The Cook And The Crane
Once upon a time, there was a king named Carlo, who ruled over a kingdom in the Northern part of Italy. All the people in the kingdom liked King Carlo very much, for although he was a stern ruler, he was a very happy king. He could never be angry with anybody who made him laugh. Working in the kitchen of the king's palace was a cook. His name was Alessandro, but the other cooks called him Sandro for short. He was quite young, only about twenty years old, but in spite of this, he was a very good cook. He knew just what meals pleased King Carlo and he, too, could have been very happy, but for one thing. He was very much in love with Brunetta, a serving maid, who had lovely brown hair and brown eyes. All-day long, Sandro cooked special and very tasty dishes and cakes in the kitchen for Brunetta, but she seemed to think that they were quite ordinary things to eat. "Thank you, Sandro," she would say, after eating something he had prepared for her. "That was quite nice, but I could very easily have made it myself just as well." "If I find you something very special to eat, will you marry me?" Sandro asked. "We will see," laughed Brunetta. "One day, perhaps, I will tell you exactly what I would like." Sandro went on cooking in the palace kitchen, wondering what special dish Brunetta would want. Was it meat, or fish, or chicken, or icecream? He tried and tried with everything he could think of, but he never really succeeded in pleasing her. One day, King Carlo went out hunting in the marshlands of his kingdom and came back with a crane bird. Taking it to the kitchen, he said to Sandro, "Cook this bird in the best way you can. I will have it tonight as a special dish for the guests I have invited to supper." "Yes, your Majesty," said Sandro, bowing low.