Aldar Kose and the Clever Boy Fairy Tale

Once upon a time, there was a trickster named Aldar Kose, who no one could defeat. Hearing this news, a clever boy named Ku Bala set out to find him. Eventually, Ku Bala finds Aldar Kose. They greet each other and exchange pleasantries. Aldar Kose asks the boy what he wants. Ku Bala replies:

– Are you Aldar Kose? I came to be your companion, – he says. Aldar Kose responds:

– If you want to be my companion, first bring me a sheep for one som, – and he hands Ku Bala a som. The boy takes the som and rushes to the elderly shepherd over the hill. After greeting the old man, the shepherd asks what the boy needs. Ku Bala says, – Grandpa, sell me one of your lambs, – to which the shepherd replies:

– You can have it for one som, – he says. Ku Bala takes the lamb, walks a little, then turns back to the shepherd:

 – Grandpa, let my lamb go to you, let my som go to you, just give me one kid, – he says. The shepherd responds:

 – Go ahead and take it, my dear, – he says. The boy takes the kid, walks a bit, then returns to the shepherd: – Grandpa, let my lamb go to you, let my som go to you, let my kid go to you, just give me one sheep, – he says. The uneducated, counting-illiterate old man thinks all this seems to add up to a lot:

– Alright, take a sheep then, – he says. Ku Bala takes the sheep and goes to Aldar Kose. Aldar Kose says:

– Good job, if you want to be my companion, you can be, – he says. These two became companions for a long time, experiencing various adventures together. One day, Ku Bala decides to return home and bids farewell. However, a small amount of Ku Bala's belongings (money) gets transferred to Aldar Kose. After some time, Ku Bala returns to take back what is his. Days and months pass, and the day finally arrives for Ku Bala to visit. On the day Ku Bala is supposed to arrive, Aldar Kose "falls ill" and "dies." On the agreed day, Ku Bala arrives at Aldar's house. When he enters, he sees Aldar Kose's wife hiding in the corner. Ku Bala asks:

 – Sister-in-law, are you all well? Is my brother okay, is he at home? – he inquires. Aldar Kose's wife, weeping, replies:

– My brother has passed away today, and he has not yet been taken to the grave, – she says. Ku Bala, thinking to himself that he will lay his brother to rest with his own hands since he was my dear companion, pretends to cry and gathers four or five old men from the nearby village to help prepare Aldar Kose for burial. Ku Bala even pours hot water over Aldar's body. They place Aldar Kose in a coffin, cover his face with a white cloth, and several people carry him to the grave. At that time, the grave was built like a house, with a roof, doors, and windows. They would lay the deceased in the grave alongside others. Ku Bala, along with the others, places Aldar Kose's coffin against the wall of the grave. As the attendees leave after placing the "body," Ku Bala says:

 – I will take care of my brother, – and stays inside the grave. Ku Bala, knowing Aldar's death is a ruse, hides behind another coffin. At that moment, six men with tired faces enter, carrying stolen items. They are thieves who begin to divide their loot among themselves. During the division, one sword remains unclaimed. The six discuss, – How do we divide this? – One of them steps forward and says:

– Whoever cuts down one of these corpses with the sword shall keep it. One of the thieves, with a show of bravado, picks up the sword and approaches a corpse. The others say:

– Find a young corpse; the sword will go through it, but it won't go through an old one. As the thief with the sword examines the bodies, he comes to the young corpse, which is Aldar Kose's coffin. Just as he raises his sword to strike, Aldar Kose suddenly exclaims:

 – Oh.., ah... ah... – startling the thieves, who drop their stolen goods and flee from the grave. Aldar Kose quickly removes the white cloth covering his face, and as he reaches for the items left behind by the thieves, Ku Bala exclaims:

– Brother, have you come back to life already? – and grabs hold of some of the items too. The fleeing thieves vanish without a trace. Aldar Kose and Ku Bala divide the items left by the thieves. In the distribution, Ku Bala takes his share from Aldar Kose, bids farewell, and returns home. Thus, it is said that Aldar Kose could not deceive Ku Bala.