Bison Judge opened the meeting.
“Faithful animals! A week has passed. Today, we are to decide whether the devil called Sneaky Tail will stay in the forest. We could have done it long ago. And we would have acted right had we turned him out as I suggested, but goat Butt stood up for him. Thus, today, we are probably going to turn them both out! A devil is a devil here and there and everywhere! His place is in the Hell.”
The bison looked down on the goat.
“So, Butt, what will you say? Where is your polite devil?”
The goat got on his feet, hugged Sneaky Tail, and whispered in his ear:
“Come on, son! Tell them! You can do it!”
Such words impressed the little devil. Even Father Devil had never called him son. He was very pleased. His knees stopped trembling and he pulled himself together.
Sneaky Tail faced the animals, hit the ground with his hoof so hard that the loud sound echoed and re-echoed. The silence fell.
“Good afternoon, dear animals! My name is Sneaky Tail. You all know me. Since I appeared here, I have caused you much trouble. Please, forgive me!”
He took a look at the bison. He was standing scowling and boiling with anger. He hated Sneaky Tail.
“Also, I would like to apologize to the esteemed, respected and honest bison Judge. I am very sorry, Mr. Bison. I have been wrong and I truly repent of it.”
The bison was so much taken aback by these devil’s words that his jaw fell.
“I also apologize to Mr. Caw, the school principal, and I promise to repair everything I damaged.”
He turned to Caw and bowed to him. Caw bowed in response.
“And what is the most important – I have changed. I don’t want to be a devil. I want to be a goat! Just like my mentor and true friend Butt. Thank you, Butt!”
Butt was looking at him and smiling. Nobody saw how a stray tear rolled from his eye and fell down.
“Thank you, son!” He whispered so that nobody could hear. “I beg you, dear animals, let me stay in the Wonder Forest!”
All the animals stood up and started clapping their wings or hoofs. Even bison Judge was clapping. He had forgiven Sneaky Tail and was pleased to have been called respected and honest by him.
The members of the council decided to let the little devil Sneaky Tail stay in the Wonder Forest. Nobody opposed this decision. Everybody understood he had really changed.
The next day, Sneaky Tail went to school, repaired everything he had broken the week before, and made himself a desk. He has always been the fist to come to school and the last to leave. He enjoyed studying, because it was interesting. Much more interesting than in the Hell.
He made friends with all school children and didn’t offend anybody. He especially took to two fox sisters. They tied a little pink bow to his tail.
A year went by.
6. Back to Hell
It was the Midsummer Day again. The gate of the Hell opened and many devils flew into the Wonder Forest again. Father Devil ordered them to find his son Sneaky Tail. The one who would find him would get a pailful of human blood and a hank of nerves as a reward. The devils flew around the forest and started the search. They woke up all the animals.
Father Devil learned that Sneaky Tail lived on Butt’s mountain and flew to him.
“Come here, devil!” he shouted.
Butt went out, saw that it was Father Devil and said:
“There is nobody here but myself.” He didn’t want to give Sneaky Tail back to Father Devil (the little devil was sleeping at that moment).
“You are lying! Where is my little devil?! Tell me! Otherwise, I will take you to the Hell and boil you in the tar!”
Sneaky Tail heard it and ran out:
“No, don’t! I’m here, I’m here!” The little devil stood before the goat.
Father Devil picked his Sneaky Tail up by his tail, slung him over his shoulder, and flew to the Hell. Butt and the little devil didn’t even manage to say bye!
While they were flying, Father Devil tore off all his son’s clothes and threw them away. The little devil only managed to hide the pink bow.
They reached the Hell.
It was a pitch dark, boiling hot, dirty place with a lot if trash. There were enormous vats with boiling tar on fire. As you come closer, it’s possible to see how sinners are being boiled in them. Poor things, they moan with pain. They have sold their souls to the Devil and now are suffering and cannot get out of there – the devils won’t let them. This is their job!
Sneaky Tail’s brothers met him. They looked at the little devil and burst out laughing.
“You, brother devil, became so… that it’s terrible to look at you! So disgustingly clean!”
They pushed him into the swamp and when he got on his feet they threw a bucket of tar on him.
“Now you look more like a devil! And why is your tail tied up? Are you a cripple or what?” The brothers untwisted the string and loosened his tail.
“Why are you standing rooted to the spot? Well now, let’s go do some damage!” The devils took off and flew away. Sneaky Tail remained standing at the same place.
Father Devil flew up to him:
“Are you sick, by any chance?”
“I don’t know.”
“Then go and sleep for two days – and it will be vanished as if by magic.”
The little devil returned home. Devils live in pits. At the bottom of one of the pits, it was very muddy – just for the soft sleep. The little devil took a look at that dirt and had no wish to sleep any more. He found a silent place, lay down, took the little pink bow, put it next to himself and began crying. He lost his heart. He remembered Butt, fox-sisters, Caw, and school friends.
When he woke up, Sneaky Tail was surprised to see there was no sun. Then he remembered that there was no sun there. He got on his feet and followed his nose.
He met his former friends – young devils.
“Where have you been, Sneaky Tail?”
“You won’t believe me if I tell you.”
“Come on, tell us! We’ll see then!”
He told the friends his story but they did not believe him:
“No way! How come you, a devil, was allowed to stay in the Wonder Forest!”
“It is as true as I’m standing here! Honestly!”
“What does it mean “true”? What is “honestly?” The devils were wondering about the new words.
Sneaky Tail remembered that such words are not used in the Hell because nobody needs them there. He realized that it was impossible to explain them in the Hell language. Then he started to teach his friends the language, Butt taught him.
Little by little, more and more devils were joining them. Very soon, Sneaky Tail already had the whole class. He was telling them about another world, about the sun and the sky, about good and evil, truth and lies. He told them what he knew. At those moments, it seemed to him that he was back in the Wonder Forest.
Father Devil learned about it and sent for Sneaky Tail.
“So, you’re pulling the long bow! Aren’t you smart! Why on earth are you teaching my devils good things? This is Hell! And here, I am the KING! Evil reigns here!” Father Devil was shouting furiously. “Swallow your words!”
“I won’t! Because it has happened, it is true! And to let you know, the Wonder Forest is better than your Hell!”
“Take your words back! Otherwise, I will turn you out of here! You are nothing without me! I will take away all your devil power!”
“I won’t!”
Father Devil got angry.
“Well,” he thought “I’d rather lose my son than my kingdom.” He opened the Hell Gate and ordered the devils, his servants, to throw Sneaky Tail out. While the little devil was sleeping, they bound him, put a sack on his head – and carried out the order.
7. Back to the Wonder Forest
Sneaky Tail came to his senses. He sniffed the air – it didn’t stink. He pricked up his ears – the birds were chirping. He under
stood, he had been thrown out from the Hell. It cheered him up! He took off the sack and saw that he was in the Wonder Forest. He bit through the strings and wanted to fly straight to Butt. He took a run, jumped up and… fell down. The little devil realized that his father had deprived him of his devil power and he wouldn’t be able to fly any more.
He tried to spin his tail but it wouldn’t spin. It swung like a cow’s tail instead.
“Such a tail can only keep off the flies.” He thought. “Well, it makes no difference! The main thing is that I am in the Wonder Forest!”
The little devil ran to Butt’s mountain as fast as he could.
Butt was sad. He didn’t show up in the forest since the time Father Devil had taken Sneaky Tail away. He did not want to see or hear anybody. He was just living in the mountains, grazing, and moping. He was thinking of what a good time they had had together.
Suddenly, he saw something black running up the mountain and crying out:
“Butt, Butt!”
He looked carefully and saw it was Sneaky Tail, all in tar and dirty. It cheered him up. He reared up on his hind legs and even jumped up. He rushed towards Sneaky Tail.
The finally met, hugged each other and cried with happiness.
“My darling son!..”
“My dear father!..” For the first time Sneaky Tail said the word “father.” He was calm and peaceful at heart.
And they lived happily ever after, like father and son, and all the animals had the pleasure of seeing them together. The goat found his son and the little devil found his father. Soon after, he was called a devil no more.
THE STORY OF THE LITTLE DEVIL CALLED SNEAKY TAIL Page 2
