Jesper, Who Herded the Hares
Once upon a time, there was a king whose kingdom stretched as far as the eye could see, and he loved it very much. The king had a daughter and wanted her to marry a wise and clever man, who would one day become a good king for his people.
So he announced throughout his kingdom and all the surrounding kingdoms that whoever wished to marry the princess must fulfill two conditions. One: he must bring the king a collection of the finest pearls ever seen. And two: he must complete some special tasks that the king would give him.
Soon, sons of nobles, princes, sons of merchants, came in great numbers to the palace. Most brought a collection of the finest pearls ever seen. But none of them managed to fulfill any of the tasks given by the king. All were forced to return without even seeing the princess.
Soon, the number of potential suitors dwindled, and the king began to worry.
— Is the world so wide, and yet no good suitor for our daughter? All are either pretentious, or scatterbrained, or lazy. What will happen to our daughter and the kingdom when we are no more? — Don't worry, my dear. There must be someone in this world clever enough to solve the tasks I give them.
The Fisherman and the Pearls
It so happened that by the sea, in his kingdom, lived a fisherman with his two sons, Paul and Jesper. Paul was the elder, lazy and arrogant, while Jesper was clever, hardworking, and kind.
— Paul, wake up! You're still in bed, and look how Jesper has already cast the fishing nets and prepared the boat. — Father, if you think I'm lazy and useless, why do you ask me to do this? Let Jesper do it!
That day, the fisherman was very lucky. In his net, he caught 20 oysters, and when he opened them, he discovered to his great surprise that each oyster contained a pearl as bright as the night stars. These were the most beautiful pearls in the whole world.
He went home and showed the pearls to his sons.
— 20 pearls, sparkling like the night stars. — Father, now that we have the pearls, why don't we try going to the palace to see if we can win the princess's heart? — I will divide the pearls equally between the two of you. And first Paul, then Jesper, you will go to the palace.
Paul and His Attempt
So Paul set off with his pearls the next morning. He was walking through the forest when suddenly, he heard a voice.
— Hero, will you help us?
Paul looked around and saw a small ant climbing on his hand.
— Hello! Here, on your arm! Can you help us, please? The beetles are trying to usurp our home. We must defend it, but we need help, otherwise we will be conquered. Please help us! We might be useful to you one day! — How can an ant be useful to a man? Get out of here! I have better things to do than waste my time arguing with you.
And Paul went on his way. A little later, he met an old woman.
— Hello, young man! What are you carrying so carefully? — I'm carrying some ash. Do you want some? — Ash, seriously? Fine! But do you have any bread? I am very hungry, and wherever you go, you will surely have lunch there. — I told you, I'm only carrying ash. Now leave! I have more important things to do than chat with a nosy old woman.
The Pearls Turn to Ash
Paul arrived at the palace and showed the pearls to the king and his jewelers.
— Your Majesty, I have never seen brighter pearls! — Yes, they look extraordinary! But what is this? What's happening? — The pearls have turned to ash! Have you brought false pearls before the king? How dare you? — Young man! I am disappointed that a man like you lives in my kingdom and breathes its air. Now leave here and never appear before me again! Leave before I throw you into the dungeon forever!
Paul fled from the palace as fast as he could. He reached home and collapsed into bed. It was clear to the fisherman and Jesper that Paul had failed.
— Jesper, it seems it's your turn to try now.
Jesper and the Ants' Help
So, the next morning, Jesper set off for the palace. On his way, as he walked through the forest, he heard a voice.
— Can you help us, please? — Who is it? Whose voice do I hear? — Look here, on your arm! I am the king of the ants. The beetles have come to take our home where we have lived for years, and we are fighting them now to defend it. But yesterday we suffered so many losses that we will not be able to defeat them without help. Will you help us, please? — Well, it's not right to take someone's home. Of course, I'll help you. Take me to the king of the beetles.
— Oh, king of the beetles! As you can see, I am bigger than you, and so is my strength. With a single kick of my boot, I can eliminate half of your army. The king of the ants is my friend, and what you are doing to him and his people is wrong. So, do you want me to use my boot, or will you leave the ants in peace and never harm them again? — I promise to leave the ants in peace. — That won't be necessary. Army, retreat! — Thank you very much for your help! — No problem. After all, no one should be allowed to treat others unfairly. — As a sign of our gratitude for your help, great Jesper, I give you my solemn word that whenever you need my help, all you have to do is shout: "King of the Ants!" And I and my people will appear. We can come anywhere, from anywhere. — Thank you very much, Your Majesty. I will remember that.
Jesper and the Old Woman with the Whistle
Jesper walked on, and later he met the old woman.
— Hello, young man! — Good day, madam! What a beautiful day, isn't it? — What are you carrying so carefully there? — They are pearls for the king. I'm going to the palace to meet him and try to win the princess's heart. — Giving the king pearls is easy, but fulfilling the tasks will be difficult. Do you have any bread with you? I'm a bit hungry, and you will be offered a rich meal at the palace. — Of course. The town isn't far. Please, help yourself.
— Take this! In exchange for your generosity, take this whistle. It may not seem like much now, but when you blow it, anything you wish will return to you. — That's an extraordinary gift! Thank you, madam.
First Task: Separating the Grains
Soon, Jesper arrived at the palace and presented the pearls to the king. The jewelers and courtiers were delighted.
— I have never seen such pearls before! With every moment, their sparkle seems to grow, Your Majesty! — Yes, they are wonderful! Where did you get the pearls, young man? — My father caught the oysters in his fishing net, sire. — Fishing net? Your father is a fisherman, then? — Oh, yes, Your Majesty. He is a fisherman. He feeds the kingdom with the fish he catches. My father works hard, and I am proud of him. — Indeed, young man! Your father does great work! Very good. Rest now, and tomorrow your tests will begin.
So, the next day, the king called Jesper and led him to a barn with a huge pile of mixed grains.
— As you can see, five types of grains have been mixed in this pile. If you can separate them all into five small piles by sunset, you will move on to the second task tomorrow. But if even one grain is in the wrong pile, you will go home. — As you wish, sire. I will do my best.
So the king locked Jesper in the barn so he could not receive any help and left him alone to complete the impossible task. Jesper struggled for about an hour but quickly realized that this task would be too difficult to complete in the time he had.
— Oh, what shall I do now? Each grain is smaller than an ant, and I have to... Wait a minute! The ants! The King of the Ants! He said I could call him anytime I needed help. Well, now's the time! Your Majesty, King of the Ants! — Here I am, my friend! Tell me, what can we do for you? — You came! — I told you we would come from anywhere, anywhere.
Jesper told the King of the Ants everything about the impossible task.
— Why don't you go to a corner and rest? My people and I will finish the job in a flash.
So the King of the Ants and his people finished sorting the grains into five different sacks, so that when the king arrived at the appointed hour, he was surprised to see that Jesper had not only completed the task but had also had time to get some sleep.
— Jesper! How did you separate all the grains? You did very well! But tomorrow you will receive another task.
Second Task: Gathering the Rabbits
The next day, the king called Jesper to a meadow.
— Jesper, I had my hunters catch 100 rabbits just for this test. You will have to take care of them. They will be free to eat in the meadow all day, and in the evening, an hour before sunset, you will have to return to the palace with absolutely all of them. If even one of them is missing, it means you have failed the test and will go home. — I will do my best, Your Majesty.
Jesper knew the task was impossible. Who could control 100 rabbits that could run anywhere in the meadow or beyond the forest? And why would they return to Jesper when they had been released from the king's cages? As soon as they were released, the rabbits ran in all directions, and none could be seen.
Jesper knew he had no chance of success when he put his hand in his pocket, as he usually did, and there he found the whistle the old woman from the forest had given him. He blew it, and all the rabbits immediately returned to him. So, when it was time to return to the palace, using the whistle, Jesper managed to return with all 100 rabbits.
— 100 rabbits, sire! I can't believe it! You are indeed clever. You have accomplished impossible tasks. Well done! — Actually, sire, I didn't truly pass the tests on my own. I had help.
Jesper's Wisdom and Generosity
Jesper told the king everything about the help he received from the King of the Ants and the whistle the old woman in the forest had given him.
— You see, sire, I had help. I did not complete the tasks alone. — Well, for me, you have passed the tests, my son. For you received help only in exchange for your wisdom and generosity. You will be a good ruler for my kingdom. — But does the princess want to marry me, sire? — Yes! You are a wise, kind, and clever man, Jesper! I will marry you!
And so Jesper and the princess were married with great pomp and lived happily ever after.
The moral of the story is that kindness, generosity, and wisdom are far more valuable qualities than wealth or power, and they can bring you help and success in the most unexpected moments.
