Read the Tale of the Old Wife and the Fox

Once upon a time, there was and there was not. In time, time within, in sifter and straw, genies played javelin in the old bathhouse... My mother grabbed the poker, my father grabbed the corner... Strike, O God, strike!

There was an old woman. This woman had two goats. She would milk these goats and churn the milk in a butter churn. The butter she made, she would press into a *külek* (a wooden tub for butter). She would hide this tub behind the door.

One day, a fox came and ate some of the butter. One day, two days, and the fox got addicted to the butter. It kept eating until it finished it all. The old woman looked and saw that there was no butter left in the large tub...

She thought: "I wonder who ate this?"

She took a broken sickle in her hand and hid behind the door. And what did she see but the fox swaggering in? As the fox stuck its head into the tub, the old woman cut off its tail. The fox ran toward the mountains, crying out in pain. When his friends saw him, they mocked him: "Hey, what happened? Tailless fox, tailless fox!"

This deeply hurt the fox. He came to the old woman's side.

"Give me my tail back so I can go," he demanded.

The old woman replied: "Go, bring me three eggs from the hen, and I will give you your tail."

The fox went to the hen's side: "Hen! Hen! Give me eggs, so I can give them to the old woman and get my tail back," he said.

The hen replied: "Go, bring me some wheat from the farmer, and I will give you eggs."

The fox went straight to the farmer. "Give me wheat! I will take the wheat to the hen, get the eggs. I will take those to the old woman so I can get my tail back," he said.

The farmer replied: "Go, bring me water from that fountain, and I will give you the wheat."

The fox arrived at the fountain. He asked: "Fountain! Fountain! Give me water!"

The fountain replied: "I will give you water if you bring me a girl who tells good tales."

The fox ran to the girls. "Girls! Girls! Come, tell a tale at the fountain so the fountain will give me water. I'll take this water to the farmer. I'll take the wheat from the farmer and give it to the hen. I'll take the eggs from the hen and give them to the old woman. I'll get my tail back and go," he said.

The girls replied: "Go to the shoemaker, buy us shoes so we can dance."

The fox went to the shoemaker. "Shoemaker! Shoemaker! Give me three pairs of shoes! I'll take them to the girls so they can wear them. The girls will tell a tale at the fountain. I'll get water from the fountain and give it to the farmer. I'll take the wheat from the farmer and give it to the hen. I'll take the eggs from the hen and give them to the old woman. I'll get my tail back and go," he said.

The shoemaker replied: "Go, bring me money, and I will give them to you."

The fox went to the jeweler. "Uncle! Uncle! Give me money," he said.

The jeweler said: "Fox! Tailless fox, what money?"

Just then, a customer arrived. The fox darted here and there and managed to steal one silver coin (akçe). He took it to the shoemaker and gave it to him. He took the shoes and put them on the girls. The girls came and told a tale at the fountain. He got the water from the fountain and took it to the farmer. He took the wheat from the farmer and took it to the hen. He took the eggs from the hen and took them to the old woman. The old woman gave the fox his tail back. As soon as the fox got his tail, he ran off to the mountains.