THE THREE EGGS

A CREOLE STORY

ONCE upon a time there was a negro and his wife who lived in a village on the shore of the Oyapok. They had a little girl who was much the prettiest child that ever was seen. Obedient, intelligent, loving her parents with all her soul, she was the joy and pride of her father and mother. The whole family lived on the produce of the little field of tapioca and potatoes which surrounded their hut.

When winter came, the torrents of rain caused the river to overflow, and when the waters retired, all the plain, for a great distance, was only a mass of gravel and stones. Poverty desolated the country. In the negro’s hut there was soon scarcely a morsel of cassava; the provision of potatoes diminished day by day. After having talked many times in a low voice over their sad condition, after having wept over it, the poor people resolved to go and leave their precious child to be lost in the forest.

One morning they started out. As they went along, the mother and her good man walked slowly, with great tears in their eyes; the little girl went in front gathering berries that she found in the bushes. Suddenly, not hearing her parents talking any longer, the child called,—

“Mamma! mamma!”

No reply. Alas, poor little one! you are lost in this thick forest! The more she tried to find her way, the more she went astray.

Night came; the foliage was so thick that she could not even see the moon or the stars to guide her. The ferocious beasts howled terribly. The child continued to walk on and on; her little feet were bleeding, her teeth chattered with fright, she was faint from hunger and fatigue. Soon, however, the trees became more scattered; a light shone in the distance. The child went in the direction of the light. At last she saw a cabin. She knocked at the door. “In the name of the good Virgin, open to me,” she cried.

The door opened, creaking. An old witch, all wrinkled, appeared on the threshold. “What do you want, my child?” said she, in a coarse voice.

“I am a poor little girl who has lost her parents in the great forest below there; I am afraid of being eaten up by the ferocious beasts; let me rest to-night in your house.”

The coarse voice answered,—

“Here, little one, raise your eyes. Do you see over the door those three large pumpkins? In order to be able to enter my house, you must catch them one by one on your head.”

“Ah, good mamma! if they fall on my head, surely they will crush me! I am so little, they are so big!”

“Then, my child, I will catch them for you.” Then the old witch began to sing in a melancholy tone,—

Then she leaned her poor old head forward and caught the three big pumpkins on it, one after the other. Each time, her body bent and her knees gave way.

As soon as the child came in, she asked for something to eat.

“Open this cupboard, little one; you will find two plates. In one there is some good meat and some good fish; in the other there are only bones and fish-bones. Put them in the fire, and when they are cooked, you can give me whichever one you choose.”

The little one lighted the fire, warmed the two plates, and gave the old witch the plate of meat and fish; she kept for herself the plate of bones and fish-bones.

When the dinner was over, the old witch put the child to bed.

“To-morrow,” said she, “when you are well rested, we will go and bathe in the river.”

Before going to sleep, the child kneeled down to pray, and thanked the little Jesus for having rescued her from the dark night and the wicked beasts.

As soon as it was day, the old witch and the child went to the river. When they had taken their bath, the old witch said to the child,—

“Little one, rub me all over my body to make me clean.”

The child then looked at the witch’s back; it was covered with razors, knives, pointed nails, pieces of broken glass. However, she did not hesitate to rub the witch’s back and her old limbs as well as she could. Soon her hands were all bloody. When the witch saw that, she cried,—

“You are a good little girl; you have taken pity on a poor old woman; give me your hands.”

The child held them to her; then she spat in her hands and said to her,—

“Now rub yourself.”

Immediately the wounds disappeared.

“Now, my child, you must set out to go back to your parents. Here are three eggs. When you encounter any obstacle along the way, you have only to break an egg, and the obstacle will disappear. I only charge you one thing: do not stop a moment, and if by chance, young people meet you, and pay you compliments, do not listen to them, and continue your journey without paying any attention to their fine speeches.”

Then the little one embraced the old witch, thanked her for her goodness, and departed. After having traveled a long time, she came to a large river. It was impossible to find a ford where she could cross it. Then she broke her first egg. A boat appeared upon the river. She began to sing,—

The boatman drew near, made her get into the boat, and put her across to the other side of the river.

“Thanks, good boatman, for your kindness.”

“Good luck to you, miss.”

She went on her way. She traveled and traveled, and found herself at last stopped by a great bare mountain.

“Mountain, open!” cried she, breaking her second egg.

The mountain opened; a beautiful road ran through it. Flowering shrubs bordered the road; in the green trees, loaded with fruit, birds of a thousand colors were singing. Suddenly joyous voices were heard; a party of young people drew near, dancing and laughing.

“Oh! what a beautiful little girl that is going along the road! see her beautiful hair,” said one. “Oh! what pretty little feet!” said another. “Come play with us, young lady; we will take you to our house; you shall be the absolute mistress of it, you shall do nothing all day long; we will work for you. You will only have to look at yourself in your mirror, comb your hair, and make yourself beautiful.”

But the little girl, remembering the counsels of the old witch, did not even turn her head.

“Leave me alone,” said she; “I have promised not to stop till I have found my parents again.”

Then she continued her journey and came to a plain. The mountain closed up behind her, and became, as before, barren and desolate. After having traveled a long time, the little girl came at last to a village. The people were in a great commotion; the queen had just died. As soon as the inhabitants saw the stranger, they surrounded her, and charmed with her beauty and grace, they proposed to her to choose her to replace the queen whom they had just lost. To all their entreaties she replied,—

“I can agree to reign over you only on one condition; that is, that you shall take my father and mother for your sovereigns as soon as I have found them. It is not right for the child to be above its parents.”

The people having accepted the condition, the child broke her third egg.

The egg was scarcely broken before the old negro and his wife were seen to arrive at the end of the village, all covered with tatters, thin, emaciated, and bent with grief and poverty. Seeing their daughter, whom they believed lost forever, they shed abundant tears, and were about to throw themselves at her feet to ask her pardon for having abandoned her. But she did not give them time for this, and throwing her arms around their necks, she embraced them tenderly. They were proclaimed sovereigns of the country and lived happily with their daughter ever after. They were good and charitable to the poor people, for they had been poor themselves.

The news of this adventure was quickly spread around. It reached the little village where the good little girl formerly lived. All their neighbors were delighted; only one negro and his wife became extremely jealous of them. These people had a wicked, cross-grained daughter, the very image of her mother.

“My daughter, I want you to be queen also; I will go and lose you in the forest. You are worth much more than that affected little thing; and when you are queen, you can send for me and your father also, so that we can pass the rest of our days in sleeping and doing nothing.”

Then they went into the forest and left their daughter there. Night came, and the ferocious beasts began to howl! Ah! truly, the child was much frightened, but, taking courage in the face of danger, she tried to get out of the forest. Then she saw the light in the old witch’s cabin. She went in that direction and came to the door.

“Open to me,” said she, thumping on it with all her might with her feet and her fists; “I do not want to spend the night out of doors.”

The coarse voice answered,—

“Do you see those three enormous pumpkins? In order to enter my house, you must catch them on your head.”

“Very well, catch them yourself, so I can come in.”

The witch, without saying anything, sang her song, and caught the pumpkins on her poor old head.

As soon as she had come in, the little girl called out,—

“I am hungry; give me something to eat.”

Then the old witch put two dishes on the fire; one of good meat and good fish, the other containing only bones and fish-bones. The child, without thanking her, took all that was good, and paid no attention as to what was left for the old woman.

When the morning came, they went to the river, and when she saw the witch’s back, she said,—

“What, do you think I am going to rub your old back? It is all full of broken glass and pieces of broken bottles.”

The witch dressed herself again, and when the time came to go away, she gave the child three eggs.

“My child, take my advice; do not stop on the way until you have found your parents; else some harm will happen. When you see any obstacle, or when you want anything, break one of the eggs, and you will be quite satisfied.”

Without even thanking the old witch, who had been so good, the child went on her way.

Having reached the river, the breaking of the first egg brought the boatman to her, and he put her across to the other shore. Then after that the mountain stopped her way; so she broke her second egg, and the mountain opened. A beautiful road bordered with flowers showed itself to her. She followed it. Then the young people approached.

“Beautiful child, will you come and play with us? You will find in our house mirrors in which you can see your whole figure. We will be your slaves; one who is as pretty as you are should not work, but live to do nothing and think of nothing but being amused.”

Blushing with pleasure and vanity, the child sprang towards the young people; but she had scarcely crossed the road bordered with flowers when the mountain closed up with a great noise and swallowed her up.

She was pitied by only one person,—the good little girl. Young ladies, let this story be a lesson to you.

Loys Brueyre.