The Siblings and the White Parrot - Part Five

Mariquita anxiously awaited her brother's return.

As the days passed into weeks and her brother was still not back, she became very gloomy. 

She was sure that something bad had happened to her brother, and she realized that it was her fault because of which something had happened to him. 

At last Mariquita could bear her anxiety no more and she decided to go in search of her brother. 

Just like her older brother she also encountered the old man on the path. “Have you seen a boy? He must have come here a few weeks back. He is a very handsome man. He had dark eyes and he has dark hair on his brow.”

The old man eagerly nodded and he even told her on the quest that he had sent the brother on. 

That was when Mariquita was beyond grief because she was sure that her brother had been turned into Stone. 

The old man, however, nodded impatiently at her. “I think all this can be reversed if you find the white parrot and seize it. If that happens the curse on your brother and the others like him shall be gone.” The old man nodded worriedly at the young girl. “However, be careful because if you do not follow my instructions correctly, you also will be turned into Stone.” 

Mariquita journeyed on and she came to the beautiful garden. 

However, she patiently waited for the white parrot to sit on the stone and fall asleep. 

Then Mariquita seized the sleeping white parrot. 

The minute Mariquita did that, all the stones in the garden came into life. 

Her brother was also standing close to her. 

Mariquita’s joy was unspeakable.

Mariquita and her brother invited all the humans who had been stone to come to her home and celebrate the events there. 

There was a great feast which lasted for three days. 

Mariquita finally decided that she was the happiest girl in the whole world and she would have nothing more to wish for.

Adapted from Spanish Folk Tales

The Siblings and the White Parrot- Part Four

After a few days, the old woman came and knocked on Mariquita's door. 

Mariquita happily showed the old woman the things that her brother had got.

She said finally, “All you are lacking now is the white parrot.” 

Mariquita's father and brother came home that night. Naturally, Mariquita looked very glum this time too. 

The brother finally promised to get her the white parrot. 

As the boy had gone some distance, he met the old man again and told him of his quest to get the white parrot.  

This time the old man was even more worried. “This is a very dangerous quest. You will have to go on and on until you come to a lovely garden. It will be the most beautiful garden that you have ever seen. You will see many wonderful birds flying about among the trees in the garden. Do not pay any attention to them. You will see a white parrot, an exceedingly beautiful white parrot, and it will come and sit on the round stone in the middle of the garden. The parrot will turn slowly around and after a while it will put its head under its wing and go to sleep. You will have to wait patiently for the white parrot to do that because only if the parrot does that it means that the bird is sound asleep. Only after the bird is sound asleep will you be able to seize it.” The old man looked worriedly at the young boy. “If you do not follow these instructions, you will be turned into stone.”

The boy followed the old man's directions and came to the beautiful garden. He saw the most beautiful white parrot and even saw it land on the stone. 

However, in his eagerness to obtain the beautiful bird, the boy forgot to be cautious. He seized the bird as soon as it landed on the stone. 

It was because of this that Mariquita's brother was turned into Stone.

Adapted from Spanish Folk Tales

The Siblings and the White Parrot - Part Three

This time too, as the brother had walked some distance and he saw the same old man in the middle of the road. This time the brother told the old man about his new quest.

The old man frowned for a few seconds. “Take a horse and follow the narrow path which leads up the mountain and then goes into the forest. If you walk some distance into the forest, you will see the tree that you want."

However, this time too there was a caveat, and the old man told the brother about the dangers of finding and bringing the tree back home.

The brother mounted a horse and followed the directions of the old man and reached the forest and soon found the tree.

However, there was a huge serpent.

The serpent was guarding the tree. 

The boy waited patiently just as the old man had advised him.

Only when he saw that the serpent's head was hidden did the boy slowly venture towards the tree.

The old man had told the boy that when the serpent’s head was hidden, that meant that the serpent was asleep.

So, after completely being satisfied that the serpent was asleep, the boy broke the branch of the tree and took it home. 

The boy was able to get what he wanted because he followed the instructions of the old man perfectly.

As soon as the branch was planted in the courtyard, it grew into a lovely tree with leaves of silver and nuts of gold. 

Mariquita was very happy as she found the tree beside the fountain of silver water. 

After this things were well for many days.

Adapted from Spanish folk tales

The Siblings and the White Parrot - Part Two

The brother had walked a little distance when he saw an old man standing in the middle of the road. 

“Where are you going?” The old man studied the boy. 

“I am in search of the fountain of Silver Water. My sister wants it and bringing it home will make her very happy.” 

The old man suddenly frowned. “There is great danger in getting this water. However, I can guide you and if you follow the instructions you will be able to be successful.”

The brother was very happy and nodded eagerly at the old man.

“The fountain that you are searching for will be guarded by a lion. However, if the lion's eyes are closed, he can see you. But if the lion's eyes are wide open, that means the lion is fast asleep.” The old man warned the boy. “Wait until you are sure that the lion's eyes are open and then fill your jar with water. And after that, run away from there as fast as you can.” 

The boy went in the direction that the old man had pointed and he found a huge lion near the fountain. 

However, the lion's eyes were closed. 

The boy however, remembered the old man's words and waited. 

Finally, the lion's eyes were wide open and the boy then went to the fountain, which was behind the lion and he filled his water jar. 

After that, he ran as fast as he could towards his home.

He came back and Mariquita, and the father both rejoiced, when the boy emptied the jar of water in their courtyard.

At once, it changed into a lovely little fountain of silver water. 

Mariquita clapped her hands with great joy and she was very happy again.

The next day, the brother and the father were out of the house and the old woman came again.

This time, Mariquita happily showed the fountain to the old woman. 

The old woman nodded approvingly. “This is a great improvement to your courtyard. However, now you should have a little tree with leaves of silver and nuts of gold near the fountain.” 

“Where can I get one?” Mariquita asked eagerly. “I have never even heard of a tree which has silver leaves and nuts of gold. 

The old woman told Mariquita nothing more. 

However, when the father and brother came back at night, Mariquita was unhappy again and she told them of the Visit of the woman.

This time too the brother decided to oblige Mariquita, and he decided to start his journey to find the tree with leaves of silver and nuts of gold.

Adapted from Spanish folk tales

The Siblings and the White Parrot - Part One

Once in the city of Spain there lived a brother and a sister. 

The sister's name was Mariquita and she looked after the house because their mother was dead. 

Theirs was a very happy home and Mariquita took good care of her father and her brother and the home. There was an inner courtyard in that home which had the rarest of the rare plants and it was something Mariquita was very proud of.

Once when the father and the brother were away an old woman came to Mariquita's house. 

The old woman looked around the house, and Mariquita invited the woman to the inner courtyard. The old woman admired everything and she had good things to say about the place. 

However, finally she frowned. “The only thing your courtyard is missing is a fountain of silver water.” The old woman told Mariquita. 

“I have never seen a fountain of silver water.” Little Mariquita was surprised. “How can I get one?”

“A little further away from here,” The old woman told Mariquita, “you will find a fountain of silver water. If you bring a jar of that water and place it in your courtyard it shall become a fountain here.”

All of a sudden Mariquita wanted nothing other than the fountain of silver water in her own courtyard. She suddenly turned gloomy and did not even notice that the old woman had gone her way. 

That night when her father and her brother came back home they were surprised because the happy Mariquita was very sad and she cried a lot. 

“What has happened?” The brother asked, looking alarmed.  

Mariquita told the two men all about the visit of the old woman and Mariquita told her brother that only the presence of the silver fountain in the Courtyard would make her happy. 

The brother was very sad to see his sister crying and at last he decided to go in search of the water for her, and he took a jar with him.

Adapted from Spanish Folk Tales

The Two Children and the Bird of Truth. - Part Four

The old woman called a very thin dog to her. "Take this child to the Castle-of-come-and-never-go."

The dog walked towards the castle and the boy followed it.

After two hours of walking, they stopped in front of a large castle. The castle's door was wide open, but it was big, black and dull. 

The dog on seeing the castle let out wild howls. 

However, the boy was uncertain whether this was the quarter of the hour when the giant was asleep and hesitated to follow the dog any further. 

The boy waited under a wild olive tree which was the only tree near the castle. He looked around for help, and that was when she heard a voice from the tree. 

“Cross! Cross.” The voice said. 

The boy realized that this was the owl about which the swallow had spoken about. 

The boy immediately spoke in the bird’s language. “Please guide me in my search for the Bird of Truth.  But before that, I have to fill this jar with the many coloured water from the courtyard of the castle.” 

The owl was first surprised that the boy spoke its language but then the bird recovered. “Do not fill the jar from the water in the courtyard. Fill the jar from the spring which bubbles close to the fountain.” The owl continued. “After that, go to the aviary opposite to the great door. Be careful not to touch any of the bright coloured birds in it. All these birds will cry out that it is the bird of truth. But that is a lie. Choose only a small white bird that is hidden in a corner. The other birds will incessantly try to kill this bird because they do not know that this bird cannot be killed. And be very quick because at this moment the giant has fallen asleep, and you have only a quarter of an hour to do everything.”

The boy ran as fast as he could, and he entered the courtyard where he saw the two springs close together. He passed by the first spring of many coloured water without looking at it, and he filled the jar from the fountain whose water was clear and pure.

He then entered the castle. He was shocked when he heard the birds, because the birds were clamouring so loudly that he could barely hear anything beyond that. He could make out that all the birds were saying the same thing.  They were all claiming to be the Bird of Truth.

Ignoring all of it, he at last found the bird that he was looking for. The boy took the bird and kept it safely in his hands as he went out of the castle. 

Once he was outside, he ran without stopping and came to the witch's tower. He gave the witch the jar that he had collected.

The witch was, however, furious on seeing the water. She picked up the water and flung it on the boy. She muttered a spell to make the boy into a parrot. However, the water was enchanted for good and not to perform evil. So instead of turning into a parrot the boy became ten times more handsome. 

After this the other creatures in the witch's tower also changed and became human beings again. 

The witch saw this, and she was terrified and she took her broomstick and flew away. 

The sister was very thrilled to see her brother with the Bird of Truth.  

However, they had a bigger problem because they had to get the Bird of Truth to the king without the wicked courtiers knowing about it. For it was the courtiers who had even made sure that two children did not say their father. 

However, slowly, news spread around the Kingdom about the Bird of Truth. When the courtiers heard this, they prepared to stop the bird from reaching the king.  They got their weapons sharpened, some even poisoned. They even sent eagles and falcons to hunt down the bird. 

However, none of this helped the courtiers because they talked so much about the Bird of Truth that the king himself wished to see it.  

The king ordered anyone who had the Bird of Truth to bring it to him. On hearing this proclamation, the boy and the girl together went to the. Palace with the bird. 

The courtiers tried stopping them. But they could not because the two children were just following the king's commands. On seeing the king, the bird explained how the two children had found it and brought it here.

After hearing this, the two children went back to their castle with the queen. The wicked courtiers were banished and their property was taken away. The good fisherman and his wife were giving riches and honour and were loved and cherished.

Adapted from Spanish Folk Tales

The Two Children and the Bird of Truth - Part Three

The two children were overjoyed on hearing the words of the swallow.

Then they kept walking from the hut in the forest, and they arrived at a large city. They were sure that this was the capital of their father's Kingdom 

There was a good looking woman outside the door of a house. 

The children decided that she would definitely be helpful to them, and they requested her to give them lodging for the night. 

The woman was so pleased with their manners and their pretty faces that she welcomed them into her house. 

The next morning, the girl was up very early, and she swept the rooms, and the boy watered the gardens of the home. 

When the woman came downstairs, there was no work left for her to do. 

She was so happy with the two children that she requested them to stay for some more time. 

The boy, however, wanted to leave only his sister behind, and he set out on his adventure.

 

For three days the boy traveled, but he could not see any tower anywhere. 

At that time he saw a turtle dove looking down at him from a tree. The boy nodded at the bird eagerly. “Do you know where the Castle-of-come-and-never-go?” 

The dove was surprised. “Who has sent you on such a useless task?” 

“I do not have a choice,” the boy replied.  

The dove looked kindly at the boy, “To get to the castle, you must follow the wind. Today the wind is blowing towards the castle.” 

The boy tanked the dove and followed the wind.

With each step, the surroundings became more and more dull.

However, the boy refused to give up. Finally, he reached the tower. 

He knocked three times loudly at the door of the castle and the knock echoed around the rocks. 

Then suddenly the door flung open. 

An old woman came there with a candle to her face. 

She looked so hideous that the boy involuntarily fell backwards. He was even more terrified by the lizards and beetles that surrounded the woman.

“Why did you wake me up?” The woman asked the boy. 

The boy swallowed his fear and nodded at the woman. “I came to the Castle-of-come-and-never-go. Can you please tell me how to go there?” 

The witch looked at the little boy slyly. “I will tell you but today it is too late. You can come into my castle and sleep with my lizards for the night.” 

The boy shook his head. “I cannot stay.  I must go back so that I reach the road before the night comes.” 

The witch looked even more surprised at his answer. “Then I shall tell you the path. But will you promise me that you will bring a jar full of the multi-coloured water, from the spring of the Courtyard of the castle.” The witch suddenly gave him an evil smile. “If you fail to keep your word. I will turn you into a lizard.”

Adapted from Spanish Folk Tales

The Two Children and the Bird of Truth - Part Two

One of the swallows seemed to be from the country, and the other swallow was from the town.  The two birds narrated about the events in their particular places. That was when one of the swallows narrated the story of its own kingdom.

The king of my kingdom took a wife from a tailor's family. The king married the youngest daughter of the tailor and she was kind, gentle, and beautiful.

The other courtiers of the king did not want the king to marry such a girl. However the king would not hear of anything else and so the marriage was performed.

A few months after their marriage, war broke out between the kingdom and its neighbouring country.

The king left behind his queen and went to fight the Battle. After the king won the battle he came back home and he could not find his wife. 

He was told that while he was away his wife gave birth to twins, a girl and a boy. However, the girl and the boy were still born, and so the queen was beside herself with sadness and she had locked herself in the tower and did not want to see any one.

The swallow which was listening to the story turned to the narrator bird. "Were the twin children of the king dead?"

The Narrator-Swallow shook its head. "No, the chamberlain of the king put the babies in a cradle made of crystal and let the cradle float in the river. The cradle was found by a fisherman, and the twins were brought up as children of the fisherman."

"Where are those children now?" The other bird asked worriedly.

The narrator swallow shook its head. "After the children grow up, they will have to go back to their kingdom and tell their father who they are and help their mother get out of the tower. But it may not be such an easy task!" The narrator swallow finished in a grave voice. 

The other swallow was confused, "Why not?" 

The Narrator-Swallow continued. "In fact, the only way the children can prove who they are is to bring the Bird of Truth and make it speak to the king because the Bird of Truth can speak the language of humans, and it is the only one which can convince the king of what had happened to his children and his wife."

"Where is the Bird of Truth?" The swallow asked the question and even the children were paying rapt attention. They easily realized that this was their own story that the birds were narrating and they could understand this because they could follow the speech of birds.

The Narrator-Bird shook its head. "I do not know where the Bird of Truth is. However I asked a cuckoo about it, and the cuckoo told me that not far from here there is a castle in which a witch lives. The castle is called the Castle-of-come-and-never-go. The witch has kept the Bird of Truth captive and guarded by other birds so that the words of the Bird of Truth will not be heard by all. The only way the witch would tell a person about where the Bird of Truth is, if any person gets her the waters from the fountains of many colours. Further, the place where the Bird of Truth is kept is guarded by a giant who sleeps only three-fourth of an hour in the entire day."

"How do we find this bird even if we get to the castle?" The bird asked its final question.

The Narrator-Bird unhappily shook its head. "There is an owl which lives a hermit's life in a desert. The only human word that the owl knows is 'cross'. This owl is the only creature which knows how to find this Bird."

After this, the birds flew away from there. 

The two children who listened to the entire conversation knew what they had to do.

Adapted from Spanish folk Tales.