the house in the forest.He sneaked into the house, and neither the old witch nor her daughter saw him, and he hid under one of the beds.Before midnight, he crept out quietly and woke up his brothers.He told them to exchange nightcaps with the witch's daughter.The brothers thought it was strange, but they didn't want to get involved with Espen, so they changed their hats and fell asleep again.

In the middle of the night, Espen heard the old witch coming on tiptoe.Holding a large ax in her hand, she carefully examined the eleven beds.The room was too dark to see, and she groped and beheaded eleven men in nightcaps who were in fact her daughters.As soon as she was gone, Espen woke the brothers, and they rode away from the witch's house, and were glad to have escaped.They completely forgot to thank Espen for everything they did.

They rode on, and after a while they came to a king's palace, and asked if they could have a job for them.They were told they could be grooms if they wanted to, or the king would not want them.They were happy to be grooms, and raised horses for the king.

Long after they had come to the palace, Espen came on his wooden horse, and wanted a job at the palace, too, but they all wanted him to come and go from place to place.However, he was there, not idle.He earns food, but there is nothing else, and he can only rest on the spot at night.

At that time, there was a knight in the palace named the Red Lord. He was the king's favorite, but everyone hated him because he was a sinister and evil person.The red knight was very angry with the eleven brothers for not being courteous to him, so he resolved to take revenge.

One day he went to the king and said that the eleven brothers who had come to the palace not long ago to be grooms could actually do more.He heard them say one day that if they liked they could catch a wonderful dove for the King, that had golden and silver feathers.But they wouldn't catch them unless they were dying.

So the king called his eleven brothers to him and said to them, "You said you could catch me the dove with the golden and silver feathers."

The eleven brothers told the king that they had never said such a thing, and they did not believe that there was such a dove in the world.

"Try to catch it," said the king, "and if you don't catch that pigeon within three days, you'll lose your heads."

After speaking, the king let them go, they were very worried, some sighed, some burst into tears.

At this moment, Ace came over, saw their sad faces, and said, "Hey, what's the matter with you?"

"What's the use of telling you, you little fool, you can't help us."

"Oh, that's not sure," replied Esborn. "I've helped you before."

At last they told him of the King's unreasonable demands, and the King ordered them to catch a dove with golden and silver feathers.

"Give me a bag of beans," said Espen, "I know what to do."

Espen got a sack of beans, and then he got on the white wooden horse and said, "Little wooden horse, fly fast, and take me across the river."

The wooden horse flew him across the river and into the yard of the old witch.Espen had seen her with such a dove last time, so when he got out in the yard he shook out the beans, and the dove flapped its wings and flew down to peck at the beans.Esben caught the dove at once, put it in a bag, and slipped away before the witch saw him.But in a moment the witch came after him, calling after him, "Hey, is that you, Espen?"

"Yes!"

"Did you catch my pigeon?"

"Yes!"

"Did you cause me to kill eleven daughters?"

"Yes!"

"will you come back?"

"Maybe," said Esborn.

"Then you will be punished." The witch shouted.

The wooden horse returned to the palace with Esben and the pigeon, and his brothers were overjoyed.The king got the doves, thanked them again and again, and gave them gold and silver.Now, the red knight hated them even more, and he planned how to take revenge.

One day he went to the king and told him that the dove was by no means the best that those brothers could give him, for one day he heard them say in private that they could catch a pig and that pig had gold. Mane and Silver Mane.

The king called his brothers again, and asked them if they had said they could catch a pig with a golden mane and a silver mane.

"No." said the brothers. They had never said such a thing, nor thought of such a thing. They simply did not believe that there was such a pig in the world.

"You must catch the pig for me within three days," said the king, "or you will lose your head."

The king has ordered that they must catch pigs.They feel that this time the situation is worse than last time.Where would they find such a wonderful pig?They walked up and down anxiously, and it was the last day of three days, when Ace was originally.Seeing the sad faces of his brothers, he said loudly, "Hey, what's the matter?"

"Well, what's the use of telling you?" said his brothers. "You can't help us anyway."

"Oh, that's not sure," said Esborn. "I've helped you before."

At last they told him how the Red Lord had encouraged the King to make things difficult for them, and how the King had ordered them to catch a pig with a golden mane and a silver mane.

"Well," said Espen, "give me a sack of malt, I can't help you."

Esborne left with a sack of malt, took out his little white wooden horse, rode on it, and said, "Little wooden horse, fly fast, and take me across the river."

The little wooden horse set off with him, and soon he was in the witch's yard again.He poured out the malt, and presently came the pig with a mane of gold and silver.Esben caught it immediately, put it in a bag, and slipped away before the witch noticed.But presently the Witch came after him, calling after him, "Hey! Is that you, Espen?"

"Yes!"

"Did you catch my lovely pig?"

"Yes!"

"Are you also the one who took my pigeon?"

"Yes!"

"Did you cause me to kill eleven daughters?"

"Yes!"

"will you come back?"

"Maybe," said Esborn.

"Then you will be punished," said the witch.

Esben came back to the palace with the pig, and his brothers were overjoyed with joy, and they were so happy that they were out of danger again.However, no one thought to thank Espen for everything he had done for them.

The king was also very happy to see the pig, even more happy than to get the pigeon, and he didn't know what to reward his brothers.This time, the red knight was angry and jealous. He walked up and down, thinking about how to punish his brothers.

One day he ran up to the king again and said, "These eleven brothers have caught pigeons and pigs, but they can do more, I know, and they said they could give to the king if they wanted to." A lamp capable of illuminating seven nations."

"If they have said so," said the King, "they should give me the lamp, and it must be a bright lamp."

The king then sent a message to his brothers telling them to enter the palace.So they came, but very reluctantly, for they suspected that the Red Sir had devised a new plan to harm them.

As soon as they entered the palace, the king said to them: "You brothers said that if you like it, you will give me a lamp that can illuminate seven countries. You must find the lamp within three days. Otherwise, it will cost your life."

The brothers sincerely said that they had not said such a thing, and they were sure that there were no such lights in the world.But the king would not listen to them.

"Bring the lamp!" said the King, "or your heads will be taken."

The brothers are even more desperate now.They didn't know what to do, because no one had ever heard of such a lamp.But just when they were at a loss, Ace came.

"What's the matter?" he said. "What's the matter with you?"

"Well, it's no use telling you," they said, "you can't help us anyway."

(End of this chapter)