grey fairy tale book

Chapter 10 The Story of Dehimir and Dehimila (1)
Once upon a time there was a man named Dhimir, who had a cousin named Dhimira.When they were young, their parents made their marriage.Now, Dhemir thought it was time to get married, so he traveled two or three days to the nearest city to buy wedding furniture.

After he left, Dehimila went with a few of her companions to collect firewood in a nearby forest.While searching, she found an iron bowl on the ground.She put the iron bowl on the faggot, but the thing would not obey. Every time she put the faggot on her shoulder, the iron bowl slipped from the side.At last, it seemed to her that the only way was to tie the iron bowl between the firewood.She had just let go of the fagot when she heard her companions calling to her.

"Dehimila, what are you dawdling about? It's getting dark, hurry up if you want to go with us!"

But Dhimila just said: "You guys better go first, even if it's going to be midnight, I won't leave the iron bowl here!"

"That's up to you." After finishing speaking, the partners began to walk back.

It got dark quickly, and the moment the last ray of sunlight disappeared, the iron bowl turned into a devil.The devil put Dhimila on his back and took him to a desert which was a month's journey from her home.The devil shut her up in a castle, told her not to be afraid, that she would be all right, and then went back to his wife, leaving Dhimila alone, weeping over her self-inflicted misfortune.

When the friends arrived home, Dehimila's mother was out looking for her daughter.

She asked anxiously, "What are you doing to her?"

"She found an iron bowl in the forest, but she couldn't get it back, so we had to come back first," answered the girls.

Upon hearing this, the old woman hurried towards the forest, calling her daughter's name as she walked.

The people in the town heard her call and said to her: "Go home, we will find your daughter for you. You are a woman, and finding someone is a man's job with physical strength."

But she answered, "Well, come on, but I must go with you. Perhaps we will find only her body at last. Perhaps she was killed by a snake, or perhaps eaten by wild beasts."

Seeing that she insisted on going, the men didn't stop her anymore, but they still called a friend who collected firewood to go with them, so as to lead them to find the place where Desmila disappeared.They found the place where the girl left the firewood, but they didn't know where she had gone.

"Desmila! Desmila!" They called her name loudly, but no one answered.

One of them said, "If we light a fire, she may see!" So they built a fire, and scattered in every direction, and went all over the woods to find her, and whispered: If she had been killed by a lion, they would always find a sign; if she had fallen asleep, their noise would wake her;

They searched for the whole night, and they still didn't know the whereabouts of the girl until dawn.They started to get tired and said to the girl's mother, "It's no use looking any further, let's go home. Nothing happened to your daughter, unless she ran away with some man."

She replied, "Well, I'll go back now. But first I must go to the river to see, maybe someone pushed her down." But the girl was not in the river.

For the next four days, Dehimila's parents waited for their daughter's return before giving up hope and saying to each other: "What shall we do? What shall we tell her fiancé? Let's kill one." Goat, bury the head, and when her fiancé comes back, we will tell him that Dhimila is dead."

Soon the groom returned with rugs and soft cushions to decorate the new house.As soon as he entered the town, Dehimila's father greeted him and said, "Your fiancée, she is dead."

Upon hearing the news, the young man wept bitterly, and it took him a long time to speak.He turned to a bystander and asked, "Where is she buried?"

"Come with me to the cemetery," replied the man.So the young man took these beautiful decorations he had just bought, and went with the man to the cemetery.As soon as he put the things on the ground, he burst into tears again.He stayed there for a whole day, until night fell, and then he packed up his things and returned to his home.However, in the early morning of the next day, he returned to the grave with his things in his arms, and kept playing the flute there until it was dark. He played like this for six months.

One morning, a man crossing the desert lost his way and came to an isolated castle.He was exhausted under the scorching sun, so he said to himself: "I'm going to that castle to hide in the shade and have a rest." He stretched out comfortably, and when he was about to fall asleep, he heard a soft voice Called him, "Are you a human or a ghost?"

He looked up and saw a girl poking her head out of the window, and replied, "I'm human, a good person like your father or grandfather."

"I wish you all the best, but how did you break into this terrifying land of devils?"

"Is there really a devil living in this castle?" he asked.

"Yes," she answered, "it is getting dark, and the devil will be back soon. Go, my friend, before the devil comes back and catches you for supper."

But he said: "I am too thirsty, kind girl, please give me some water to drink, or I will die of thirst. Even if it is a desert, there should be springs around here?"

"That's right." She pointed forward, "Every time I see the devil, he brings water back from that direction. If you walk in that direction, you may find water."

Hearing this, the man jumped up and was about to leave, but was stopped by the girl: "Please tell me, where are you going?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"I have something to ask, but first tell me are you going east or west?"

"I'm going to Damascus."

"Then please send me a message. When you pass through the village where I live, please find a man named Dhimir, and tell him: 'Dhemila is coming to you from a distant, wind-swaying castle. Greetings. A goat is buried in my grave. So take heart.'”

The man agreed, and then went on the road, finding a spring.After drinking enough, he lay down on the bank and fell asleep quietly.After waking up, he said to himself: "This girl's kind advice led me to find water. Otherwise, in a few hours, I would die of thirst. Therefore, I will do as she said, Find out the town where the girl lives, and the man she sent word for."

He walked for a full month before he found the town where Dehimir lived.By coincidence, this young man was sitting in front of the door, his face was unshaven, and his unkempt hair almost covered his eyes.

As soon as the visitor stopped, Dhemir asked: "Welcome, stranger! Where did you come from?"

"I come from the west and I want to go to the east." The visitor replied.

"Okay, let's stay in the house for a while, rest, and have something to eat," Dehimir greeted.After the man entered the house, the food was placed in front of him.He sat down with the girl's father and the brothers, but Dhemir stayed aside—he was squatting on the threshold.

"Why don't you eat?" asked the stranger.One of Dhimila's brothers said, "Don't bother him! Leave him alone. He eats only in the evening."

So the stranger continued to eat in a muffled voice.Suddenly, one of Dhimira's brothers called out: "Dhimir, please bring us some water!" The stranger remembered the message and asked, "Is there a man named Dhimir here? I got lost in the desert, and when I came to a castle, a girl poked her head out of the window..."

"Hush!" they yelled, afraid that Dhimir would hear them.But Dehimir had already heard it, and he stepped forward and asked, "What did you see? Please tell me the truth, or I will cut off your head!"

"Yes, sir," replied the stranger, "that day, when I was lost in the desert, tired and thirsty, I saw a castle, and I said to myself, 'I am going to the castle. Get in the shade and rest for a while.' Then a girl poked her head out of the window and asked me if I was a man or a ghost, and I replied that I was a man, a good man like her father or grandfather. I asked her for a drink , but she didn't either, I was dying of thirst, and then she told me that the devil in the castle always brings water back from the same direction, if I look in that direction, maybe I can find water. Before I leave , she begged me to come to the town where she lived, and if I came across a man named Dhimir, I would tell him: 'Dhemila greets you from a distant, windswept castle. My grave Buried is a goat. So cheer up.'”

Dehimir looked at his family: "Is this true? Dehimila was not dead at all, but was stolen?"

"No, no," replied the family, "he is talking nonsense, and Desmila is really dead, everyone knows."

"I'll figure it out myself," said Dhimir, grabbing a shovel and running quickly to the grave where the sheep's head was buried.

The family’s explanation is: “The thing is like this. After you left, Dehimila went to the forest with some girls to collect firewood. She found an iron bowl there and wanted to take it home, but there was no way. I didn't want to lose it, so the other girls went home first. After dark, we all went out to find her, but we couldn't find her. So we said: 'The groom will come tomorrow, and if he finds her missing, he will Go find, then we'll lose him too. We'll just kill a goat, bury her in her grave, and tell him she's dead.' Now you know the truth, do whatever you want Yes. But one thing, take this stranger who brought you a message and let him show you the way."

"Okay, this plan could not be better. Bring me some dry food and bring the sword. Let's go!" Dhemir replied.

But the stranger replied, "I won't take a month to take you to the castle! I don't mind if it's only a day or two, but it won't take a month!"

"Then walk with me for three days," Dehimir begged, "show me the right way, and I will repay you well."

"Well," said the stranger, "that's it."

For three consecutive days, the two of them traveled at sunrise and rested at sunset.Then the stranger said: "Dhemir!"

"What is it?" Deshmir replied.

"Go straight in this direction, you will see a spring, and then go forward for a while, and soon you will see the castle."

"Ok."

"Then, let's see you again." With that, the stranger turned and went back.

After another 26 days of walking, Dehimir found an oasis in the desert and knew that the spring must be nearby, so he quickened his pace.Sure enough, he lay down by the spring in a short while and drank the bubbling spring water hungrily.Then he fell down on the cool grass and began to think:

"If the stranger is right, the castle is near. I'd better sleep here to-night, and find it tomorrow." And he slept long and soundly.When he awoke, the sun was already high.He jumped up, washed his face and hands in the spring water, and continued on his way.After he had walked for a while, the castle suddenly appeared in front of him, although there was no warning before. "How am I going to get in?" he thought, "I can't knock, lest the devil hear me. Maybe I'd better climb up the wall and see if there is anything." So he climbed up the wall, and in the After sitting on the wall for about an hour, a window opened and a voice called out, "Dhemira!" He looked up and saw Dhemira, who he thought was dead, and began to cry.

"My dear cousin," she whispered, "what brought you here?"

"It's the grief of losing you."

"Oh, go away. If the devil comes back, he'll kill you."

"I swear with my life, my sweetheart, I will never find you and lose you again! If death is the price, then I am willing to die!"

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"what should I do?"

"If I let down a rope, can you climb it up with a firm grip?"

"Of course you can," he replied.

So Dhemila let down the rope, and Dhemir tied the rope around himself and climbed up to her window.Then they embraced affectionately, and tears of happiness welled up.

"What shall I do when the devil returns?" she asked.

"Trust me," he said.

There was a box in that room where Desmila kept her clothes.She told Dhimir to hide in and lie down at the bottom of the box and be quiet.

He hid just in time, for the lid had hardly closed when the heavy tread of the devil sounded on the stairs.The devil slammed open the door, holding in his arms the human flesh he ate and the mutton meat for Dehimila.The devil roared, "I smell a stranger, what is this man doing here?"

"How could anyone come to this desert place?" Dehimila cried while talking.

"Don't cry," said the devil, "perhaps it is the crumbs that fell from the crow's claws."

"Oh, yes, I almost forgot," she replied, "a crow dropped some bones."

"Well, burn the bone to ashes," the devil continued, "so I can swallow it."

So the girl took some bones, burned them to ashes, and handed them to the devil, saying, "Here are the ashes, eat."

After the devil finished eating, he straightened up and fell asleep.

After a while, the piece of human flesh that Dhemila cooked for the devil's dinner cried, "Hush! Shh! Shh! He's hiding in the bottom of the box!"

"He is your brother, your cousin." Mutton also shouted.

The devil asked sleepily, "Dhemila, what did the piece of meat say?"

"Say I'm going to remember to add the salt."

"Okay, let's add it."

"I already added it," she replied.

Soon the devil was grunting again, and at this moment the human flesh began to cry again: "Hush! Shh! Shh! He's hiding in the bottom of the box!"

"He is your brother, your cousin." Mutton also shouted.

The devil asked, "Dhemila, what did the piece of meat say?"

"Said I should add pepper."

"Then add it."

"I already added it," she replied.

The devil hunted all day, and was too tired to keep his eyes open.When the devil's eyes were closed tightly, the human flesh shouted again: "Shh! Shh! Shh! People are hiding in the bottom of the box!!"

"He is your brother, your cousin." Mutton also shouted.

The devil asked, "Dhemila, what did the piece of meat say?"

(End of this chapter)