There was a poor tinker who lived in the world. He was married for five years, but the fate didn’t send him a son. He went to medicine men and diviners, but nobody and nothing helped. As one could see, he was not destined to become a father. That’s why tinker grieved and felt like a looser. One day, returning home from the studio, he met a begging gypsy woman at the hut’s threshold. There were five bare and ragged children near the gypsy.
"These are the creatures of God, - the tinker thought. – He gives them for those who don’t search, and gives a whole heap for those who avoid them." - How do you feed this horde? - He asked the beggar woman. - Oh, good man, I don’t feed them. Allah feeds them. You see how.
They are all barefoot and hungry as cubs. We even have no shelter for the night. The tinker has poor condition, but has the rich heart. Gypsy’s misfortune made his heart soften and he decided to share all that he had with her. He took a beggar woman with her children to his hut.
- Oh, the diamond of my soul, - he said to his wife - we cry that we do not have any child. Now we have five of them. His wife was even frightened, but she had a kind heart and left the gypsy family in their house. A good craftsman, returning from his work every evening, was sharing all that he earned for the day with the gypsy children. His wife looked after the children while their mother went begging. The gypsy woman’s life went quite a different. So she decided to thank these good people. One day, when the tinker wasn’t at home, she turned to his wife and said:
- Oh, the pious daughter of Eve! My own mother and father, wouldn’t have done for me what you did with your husband. Allah is the witness, that I’m ready to pay you back for good, with all power that I have. Tell me, my sister, what adversity makes dark the road of your life? Can I somehow ease your fate?
- Oh, the happy mother of so many children - said the tinker’s wife. – We are five years already married, but Allah didn’t bother to reward us as he did with you. My husband is ready to give up all for only one child!
- Do not worry, sister, - said the gypsy. - I can help you in this trouble. Go and ask an egg from your neighbor. Let me do a spell over it. When your husband will come home, throw this egg to the right of the wall. And you will see that his wish will be fulfilled.
The wife did so. As soon as her husband crossed the threshold, she threw the enchanted egg to the wall, and – Oh, the mistery happend! – The forty small people poured from the egg one after another as a grain from sieve. They cried "Daddy, Daddy!" and surrounded dumbfounded tinker. The children began to miss his hands and feet, to climb on the shoulders and head.
- What’s happened?! - cried the frightened tinker. – Where did this army come from? The wife explained to her husband what had happened.
He clutched his head and cried: - Yes, was that a joy? It was a sorrow, not joy! I wanted one, and here was a group of forty! The tinker turned to the gypsy and began to beg her: - Oh, the daughter of the desert, take out those annoying flies, for Allah's sake, get rid of them!
There was nothing to do for gypsy, but to collect small children to her sack. She has collected thirty-nine, and the fortieth in the meantime climbed into the boots of his father and hid there. The next morning tinker was going to the city and he began to pull the boots. Suddenly, he saw a shorty boy – Kichkene oglan, getting out of the boot.
- How did you get here? - Surprised the tinker. - My father - Kichkene replied. - I am the most resourceful and agile of all my brothers! As you can see, only I could managed to escape.
The tinker looked at him for some time and decided to accept this boy as his son. - Well, if so, - he said to his son – you’ll help me in my work. While I'm in the city, mother will cook chebureks, and you’ll bring them to my craftsman studio.
The tinker gave such instructions, pulled on his boots and went to work. Kichkene meanwhile instructed his new mother to cook and bake chebureks and one round hatlama bread. When all was ready, he said: - Now put pasties into a bowl – sagan, put me on the top, and cover me with hatlama bread. Bind up sagan as follows with the handkerchief and let it go to the city. I'll find the road by myself. - Are you in mind, my son? - He surprised his mother. - Do you think that sagan can walk by itself?!
However, Kichkene insisted, and the mother had to obey. It wasn’t the end of her surprise, when she saw the sagan with chebureks and Kichkene oglan moved itmself slowly down the road. Long or short sagan went, it dropped into the pit of road. It slid into the pit and no matter how much Kichkene pushed it, couldn’t get out back. Meanwhile, the two hunters were passing the pit. They saw a bowl wrapped in a handkerchief and went down to look at it.
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- The Glory to Allah, - said one of them - the fate sent us a dinner after the hunting. Did you feel the pleasant smell, coming from the bundle? He wanted to touch it, but the thin angry voice came out of the bowl: - Hey, do not touch sagan! Hunter was frightened and jumped from the site. - What a coward you are, - said another. - I fancied myself a voice. Should I pay attention? While the owner will come, we’d have time to enjoy these chebureks. Open it! But as soon as his friend had to touch the bundle they heard the angry voice – Just try to open it! The hunter dropped out the discovery once again from his hands. – Hey, simpleton, I’d open the bundle by myself! - Friend said. He grasped the unit and started to open it.
Oh, the mad head, the deavil’s brother! I’ll show you, wait! - Shouted Kichkene oglan with all his strength.
The hunters couldn’t withstand. They throw down the sagan, jumped out of the hole and ran off. Kichkene laughed at giant’s cowardice and set off to the long journey. He soon got to the father’s studio and moved up with sagan on the table. The tinker finished his work and came to the table. He opened sagan and prepared to have the meal. When he raised hutlama bread, the smiling Kichkene appeared.
- My son - the tinker was surprised. - How could you bring the sagan sitting inside of it? - I told you that I’m the master in some actions, - said Kichkene oglan. It's true, you’re the master, my son. Would you try to help me in my craft? Try to make a pitcher, while I’d have a meal. I’ve a lot of them. I couldn’t cope with them alone! – There would be nothing easier - said Kichkene and went to work. When his father finished eating, he looked at his son and gasped in surprise. Kichkene did as much work as a tinker could do for three days. - Wow! - Tinker clasped his hands and looked again at Kichkene oglan’s five inches growth. - Well done! Do you know how to plow the land? - I know how to plow the land, - said Kichkene. Then help to my brother. He’s your uncle. Sary Bey tormented him, forcing to work on the ground and took his oxen. He became sick and couldn’t do anything in his orchard. Kichkene gladly agreed to help the poor man. He immediately went to his uncle, took his one donkey, loaded plows with harrows and moved into the field. Kichkene harnessed his donkey to plow, climbed up into his ear and began to tickle it. The donkey plowed the land with such zeal, that only two bulls could do it for three days.
- The fate sent you to me, - said the tinker. - Even you’re small, but your skill would be enough for ten. However, son, you need to help us once again. There’s a terrible dragon – Azhderha, the fourty heads monster, who used to live in the river near the watering poit.
It allowed to get the water for entire village only if we give it to eat an ox. This year the turn came to your uncle, and tonight is the deadline of payment. If we don’t find the bull to Azhderha for the evening, the whole village will be left without water. The damned Sary Bey, let the devil have a good laugh over his fat body! He took away uncle's bulls as you know. So we don’t know what to do now! – Don’t worry, father - said Kichkene. – I rescued the village from the disaster. Just let my uncle to give me his donkey.
Kichkene with a donkey was waiting for the night. He rode the animal and drove it to the watering point. - Selam aleykum, Azhderha aga, - he shouted with all his might, when he came to the shore. – Please, go and receive the rent.
Azhderha lifted one of his forty heads above the water. He saw a shorty boy with donkey and laughed at the top of his voice: - Ha, ha, ha, ha! Ah yes, the giant! Ha, ha, ha, ha! Yet, you are not a coward. You brought the lousy bones instead of fat bull! Azhderha looked at the shorty boy again, and rolled with laughter. Kichkene saw that Azhderha wasn’t so terrible. He got in it’s ear and began to tickle it. A monster bursted out laughing with all his forty sip. He was so pleased with the kid, so already considered him a friend.
- Well, the fourty heads stick - finally said Kichkene. – You’d get your ox. But you'd better eat Sary Bey’s cattle. He has two especially fatty bulls among the cattle - one yellow, the other’s black. What kind of bull should I bring? - Bring me the yellow one - Azhderha said. – I'd like to grind my teeth at him for a long time. You could laugh as you can, but bring me the bull here before the evening. I wouldn’t swallow you and your useless donkey!
Kichkene watered the donkey and went home. The whole village emptied to meet a clever boy, when they saw him safe and sound. When it got dark, Kichkene went towards Sary Bey. Sary Bey was the richest of the rich, and his greed couldn’t allow him to leave usual life in the village. Kichkene approached the house, crawled under the gate into the yard and entered the barn through the keyhole. There he got into the ear of yellow bull and cried with a loud voice: - Sary Bey, Bey Sary! Black or yellow? - Who's screaming? - Asked Sary Bey. - Sary Bey, Bey Sary! Black or yellow? - Come on, go, and look at the loudmouth, - the rich man told to his sons. They immediately went into the barn, but found no one there. Kichkene oglan again cried out from the ox ear: - Sary Bey, Bey Sary! Black or yellow? - Are you blind and deaf as a deck - the rich man became angry to his sons. - Now, bring the someone who yelled out there. Sary Bey’s sons went again to the barn and back with nothing. The little hero’s cry was coming out more and more. – Well, I need to see by myself – the rich man cried out and ran to the barn. - Sary Bey, Bey Sary! Black or yellow bull to take? - Take the yellow and to get out to the devil! – Bey shouted in rage and fear. He thought that it was genie, which made fun of him. – La illyah il Allah, in the name of Allah, save me a prophet!
Kichkene received the permission to host bull. He untied it and tickling in his ear drove to Azhderha. - Get your favorite yellow bull, - he said to the monster. – However, I have only one condition: leave me the entrails with all its contents. - Now take the intestine, two buckets, tune and move the road I’d show you, - ordered Kichkene to the monster and got into its ear. – You, move faster, it’d be a fun business. You’d get the black bull for your work!
Azhderha dutifully fulfilled cunning Kichkene’s orders. It rushed into the yard of Sary Bey. They went into the attic at Bey’s home. Kichkene gave such an order: - You’d wait for me here. I'd go into the room. Then you'd pass me that we have dragged along, and you’d watch the show.
So they did. Pehlevan small as a pea, rolled through the pipe down and found himself at the bed of Sary Bey. The rich man was asleep under his duvet. His fat wife was sleeping back to back with him under the same blanket. Kichkene oglan nodded to Azhderha, and it pulled out entrails. A clever boy lifted the blanket and dumped the contents of all the stinking ulcer on the bed, then under the back of sleeping, just to where it was supposed to be. After that, he put a tune deep inside of Sary Bey’s back and then covered him with a blanket. The Azhderha lowered buckets from the attic. Kichkene filled the buckets with water and tied to the backs of Sary Bey’s sleeping sons. He finished the job, hid behind the chest and began to squeak with a thin voice.
Sary Bey’s wife woke up first. She reached down to scratch, but plunged into the dirt and cried: - Oh, you old goat, what have you done! You dirtied the whole bed! She waked up her husband and showed him reproachfully a huge pile. – Are you crazy? – Husband offended. – You fouled like a cow and dump me! I'm fifty years old, and thank God, I have never dirtied the bed my life! And, finally angry, Sary Bey firmly swear at his wife. - But, the lord of my thoughts - look, it's also a bunch under you! - It’s under me!? How? – Sary Bey became furious at final beat. - You're really blind, Shaitan’s daughter! How could you confuse your back with mine?
So the fight broke out. The blows rained so that sewage splashes scattered throughout the room. Finally the eldest son woke up. He heared the screams, and not knowing what was happening, rushed to light a fire. At this time, the bucket tipped over and watered him from the head to toe. He was mortally scared and screamed obscenities and woke the second brother. He jumped up and rushed to his father's bed. The second bucket flew over his head and fell to Sary Bey and washed over the couple by shower.
- Damn devil! – The Bey yelled. - It wielded in my house again! The bull wasn’t enough for it! It just wanted to ensnare me! Jumping up from the bed, Sary Bey rushed to the hearth to stoke the fire. He began to blow on the coals, as the pipe began to play and to perform various tunes.
- La illyah il Allah! In the name of Allah! - Bey shouted, almost losing his mind from horror. - Dzhemaat, dzhemaat, people, save me! He chattered his teeth and wet, like a chicken, began to dance a wild dance, so all the family became mad. The thin, but shrill laughter appeared behind the chest. - Hee, hee, hee - Kichkene screamed. - Ha, ha, ha, ha, - roared a deep voice of Azhderha from the attic.
A pipe was playing all sorts of tunes that were like spiritual verses, and further increases the turmoil. This noise came running to the neighbors first, and then to the whole village. It was an interesting performance that everyone watched, but afraid to utter a word. Trying to escape from the shame, Bey hid in the bathroom, but the pipe music could be heard from there too. The children who fled to the theater to hear the music, decided it was a wedding in Sary Bey’s house, and loudly cried out: - Wedding! Wedding! Sary Bey’s wedding! Come here, here, for the wedding!
Meanwhile Kichkene oglan opened the barn, and led all the cattle of the rich man in the yard and drove it to the public pasture. Azhderha so screamed with laughter that burst and hanged. Sary Bey, along with all his family at night, left the village to escape from the shame. So the small Pekhlevan, son of a poor tinker, saved the village from two enemies at once, from the bloodthirsty Azhderha monster and the insatiable rich Sary Bey.