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

Chapter 35 Esben and the Witch (2)
"Hey, at least tell me," Esben said, "I've helped you before."

At last they told him that the King had ordered them to find the lamp that illuminated the seven countries, but no one had ever heard of such a lamp.

"Give me a bucket of salt," said Esborne, "and we'll see."

He took a bucket of salt, then rode on the little white wooden horse, and said, "Little wooden horse, fly fast, and take me to the other side of the river."

After speaking, he took the bucket of salt outside the witch's yard.But this time, it was not so easy, because it was dark and the gate was locked, so he couldn't go into the yard.At last he had an idea, and he climbed onto the roof and down the chimney.

He looked everywhere for the lamp, but could not find it, for it was the witch's most precious treasure, so she hid it carefully.When he was tired, he got into the oven, intending to lie down and sleep until dawn.But at this moment, he heard the witch lying on the bed calling his daughter, asking her to cook some porridge for him.The witch was hungry and wanted some porridge.The daughter got up, lit a fire, and put a pot on the stove to boil water.

"But don't put salt in the porridge," cried the witch.

"Okay, I won't put it in," said the daughter, and as she walked away to get the rice, Espen sneaked out of the oven and poured a full bucketful of salt into the pot.When the daughter came back, she put the rice in the pot, cooked it for a while, and then brought the porridge to her mother.The witch took a spoonful of porridge and ate it.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, "Didn't I tell you not to put any salt? It's as salty as sea water."

The daughter had to cook it again, and her mother reminded her sternly not to add any salt.But now that the water in the house ran out, she asked her mother to give her the lamp so that she could fetch water from the well.

"Take it well," said the witch, "be careful."

The daughter took the lamp that could illuminate seven countries, and went out to draw water from the well, and Esben followed her quietly.When she was about to fetch water, she put the lamp on a stone beside her.Esben saw his opportunity, snatched the lamp away, and pushed her from behind, so that she fell headlong into the well.Espen got the lamp without a hitch.But at this moment the witch got up, and she ran after her, and cried out:
"Hey! Is that you again, Espen?"

"Yes!"

"Did you catch my pigeon?"

"Yes!"

"Are you the one who took my pig?"

"Yes!"

"Did you cause me to kill eleven daughters?"

"Yes!"

"Now you took my lamp and pushed my No. 12 daughters into the well to drown?"

"Yes!"

"will you come back?"

"Maybe," said Esborn.

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

Esben rode on the wooden horse and arrived at the palace in a moment, and the brothers were spared this time.The King gave them many more precious presents, but Esben received no thanks from his brothers.

The red knight had never been so jealous as he was now. He racked his brains day and night, wondering what things his brothers couldn't do.

One day, he went to the king and told him that the lamp that the brothers got was very good, but they could get something much more precious than this lamp.The king asked what it was.

"That is," said Red Sir, "the most beautiful bedsheet in the world, and everyone in the world says so whoever has heard of it. It has a peculiarity that it makes a noise when anyone touches it." , this sound can be heard in eight countries.”

"It must be a fine bedsheet," said the king, and he sent for the brothers at once.

"You say you know a sheet, the most beautiful sheet in the world, that when someone touches it, it makes a sound that travels through eight countries. Get me the sheet, or you die," he said.

The brothers replied that they had never said such a thing, and they did not believe that there was such a bed sheet in the world, and of course it was impossible to get it.But the king would not listen to them, and sent them away, saying that if they did not get the sheets quickly, they would lose their heads.

The brothers were in a bad position again, because they were sure they couldn't escape.The youngest brother asked where Esben was, but the other brothers said that the little fool had no clothes to wear himself, and he could not be expected to help.None of them thought it worthwhile to go to Esben, but Esben came himself before long.

"Hey, what's up?" he said.

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

"Hey! That's not sure," said Espen. "I've helped you before."

Finally, his brothers told him about the bed sheet, which makes a sound when someone touches it, and the sound can be heard in eight countries.Esben thinks this is the hardest thing he has to do, but the worst result is that he can't get it, so he has to try hard.

He took out a small white wooden horse, rode on it, and said, "Little wooden horse, fly fast, and take me to the other side of the river."

In a moment he flew across the river and stopped beside the witch's house.It was dark and the door was locked, but he knew he could climb in through the chimney.He crawled into the house, but found that something was wrong, for the sheet was on the bed, and the witch was already lying on it and sleeping.He crept into the house without waking the witch and her daughter, but when he touched the sheet it made a noise, and the sound was heard through eight countries.The witch woke up, sat up from the bed with a "bass", and grabbed Esben.He tried to break free from her, but he could not, and the witch said to her daughter, "Come, help me, and we will shut him up in that little dark room and fatten him up. Ho! ho! I have caught him." !"

Now, Esben was locked in a small dark dungeon, with no sun or moon to see.All he eats is sweet milk and nuts all day long.The witch's daughter peeled so many nuts for him that after fourteen days she had only one tooth left in her mouth--she had peeled the nuts and gnawed the tooth out.By this time she had taken a liking to Esborne, and was willing to let him out, but could not.

After some time the witch told her daughter to cut off one of Espen's fingers, that she might see if he had grown fat enough.The daughter ran to tell Espen and asked him what to do.Espen told him to take an iron finger, wrap it with a layer of skin, and give it to her mother.

The daughter did so, but the witch took a bite and yelled, "Ouch! No! No! He's skinny. He needs to gain weight."

So, Esben was raised for a while, eating sweet milk and nuts all day long.Until one day, the witch thought that he must have grown fat enough by now, so she asked her daughter to cut off one of his fingers.By this time Espen had had enough of the dark dungeon, and he told her to cut off a cow's teat and give it to the witch.The daughter did so, and the witch exclaimed, "Ah! Now he has grown fat—you can hardly feel his bones. Now you can kill him."

Just then the witch had to go to Troms Church, where the witches met once a year, so she had no time to deal with Espen herself.So she said to her daughter, when she was gone, heat up the great oven, and bring Esben out of the dungeon, and put him in the oven until she came back.The daughter promised to do everything, and the witch went on her way.

The daughter heated the stove as hot as it could go, and brought Espen out of the dungeon to roast him.She took the shovel out of the oven and told Esben to sit on it so she could push him into the oven.Esben sat on it, but as soon as she pushed him to the stove, Esben stretched his legs and she couldn't push him in.

"You can't sit like that," she said.

"Then how do you sit?" Esben said.

"You have to cross your legs," she said.But Espen just didn't understand her.

"Come out," she said, "and I'll show you how to sit."

She sat herself on the shovel, but as soon as she sat on it, Esborn grabbed the shovel and pushed her in, closing the oven door quickly.Then he ran to get the sheets, but as soon as his hands touched the sheets, he made a sound, and the sound was heard in eight countries.The witch, who was still in the church in Troms, heard the sound, flew home, and cried out, "Hey! Is that you again, Espen?"

"Yes!"

"Did you cause me to kill eleven daughters?"

"Yes!"

"And took my pigeon?"

"Yes!"

"And my lovely pig?"

"Yes!"

"And pushed my No. 12 daughters into the well and drowned, and took my lamp?"

"Yes!"

"And now you put my No.13 daughter in the oven and took my sheets?"

"exactly!"

"Are you coming back?"

"No, never coming back," said Esben.

Hearing this, the witch was so angry that she jumped into a rage, and became a flint and steel, and jumped to pieces, and from then on, the country was full of flint and steel.

Esben took out the little wooden horse confiscated by the witch again, and said, "Little wooden horse, fly fast, and take me to the other side of the river."

In the blink of an eye he was back in the palace.Now the situation is very bad, the king has put all eleven brothers in prison, because they have not given the king sheets, so they will soon be executed.Esben hurried up to the king and presented the bed sheet to the king, who was overjoyed to see the bed sheet.He touched the sheets, and the sheets made a noise, and the sound spread to eight countries, but the kings of those countries were very angry, and they didn't like the sound at all.

Esben told the king what happened, including how the Red Lord was jealous and framed his brothers.The brothers were free now, and the Red Lord, because he was so bad, was hanged from the tallest tree, and he deserved it.

Espen and his brothers have been through so much and now, the brothers thank him for everything he has done for them.The twelve brothers got a lot of gold and silver, and they took these treasures home to their old father.The old father thought he would never see them again, but when he saw them now, he was so happy that he burst into tears.The brothers told their father what Esben had done, including how he saved them.From then on, Esben was no longer the laughing stock of the family.

(End of this chapter)