The Coyote Under the Table/El Coyote Debajo de la Mesa

by Joe Hayes

  One day the girl asked her father to bring home a head of cabbage for her to cook for their supper. Although the woodcutter was very poor, he always tried to please his daughter, so when he returned home that evening, he brought with him a big head of cabbage.

  “This big head of cabbage is more than we can eat at one meal,” the woodcutter told his daughter. “Cut it in half, and we can get two suppers from it.”

  The girl took the head of cabbage into the kitchen and with a knife cut it in two. And in the very heart of the cabbage she found a little snake. It was shiny and black, with a round head, and it was no bigger than a worm. The girl covered the snake with a cabbage leaf, and then called for her father to bring her a jar to keep it in.

  But her father told her, “That animal will hurt you some day. You’d better kill it right now.”

  “Papá!” the girl exclaimed. “How could I kill this snake? It’s going to be my best friend.”

  So her father brought her a jar. She fed the snake each day and held it in her hand and talked to it. The snake grew so fast that in a week’s time she had to ask her father for a larger jar.

  Again her father warned her, “That animal will hurt you some day. You’d better kill it right now.”

  And again she answered, “How could I kill this snake? It’s going to be my best friend.”

  Her father brought her a larger jar and she put her snake in it. She continued to feed and care for her snake and every week she asked her father for a bigger and bigger container. Finally she asked her father for a barrel for her snake.

  For the final time her father told her, “That animal will hurt you some day. You’d better kill it right now.”

  “How could I kill this snake? It’s my best friend,” the girl said.

  The woodcutter brought his daughter a great round barrel to keep her snake in. Each day she would take her snake out of the barrel and spend hours talking to it. It told her many wonderful things. It told her that whenever she cried, she made rain fall from the sky. Whenever she laughed, she made pale flowers grow—blue and pink and white flowers. And when she sang, bright flowers grew—red and orange and yellow flowers. The girl’s happiest hours were the ones she spent talking to the snake.

  But the snake continued to grow, and one day when she returned it to the barrel, the girl saw that it was too big for even such a large container. That night the snake told the girl that it would have to leave her. She wanted to go too, but the snake said it wasn’t possible. She begged and pleaded, and finally the snake said, “This is the best I can do for you. Follow my track in the morning. When you arrive at the end of the trail, make a wish for what you need most. You will receive it.”

  In the morning, the girl ran to the barrel and saw that the snake was gone. From her window she could see its trail leading away from the house, and she followed the trail. It led her far away, to lands she had never even heard of before. And then it led her into a dry, empty desert. The trail began to grow more and more faint. In the middle of a barren plain, the snake trail disappeared.

  The girl looked all around her and saw nothing but the most desolate country she could imagine. Not a green tree or bush grew in that land. The girl thought of her father’s comfortable little house with shady trees all around it. She sat on the ground and covered her face with her hands and began to cry.

  From the clear blue sky above her a gentle rain began to fall. It was just as the snake had told her! The thought made her laugh. Pale flowers grew up all around her—blue and pink and white flowers. A song sprang from her lips, and bright flowers—red and yellow and orange—sprang up.

  “I wish I had a good house to live in, right here on this spot,” the girl said aloud. And the wish was granted. When she looked over her shoulder, a snug little house stood behind her. The girl began living in the house. Whenever she felt happy and sang or laughed, flowers grew around the house. When she missed her father and cried, rain fell to feed the flowers. Soon the house sat in the center of a beautiful garden with flowers and fruit trees of all sorts.

  But the garden was in the middle of a country that was dry and dying. No one could grow anything. No one could find grass for their animals to eat, nor water for them to drink. Not even the king himself could coax a green sprout from the fields that surrounded his palace.

  Now, the king owned a flock of sheep. They had once been fat, healthy animals, but they had grown so thin and weak that the king feared they would all die. One day he told his shepherd, “Take my sheep and drive them to the far mountains. There is nothing for them to eat here, and in the mountains some grass may still be growing.”

  So the shepherd drove the sheep away from the king’s lands. He hadn’t traveled a third of the way to the mountains when he saw a little house standing in the middle of a rich garden.

  No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t keep the sheep from running to the garden and eating. He was afraid the owner of the garden would be angry, but the girl who lived in the house just smiled to see the sheep eating so greedily. At the end of the day, she even gave the shepherd a basket of fruit to take home with him.

  When the shepherd returned to the king’s palace that evening, the king was amazed to see how fat and contented his sheep looked. He was even more amazed to see the basket of fruit.

  “Where does this fruit come from?” he asked the shepherd. “And where did you find green food for my sheep to eat?”

  The shepherd told the king about the house in the middle of a garden of fruit and flowers, and about the gentle girl who lived in it. “I must meet this girl,” the king said. “Go tomorrow and invite her to have dinner with me.”

  The next day the shepherd returned to the garden and invited the girl to dine with the king. But the girl replied, “If the king would like me to visit him, let him come himself and invite me.”

  The following day the king himself rode to the girl’s house and invited her to join him for dinner. She traveled back with him to the palace, and that evening as they ate, the king asked her to tell him the story of her life. As the story unfolded, a look of wonder came over the king’s face.

  Finally he jumped up from the table and said, “Wait! I must show you something.” The king ran from the room, and when he returned he brought with him a shiny black snake skin. He explained to her that many years before, when he was hunting in the mountains, he strayed into the garden of an evil magician. He had tasted a leaf from a head of cabbage in the garden and fallen under a spell.

  “I don’t remember anything that happened for what may have been years,” the king said. “I have just the faint memory that a good person looked after me very kindly. And then one morning I woke up in the desert, not far from your little house, with this empty snake skin beside me.”

  “Then you are my best friend!” the girl cried. And it was true. And not long after that he became her husband as well. They left the palace and its barren fields and moved into her house in the middle of the fertile green garden.

  But the girl always wondered what had become of her father, so they journeyed back to her old home. They found the woodcutter looking very old and very sad from long years of wondering why his beloved daughter had disappeared. When he saw her, he was finally able to die in peace.

  The girl returned with her husband to live among the flowers and trees of her garden. Whenever they sang or laughed together, the garden grew bigger. And whenever the thought of her father brought a tear to the girl’s eye, rain fell to make the garden grow greener and greener.

  LA SERPIENTITA

  Éste era un hombre que tenía una sola hija y la muchacha era la única familia que tenía en este mundo. El hombre era leñador y con su hija llevaba una vida muy humilde.

  Un día la muchacha pidió a su padre que le trajera un col para que lo cocinara para la cena. Aunque el leñador era muy pobre siempre quería complacer a su hija, así que cuando regresó a casa esa tarde, le llevó un repollo grande.

  —Este repollo es demasiado
para una sola comida — el leñador le dijo a su hija—. Pártelo en dos y nos alcanzará para dos cenas.

  La muchacha llevó el col a la cocina y con un cuchillo lo cortó en dos. En el mero corazón del repollo encontró una serpientita. Era negra y lustrosa, tan chiquita como un gusano, con una cabecita redonda. La muchacha cubrió la serpiente con una hoja de repollo y luego le pidió a su padre que le trajera un tarro en que guardarla.

  Pero el padre le dijo: —Ese animal te va a lastimar un día de estos. Vale más que lo mates.

  —¡Papá! —exclamó—. ¿Cómo lo he de matar? Va a ser mi mejor amigo.

  Y su padre le trajo un tarro. La muchacha alimentaba a la serpiente todos los días y la tomaba en la mano y le hablaba. La serpiente creció tan rápido que al final de una semana la muchacha tuvo que pedirle a su papá un envase más grande.

  Otra vez su padre le advirtió: —Ese animal te va a lastimar un día de estos. Vale más que lo mates.

  ¡Papá! —respondió—. ¿Cómo lo he de matar? Va a ser mi mejor amigo.

  Su padre le trajo un tarro más grande y ella puso la serpiente dentro. Siguió alimentando y cuidando a su serpiente y cada semana tenía que pedirle a su padre un recipiente más grande para guardarla. Al fin, tuvo que pedirle un barril a su padre.

  Por última vez, su padre le dijo: —Ese animal te va a lastimar un día de estos. Vale más que lo mates.

  ¿Cómo lo he de matar? —dijo la muchacha—. Es mi mejor amigo.

  El leñador le trajo un barril grande a su hija. Cada día sacaba a su serpiente del barril y pasaba horas conversando con ella. La serpiente le decía cosas maravillosas. Le dijo que cada vez que lloraba, caía lluvia del cielo. Y cada vez que reía, brotaban flores de colores suaves— flores azules y rosadas y blancas. Cada vez que cantaba, hacía brotar flores de colores vivos—flores rojas y amarillas y anaranjadas. Las horas más alegres del día eran las que pasaba platicando con la serpiente.

  Pero la serpiente siguió creciendo y un día, cuando la devolvió al barril, la muchacha vio que ya no cabía ni en ese gran recipiente. Esa noche la serpiente le dijo a la muchacha que se tenía que ir y dejarla. La muchacha quería irse con ella, pero la serpiente le dijo que no era posible. Ella le rogó y suplicó hasta que la serpiente le dijo: —Esto es lo mejor que te puedo conceder: Rastréame en la mañana. Cuando llegues a donde desaparezcan mis huellas, pide una merced. Te será concedida.

  En la mañana, la muchacha corrió al barril y la serpiente ya no estaba. Desde la ventana vio alejarse de la casa el rastro que había dejado la serpiente. Se puso a seguirlo. La llevó muy, muy lejos, hasta tierras de las que ella ni siquiera había oído hablar. Y luego la llevó a un desierto árido y desolado. El rastro se volvía cada vez más borroso. En medio de un llano reseco, desapareció

  La muchacha miró en torno suyo y vio el paisaje más desolado que pudiera imaginar. Ni un árbol ni una mata verde crecía en esa tierra. Pensó en la casita cómoda de su padre entre la sombra de los árboles. Se sentó en la tierra, se tapó la cara con las manos y comenzó a llorar.

  Del cielo despejado una lluvia suave comenzó a caer, ¡justo como la serpiente le había dicho! Esa idea la hizo reír. Flores de colores suaves brotaron alrededor de ella—flores azules y rosadas y blancas. Una canción se le escapó de la boca y brotaron flores de colores fuertes—rojo y amarillo y anaranjado.

  —Quisiera tener una buena casa, aquí en este mismo lugar —dijo la muchacha en voz alta. Y le fue concedido. Cuando miró por encima del hombro vio una casita acogedora allá atrás. Comenzó a vivir en la casa. Siempre que estaba feliz y cantaba o reía, crecían flores alrededor de la casa. Cuando extrañaba a su padre y lloraba, la lluvia caía para alimentar las flores. Con el tiempo, la casa estuvo rodeada de un hermoso jardín de flores y toda clase de árboles frutales

  Pero el jardín estaba en medio de un país reseco y muerto. Nadie lograba cultivar nada en ese país. No había pasto para alimentar el ganado, ni agua para darle de beber. Ni siquiera el rey de esa tierra era capaz de hacer brotar un retoño verde de los campos alrededor de su palacio.

  Bueno, este rey tenía un rebaño de ovejas. En algún momento habían estado gordas y fuertes, pero se habían puesto tan flacas y débiles que el rey temía que murieran. Un día le dijo a su pastor: —Lleva mis ovejas a las montañas lejanas. Aquí no hay nada para que coman y puede que en las montañas todavía haya pasto.

  El pastor salió con las ovejas de los terrenos del rey. No había recorrido ni la tercera parte del camino a las montañas cuando vio una linda casita en medio de un frondoso jardín.

  Por más que se esforzaba para evitar que las ovejas corrieran al jardín y comieran, no lo pudo conseguir. Temía que el dueño del jardín se enojara, pero la muchacha que vivía en la casa salió y sonrió al ver a las ovejas comer con tanto gusto. Al final del día, hasta le dio al pastor un cesto de fruta para llevar a su casa.

  Cuando el pastor regresó al palacio esa tarde, el rey quedó admirado al ver lo gordas y contentas que se veían sus ovejas. Y se admiró aún más al ver el cesto de fruta.

  —¿De dónde viene esta fruta? —le preguntó al pastor—. ¿Y dónde encontraste pasto verde para mis ovejas?

  El pastor le contó al rey de la casa en medio del jardín de flores y frutas, y de la muchacha que vivía en ella. El rey dijo: — Tengo que conocer a esta muchacha. Ve ahí mañana e invítala a cenar conmigo.

  Al otro día el pastor volvió al jardín y convidó a la muchacha a cenar con el rey. Pero ella dijo: —Si el rey quiere que yo cene con él, que venga en persona para invitarme.

  Al día siguiente el rey cabalgó a la casa de la muchacha y la invitó a cenar. La muchacha fue con él al palacio, y esa tarde, mientras cenaban, el rey pidió a la muchacha que le contara la historia de su vida. A medida que le desenvolvía la historia, la cara del rey se llenaba con una expresión de asombro.

  Al fin se puso en pie y dijo: —Espera. Tengo que enseñarte algo. —El rey salió corriendo del comedor y al volver traía consigo una lustrosa piel negra de serpiente. Le explicó que hacía muchos años, cuando cazaba en las montañas, había entrado inadvertidamente al jardín de un mago malo. Se había comido una hoja de col y quedó preso de un hechizo.

  —No recuerdo nada de lo que me sucedió durante varios años —dijo el rey—. Sólo me queda la memoria borrosa de que alguien muy bueno me cuidaba con cariño. Y luego desperté una mañana en el desierto, no lejos de donde se encuentra tu casita, y esta piel vacía de serpiente estaba a mi lado.

  La muchacha gritó con regocijo: —¡Así que tú eres mi mejor amigo! —Y era cierto. Al poco tiempo era su marido también. Dejaron su palacio con los campos muertos alrededor y se mudaron a su casita en medio del fértil jardín verde.

  Pero la muchacha siempre quería saber qué había sido de su padre. Así que viajaron a su viejo hogar. Encontraron al leñador viejísimo y muy triste, por los largos años de pensar en el porqué de la súbita desaparición de su hija. Cuando la vio, por fin el viejo pudo morir contento.

  La muchacha regresó con su marido a vivir entre las flores y árboles de su jardín. Cuando cantaban o reían juntos, el jardín se hacía más grande. Y siempre que ella pensaba en su padre y derramaba una lágrima, la lluvia caía para volver el jardín aún más verde.

  THE MAGIC RING

  This story is about the richest and most powerful king in the world. Because he was so rich and powerful, he didn’t have enough worries on his mind and was always coming up with ridiculous ideas.

  This rich and powerful king had no children, and one day the queen said to him, “Husband, even though you are the richest and most powerful man in the world, you won’t live forever. Who will be king after you are gone?”

  The king decided that he would think of a way to find a proper successor to the throne. “I know what I’ll do!” he said to his wife. “I’ll issue a proclamation. I’ll say I want to find the strongest man in the land. I’ll have a contest. Any man can come and compete. And the one who proves himself to be strongest will be the next
king.”

  “But what if the people don’t like the strongest man in the land?” the queen asked. “Or what if he turns out to be foolish or cruel?”

  But the king just waved his hand and said, “The king has spoken!” And so the word was sent throughout the country, and strong men from all over came to the palace to try their strength and demonstrate their skill.

  In a faraway corner of the country, a young shepherd heard about the king’s proclamation. The boy wasn’t even the strongest man in his own village, but he said to himself, “What if I should turn out to be the strongest man in the land? What if I should become the next king? What a life I could have then!”

  He began thinking about it all day long as he watched over the sheep, and he dreamed about it at night as he slept next to his flock. Finally he told his mother what was on his mind. She said, “Don’t be silly. Why would you want to waste your time with the king and his contests? If he had any sense, he wouldn’t be holding such a contest in the first place.”

  But the boy kept insisting that he would like to try his luck, and finally his mother gave him her blessing. “But before you leave for the king’s palace,” she told him, “go and visit our neighbor. You know she’s a sorceress. Maybe she can help you in some way.”

  So before he left for the palace, the shepherd visited their neighbor. “I’m going to the king’s palace to see if I can prove to be the strongest man in the land,” he told her. “Do you have anything that can help me?”

  The old sorceress opened a trunk and dug down to the bottom. She pulled out a little gold ring and told him to wear it on his right hand. She said that every time he blessed himself with the sign of the cross, his strength would double. If he made the sign of the cross backwards, his strength would be cut in half.

  The shepherd boy thanked his neighbor and hurried off toward the king’s palace. As he walked along, he saw a wagon load of hay sitting outside a house by the side of the road. He thought he would find out if the sorceress had told him the truth.