There once was a boastful tailor who had no real skills, but he wanted to travel the world and see the sights. When he felt ready, he left his tailor shop, crossed high mountains and deep valleys, wandering here and there, always moving forward. One day, he spotted a tall mountain in the distance, behind which stood a tall tower rising high into the sky from a dense forest.
“How strange!” exclaimed the tailor. “What is that?” His curiosity drove him to boldly approach.
As he got closer, he was instantly stunned to see an immensely powerful giant standing before him.
“What are you doing here, you little runt?” the giant asked, his voice booming like thunder.
The tailor whimpered, “I was just looking for something to eat in the forest.”
“If that’s the case, you can work for me.”
“If it must be that way, why not? What will my payment be?” asked the tailor.
“Listen well. Your payment will be three hundred and sixty-five days a year, and since this is a leap year, you’ll get an extra day. How does that sound?”
“Alright,” said the tailor, but he thought to himself, “He needs a tailor to take his measurements. I must escape quickly.”
Upon hearing this, the giant said, “Go ahead, little rascal, fetch me a pail of water.”
“Can’t I bring the well and the spring along too?” asked the tailor as he went to fetch the water.
“What? The well and the spring too?” the giant muttered, stroking his beard. He was a bit dim-witted and started to get scared.
“This fellow is no ordinary man; he has some mandrake root in him. Be careful, old Hans, he’s not your servant.”
After bringing the water, the giant ordered the tailor to go into the forest and chop down some trees and bring them back.
“Why not chop down the whole forest at once, both the young and old trees together?” asked the tailor as he went to chop the trees.
“What? The whole forest? Both old and young trees together? And those wells and springs too?” The giant easily believed his words and became even more frightened. “This fellow not only can roast apples, but he also has some mandrake root in him. Be careful, old Hans, he’s not your servant.”
When the tailor returned with the wood, the giant then commanded him to catch a few wild boars for dinner.
“Why not shoot a thousand at once and bring them all back?” the arrogant tailor asked.
“What?” The cowardly giant was now filled with terror. “Let’s just lie down and rest tonight!”
The giant was so scared he couldn’t sleep all night, thinking about how to get rid of this wizard-like servant in the best way possible.
After a long time, he finally came up with an idea.
The next morning, the giant and the tailor walked into a swampy area surrounded by willow trees.
The giant said, “Listen, tailor, climb up one of these willows quickly. I want to see if you can bend it.”
No sooner said than done, the tailor was already sitting on the willow tree.
He held his breath, stayed still, and the willow bent down. But when he exhaled, unfortunately, the iron in his pocket slipped out, reducing the weight, and the willow branch instantly sprang him up into the sky, disappearing from sight.
Now the giant was happy. If the tailor never came down again, he must still be floating in the air.
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
