The Story of Fool's Town and Others

Author: (USA) Singer
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-06-01
Features: Grognam Bull had previously come up with many clever rulings, but none were as outstanding as this one. Even his enemies were surprised by this astute judgment. The death sentence of drowning was truly well-deserved for the vicious little carp with a small brain and tail. On the day of execution, the entire population of Sea Bird Isle gathered by the lake to witness the execution firsthand. The carp, almost twice the size of the original, was dragged to the lake by a carriage specifically used to transport the most notorious death row prisoners. The drummers beat the drums, and the trumpeters blew their horns. The executioner of Sea Bird Isle strained to lift the heavy carp and threw it into the lake with a thunderous splash. A huge cheer erupted from the crowd in Sea Bird Isle. "Down with the rebellious carp! Long live Grognam Bull! Long live him forever!" Grognam was lifted by his supporters and carried home in a song of praise. Some Sea Bird Isle girls threw flowers at him. Even Yente Pessa, his wife, who often criticized Grognam and had dared to call him a fool, seemed stunned by his extraordinary cleverness. Noodles and beans were so fragrant that Aged didn’t need anyone to invite him. He sat down and ate, telling the children, "My dear children, I live in a house that looks exactly like this one. I have a wife who is just like your mother—just like two peas. My children are also just like you—just like two drops of water." The younger children laughed, while the older ones began to cry. Aged’s wife said, "It seems he can’t get enough of being Aged and now he’s also going mad. What am I going to do? I can’t leave the children with him when I go to the market to sell vegetables. Who knows what a madman might do?" She covered her head with her hands and cried, "My God, what sin have I committed to deserve this punishment?" However, she still made a new bed for Aged. Although Aged had taken a nap near the blacksmith’s shop during the day, the moment his head touched the pillow, he fell asleep immediately and soon began snoring loudly. He dreamed that he was the king of Sea Bird Isle, and his wife—the queen, of course—had already made a large pan of crepes filled with some with cheese, some with bilberries or cherries, all sprinkled with grain and meat columns, soaked in sour cream. Aged ate twenty of them in one breath and hid the rest in his crown to eat later. Joshua often spoke of science. He said that religious school education made people ignorant. He talked about the telescope, through which one could see the mountains and craters on the moon. Since we are servants in Warsaw, I can walk all the way to Berlin. I know that trains run from the Wroc?aw station to Germany. I can just follow the railway and reach Berlin. But I won’t go home. What would my parents do? And what about Xiaoshan? I would miss her terribly. Suddenly, I had a strange idea: Xiaoshan might run away with me. I often read in storybooks about boys and girls running away together for love. It’s usually about adults, but I love Xiaoshan. I think about her during the day and dream about her at night. In Berlin, we could study hard, and I could become a professor.