yellow-green fairy tale book

Chapter 37 The Iron Cane

Once upon a time, on the edge of a forest lived an old woman.She has a hut, behind the hut is a vegetable garden, which grows all kinds of vegetables.Besides, she had a field where two or three cows grazed.The neighbors thought she was rich and were jealous of her.

When she was strong enough to work in the fields all day, the old woman was never lonely.But then she got seriously ill, and her body was not as good as before.She began to think and think from time to time, if only someone could talk to her.At this moment, she heard that a couple of shepherds who lived on the other side of the prairie passed away, leaving a little boy living alone in this world.

"The child is quite suitable for me," said the old woman.So she asked someone to take the little boy and planned to adopt him as a son.

The little boy was about 12 years old and he should have considered himself very lucky because his adoptive mother treated him as well as his biological mother.But unfortunately, the little boy had bad friends who were rude and were always playing tricks so that everyone hated them very much.The poor old woman was always regretting her loss of peace.

This went on for several years until the little boy became an adult.

"Maybe he'll get better when he's married," thought the old woman.She asked the neighbors in the neighborhood if there were any girls of the right age.At last she found a beautiful, kind, and very industrious girl, and the young man did not object, and the wedding was soon held.The bride and groom still live in the hut with the old woman.But the son's behavior did not change.He hangs out all day with those former friends.On returning home, if his wife dared to say anything to him, he would beat her with his cane.The next year, after their child was born, even the little baby was inevitably beaten by him.

Later, the old woman finally lost patience with him.She could see it, and don't expect the idle guy to change his ways.So one day the old woman said to him:

"Are you going to go on like this forever? Remember, you are not a child anymore, you should live like a human being. It's time to quit your bad habits, fight for your wife and children, and finally The important thing is not to beat them anymore. Otherwise, I will turn you into a donkey, and you will have to carry a heavy load and be ridden. The thorns will be your food, and people will have to drive Goads from livestock come to beat you, and then you will know what it feels like to be beaten."

If she had hoped her words would have any effect on him, she soon knew she was wrong.As the young man only grew more angry, he shouted roughly, "Bah! Shut up, or I'll beat you too."

"Really?" The old woman replied coldly, and then quickly picked up an iron cane from a corner, and tapped the young man's shoulder with it.Immediately, his ears grew longer, his face became longer, his arms became two legs, and his whole body was covered with dense gray hair.It was true, he had turned into a donkey, and a very ugly donkey at that!
"Get out of this house!" cried the old woman.It staggered out.

When it was standing by the road, not knowing what to do, someone came over.

"Hehe, my good guy, you are what I'm looking for. You seem to have no owner, come with me, I will find some work for you." Then, he pulled it by the ear and left .

As the old woman said, the donkey lived a very hard life for seven years after that.

However, it didn't realize that this was its own evil, and it didn't feel remorse for its own evil deeds. On the contrary, it became more and more dissatisfied and vicious.Seven years later, the donkey's skin fell off and it became a human again.On this day, he returned to his home.

Hearing a knock at the door, his wife came out and opened the door for him.Seeing the person standing at the door, she was so frightened that the latch dropped to the ground, ran in and shouted, "Grandma! Grandma! Your son is back!"

"I know he'll be back," answered the old woman, and went on spinning her yarn. "Well, we're doing very well without him, but since he's here, let him come in, I reckon!"

The young man walked in.As the old woman had predicted, he was worse than ever.For weeks she let the young man do as he pleased.Finally she said to him:
"It seems that you have learned nothing from your experience! After all, few people care to learn from experience. But be careful, lest I turn you into a wolf and make you a prey for men and dogs .”

"What are you nagging, watch out I'll smash your head!" That was the answer she got.

Had the young man looked at her face, he might have been wary.It's a pity he was too busy filling his pipe to pay any attention.In an instant, the iron cane touched his shoulder, and a big bad wolf ran towards the door.

what!The dog barked so fiercely, the sound of neighbors chasing wolves kept coming and going, and the village was full of noise.

For seven years, it lived a life of being chased by hunters and dogs, and was often threatened by cold and hunger, and never dared to let itself have a good sleep.Seven years later, its wolf skin shed again, turned into a human again, and returned to its door.But another seven years taught him no more than the first seven years—his behavior was worse.One day he whipped his wife and children so cruelly that they cried out to the old woman for help.

The old woman came with the iron cane in her hand.Immediately, the villain disappeared, and a big black crow was seen flying around the room, screaming "Cack! Crow!"

The window opens and it flies out the window to find the badass friends who ruined it and try to make them understand what happened.

"We will avenge you!" said they, and they came to the door with a rope, and strangled the old woman.

But the old woman was already prepared.With a dance of the iron cane in her hand, they all turned into a flock of black crows.This time, they could never take off their feathers and never return to human form.

(End of this chapter)