Lilac Fairy Book

Chapter 45 The Crowned Crow
Once upon a time there was a farmer who had three daughters.They are very capable, rising at sunrise and doing all the housework.They were all running down to the river to wash their clothes one morning, when a jay flew by and sat in a tree nearby.

"Will you marry me, farmer's daughter?" he asked the elder daughter.

"I will not marry you," she answered, "a cockade is an ugly thing." The cockade was very angry, and spread its wings and flew away.The next day, he came back again and said to his second daughter:
"Will you marry me, farmer's daughter?"

"I will not marry you," she answered, "the cockade is an ugly thing." The cockade was even more angry this time, and flew away in a huff.However, after a night's rest, the cocked jay felt much better, thinking that the third time might be lucky, so it flew back to the old place.

"Will you marry me, farmer's daughter?" he asked the younger daughter.

"I will marry you. The cockade is a lovely creature," she replied.The next day, they were married.

"I want to ask you something," said the crow when they returned to his own home. "Would you like me to be a crow by day and a man by night? Or a man by day and a crow by night?"

The girl was astounded at what he said, for she had no idea that he could be anything but a cockade.

She didn't say anything about this, but only replied: "I would rather you were a man by day and a crow by night." So he became a man by day and a crow by night.Never saw such a handsome lad or such a handsome cockade.The girl liked both, and never thought of any change.

Gradually they had a son, and they were both very happy.However, at night, I only heard a soft music sneaking towards the house, everyone fell asleep, and my mother fell asleep.When the couple woke up, it was morning and the baby was gone.They searched and searched everywhere, but they couldn't find it.The farmer came to see his daughter, and was very sorry to see this, and feared that the couple would think that he had stolen the baby, for he did not want a son-in-law of a cockade.

In the second year, Crowned Crow's wife gave birth to another son.This time, a sentry post was placed at each door, but it was useless.They decided that no matter what happened, they couldn't close their eyes.At the first note they all fell asleep.When the farmer came to see his nephew in the morning, he found everyone crying because the baby had disappeared while they were asleep.

In the third year, the same thing happened again, and the wife of the crow was very sad, so the husband decided to take her to another house of his, and let her two older sisters accompany her.They set off in a carriage.The carriage is big enough for everyone.Not far away, the cocked crow asked suddenly: "Are you sure you haven't forgotten anything?"

"I forgot the comb," replied the wife, feeling in her pocket.As soon as she had finished speaking, the carriage turned into a bundle of dry wood, and the young man turned into a jay, and flew away.

When the two sisters returned home, the wife followed the cocked crow.Sometimes she saw him on top of a hill and hurried over to catch up with him.When she reached the top of the mountain, he was already in the valley on the other side.When night came, she was tired and wanted to find a place to rest.She was delighted to see a small house with a light on in front of her, so she ran to it as fast as she could.

There was a little boy standing at the door, and seeing him filled her with joy, and she didn't know why.A woman came out to welcome her, fed her, and put her to sleep on a soft bed.The crow's wife lay down, she was so tired, and felt that in the blink of an eye, the sun came out, and she woke up again.From hill to hill, she chased the jay.Sometimes she saw him at the top of a mountain, and when she climbed to the top of the mountain, he had already flown to the valley, and when she chased to the valley, he had already reached the top of another mountain.And just like that, night came again.So she looked around, looking for a place to rest, and found a small house in front of her with a light on, so she ran over quickly.There was a little boy standing at the door, and seeing him filled her with joy, and she didn't know why.Then a woman let her in, gave her food, and put her to sleep on a soft bed.When the sun came up, she got up, left the house, and went to look for the jay.On the third day, all was as it was the first two days, and when she reached the little house the woman told her not to sleep, but to catch the crow if he flew into the room.

The cocked crow's wife was so tired from the long walk that, despite her efforts, she fell asleep.

She had been asleep for hours, when the crow came in through the window and threw a ring on her finger.The girl woke up with a start, and tried to catch him, but the cockatoo had already flown away, and the girl only plucked a feather from his wing.After dawn, she got up and told the woman.

"He's over Poison Mountain," she said, "and you can't follow him if you don't have horseshoes on your hands and feet. But I'll help you. Put on this man's suit and walk this way , you'll find a blacksmith's shop where you can learn to forge a horseshoe for yourself."

The girl thanked her, put on the men's suit, and walked along the road, doing as the woman told her.She studied so hard that in a few days she could make a horseshoe for herself.Early one morning, she was walking towards Poison Mountain.She crawled on all fours, but even with the hooves she had to be careful not to fall, for if the stinger had penetrated her flesh she would have died.When she crossed the Poison Mountain, she heard that her husband was going to marry the daughter of a big landowner that day.

Now there was a race going on in the town, and every one wanted to run it except the stranger who had come over Poison Mountain--except the cook, because he had a wedding feast to prepare.The cook was fond of running races, and his heart ached at the thought that he should not see the race, so when he saw a strange girl coming down the street, his heart was revived with hope.

"Can you do the wedding reception instead of me?" he asked. "I'll pay you when I get back from the game."

She happily agreed, and prepared the wedding feast in the kitchen.From the kitchen there is a view of the hall, where those attending the wedding will be dining.After preparing the meal, she looked at the groom's seat, filled a bowl of soup, put the ring and feather in it, and brought it to him herself.

He scooped up the ring at the first scoop and felt trembling all over; at the second scoop he saw the feather and got up from his chair.

"Who cooked this meal?" he asked.The real chef had just come back from the competition and was brought before him.

"He may be the cook, but he didn't cook the meal," said the groom.An investigation was then launched and the girl was taken into the hall.

"This is my first wife," he declared, "and I want no one else." Before he had finished speaking, the magic was broken on him, and he would never be a cocked crow again.They were happy when they were reunited, and didn't care that it took so long to get over Poison Mountain, because she had to go up a bit before throwing the horseshoe to her husband to use.At last they crossed Poison Mountain, walked the way she had come, stopped at the Three Little Houses, and brought their son home.

But the story never tells who actually stole the baby, or what the comb had to do with it.

(End of this chapter)