Woman's Whim (An Armenian Folktale)

There was once an old man and his wife. They had a son who had recently married. As one young woman was bent over to clean the couch and accidentally farted

Ashamed she looked around quickly, hasn’t anybody heard it, and she saw the goat kid, and felt even more ashamed.

- Oh goat kid sir, I kiss you, just do not say anything about this to my father in law.

But the goat was eating hay, and it just shook his head.

- Take my belt, but do not tell! - The young woman pleaded with him and untied her belt, and tied it to the goat.

The goat, however, just shook his head. The young woman thought that the goat still just wants to tell about the incident to the father-in-law, so took off her veil and spread it to goats. The goat still constantly shook his head.

- Here, take my pearl also! ...

Just then her mother-in-law came in. When she learned what had happened, she also tried to persuade the goat

By evening, the father-in-law came home and asked the daughter-in-law to bring water But as the pitcher stood in the corner next to the goat, the young woman did not dare go there, and did not move.

The father-in-law, three or four times repeated the request, but when he saw that the young woman did not even move he asked his wife:

- What happened to my daughter-in-law? Why does she not give me some water?

- My dear husband - said the old woman – I will hide it even from God's sight, but I can tell you: our daughter in law was cleaning the couch when she farted not far from the goat kid, and now she does not dare to go to the goat she is afraid that the goat kid will tell you, too. However we have pleaded with the goat, not to say all the things we offered him, all in vain! Already she has give her belt from her waist, viel from her head , even a pearl from her neck l. The goat kid still wants to tell what happened.

- No matter what’s fooling around here! I'm going to proceed to the the Sataki astrologer, and I ask him whether this is a good sign - said the father, and he went to Satak.

When he reached the Satak astrologer the old man asked him:

- Today my daughter-in-law farted when cleaning the sofa : Does this mean good or bad?

- It depends on how she farted. If it was loud then it means good, but if she did it quietly, means evil.

When the father came home, he asked the daughter-in-law, and when he came to know that she had done it loudly the old man ran to bring the musicians, let us hit the drum, let us dance ...

The young woman's husband, on his way home from the fields, heard the trumpet sound emanating from their house, he asked a fellow villager whom he first saw:

- Tell me, brother, why are they blowing trumpets in our house?

- What, you don’t know? Your wife farted and that’s a good sign.The Satak astrologer predicted that this is something good, for this joy they are blowing the trumpet.

A young woman's husband angrily turned back and said to himself: "I will not to be myself, if once again I return to these mad people in my life!"

Started his journey in this unknown world, arrived in a strange village, and asked if he could stay for the night in a house.

- Gladly, delighted the guests - said to him, and made room for him in the corner.

The old woman was baking bread, preparing, and she sent her eldest daughter for water. When the girl reached the spring, she sat under the tree, and began narrating to herself: "And when I will get married,a son will be born, and I will name him Kikos. He will be a naughty child, he will go to the spring, climb on this tree, the branches break down under it, he falls and breaks his neck! "

With the last words she started wailing terribly:

- Oh, my Kikos broke his neck! Oh, Kikos my dear ...

The old woman saw that the oldest girl just did not come back, then sent the middle daughter. As soon as she saw her younger sister, the elder sister ran towards her and narrated her grief to her. The middle girl sat next to her sister, and she also cried bitterly because of Kikos.

The mother sent the youngest girl - and she also began to burst into tears because Kikos.

Finally, the old woman went to the spring, because she had been very troubled due to the daughter's absence. All three ran toward her with tears in their eyes, and wept due to Kikos’s death. At this the old woman also began crying.

When the guest saw that nobody was home, he went out into the street and asked the villagers from how to reach the spring. When he arrived and saw the wailing women, he asked the old woman the cause of their sorrow.

- Why won’t we cry, good man! - Replied the woman. - Well, my eldest daughter will get married, a son will be born, his name will be Kikos, Kikos will be a mischievous child, he will come to the spring, he will climb this tree, the branch breaks down under it, and will broke his neck. Oh, our dear beloved Kikos! Oh, dear Kikos!

- Oh, why doesn’t the roof fall on these crazy people! I fled from my own foolish one, and have come to a new fool! So its better if I return to my own! ...

Translated from Hungarian by me