The fifty horses of Aldar. Fairy Tale

The youngest son of Shald holds a stick in his hand, ties his waist with a belt, and walks day and night, for months and years, until he reaches a towering mountain.

A massive mountain, like a bull, blocks his path. The peak of the mountain is above the clouds. Knowing he cannot climb such a mountain, Aldar feels sorrowful.

— I am on my way to deceive both people and God, as well as demons. Carrying such a great burden like this mountain, can this mountain be a mere trifle for me? I must find a way to reach the top of this mountain and cross it, - he says. After resting and enduring, chipping away at the mountain's stones, he makes a ladder. Just as he feels he might die, on a fateful day, he finally reaches the mountain's summit. He reaches the top and collapses. At some point, he regains consciousness and opens his eyes to find a bird, a magpie, perched on him, mistaking him for a stone. He quickly catches it. Tying a string to its leg, he lets it rest on his hand.

— This is good, he thinks, it will come in handy.

— The initial magpie is a treasure.

— If it isn’t useful, I can let it go, - he continues on his way. As he walks, he sees a round house on the other side of the mountain.

Its delightful surroundings,

Its hilly and valiant valleys.

The area around the stone spring,

Is blooming with flowers.

Aldar is astonished.

«Whatever it is, I will go to this house,» - he decides and descends from the mountain. «Is it a friend’s house, a foe’s house, a human’s house, or a demon’s? I will observe first,» - he thinks, approaching cautiously and peeking through the window. He sees a young man and a woman, close together, kissing and laughing heartily, just like two lovebirds. «There is fun, joy, and business to be had here,» - Aldar thinks, and while pondering, he suddenly sneezes loudly. The young couple jumps in fright. The woman quickly pushes the man onto a yellow chest at the front and locks it with two keys. Aldar understands the situation.

— Peace be upon you!— Aldar says, entering swiftly and keeping his thoughts to himself, sitting quietly. The woman frowns at him as if asking, «Where are you from, spirit?» Aldar thinks to himself, «If you don’t speak, that’s fine, woman, I will make sure you and the yellow chest get your due,» and he keeps smiling. After a while, the woman glances at Aldar, who is still smiling:

— Why are you smiling?— she asks.

— I was smiling at the kumis in that tub, - Aldar replies.

— If you see it, drink it, - says the woman. As soon as she says «drink,» Aldar climbs onto the tub. He drinks kumis to his fill. He also sends off the cooked yellow sausage that is lying next to the tub. Satisfied with the sausage and kumis, he goes to the front and lies down. The woman, frightened by Aldar’s smile, thinks, «Did he learn something?» and cannot say anything to the man lying on the silk carpet. Aldar, not content with just eating the sausage and drinking the kumis, begins to joke with the woman. While joking, he discovers that this is the house of a wealthy man, that the rich man has no children, and that the woman is the forty-first wife. Thus, he also senses that the man lying down is close to her.

«Calling the cows,

Calling the camels,

Gathering the horses,

Herding the goats and sheep...»

In the evening, the rich man arrives, sees Aldar lying on the front, and shouts:

— Who is this god of mine lying on my throne, hugging a sparrow!— he exclaims.

— That is your god!— says Aldar.

— Which god is yours?

— I am your god - the fortune-telling god. This here is the magpie god, who sees and knows. The rich man has long desired a child. He has not spared any wife nor shaman to find one. When I say, «I am a fortune-teller,» he begins to hesitate. «If God grants healing...» he thinks.

— Whoever you are, you must be a trickster, - he says, then glances at Aldar and goes to sit by the cauldron.

After having a meal and sitting for a while, the rich man shares his situation:

— I was a wealthy man with all kinds of livestock, my animals were countless. Yet none of that brought me a child.

I prayed to God for a child and took forty wives. None of them bore fruit. Ultimately, I spent all my wealth and took this wife. But even she has not conceived. My age has caught up with me. Still, I have hope in God. You say you are a fortune-teller. You say your magpie sees and knows. What will it tell me? Open my fortune, my dear, - he says.

 — Alright, - Aldar says, and begins to play the fortune-teller. He calls forth spirits, shouting, «Speak the truth!» and begins to chant to the bird:

— This is indeed a true fortune-teller! - the rich man exclaims happily. Aldar continues to chant and circles around the yellow chest.

— Oh my, how is my fortune? It seems difficult. I have seen many things, - he strikes the chest, listens closely, and examines it.

 — Oh my, my fortune is bad, - he continues. Finally, he reveals his fortune.

— Inside the yellow chest, a dark misfortune lies. On a silk blanket, it is caught in an interesting affair... It does not take action, it eats and drinks. If you ask about its true nature, it is called a two-legged demon.

— This dark misfortune will not allow your wife to conceive. It is impossible to move this misfortune, - he says. The rich man does not believe this. «A trickster who wants to deceive me and gain wealth has come!» Yet even so, he thinks, «If he can drive it away, I will give him a reward, whatever he asks for.»

Let him move it away if he can...», he thinks to himself and says: — Alright, move it away then. 

— To move it, hot water is needed, - Aldar says and has water boiled. Upon hearing that a shaman is playing, the woman, thinking, «I have seen many of these before,» sneers and enters the house. The woman stands, smiling and looking fresh. The young man lies down, shaking. Where can he escape? The woman stands happily, and as for the demon: The young man lies down, looking despondent. Aldar walks around the house and cuts the key from the woman’s hairpin. Then he takes a basin of water, runs to the yellow chest, opens it, and shouts:

— Move, spirit, move! - he pours the hot water over the young man’s head.

One person dashed out,

In one step, ten steps...

The misfortune left the house,

Becoming a handsome young man,

The woman’s spirit fled,

Her heart turned cold as ice.

 May this sorcery be cursed!

Unable to bear the shame,

 Is there a way, no remedy,

His face has turned utterly dark.

Thus the young man fled, scorched.

The woman also fled, her heart racing, fainting. Aldar cannot stop laughing. After a while, the rich man regains his senses and stands up.

— A thousand thanks, my dear, you have driven this misfortune from my home. Otherwise, we would have been dead. Now my hope in God has strengthened... This shall be both a charity and your reward. I have a horse called Ayouat. Take it. And who knows if that misfortune will return. Sell me your fortune-telling bird. Name your price, - he says.

— It was my lifelong companion, my days were dark without it. I won’t sell my magpie, - Aldar says, reclining a bit. The rich man begs him. Finally:

 — Only for you, otherwise I would never part with my bird, - Aldar agrees to sell it.

— There’s no lie in this, I bought this bird from its owner for forty horses, and the owner regretted it for two days. I would regret it too, give me fifty horses, - he says.

— That’s too much. The worth of a horse is not small either. I have no choice; I will give you what I offered, - says the rich man. 

— No, that won’t do. By God, for free, if I sell it for forty, it will never leave my memory, - Aldar insists.

— By God, that’s the price! - the rich man insists. Two tricksters, trying to outsmart one another! To cut it short, one week; to prolong it, one year, they bargain and clap their hands. Finally, Aldar’s trickery wins, and he takes the fifty horses, selling the magpie and bidding farewell to it, saying, «I am left alone, at least for my bird, I will cry while saying goodbye, what can I do without tears?» He pretends to part with the bird for a week, consuming sausage and kumis to his fill, and then sets off on his way.