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Farkas-barkas (Hungarian folk tale)

Author: I'll tell you

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There was a little hen in the world, just scratching, just scratching in the garbage. One day, the neighbour's son threw a small stone over, and it fell right on the little hen's head. The little hen was scared, she ran, ran, ran, she kept shouting, "Run, run, the sky is falling, the earth is falling!" As he ran, he found a little rooster. The little rooster said:

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- Where are you running to, little chicken man?

- Oh, let's run, let's run, sky's falling, earth's moving!

- How do you know?

- It happened in Fejemen.

- So let's run, I'm running too.

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They ran, they ran, they found a rabbit. The rabbit asks:

- Where are you running to, rooster boy?

- Oh, let's run, let's run, sky's falling, earth's moving!

- How do you know?

- Chickens from Coma.

- What's up, chicken man?

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- It happened on the head.

- So let's run, I'm running too.

They ran again, found a deer. The deer asks:

- Where are you running to, rabbit man?

- Oh, let's run, let's run, sky's falling, earth's moving!

- How do you know?

- From the cock of the walk.

- What's up, rooster?

- Chickens from Coma.

- What's up, chicken man?

- It happened on the head.

- So let's run, I'm running too.

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They ran again, found a fox. The fox asks:

- Where are you running to, deer man?

- Oh, let's run, let's run, sky's falling, earth's moving!

- How do you know?

- From the rabbit commas.

- What's up, rabbit?

- From the cock of the walk.

- What's up, rooster?

- Chickens from Coma.

- What's up, chicken man?

- It happened on the head.

- So let's run, I'm running too.

They ran, they ran, they found a wolf. The wolf asks:

- Where are you running to, fox boy?

- Oh, let's run, let's run, sky's falling, earth's moving!

- How do you know?

- From Coma deer.

- What about deer, mate?

- From the rabbit commas.

- What's up, rabbit?

- From the cock of the walk.

- What's up, rooster?

- Chickens from Coma.

- What's up, chicken man?

- It happened on the head.

- So let's run, I'm running too.

They ran, they ran, they kept shouting, "Oh, let's run, let's run, the sky is falling, the earth is falling!" It was getting dark, but they kept running. One day they fell into a pit. What to do, what to do? How to get out? They were very hungry. One day the wolf says:

- Well, my friends, my comrades! What shall we do now? We might as well eat, if this goes on much longer, we'll all be dead. But I thought of one thing. Let's all count our names, and whoever's the ugliest, let's eat him.

They're all on it. The wolf started:

- Wolf-wolf-wolf is beautiful, fox-fox is beautiful, deer-goat is beautiful, rabbit-rabbit is beautiful, rooster-cock is beautiful, hen-bird-bird is ugly!

They tore the little hen to pieces, and ate her soon after. But it wasn't even enough for half their teeth. The wolf started again:

- Wolf-wolf-wolf is beautiful, fox-fox is also beautiful, deer-goat is also beautiful, rabbit-rabbit is also beautiful, rooster-cock is ugly!

They also tore the cock apart, and it was worth it that day. But they were hungry the next day. The wolf started again:

- Wolf-wolf-wolf is beautiful, fox-fox is also beautiful, deer-goat is also beautiful, rabbit-rabbit is ugly!

They also ate the little rabbit; that was enough for one day. But the next day they were hungry. The wolf started again:

- The wolf-wolf is beautiful, the fox-ox is beautiful, the deer-ox is ugly!

They tore up the deer too; that was enough for two days or so. But that was the last of it. They were very hungry again. Once the wolf says to the fox:

- Well, fox buddy, there's nothing to eat now. Either I eat you or you eat me. Let's wrestle it out and see which will win, cunning or strength.

They wrestled; the wolf was the winner, killing the fox. That alone was worth a week. But then it ran out. The wolf was hungry again. What should he do in his great agony? He began to howl as soon as his throat was dry. Hunters had just passed by, spotted him, shot him dead, made a fur coat out of his skin, still wears it now if he hasn't been skinned.

(László Arany: Hungarian folk tales)

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