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Nera and the hornet
It happened a long, long time ago, when there was no electricity, cars and other wonders of the modern time.
The family Planinic was living in a mountain village, on the top of the mountain. Mother and father Planinic had got fifteen children. Their life was hard, because the father was not able to hunt enough rabbits and boars to feed so many mouths.
When the two oldest sons grew up, they went hunting with their father. In the thickest forest they met a she-bear with her small bears and they tried to catch them. They didn’t know how dangerous a bear can be, when she was defending her children. Later, following the traces, their neighbours saw all three of them killed and later on eaten by the bear.
The children were crying and their mother with them. The life became even worse for them, because there was no one to find food for them. Mother told them that they all had to go into the forest and gather fruit and plants to survive. They all went into the forest walking in pairs, only the youngest girl, whose name was Nera, went with the mother.
One day the mother got sick and had to stay in bed. She was not able to go into the forest and she told Nera to stay at home, too. Nera was a good but very active girl. She wanted to bring her mother blueberries and strawberries to get well as soon as possible. She got out of the house secretly and walked along the brook which flew through the forest. On her way she picked fruits.
When she was deep in the forest she came near a small whirlpool and heard a scared voice screaming:” Help me, I will get drowned, help!”
The girl looked around and saw a large hornet clapping on the water. “Save me, girl, please.”
“No, no I will not, I am afraid of you, you are so large and dangerous, you will prick me with your sting and then I will die,” said Nera.
“Don’t be afraid, I won’t prick you, just give me a branch so that I can catch it and get out of he water.”
Nera felt sorry for the poor hornet, she took a long, thin birch branch and gave it to the hornet. It climbed on it and Nera pulled it with the branch out of the water.
The hornet shook with the wings and said.” You have saved my life and I am very grateful to you. I am the master of all hornet nests in this forest. Last night we celebrated my son’s wedding and when I went home I was very tired and fell into the water. In future, if you ever face danger, just call “Z-Z-Z” and we all will come and save you.”
“Good”, said Nera, “but it is time for me to go and gather fruits for my sick mother.”
The hornet said: “ Wait, our poison is very strong, but if you give your mother only a small amount of it, mixed with honey, she will soon be well again.”
It was really so as the hornet had said. Nera returned home and gave her mother fruits and honey with poison of the hornet and her mother got well.
Ten years had passed and Nera grew up to a beautiful girl. She had forgotten the event with the hornet.
One day, a handsome young man was riding on his black horse through the mountain, near the village where Nera was living. He was the son of the castle owner in the valley. He took with him his hunting dog and wanted o hunt chamoises. While he was riding through the forest he met Nera, who was returning from the well and carrying a pot with cold clear water. He greeted Nera, looked into her beautiful eyes and said. “Give me, girl, water from you white hand.”
Nera laughed and told him to get down from the horse, sit down and then she would give him water. The young man did as she had told him, sat down and Nera gave him water and a sandwich consisting of two slices of hard maize bread between she had put a lot of wild cabbage leaves. That was the only food she had had. The young man was surprised, but he ate the sandwich with great appetite, the whole time watching Nera.
The young man’s name was Dominik. They were sitting there and talking. Dominik forgot the reason why he had come into the forest until the moment his dog began barking. Dominik jumped on the horse and asked Nera to ride with him. They were riding through the forest following the barking dog until they arrived near a steep cliff. On the top of it there was a chamois. Dominik and Nera got down from the horse, he took his bow and hit the chamois with the arrow. He said to Nera happily.” Look, there will be meat for you and your family and for a time you will not be hungry.”
Unfortunately, the chamois was hanging with her horn on a sharp stone and they had to find a way to get her down.
“That’s a trifle. I will get her down,” said Dominik and began to climb up the steep cliff. He climbed higher and higher and at last he arrived at the place the chamois was hanging on. He caught her by the leg and began shaking her in order to get her free and throw her down. Suddenly the stone under his feet broke and he remained hanging in the air and holding himself only on the chamois’ leg. When Nera saw the great danger, she began crying and asking for help, but there was no one to hear her.
But then came a large hornet flying out of the forest. He flew around her and she was frightened even more. The hornet spoke to her: “If you can not remember me, I remember you saving me out of the water. Tell me, how can I help you. “
Nera was surprised, but she could only show him with her arm towards Dominik. The hornet had immediately understood what had had happened. He waved with his wings and at the same moment there appeared a great cloud of great hornets which were shouting.” King, tell us what to do.”
After a short discussion the whole cloud flew towards Dominik. They caught him with their small feet and brought him down to Nera together with he chamois.
Nera was so happy that she embraced Dominik and they both thanked the hornets, but the king hornet said.” Go in peace to your families, but remember that every good deed is returned by another good deed.”
Nera and Dominik brought the chamois to Nera’s home. After they have had a delicius meal, Dominik asked Nera to come with him into his castle.
When Dominik’s father saw them he told his son.” Why have you brought this mountain savage, she is not allowed even to enter our castle.” Dominik was sorry for his father’s words and that his father din’t want to listen to him. He decided to return with Nera to her home and live there with her.
After a while the old castle owner wished to see his son again. One day he went towards the mountain riding on a horse. While he was riding, there jumped a wild boar in front of the horse. The horse got scared, threw the old squire to the ground and ran into the forest. The old man was hurt, he hit his head on a tree- stump and lost his conscience.
When he woke up it was raining and he noticed that his leg was broken. He couldn’t walk, but crept through the forest. As he was old he quickly got tired and fell asleep. Suddenly he felt something hitting his nose and when he opened his eyes he saw his a small ball made of old rags. He noticed also a small boy in a worn out shirt and trousers. The boy said.” Please, grandfather, give me my ball back.”
“Here is your ball. Please, go and ask your father to come and help me.” The boy ran away and a short time after, there came a man and a woman. The man cried.” My God, father, what are you doing here?”
The old man looked at the boy and noticed that his eyes were the same as the eyes of his son. Suddenly it flashed upon him that the boy was his grandson.
Nera and Dominik had made a litter of branches and put the old man on it. They carried him to their home and the boy was holding his grandfather’s hand all the time. When the old man got well he took his son, daughter in law, his grandson and their whole family into the castle and they made a great feast. At once, during the feast, they heard a noise of many wings and the guests began to run away. Nera told them not to be afraid because the nose came from the wings of the hornets. A whole cloud of hornets placed itself on the old oak tree in the yard. A short time after the guests heard the sound of Ravel’s wonderful bolero which were the hornets producing with their wings. So it happened that all insects and all the good people were living together a long time.
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Grandpa's Tales Page 10
