Once upon a time, there was an old king who ruled his vast country in peace. This old king had only one regret, the poor king had no son-in-law, no son, no son-in-law, no relative to succeed him on the throne.
This poor king was grieving, for he had no heir, and what would become of his great kingdom if he should once turn a blind eye. He was desperate for a son to succeed him on the throne.
Once in a dream a fairy appeared to him and said:
- I know you are very keen to have a son. So here's some advice. Go out into the woods tomorrow and count to the ninety-ninth tree. This ninety-ninth tree is an old oak tree with a trunk of a broad trunk.
Take an axe and knock down the tree with your own hands. In the trunk of the tree you will find a little boy in a swaddling clothes, he will be your heir. But don't speak until you have cut down the tree, even if the devil himself were to tempt you, don't say a word, or else your son will be mute by the time he reaches his seventeenth year. Hearken well to my word.
And so it happened. The next day the king took his golden axe in his hand and went out into the forest. He counted to the ninety-ninth tree, and then he set to work to cut down this ninety-ninth old oak tree with his golden axe.
Yes, but a cheeky squirrel was teasing the old king from the branches of the oak tree. It jumped up and down, made all sorts of mischievous faces at the king and even started to nibble at his crown.
The old king reached down and began to cut the old oak tree with his axe. He was almost all the way down, taking care not to make much of a sound while he was chopping, when the squirrel's tail tickled the old king's nose. The king gave a great snort, and forgetting the prohibition, said angrily:
- Shoo, you cheeky squirrel.
It was then that he realised what he had done. He had not taken the fairy's advice. What did the fairy say?
- Say not a word, my lord my king, till thou hast cut down the tree, even if the devil himself were to tempt thee, for thy son will be mute when he is seventeen.
Oh, the old king was sad. He took the little boy he found in the tree and brought him home.
...Time passed. The little prince had grown to be a dandy, the king was a pigeon-headed old man, and found all his joy in his son. Only the fairy's prophecy sometimes made him sad.
The day came when the little prince turned seventeen and the fairy's prophecy was fulfilled, the little prince was struck dumb.
Woe to the king and woe to the whole country. The greybearded scientists, men of great science, came and tried all kinds of remedies, but nothing worked.
One fine day, a shabby wanderer arrived at the royal palace.
- "I'll cure the little prince," said the wanderer.The court servants and bodyguards laughed.
- How could you, you ragged wanderer, cure the king's son when the greybearded scientists couldn't? - the lackeys snorted and one of them pushed the poor wanderer out the door.
Yes, but the kind-hearted, golden-haired prince, when he saw this, was furious. He punished the wicked footman and led the poor traveller by the hand up to the king's palace.
When the wanderer was alone with the old king, he bowed low and said:
- You do not know me, my Lord King. I am the fairy who appeared to you in your dream. I have come in disguise, a poor vagabond, to your palace to test whether your son, the little prince, has a good heart. He has saved me from the mockery of the servants, and in place of good deeds expect good! I will give thee counsel. If you want your son to speak again, go out into the woods at night and find the hundred and eleventh oak tree. There you'll find a squirrel. Bring this squirrel to your son and he will soon be cured of his muteness.
That was all the disguised fairy said and then she was gone. And the old king took the fairy's advice. He went out into the forest at night, looked for the hundred and eleventh oak tree and found the wonderful squirrel. He brought it back to the palace and the next morning, he laid it on the pillow next to the sleeping prince.
The squirrel started to jump around and make all sorts of strange faces at the sleeping prince. He kept hopping until his tail was right up to the sleeping prince's nose. The prince sneezed loudly and miraculously said.
- Shoo, you squirrel!
At that moment, the squirrel was transformed into a fairy godmother. The old king was glad, for his son's muteness was gone, the prince could speak again, and the grateful fairy had even got him a beautiful mate.
The handshake was held in Mingyar and all the squirrels in the big forest were invited.
I myself heard this wonderful story from one of the squirrels!
