The Tale of Jirtdan

Once upon a time, there lived an old woman who had a grandson named Jirtdan.

One day, Jirtdan saw that the children from the neighborhood were going into the forest to collect firewood. He ran to his grandmother and said:

“Grandma, please let me go with the other children!”

His grandmother agreed. She called the children over and gave each of them a slice of bread with butter. She also asked them to take good care of Jirtdan.

As they walked through the forest, Jirtdan suddenly sat down on the ground and said:

“My grandmother told you to look after me, so you must carry me on your backs!”

The children took turns carrying Jirtdan on their backs. They even collected firewood for him.

When it was time to leave, everyone tied their firewood into bundles and carried them on their backs.

But Jirtdan said:

“My grandmother told you to take care of me! You must carry my firewood too!”

The children had no choice but to carry his bundle as well.

They walked and walked until evening came. Soon, darkness covered the forest, and the children lost their way.

When they finally reached the edge of the forest, they noticed a light shining in one direction and heard a dog barking in another.

One child said, “Let's go toward the light!”

Another said, “No, let's follow the sound of the barking dog!”

The children couldn't decide which way to go.

Then Jirtdan spoke up.

“If we go toward the barking dog, it might bite us. Let's go toward the light. Perhaps we'll find our way home!”

The children agreed and followed the light.

But the light led them straight to the house of a giant!

When the giant saw the children, he was delighted.

“What wonderful luck!” he thought to himself. “Tonight, I'll eat them one by one!”

The giant gave the children some bread and then put them to bed.

Later that night, the giant grew hungry and decided to eat one of the children.

But first, he wanted to make sure they were all asleep.

So he called out:

“Who's asleep, and who's awake?”

Jirtdan immediately lifted his head and answered:

“Everyone's asleep, but Jirtdan's awake!”

The giant asked:

“Jirtdan, why aren't you sleeping?”

Jirtdan replied:

“Every night, my grandmother makes me a delicious omelet before I go to sleep!”

The giant got up and quickly cooked an omelet for Jirtdan, hoping he would finally fall asleep.

Some time passed.

Once again, the giant called out:

“Who's asleep, and who's awake?”

Jirtdan lifted his head and answered:

“Everyone's asleep, but Jirtdan's awake!”

The giant asked:

“Jirtdan, why aren't you sleeping now?”

Jirtdan replied:

“Every night, my grandmother brings me water from the river in a sieve!”

The giant got up, took a sieve, and went down to the river to fetch some water.

As soon as he left, Jirtdan quickly woke up his friends.

“Wake up! Wake up!” he whispered. “The giant wants to eat us! We must run away!”

The children jumped out of bed and hurried away. They ran as fast as they could until they reached the river, which they quickly crossed.

Meanwhile, the giant was standing by the river, trying to fill his sieve with water.

He dipped it into the river again and again, but every time he lifted it, all the water poured out through the holes.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't carry a single drop!

Finally, the giant grew tired and decided to return home.

But just as he turned around, he spotted the children escaping on the other side of the river!

The giant rushed toward the water, hoping to chase them, but he couldn't cross.

So he shouted:

“Hey, children! How did you get across the river?”

Jirtdan immediately shouted back:

“Go and find a big millstone! Put it around your neck and jump into the river! That's how you can cross!”

The foolish giant believed Jirtdan.

He found a heavy millstone, put it around his neck, and jumped into the river.

But the millstone was so heavy that it pulled him straight to the bottom.

The giant drowned, and the children were safe at last.

And that is how clever little Jirtdan saved himself and all his friends from the hungry giant.

The End.