Emelya and the Pike

Once upon a time there lived an old man and an old woman who had three sons, two of them clever young men and the third, Emelya, a fool. One day the two brothers were going to market, while Emelya was staying at home and so they said to him:"Obey our parents, Emelya, and we'll bring you a present from the market."

The brothers rode away leaving Emelya lying on the stove ledge with not a care in the world. Then the old woman / his mother said to him:

-Go and fetch some water, Emelya.

And Emelya replied:

-No, I'm well enough where I am. / Not I. I don't want to.

-Go, Emelya, or your brothers will bring no presents for you from the market.

Left with no choice, down climbed Emelya from the stove, dragged his feet to the river, scooped up a pail of water and lo and behold! saw a pike splashing in it who asked him in a human voice:

-Let me go, Emelya, and I'll do you a good turn whenever you wish, you just have to say: By will of the Pike, do as I like, and it will all be done at once.

Let Emelya the pike go and said: By will of the Pike, do as I like! Off you go home, pails, by yourselves!

The villagers stood round and marvelled the pails going along by themselves and jumping up the bench at Emelya's hut. Emelya followed them home and climbed up on to the stove ledge again, and so he was lying with not a care in the world.

After a while the old man said to Emelya:

- Go and chop us some wood and stoke up the stove.

-Not I.I don't want to,- Emelya said.

-If you don't do what I say, your brothers will bring no presents for you from the market.

- Oh, ok then. By will of the Pike, do as I like! Go and chop some wood, axe, and stoke up the stove.

And lo! the axe leapt out into the yard and began to chop the wood, and the logs filed into the hut all by themselves and jumped into the stove and the stove was stoking up by itself.

Then Emelya's parents said to him:

- Emelya, go to the field and mow some hay.

- Not I. I don't want to. / I'm well enough where I am.

-Well, then you won't get any presents.

- Oh, ok. By will of the Pike, do as I like! Off you go to the field, stove!

And, lo and behold, the stove started off. Villagers were filled with wonder as it puffed by with Emelya lying on it doing nothing. That way he came to the field and ordered the scythe to mow the hay. And so the scythe set about mowing the hay, tedding it, drying and haystacking. As the hayrick was made all by itself, Emelya ordered the stove to go back home. And lo and behold! the stove went home knocking down a lot of people on its way. So people complained about Emelya's doings to the Tsar himself.

The Tsar's officer/ messenger came to Emelya and said:

- Emelya, the Tsar requires to see you at once as you've knocked down a lot of people.

Left with no choice, Emelya ordered the stove to bring him to the Tsar's palace and there he saw Tsarevna Marya looking out of the palace window. Emelya saw that she was a real beauty. So he said: By will of the Pike, do as I like! Let Tsarevna go and climb up my stove and sit next to me. All at once he saw Tsarevna sitting next to him on the stove and off they went home. But Emelya lived in a peasant hut and Tsarevna was all puffed up when she saw it. She would never live in such a place she said. Once again said Emelya the pike's magic words and ordered to build up the cut-glass palace and the silver bridge with golden rainlings over the river. And it was done at once.

They asked the tsar to be their guest and so he came and fell in great wonder. Married they were at once and called me to come but I myself was getting married so was very busy.

And that is my faithful tale's end, while he who listened is my own true friend.