Once upon a time, even across the Peruvian Sea, there was a poor man with three sons.
One day the king proclaims throughout the land that he will give his daughter to whoever can say something he does not believe.
When the poor man's eldest son, whose name was Peter, hears this, he goes to the king; he tells a servant that he wants to speak to the king.
The king guessed at once what the lad wanted, but he told no one, only ordered him to be let in at once. But then there were many princes and God knows what lords, who turned before the king like stars in the sky and like blades of grass in the meadow, and all of them wanted to marry the princess, but none of them could say anything that the king did not believe.
So Peter went in to the king and greeted him:
- God bless you, my King!
- May God grant you the same, my son! What are you doing here?
- I do want to marry, my lord King!
- All right, my boy, but what would you take the woman for?
- God knows! I'll just have to support him somehow... My father has a house and a little land.
- I believe you, my son," says the king.
- And then we have three head of cattle.
- I believe that too.
- Now recently, the manure in our yard has accumulated to the point where we can't even get enough of it.
- I believe.
- Once our father says: "My sons! Take this manure out to that little field, maybe it will do some good."
- I believe.
- We then carried the manure out in three weeks in two wagons.
- I believe.
- But by mistake we carried them all to the neighbour's land.
- I believe.
- When that was done, I went home and told my father.
- I believe.
- Then me, my father and my two younger brothers and sisters, about fourteen of us, went out to our land.
- I believe.
- Then we took the four corners of our neighbour's land, lifted them up as is the custom with the stubble, and turned the manure from them onto our land.
- I believe.
- Then we sprinkled our land with grass seeds.
- I believe.
- The grass seed grew into a forest so thick that who has seen one and who has not!
- I believe.
- My father was sorry to cut down those beautiful trees: so he bought a herd of pigs.
- I believe.
- And then he got your grandfather to be a canny!...
- You're lying! But the king suddenly remembered his vow, immediately summoned a priest, married the poor man's daughter to his son, had a feast so big that the news spread to seven countries, even gave the orphaned child a loaf as big as my arm! There was juice and juice, and juice without meat!
No collar, no turncoat,
I lied because I had someone to lie to!
(Ágnes Kovács: Folk tales for kindergarten children)
