Dennis the Silly Boy
Once upon a time, there was a little boy named Dennis. Everyone called him the Silly Boy because, well, why don't you find out for yourselves.
Dennis lived with his mother in a beautiful house, with a yard, a vegetable garden, a chicken coop, and a cellar.
An Ordinary Day at Home
One day, his mother had to go shopping and told him:
— I'll be gone for an hour or two, son. Now, the hen is sitting on her egg. Make sure no one goes near her. Keep the house tidy.
— Don't worry, Mom, the house is in good hands.
So, after his mother left, he went into the yard to guard the hen. However, tired from brooding, the hen got up to stretch her legs before returning to her egg.
This made Dennis very angry. He grabbed a stick and shouted:
— Oh, you silly old hen, get back on your eggs! — Cluck, cluck-cluck!
The Hen Runs Away and the Egg Breaks
Annoyed, Dennis stomped his foot, which scared the hen, and she immediately ran away.
— Cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck!
— Oh, the silly hen ran away! Who will sit on the egg now? Well, I'll have to do something about this.
So, he sat on the egg and broke it. Getting up with his pants sticky with yolk, Dennis told himself:
— Oh, no! Mom will scold me terribly!
A Surprise for Mom
— But to make it up to her, I'll prepare a surprise. I'll cook her lunch!
He took a canned fish from the fridge and put it in the pan to fry.
— Mmm! Mom loves fried fish with a little wine. Yes, that's what I need to season it.
She'll be very pleased... Oh, what was that? A loud noise came from the kitchen, and Dennis immediately ran there, forgetting to turn off the barrel tap.
— Hey, you thief! Put that fish down!
He grabbed a rolling pin and started chasing the cat, who, scared as she was, held the fried fish tightly in her mouth as she ran from room to room. The two of them knocked over cupboards, tables, chairs, and broke flower vases, pots, plates, and glasses.
The destruction stopped when the cat dropped the fish, jumped out the window, and disappeared. Dennis picked it up from the floor, put it on the table, and said:
— Now I'll go get the wine.
The Cellar Disaster
— Oh dear, what do I do now? I'll have to clean everything, but how? I could go to the yard and bring some bags of sand to spread on the cellar floor.
— But that's too much work. I'd better think of something else. Well, yes, I've got it!
The Clever Flour Plan
Dennis took one of the bags from the table, opened it, and started scattering all the flour from the bag.
— Wonderful! The flour will soak up the wine, and I'll be able to walk through the cellar without getting my feet wet. Am I the smartest or what? Ha ha ha!
And just like that, in a flash, he had spilled one, then five bags of good flour on the floor. In the end, the floor was covered in a soft, sticky, wine-colored paste, and walking on it, it stuck to the soles of his feet.
The Red Footprints and Fear of Punishment
Dennis went to get the carafe he had filled and carried it back to the kitchen with great delight, leaving red shoe prints everywhere.
— Mom will be very pleased.
But then, thinking about all the mess he had made, he began to fear a scolding or even a punishment.
The Hiding Place and Mom's Task
— I think I only have one option: to hide from Mom so she can't punish me.
And that's what he did. An hour later, his mother returned. When she saw the overturned furniture, broken plates, and red footprints, she got angry and shouted:
— Dennis! What happened? Where are you? Answer me!
But she received no answer. Suddenly, she noticed two feet sticking out from behind the oven.
— It doesn't surprise me that you're hiding from me, Dennis, after making this mess. And even though I'm very angry with you, I hope you've learned your lesson. I'll clean up after you, so go to the market and try to sell this roll of fabric for a good price.
Relieved, Dennis came out, smiling shyly. With a raised eyebrow, she handed him a roll of fabric.
— Please, try to sell it. — Oh, I'll sell it. Leave it to me.
At the Market with the Fabric
When Dennis arrived at the market, he started shouting:
— Fabric! Who wants to buy this fabric?
— What kind of fabric is it? Is it soft? Is it durable? Is it expensive? How long is it? How much does it cost?
— Uh, you talk too much, and I don't sell to a loudmouth!
And he walked away. He passed a statue which he mistook for a handsome gentleman, so he asked it:
— Sir, would you like to buy this good fabric? Yes or no? If you don't say anything, it means you want it. Do you like it? Yes? All right, then I'll leave it with you.
Mr. Statue and the Hidden Treasure
So he left the fabric next to the statue and went home.
— Mom, Mom, I sold the fabric to a very well-dressed gentleman! — How much did he give you for it? — Oh, I forgot he was supposed to give me money! Don't worry, I'll go get it.
He ran back to the statue, but the fabric was gone.
— I see you've already taken the fabric home. Good, now give me the money!
Of course, the statue didn't answer.
— Sir, I need the money!
But the statue didn't answer, and Dennis, losing his patience, grabbed a stick and started hitting the statue on the head, and it broke off and fell. From the head fell a handful of gold coins, hidden there by who knows whom.
— Wow!
He picked up the coins, put the head back in place, and went home.
— Mom, look! — What? And who gave you so much money? — A very handsome gentleman. He didn't speak at all, and do you know where he kept his money? In his head!
The Truth Comes Out
— Dennis, listen. You lost our hen, broke the egg, flooded the cellar with wine, wasted five bags of flour, broke plates, bottles, vases, and glasses, and if you think you can take me for a fool too, you are sorely mistaken. Get out of here!
Grabbing the broom, she chased him out of the house.
— Don't let me see you until this evening! Go to the vegetable garden!
So, Dennis ran out of the house and started telling people that he had many gold coins. This attracted the attention of the magistrates who were looking for him.
— Where did you find those gold coins?
— A gentleman gave them to me, as payment for some fabric. — Which gentleman? — The gentleman who always stands at the intersection of Tree Street and Jasmine Road.
— But that's a statue.
— He didn't say his name, but maybe he's Mr. Statue. He kept his money in his head.
The magistrates stared at each other in astonishment.
— Tell us, Dennis, and when did you make this deal?
— On the day I tried to hatch the eggs because the hen had run away.
Again, the magistrates exchanged glances, now convinced that Dennis truly was silly.
— You may go home, young man. You are free.
The Moral of the Story
And so, Dennis went home and lived happily with his mother. A little silly, yes, but he never meant any harm to anyone, and that's all that matters.
