TODAY WEALTHY - TOMORROW POOR

Many years ago lived a very rich man. His property extended beyond the eye could see. The rich man had only one son whom he loved and looked after. When the kid grew up his father sent him to school. After a few years the father got very ill and always laid in bed.
One day when the old man felt that the end of his life was coming near, he called his son and said to him:
- As you see my son, soon I will close my eyes and die. That will be the last time that we will see each other. Listen carefully, I live you this much money, goods, fields, vineyards, gardens, houses. All I have will become yours. I only ask for one thing?
"Open your eyes and work with your mind, from one make two and spread my honourable name. If you start drinking, making sins and lying you will quickly lose your wealth. Then the only thing left for you will be to throw a rope and hang yourself on the tallest tree in the garden, because the world will joke with you"
Soon after that, his father died. The son with deep sorrow buried his father. On the funeral gathered old and young, male and female a chain of people.
After some time the son forgot his fathers words. He got involved with the wrong people. He started drinking, gave up work and went towards the wrong way.
In about two - three years he sold all of his property, ate and drunk all his money with his friends. He quickly became poor and the world started to laugh at him. The only thing he had left was his house and garden. One day when he didn't have anything to eat, he sent a message to his friends to give him a little loan. His friends did not send him anything, so he decided to go and beg them. His friends made jokes with him and said:
- Get away from us. You should be ashamed. Your father left you all his wealth and you wasted it. Your head deserves that silly looking hat.
Step by step the poor man went home.
One morning, when he could not handle the laughs by the people, he took a rope and headed towards the garden. He decided to do what his father once said. He stood underneath the tallest tree, threw the rope over the thickest branch and put a wooden basket underneath his feet. He stepped onto the basket and put his head through the knot. When he kicked the basket with his feet to hang himself, the branch split from the tree and he was left alive.
Amazed, he looked up and saw that the tree was hollow. When he looked up carefully, he noticed that the trunk was full with precious diamonds and gold.
Then he thought: "My father knew that I will go towards the wrong way. That's why he hid all this fortune and told me to hang my self exactly here, but now I know what to do. I will start working and make him proud".
The son went in the house to take an axe. He chopped down the tree and carefully gathered the gold and precious diamonds in a bag. After he carefully through what to do he decided to be a trades person. He turned his back on his older friends and started to be honest in his work. He travelled through the whole world by trading. After many years of hard work he got back his fathers wealth. Once again his and his father's names were spoken amongst the people proudly.

THE LOST DONKEY

One day one villager lost his donkey. He looks for him everywhere but he couldn't find him. Feeling very miserable for that he promised to himself that if he find the donkey he'll sell it for one copper penny. In the next few days he was trying to find his donkey in the remote villages, in the mountains and at last he found him in the mountain village peacefully grazing grass. Looking at the donkey he reminded the promise that he made about selling the donkey. He took him to the cattle-market but he didn't want to sell the strong animal only for a penny and he used one of his prudence's. He put a saddle on the donkey's back, took a place in one corner of the market and started yelling as loud as possible, Come on people, come here to see" I'm selling valuable and strong donkey' Only to know: I'm selling him for copper penny, but his saddle costs one hundred copper pence. Who wants to buy the donkey he must buy it with a saddle. Come on people, come on"-the villager was yelling, Who will be the lucky man?"For a little while, some villager from a village far away from there bought the donkey for a price which the owner wants. In that way the donkey was sold and his owner earned a lot of money keeping his word of honour.

THE BUILDER WHO PUSHED THE CHIMNEY

One builder was building a chimney to one man. When he was finishing with the work he saw that the chimney was going to fall because he didn't build it right. For that reason he put his back close to the chimney trying to hold it but he knew that it was only buying of time. Then he started shouting at the man who hired him to do that kind of work , Hey, Mister come here on the roof to pay me for my work or I'll push the chimney down. The land lord answered that he was going to pay him only If he got down from the roof. No, no come here with the money or I'd do what I told you to said the builder hiding his disgrace. The land-lord begged him to get down, cursed him and at the same time promised to pay him even more from the agreement they made before but the builder didn't want to hear those proposals and to get down the roof. When the builder felt that he couldn't hold the chimney anymore, he took off his back and the chimney fall. When the man who hired him saw that he shouted and cursed the builder, Why did you do that, not to see anything good in your life stupid man? Didn't I told you to give me the money arranged for my work here on the roof the builder angrily answered , I made the chimney and I pushed it he added. Sometimes the lie hides the embarrassment from bad done work. All that the same builder told to his colleagues when they met in the bar for a drink or two. The end

THE PEASANT, THE WOLF AND THE LAMB

In one mountain village in Mariovo(rural part of Macedonia) one wolf was slaughtering large number of sheeps from the local villagers. The wolf caused big loses in cattle especially to one of the peasants herb by coming and slaughtering two or three sheeps everyday. The peasant was very annoyed and he was planning the trap for the bad wolf. At last he decided to dig a hole and to cover it with boughs and fallen leaves. When he was finishing with digging as a spice to his trap, he put one of his lambs inside the hole. During the night the lamb was bleating, in some way inviting the hungry wolf for a dinner. The wolf came and trying to catch the lamb stepped on those tree boughs and fell into the hole. Hearing the sound from his cottage the angry peasant ran to see what happened but due to his misfortune slipped out and fell in the same hole with the lamb and the wolf. The lamb was terrified to see the wolf so close and started bleating BEE-BEE. The peasant trying to save his own neck eagerly told to the lamb: Stop crying BEE-BEE, it is already known that Mr. Wolf fell in this hole trying to have a meal from you isn't that so Mr.Wolf?!!

TO RIDE ON A DONKEY YOU ARE LOOKING FOR

One woodcutter took ten donkeys and went to pick some woods from the near forest. When he put the donkeys in front of him and count them- they were ten. After that he rode one of the donkeys and he heat the other donkeys before him. Then he count them again to check if they are exactly ten. He was counting and counting but they were nine because he didn't count the donkey he was riding to. He started to worry because he thought that he had lost one of the donkeys during the way. The poor man was worried and he wondered where he could lost one of the donkeys. He alight from the donkey and start looking for him. He counted them again and they were exactly ten. He calm down because the donkey was found, rode his donkey again and heat the others before him. After he rode again, he said to himself: ,,Why not to count them again?" He was counting and counting but one was missing again-there were nine donkeys. He alight again and started to count : they were ten . He did that several times, got on and count them - they were nine, got down-they were ten and never crossed his mind to count the donkey he was riding on. At the end he got the idea why was all that about so he said to himself, What a jerk I was"-to ride a donkey I 'am looking for!"

LEGEND FOR THE BATS

There is a belief that mice were created first, but when they have eaten a sacrament at a church, they have got wings to fly. To torture them for a sin that they have made, Lord takes their eyesight during the day light. He decided to give them sight only at night and to order them to live in empty and old places. For that reason, so far, bats are living at empty and old places and they are looking only at night.

LAZINESS BRINGS HUNGER

In one house has lived one grandmother,father, mother and daughter. They were very poor. In a summer when the grain was ready to reap, father said to them to go to collect the grain. A mother who was lazy didn't want to go to the fields and she said: "We don't need a grain. A grandmother will die, a girl will get married, our dog will die too. Then who will eat? We don't need a grain". For a while winter come and there was no grain. A granny didn't die, a daughter didn't get married and dog didn't die. They didn't have what to eat. Daughter went out and she saw only a snow. She said: "Mother, there is only a snow out there". Mother thought that they will found some grain, but there was only a snow. They were looking for a grain at winter, when they didn't have what to eat, and they starved. Who doesn't want to reap at summer, at winter will starve.

WHO HAS STOLEN THE HAY HAS A FLY ON HIS HAT

Long time ago one man has a lot of hay, but the other man has stolen from him. The owner of the hay knew that someone stole from him, but he didn't know who was it. One day he joined himself to one group of people. They were speaking about that thievery and he wants to see who 's been a thief. Then he said: "Now I will found who is a thief. A man who stole a hay from me, have had a fly on his hat". As soon as he said that one man has started to wave with his hands on his hat, trying to chase out a fly from his hat. He didn't know that that was just a trick for finding a thief. The owner has seen that and he said: "Now I saw who was stealing from me" - and he caught him.

A CHILD WHO DOESN'T KNOW WHAT'S FEAR

Ones upon a time there was one child. When he grow up, he start to go to the school. There he was fighting with the other children and his mother said to him: -"My son, don't you scare of your teacher because you are fighting with a children?" The child said: "Mother what's fear? Tell me". -"Here is your bag. Go to the mountains and you will found what's fear"-the mother told to him.The child took his bag and went to the mountains. He was going and going and at last he found one old man who was cooking the rice in a cauldron with twelve handle twelve dragons around him. The child said to the old man: "Grandfather! Give me some rice to eat". -"Arise the cauldron and take some rice, then put it back" -the old man said. The child do that and the old man was astonished. He told that to the dragons and they want to eat the child, but the child said to them: "Tell me where could I find the fear?" -"Go to that tomb, made a dinner for you,and you will find the fear"-the dragons said. A child went to the tomb and he made a dinner. From the tomb an arm came out and she told to the child: "Give me your dinner". -"This is my dinner and I'm not planning to share it with you"- the child said. This hand from the grave wanted to take his dinner but the child caught it and start to pull the arm and a fairy come from the tomb. She begged the child not to kill her and she promised a gold for him. The child went to the dragons and he told them what did he see. Then he asked them again to tell him what the fear is, and he threatened to the dragons that he will kill them if they don't tell him. The dragons told to the child: "Go to the castle. There you will found the fear". The child went to the castle. There the other fairy came out from the darkness. The child start to beat her and she begged him to stop. She promised a lot of diamonds to him and the child stopped beating her. Then he went to the dragons again and he told them what did he do. The dragons told to him to go to one boat and there he would see what the fear is". They went together. The dragons were frightened and they hide themselves. The child stayed alone. At the boat lives one dragon which was eating one man for a day. The child beat him too and a fairy came again. She promised him bracelet. The child give a bracelet to one man. For a few days he want's to take a bracelet back but the man didn't want to return it. The child went to the court and a judge said to him to bring the fairy who give him that bracelet. The child went to the castle. There were all tree fairies and they were speaking about him. The child came in and they gave him a lot of gold and diamonds. Then the child caught that fairy which gave him the bracelet to show her to the judge who was very scarred when he saw her as a dragon.He ordered the man who took the bracelet to return it to to the child and he sent him to prison too.The child released the fairy ,went to his mother home and lived happily ever after.

A GIRL AND TWELVE MONTHS

One woman had two daughters. One of them was her real daughter and she was a stepmother to the other. She liked her real daughter but she hated the other one. This girl was very healthy, strong and beautiful and her real daughter was sickly. A mother can't stand that and she hated the other girl more and more. One evening she sent her to bring some water from the spring, which was far away from the town. Near the spring was a tree where some witches were living. She hopes that they will kill her. A poor girl went there and when she came, she saw eleven men and one old woman. Men were old and young, short and long but one was shortest. One woman was March and the other was the other months. The shortest was February. When a girl saw them she was frightened but she told to them: -"Good evening. What are you doing? How are you? -"Good bless you child"- the months said. "What are you doing here in this time? Aren't you scared?" -"I'm scared but my mother sent me and I had to come"- a girl said. -"Might overcome right. But tell us which months are the worst of all? - March asked. -"Oh granny, all months are nice. There is no bad month"- a girl said. -"Go now daughter and be blessed. Always when you will say a word a gold coin will fall from your mouth". A girl took some water and she went home. When her stepmother saw her she became angry because she came home alive and she asked her something. Then a gold coin fell from girl's mouth. That was a shock for her stepmother. -"What's this? Tell me how can you pull out a gold from your mouth? If you don't tell me I will kill you!"- A mother was yelling. A poor girl told her all and the other day she took her real daughter there. -"Come on my child. I will take you there. You must be blessed from the months" - a mother said to her real daughter. A girl went there and she found the months. They asked her which months are bad. She said: -"You know that, a small child knows that too. December, January, February and March are bad. The other are bad too but we can't change that". -"Be blessed child. Always when you will say a word a snake will come from your mouth"- a months blessed her. A girl came home; she said something and a snake come from her mouth. -"What are you doing girl? Why are you pulling out a snake from your mouth? It's shame. What we will do now?"- A mother was crying. Then she started to hate the other girl more and more, but she can't do anything to her because Lord blessed her. Next day their brother comes home and when he found out what did his mother do he was very angry and he said: "THE DEED COMES BACK UPON THE DOER".

A KING'S DAUGHTER - DRAGON

Once upon a time there was a king who had nine sons but he didn't have daughter. He apply to Lord to gave him a girl but there was no help. When he became old he started to apply to a devil for fullfilment of his wish. After a year a girl was born. When she was four years old some sheeps started to disapear. A king told to his sons to find out what's happening and they were watching all day and night. They couldn't find what's the trouble. Then the youngest come and he saw his sister who was a dragon how she was taking and eating a sheep. He asked her what was she doing but she told to him to be silent if he didn't want to be eaten. Then they went home together. There they saw that they have three new little dogs. A dragon - sister told to her youngest brother to take the dogs and to run away if he want to survive. He went far away and he got married there. After long time he wanted to go home to see his family. He told to his wife to take care for the dogs and to let them when they will start to yelp because they will save him. When he was near to his father's kingdom he felt that his sister was eaten them all. He went to one place to look to the town but she saw him and invited him to come home. There she told to him that all people were dead because of plague. She tied him a bell to hear where he was, but her brother was wise and he tied the same bell to one mouse and he run away. A mouse was hidden in a hole and a dragon thinks that her brother became a mouse. She wants to catch him and then she found out that that's not her brother. She started to run and she want's to catch his brother but he climbed at a tree and he started to call his dogs to help him. The dogs were closed and his wife wasn't at home but they broke the door and they went to help to their owner. They came there at the last minute and they killed the dragon sister, saving with that her brother and their closest friend from her jaws.

A CROW - BRIDE FOR A PRINCE

It was a woman who couldn't bear a child. She applies to Lord in her prayers for a long time and the Lord give her a child - one crow. The crow was cleaning the house with her beak all the time. Once there were dirty clothes for washing and the mother was sick. The crow started to wash. The door was opened and the prince was passing by and he saw her. He sends the matchmaker for her. The crow's mother said: "I don't have a girl. I have just the crow". The matchmaker saw her how she was cleaning the house with her beak. He went to the prince and said to him: "there is no girl there but just a crow that is cleaning with her beak". -"I don't care if she is a crow. I like her"- the prince said. Next day they went to take her for a bride and they took her with a coach. She flew and she climbed over the coach. They took her at the prince home. When the wedding reception finished she start to work at a house but secretly. The prince was wondering how she could do all that. One day he hides himself and he saw her how she was working. Then the other king invited them to attend at his wedding. His brothers went with his wives, and prince went with his mother. The crow threw her feathers, dressed up and she became beautiful princess. She said to the servants to bring her a coach, she went to the wedding and there she took a seat near by her mother in low. The prince knew that that was his wife and he went home to throw her feathers in the fire. She felt the smell of the burned feathers and she told to her mother in low: "I'm your daughter in low who was a crow". Since then they were leaving happily ever after.

A MAN WHO HELPED ANOTHER MAN TO PULL OUT HIS CAR STUCKED IN MUD

One man was going to the town and on a way he found the other man who was trying to take out his car, which was decay into a mud. He couldn't do that alone because a car was heavy. When he saw the other man he started to beg for a help. The other man didn't like to help him because he thinks that he will be late to go home. He always wants to come home before dinner. A man begged and begged but he didn't want to help. He went but then he changed his mind and came back to help him. -"I change my mind and I come back to help you but let's do that rapidly because I want to go home during the day light. I don't want to travel by a night"- he told to the man. They start to work and they take out a car for a two hours. He blessed him and they went together to the nearest village. Then got dark and they had to sleep in some fields. The other man was very sad because he had to sleep away from his home and he was sorry for giving a help to the man in trouble. -"I shouldn't help him" - he was thinking all night. Early at morning he went home and there he saw that his house was burnt down. There was a fire previous night. Then he became more sorry for helping to that man and for that he didn't sleep at home. He thinks that if he was at home he would stop the fire and a house would not burned down. His wife heard that and she said: -"Don't say that my husband. Don't be sorry for helping to that man. It was good for you because you wasn't sleep home previous night because a thunder hit our house and he hit right to the place where are you sleeping. If you were home he will kill you. Now you must thanks to the Lord because he told you to help to the man and to sleep in the fields. You are alive because you decide to help him. Don't worry for the house. We will make better one". When he heard those words he accepted that and he thanked to the Lord for giving him more life. After few days he started to make new house and when he started with digging he found a gold which his parents buried long time ago. Then he told to himself: -"For a little good I made for that man I became luckiest man and I become very rich too. So every one should make good thinks to the others because Lord is watching us".

FAIRY - BRIDE

When one boy was born fortune-tellers said that he is going to take a fairy for a bride. He grew up and he became a men but he couldn't get married. He was looking for a bride in his country but he couldn't find a girl to live with. Then he went to the town to look there but nothing again. He went out of his country in a search for a wife and at one bridge he met one old man. That old man had a purse full with money and he told to the boy: -"Who will take this purse will be sorry, but if he don't take it, he will be sorry too". The boy took the money and the old man said: -"Son, buy a cow, slain her, take her skin out and dress her skin. Then three eagles will come and they will take you to one place. There is your luck". The boy did that and really three eagles came and they took him away. Then he came out from the skin and he went in one hole, which was near. There were stone stairs. He got down by the stairs and he came to some other world. There was a granny. She asked him: -"Where are you coming from my son?" He told her how it was. Then a granny said: -"I will go to take some water. Don't touch the crates". But the boy can't uphold and he opened one of the crates and there was a girl - very nice one, fairy. Then a granny came and she said: -"Son. Now you must eat. After that take that girl and go with her in your world. She must be your bride. A fortune-tellers told that to you". The boy wondered how they would go to the upper world, but a granny said that one old eagle would take them up there. Before they went a granny told to the boy to hide her fairy clothes because if she dresses those clothes again she will escape from him. They went home, made a big wedding and they lived happy. After three years the fairy-bride had born a baby boy. At the baby's baptism she begs her husband to wear her fairy clothes for the last time. A godfather said: - "Give it to her". He gave her a clothes but he made a mistake. When a fairy dressed her clothes she run away in the clouds.