Bryan Perro - The Mask wearer

Hearing these last words, Beorf began to cry.

“You see, ssss, we’re alike,” the naga went on. “We’re both victims of humans and we must join forces, ssss, against this powerful enemy. Can you imagine, ssss, the bear and the snake united in the humanimals’ revenge! Side with me and I will be your new, ssss, father.”

Having regained some assurance, Beorf looked Karmakas straight in the eyes. “It’s true that my parents were killed by humans,” he said. “It’s also true that humans are sometimes stupid and refuse to accept the things they don’t understand. But my father told me many tales about humanimals, and he always said to be wary of snake-men. He claimed that it was because of them, because of their lies and thirst for power, that humans started to persecute humanimals. I had a father and he’s dead now. I need no one else to take his place. All you want is to pacify me and gain my trust to get your pendant back. Beorites may not be as intelligent as nagas, but we know to distinguish between good and evil. The pendant is hidden and you’ll never get your hands on it!”

The magician clenched his teeth and tightened his muscles. “I’ll find a way, ssss, to make you talk, you insolent bear.” He rose on his huge tail and shouted, “You just signed, ssss, your death sentence!”

An old man was seated on a bench.

“Once upon a time, long ago,” he started to tell the children who surrounded him, “there was a young boy named Junos. He lived with his mother in a small cabin in the forest. This boy didn’t have the slightest talent for anything. He was a little soft in the head, and his mother didn’t know what to do with him. His father had died many years before, and the poor woman had to take care of everything. From the cooking to the washing to working in the fields, she did all she could to ensure her survival and that of her good-for-nothing son. Junos spent his days smelling the flowers, strolling in the fields, and chasing butterflies. One day, as he watched his mother hard at work, he told her, ‘Mother, I’m going to town to find a job. With the money I earn, you’ll be able to rest.’ His mother answered him, ‘But, Junos, you’re hopeless with your ten fingers, and you always do stupid things.’ The boy told her, ‘Just wait and see. I’ll show you what I can do, Mother.’ ”

The storyteller had the children’s rapt attention. Amos, who was passing by, stopped to hear the end of the story.

“Junos left for the city. He stopped at every farmhouse and at every craftsperson’s shop along the way. He asked everyone for work, but each time someone asked him what he was capable of doing, Junos answered honestly, ‘I can do nothing.’ Of course, upon hearing this, nobody wanted to hire him! At the last farmhouse where he inquired about a job, Junos thought of his mother and how she often reproached him for doing any old thing. When the farmer asked him what he could do, Junos told the truth: ‘Sir, I can do any old thing!’ He was hired on the spot.”

In the small town square, the old man had attracted more and more curious listeners. Several grown-ups were waiting with interest for the end of the tale.

“The whole day, Junos and the farmer spent their time splitting wood and weeding the vegetable garden. In the evening, as a reward for his labor, Junos was given a nice coin. On his way back home, happy with his first day’s work, Junos played at tossing the coin in the air and catching it on the fly. A clumsy throw made the coin fall into the stream that ran along the path. Saddened, Junos went home and told his mother of his bad luck.

“She told him, ‘Next time, Junos, take what the farmer gives you and put it immediately in your pocket. That way, you won’t lose the reward you earned for your work.’

“Junos promised to do what his mother suggested, and the next day, he went back to the farmhouse. This time he took care of the cows. To thank him for his work, the farmer gave him a bucketful of fresh milk.

“Junos did exactly what his mother had told him to do. He emptied the content of the bucket into his pocket to be sure not to lose it. He was drenched when he reached home. He even had milk in his shoes.

“His mother contained her anger as she listened to his story and told him, ‘You must always keep what the farmer gives you in its container, do you understand this, my boy?’

“Junos agreed and the next day, after his day’s work, he received a slab of butter. So that the butter would not melt in the sun, the farmer asked Junos for his hat and put the butter inside for protection. The boy put the hat on his head and ran home as fast as he could. The heat of his head melted the butter and it dripped down his hair and face in a yellow mess.”

The old storyteller now had a large crowd around him. Everyone seemed to enjoy listening to the tale of this stupid boy. The storyteller was entertaining: he acted out each of the characters and mimicked their expressions. His listeners were enthralled.

“When Junos finished his explanation about the butter, his mother told him, ‘You were right to leave the butter in your hat, but you should not have put the hat back on your head! Now take this bag, where you’ll put what the farmer gives you. You will carry it on your way home. Do you understand, Junos?’ The boy answered that he understood.

“Near the farm where he worked, there was a lovely castle. Junos admired it each time he passed by, and he dreamed of making enough money to be able to live there one day. He also noticed that a young girl always stood on one of the castle’s magnificent balconies and that she cried all the time. Junos wondered what made her so sad but he didn’t concern himself over it.

“At the end of the next day, the farmer gave him a donkey. Having no need for Junos’s services any longer, the farmer gave him this generous gift to thank him for all the work he had done for him. The boy accepted the animal with joy. As recommended by his mother, he tried to put the farmer’s gift in the bag, first one of the donkey’s front legs, then the other. But he soon realized that the bag was much too small to fit the whole animal in.

“Junos thought of a solution: he put the bag over the donkey’s head, squatted, and slipped under the animal. He was going to carry it on his back. He wanted his mother to be proud of him, and for once he was going to do things right. With the bag over his head, the donkey started to struggle and bray. Junos stretched his body up with difficulty, and when he finally managed to lift the animal off the ground, they soon toppled into the dust.

“As Junos tried for a second time to put the animal over his back, he saw a man approach him. It was the king who lived in the nearby castle. He greeted Junos, introduced himself courteously, and confided that his daughter had been crying for years. He had promised her hand to whoever could make her smile. From her balcony, the princess had observed Junos and the donkey. Seeing him struggle with the beast had started her laughing, and now she couldn’t stop. And so Junos married the princess, became king, and lived in the castle with his mother. Dear friends, therein lies the proof that to become king, the only requirement is the ability to do nothing or to do any old thing!”

Greeted by thunderous applause, the storyteller saluted his audience and went around with his hat. He received a few coins, and the people who were coming from the market gave him some bread, vegetables, and eggs. He was even handed a sausage. Amos was about to leave when the storyteller called after him.

“You listened to my story, young man, yet you don’t give me anything?”

“I regret that I don’t have much myself, sir,” Amos answered. “I am looking for my parents and I’ve come from far away. Your story deserves more than my applause, but unfortunately that’s all I can offer you.”