Fairy tale

 Once upon a time there was a king who had no child, so he made a vow if God gives him a boy he will give the poor people jars of honey and butter till the day he dies. God gave him a son and the king started to give the poor people  honey and butter each year. When his son turned twenty, the king prepared for the old tradition he started. Everyone came to fill up their bowls with honey and butter. When everybody left, an old lady came there and asked the king's son for some honey and butter.  

We have run out of honey and butter. He said.

Dear boy, now that you've finished all the honey and butter I hope the Bergamot orange girl entangles you. The old lady said.

As the old lady finished her curse the boy fell in love with the bergamot orange girl without even seeing her.so he locked himself up in Panjdari room. It was a tradition everyone who fell in love locked themselves up in the room with five windows. After some hours the king and her wife realized that their boy is in love. They sent the bond maid to his room to ask him about his love. Who are you in love with? She asked.

 I want the bergamot orange lady. The boy answered. 

Who the hell is the bergamot orange girl? The king asked. 

Bergamot orange girl is the daughter of fairy king. She is hanging from a tree in the shape of a bergamot orange. The old lady answered.   Not everybody cut out for picking off these fruits, but I have seven strong brothers. The prince must go and ask them the way of picking off these fruits. The old lady said.

Although the king was discontent he ordered to fill the panniers up with treasure and gold. The prince got on the horse and left the city. He went far far away. He went till he reached an old man who was half human and half demon. Where do you want to go? The old creature asked. I fancy the bergamot orange girl, I go there. The prince said. 

Call it off dear boy. If you go you will never come back alive. The old man said. The prince gave him some gold. 

Show me the way. The rest is up to me. The prince said.

So, go and ask my other brother. The old man said. The prince went on till he reached the second old man who was also half human and half demon. When he heard the message from his brother he said: call it off dear boy, there is no return in the way ahead. 

Just show me the way. The rest is up to me. The prince said and gave him some gold as well. Similarly he went on till he reached the seventh brother who repeated what other brothers told. Call it off. He said. But when he recognized the prince doesn't care. Now that you really want to go, listen carefully. There is a tree in there full of bergamot orange, orange and sour orange.  There are seven keepers which are too big that one of their ears is used as their groundsheet and the other as covers. You have to prepare seven cowhide full of soda and molasses. There is a river that carries the food of these demons in to the garden. You must drop these seven cowhides in to the water so the demons can eat it. When they are full they fall asleep. So you must prepare a stick with two branches and sit in a hole near the tree to pick off the bergamot with it and not by your hands. The old man said. 

The prince did all the stuff the old man told him to do.  Then he sat inside a hole close to the tree and picked off one bergamot orange. Hey it picked one! hey it took one away! All the bergamot shouted together.  One of those demon keepers raised his head. Who did pick it off? Who did take it away? He asked.  

The stick picked it off, the stick took it away. They answered.  The keeper closed his eyes. The stick isn't able to pick it off and take it away. Go to sleep.  He said. 

The prince picked off two other bergamots and when they started to shout he hid himself in the hole. Then he ran away from there. On the way back, he took one of the bergamot oranges out of his pocket and he peeled it a little. Suddenly a beautiful girl appeared in front of him. Water! She said.  Here in the desert! The prince said.  Bread! The girl asked. Where can I find bread in the desert? He answered. Then goodbye! The girl said this and she vanished to the thin air.  The prince couldn't take it. So he peeled the second bergamot orange. A girl more beautiful than the first one appeared and asked for water and bread. Here's the desert. I can't find any water or bread. And by the way why are you wearing black outfit? The prince asked. 

You killed my sister and you're going to kill me too. But don't do it with our other sister. Go somewhere with bread and water and then peel the bergamot orange. When we are picked off our tree, we have to eat and drink like humans do. Goodbye then. The girl said.

The prince got very upset because of what he did, but he was glad that he still has another bergamot orange. He went on till he reached a village. He bought some bread and found a spring.  He tied his horse to a tree. Then he took out the bergamot orange and peeled it gently. He saw a girl as pretty as a picture who was standing in front of him. Water! She said. The prince gave her the water. Bread! She asked. The prince gave her some bread too. The girl seemed happy because of this. The prince picked up the girl and went to the city. When he was close to his town, he remembered something. It's very bad to go without guardians and party! You stay here till I go and bring  musicians and company and pick you up.

The girl found a willow tree and climbed up. There were a bunch of gypsies who lived in the desert ,they happened to be passing by. They set up their tent near the willow tree. These gypsies had a very ugly bondmaid whose skin was burnt in the sunshine. She went to the river to wash the dishes. The reflection of bergamot orange girl was in the water. She thought it is her own reflection. When I'm this pretty I shouldn't be a servant. She thought. Then she threw the dishes into the water and went to the tent. What did you do with the dishes? Her lady asked.  I throw them in the water. The bondmaid answered.  Why did you do that? Her lady asked. When I'm this pretty I shouldn't be a servant. She answered. Have you lost your mirror? Go away and fill these two buckets. Her lady asked. The bondmaid went to the river. Again she saw the picture and imagined it is her. So she threw out the bucket and went to her lady. Her lady beat her and sent her to wash the hands of her baby in the river. The bondmaid who was very upset went to the river again. She saw the reflection again and wanted to throw the baby into the river, but the bergamot orange girl who was sitting in the tree stopped her. Hey wild burnt girl! It's not your picture, it is mine. Free that little kid.

 The bondmaid looked at the tree and saw the girl who was as pretty as the sun. I make you pay for this in time. She thought. Then she washed the hands and face of the baby, took her to the tent and hid a knife under her dress. She sat beside the tree. Madam, do you allow me to come up and be your servant? She asked. 

Mam, don't let this gypsy climb up this tree. All the leaves of the tree shouted. But the bergamot orange lady felt pity for her. She's a bondmaid. She's upset. I feel pity for her. Let her climb up the tree. She doesn't want to bite me!She said. 

She let her hair down. Come here. She said. The bondmaid took her hair and climbed up. Then the bondmaid asked her about her life. The bergamot orange girl said her entire story. Now he is off to fetch the musicians. She said.  Then she went to sleep because she was awake the whole day. 

The bondmaid put her head on her knees and when she went to sleep thoroughly, the bondmaid cut her head and throw her body in to the river. One drop of her blood drip in to the soil and a flower tree grew there immediately. In the meantime the bondmaid heard the voice of Dhol. The bondmaid was happy as she wanted to pretend she is the bergamot orange girl. The sound of music and Dhol came closer with all the dancers and population. In the front line the king and her queen along with their son were coming. As the prince saw the tree he felt happy. Now you see what a girl she is. He said. Then he started to describe her eyes, hair and her lips until they reached the tree. The prince climbed up the tree. When he saw the girl he jumped out of his skin. Are you the bergamot orange girl? He asked. Do you doubt? She answered. Why did you turn so red? He asked. The sun light was so intense insomuch that it burnt my skin. She answered. 

So why are your lips this thick? He asked. I talked to myself so much. She answered. Then why are your eyes so bulged? The prince asked. I was waiting and watching this way for a long time. She said.  Then why does your hair seem like this? He asked.  The sparrows grasped my hair so it became matted. She answered. The prince brought her down discontentedly. The king and the queen were very angry. But no one said anything. On the way back home,the prince saw the flower tree and took it with himself. The flower tree lessened his unhappiness a little bit. He even didn't look at the bondmaid girl all the way through. When they returned home, some camels, cows and sheep were sacrificed for them although it couldn't make the king or the queen and the prince happy. 

The prince planted the flower tree in his garden at his earliest convenience.  He didn't want to marry the girl but everyone in the town heard about the beauty of the girl. So he had to marry her. After lightening the town and seven days of celebrations the prince married the gypsy girl, while everyone assumed it is the bergamot orange girl.  

Whenever the prince went, the flower tree overshadowed him magically even when he wasn't under it. Other people knew about this and the prince was happy. But the gypsy girl was very unsatisfied.  When she recognized that she's going to be a mother in the next couple of months, she told this news to everybody. Then she asked the king for a cradle.  When the prince was away she asked to use the wood of the flower tree. The king was upset but he ordered to cut off the tree.  When the prince didn't see the shadow of the flower he came home immediately but the carpenter was building the cradle. 

There were some chipped wood in the yard and the old washerwomen asked to take them home to set on fire. Then she took them home. But she recognized when she was gone all the choirs are done. The room was clean, the food was ready,the kettle was boiling on the fire and everything was ready for her. She thought it might be her neighbors who did it for her. But one day she decided to stay home to see who was doing all the choirs. One morning day she pretended she was sick. She stayed at home and pretended she's asleep. She had cut her finger a little bit earlier that day and poured some salt on it in order not to go to sleep. Then she saw a beautiful girl who came out from the woods and picked up the broom. Then she did all of the choirs and when she wanted to go back to woods the old lady stopped her. 

Leave me alone, for god's sake. Leave me alone to die with this grief. The girl said.

I swear to God, I mean no harm. Come and tell me what happened to you and I treat you as my own daughter. The old women said.  The girl accepted. She was the bergamot orange girl and as she was the daughter of fairy king,they're magical so when someones tries to kill them, they just turn to a flower tree or some woods. And now she was turning back to her original form. The old woman was very happy to have such a gorgeous girl.

Now we shall return to the prince. All the king's horses got sick. The king ordered to give his horses to people to take care of them and return them when they get better.  When they shared the horses the bergamot orange girl asked the old woman to bring her a horse as well. The old woman disagreed because she didn't have anything to feed the horse. But the girl begged so much that she went to the town to bring a horse for her.  The girl whistled and a stable was built immediately. The girl gave the horse water and alfalfa, barley and straw. When the winter ended, the king's man went to collect the horses but all of them were dead but one. We gave the old woman a horse too. The king said. Now I'll check it. Maybe their horse is alive. The prince said. He went to old woman house. The old woman welcomed the prince warmly. The prince asked about the horse. He's alive. But I don't think you can take his halter. The prince wanted to catch his halter but he couldn't. The horse bit and kicked.  The bergamot orange girl didn't tend to meet the prince but when no one could touch the horse she went to the stable. When the prince saw the girl his heart trembled. She looks like my bergamot orange girl. He thought. He couldn't stop looking at her the whole time he was there. The girl touched the horse and took its halter. She gave it to the prince. Get on the horse. She said. When they wanted to go the girl touched the horse's mane. Go! You are more faithless than your master. The girl said to the horse. The prince was totally in to the girl.

Some days later, the prince's wife gave birth to a boy. the only person who was happy was herself. But the king and the prince were very unpleased that she paved the way to settle in the castle. It was a tradition when the baby got ten days old; all the girls in the city would come to the castle for a big celebration. Then they chose a girl to tell a story. It was a tradition to make a necklace with pearl for the baby on that day.

They invited all the girls in the town. The prince ordered to invite the bergamot orange girl too. I don't want the washerwoman's girl come to my castle. The gypsy women said. But the prince insisted to invite her as well. All the girls in the town came there and celebrated that day. After lunch, it was time for storytelling. The girls started to suggest someone to tell a story but the prince interfered. I'd like the old washerwoman's girl to tell a story. He said. 

I tell a story under one condition. When I'm telling the story no one should talk or leave this hall or enter here. She said. They all agreed. The girl said her story. But which story did she choose? She said her own story and what happened to her. 

She told the whole story and whenever she got upset and cried, but instead of tears,the pearls came from her beautiful eyes and whenever she laughed the flower came out from her lips.  The gypsy women who was worried badly, pinched her baby to cry. 

Cut it off, my baby dies of crying. She was saying constantly. But the king and the prince insisted the girl to finish her story. 

I wasn't there of course; my teacher told me this story. Make that necklace. The bergamot orang girl said. And the girls who were there picked up another pearl to finish the necklace.  She kept on telling the story till she reached the day that the celebration was held in the castle and she told her story!

The bergamot orange girl said this. Everyone was silent. Then she laughed. Okay. My story's completed. She said. 

No it's not. The king said. The king ordered to build a big fire. He ordered to throw the gypsy girl and her baby into the fire. The gypsy girl was crying and begging. The bergamot orange girl asked the king not to do it and send them away instead. The gypsy girl took her baby and left there. The king ordered to celebrate for seven days and the prince and the bergamot orange girl got married. I hope that your wishes come true as well just like the wishes of the bergamot orange girl and the prince. 

Colletcted by Abolghasem enjavi shirazi

Translated by

Fatemeh Sabet