The Rooster and the Millstones

Once there lived an old man and an old woman who were very, very poor. They had no bread, so they went into the forest, gathered acorns, brought them home and…

Once there lived an old man and an old woman who were very, very poor. They had no bread, so they went into the forest, gathered acorns, brought them home and began to eat them. Whether they had been eating them for a long time or a short time, the old woman dropped an acorn into the space beneath the floor. The acorn sprouted and soon grew as high as the floor. The old woman noticed it and said:

“Old man, we must cut a hole in the floor! Let the oak grow higher. When it has grown, we won’t have to go into the forest for acorns: we’ll pick them right here in the cottage.”

The old man cut a hole in the floor. The little tree grew and grew until it reached the ceiling. The old man took the ceiling apart, then removed the roof as well. The tree kept growing and growing until it reached the sky itself. When the old man and the old woman ran out of acorns, he took a sack and climbed the oak.

He climbed and climbed until he reached heaven. He wandered about up there and saw a little rooster with a golden comb and a buttery head, and beside him stood a little hand mill. The old man did not think twice: he took both the rooster and the mill and climbed down to the cottage. Once he was down, he said:

“What shall we do, old woman? What shall we eat?”

“Wait,” said the old woman. “I’ll try the millstones.”

She took the millstones and began to grind. Out came a pancake and a pie, a pancake and a pie! Every turn brought another pancake and pie! And so she fed the old man.

A lord happened to be passing and stopped at the old couple’s cottage.

“Have you anything to eat?” he asked.

The old woman said:

“What can I give you to eat, my dear? Some pancakes, perhaps?”

She took the millstones and began to grind: down tumbled little pancakes and pies. The visitor ate and said:

“Sell me your millstones, grandmother.”

“No,” said the old woman. “They’re not for sale.”

So he simply stole the millstones from her. When the old man and the old woman discovered the theft, they grieved bitterly.

“Wait,” said the little rooster with the golden comb. “I’ll fly after him and catch him!”

He flew to the boyar’s mansion, perched on the gate and cried:

“Cock-a-doodle-doo! Boyar, boyar, give back our golden, blue millstones! Boyar, boyar, give back our golden, blue millstones!”

As soon as the lord heard him, he ordered:

“Hey, lad! Take him and throw him into the water.”

They caught the little rooster and threw him into a well. He began to chant:

“Little beak, little beak, drink the water! Little mouth, little mouth, drink the water!” And he drank all the water.

After drinking all the water, he flew back to the boyar’s mansion, perched on the balcony and cried again:

“Cock-a-doodle-doo! Boyar, boyar, give back our golden, blue millstones! Boyar, boyar, give back our golden, blue millstones!”

The lord told the cook to throw him into the hot oven. They caught the little rooster and threw him into the hot oven, straight into the fire. He began to chant:

“Little beak, little beak, pour out the water! Little mouth, little mouth, pour out the water!” And he put out all the fire in the oven.

He fluttered up, flew into the boyar’s room and cried again:

“Cock-a-doodle-doo! Boyar, boyar, give back our golden, blue millstones! Boyar, boyar, give back our golden, blue millstones!”

When the guests heard this, they ran out of the house, and their host ran after them. The little rooster with the golden comb seized the millstones and flew home with them to the old man and the old woman.