Little Frick and his Fiddle

Once upon a time there was a peasant who had only one son, and this boy was weak and had poor health, so he wasn't able to go to work. His name was Frick, and because he was so small everyone called him "Little Frick". At home there was little to eat and little to burn, so his father went about the countryside trying to hire his son out as a cowherd or errand boy. He could find no one who would take on Little Frick until he came to the sheriff. The sheriff had just got rid of his errand boy, and little though he was, he was still better than nothing, thought the sheriff. The boy would at least get something to eat and a place to live. Nothing was said about wages or clothing.

When the boy had been there for three years he wanted to leave, and then the sheriff gave him his wages. He was to have a penny for each year he served. "It could not be less," said the sheriff, so the boy got three pennies altogether. To Little Frick this seemed like a lot of money, for he had never owned so much before, but still he asked the sheriff if he shouldn't have more. "You have received more than you should have," said the sheriff. "Shouldn't I have anything for clothes, then?" asked Little Frick. "The ones I had when I came here are all worn out, and I haven't got any new ones. The ones I have now are so tattered, that the rags hang on me,” he said. "You have received what we agreed, and three pennies besides, so I am finished with you," said the sheriff. However, the boy was allowed to go out to the kitchen and get a little food in his knapsack, and then he set out on the road to town to buy himself some clothes.

He was both happy and merry, for never had he seen a penny before, and from time to time he felt in his pocket to see if he had all three of them. When he had walked far, he came into a narrow valley with high mountains on all sides, and he began to wonder what could be on the other side of these mountains, and how he was going to get over them. He had to go up, so he set out on the way and since he wasn't able to go very fast, he had to rest now and then. Whenever he stopped he counted his money to see how much he had. When he came up to the very top, there was nothing but a large mossy plateau.

There he sat down and was going to see if he had his money again, but before he knew it, a poor man was standing before him, and he was so big and tall that Little Frick started to scream from fear. "Don't be afraid of me," said the poor man. "I'm not going to hurt you. All I ask for is a penny in God's name" “Mercy!” said the boy. “I only have three pennies, and I was going to town to buy some clothes with them," he said. "I'm worse off than you are," said the poor man. "I haven't any pennies, and I'm even more ragged than you are." "Well, then I guess you'll have to have it," said the lad.

When he had gone a bit farther, he became tired and sat down to rest again. When he looked up, another poor man was standing there, but he was even bigger and uglier than the first, and when the boy really saw how big and ugly and tall he was, he started to scream. "Don't be afraid of me," said the poor man. "I'm not going to hurt you. All I ask for is a penny in God's name" "Mercy!" said the boy “I only have two pennies, and I was going to town to buy some clothes with them," "I'm worse off than you are," said the poor man. "I have no pennies at all, and a larger body and fewer clothes." "Well, then I guess you'll have to have it," said the boy.

So he walked a while again until he became tired, and then he sat down to rest, and once he was seated another man was standing before him, but he was so big and ugly and tall that the boy looked upwards and upwards, until he was looking straight up to the sky, and when he really saw how big and ugly and ragged he was, he began to scream

"Don't be afraid of me," said the man. "I'm not going to hurt you, for I'm only a poor man who is begging for a penny in God's name" "Mercy! The truth is," said Little Frick, "that I have only one penny left, and I'm going to town to buy some clothes with it. If only I had met you before." "Well, I have no penny at all, and a bigger body and fewer clothes, so it's worse for me than for you," said the poor man. Then you would have to have the penny,” said Little Frick. There was nothing to be done, each of the poor beggars had one of his pennies and he had none.

“Now, since you have been so good-hearted and given away everything you owned," said the poor man, "I will give you a wish for each penny." As it turned out, all beggars were the same man; he had just changed his appearance each time so that the boy could not recognize him again. “I have always loved to hear the fiddle play, and I love to see people so merry and glad that they dance," said the boy. "So, if I may wish for anything I like, I’ll wish for such a fiddle that everything alive must dance to it," he said. That you shall get it, but it is a poor wish,” said the man. "You'll have to wish something better for the other pennies."

"I've always wanted to hunt and shoot," said the boy, " so, if I may wish for what I'd like, then I'll wish me such a musket that I hit whatever I aim at, be it even so far away." Then you shall get that, but it is poor wish,” said the man. "You'd better wish something better for the last penny"" "I've always longed to be with people who were good and kindhearted", said Little Frick. "So if I may wish for whatever I'd like, I would want it to be so that no one could refuse me the first thing I asked for." "That wasn't such a poor wish," said the man kindly, and then he strode away among the hills and was gone. The boy, being tired, lay down to sleep, and the next day he came down from the mountain with his fiddle and his musket.

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