The Guest Who Ran Away
There was a small village at the foot of a hill. In a small house there, lived a young couple. One day the husband went hunting into the forest beyond the hill and returned with two golden geese. "Such geese are rarely found. Make with these as dainty a dish as possible," he told his wife. "I'll do so," said the pleased wife. But the fowls had not changed hands when the village landlord, who was passing by, saw them. "Aha! You have bagged such excellent fowls! Come on, let me have them for a price which I'll pay later," said the landlord. Without the least care for the couple's reaction to his proposal, he took hold of the fowls. The young hunter had to let them go, for he did not dare to displease the landlord. "Master, make sure to cook them in the right way. Surely you know that these special geese, cooked without special care, taste no better than boiled grass!" said the hunter's wife. The landlord stopped. "Er.. you know that I lost my wife years ago. My cook is a pigheaded fellow. Will you please come to my house and cook these for me?" the landlord asked with a grin.
"Who will grudge doing this much for you!" observed the young lady. "But I don't want the art of my cooking to be known to anybody!" "I'll give my cook a day's leave!" said the landlord. "Fine. Please carry the fowls home. Make your cook dress them. See that he lights the oven well and keeps handy everything that may be necessary for grand cooking. Let him go away thereafter," instructed the young lady. "I'll do as you say. Come as soon as you can," said the landlord, grinning wider. He then left with the fowls, fondling them as though they were alive. The young man stood fuming. "You'll even cook the fowls for the rascal, will you?" he demanded of his wife. "Tut, tut," said the young lady with a charming smile. "Don't fret. I'll cook them for you, and for nobody else. I'll only use the fool's kitchen." She then whispered her plan to her husband and went over to the landlord's house. The cook had kept everything ready for her before leaving. She cooked the fowls with the choicest ingredients. The landlord was flitting between his kitchen and his veranda, licking his lips again and again. Suddenly the young hunter met him at the door and said, "Master, the Sultan's messenger is resting under a tree while on his way to the town. He asked me if he could have his lunch at somebody's house. It will be in the fitness of things for you to invite him home," said the young man. "One kind word about you spoken by messenger to the Sultan might bring you much luck," observed the young lady.
"Besides, you cannot eat both the fowls all alone, I bet." "I'll bring the Sultan's messenger home," said the landlord and he went out. The lady handed over the cooked fowls to her husband. The young man departed at once. In a few minutes, the landlord returned with the messenger and bade the young lady to serve the lunch for them. "Master!" the young lady whispered through the window of the kitchen. "What is it, child?" the landlord queried, leaning at her. "How can I appear before the guest in this soiled gown? Will you please rush to my husband and ask him to send my new gown?" "Gladly," said the landlord. He was eager to show to his guest the beautiful lady he had for his cook. As soon as the landlord was gone, the lady came out and greeted the guest. Tears rolling down her cheeks, she murmured, "How excellent is the pair of ears the gentleman has! Alas, in a moment nothing will be left of them, not even their stumps!" "What are you saying, girl?" asked the guest. "Oh, no, how can I betray my master, even though my heart melts at the thought of the misfortune that awaits you!" His eyes bulging with surprise and suspicion, the guest entreated the lady to speak out what awaited him He even took out a silver coin from his pocket and thrust it into the lady's unwilling hand. "Once every year, on this particular day, my master invites a stranger home and cuts away his ears. This he does to propitiate the devil. Nobody knows what his profit is," said the lady, suppressing a sob. "Your tender ears would be gone in a moment!"
In one long jump, the messenger found the road and started running. Just then the landlord returned. "What's the matter? Why is the guest running away?" he asked, taken aback. "My bad luck! I cooked the fowls for you. But there goes your guest, taking away both of them by force! I could not make you eat even one!" cried out the lady. The landlord ran, shouting at the fleeing guest, "Gentleman, you better keep one and let me have the other!" The Sultan's messenger looked back in horror. When he saw the landlord following him, he doubled up. He was sure that the landlord meant to cut out one of his ears and let him keep the other. The landlord was no match for the Sultan's messenger in running. Soon he was tired. He returned home and gave a silver coin to the lady, said, "This much for your labor which went in vain! Let's forget it, child. After all, we cannot take the Sultan's officer to the task!" The young lady thanked him and returned home for a happy lunch with her husband.
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