Horse of Fire by Lari Don

Author:Lari Don
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781472920980
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Published: 2016-09-18T09:41:31+00:00

The Wise Colt

Jewish folktale

There was once a father with twelve sons, who also owned a beautiful mare with twelve foals. So he allowed his twelve sons, in order of their birth, to choose a horse each. The youngest son was left with the smallest colt.

The smallest colt was skinny, scabby, bald in patches, knock-kneed and a bit smelly.

His brothers laughed at the youngest son and his pathetic colt, but the boy smiled at the horse. “Don’t mind them. I’ll look after you.”

The horse whispered back, “And I’ll look after you.”

The boy jumped in surprise, but the colt spoke again. “If you take me into the woods, I’ll guide you to a magical waterfall where I can wash, then I won’t be such an embarrassment to you.”

So the boy rode the colt to the waterfall, where the bony patchy horse stood under the rushing water, and was washed clean and healthy. When he was dry, the boy brushed and combed him. Now the colt’s flanks were spotless and clear, his mane was long and glistening, his legs were strong and perfect, his neck was arched and he was the most beautiful and fragrant horse in the world.

After that the boy took the colt’s advice on everything.

Until one day the boy saw a long shape gleaming in the grass in front of his horse’s hooves. He leapt off the horse’s back and picked up a golden feather, shining with the warmth and beauty of a summer’s day.

The colt said, “Put that down.”

The boy said, “But it’s so beautiful.”

“It is beautiful, but it’s also trouble. That golden feather will bring you worry and fear and pain. Put it down.”

The boy shook his head. “If I put it down, it might be lost forever. Any object this precious and beautiful should be treasured, and kept among other splendid objects.”

So the boy held the feather carefully as he rode the colt to the king’s palace, where he offered the golden feather as a gift to the king.

The king was so impressed with the gift that he made the boy his cupbearer.

That evening, the boy groomed his colt in the royal stables. “Now my brothers won’t laugh at me or at you! So that feather has brought me luck, not pain and worry.”

But the former cupbearer, who had lost his job so the king could favour the boy, was angry and jealous. He crept up behind the throne and whispered in the king’s ear that a boy who had one golden feather would probably have the whole golden bird. “He must be keeping the bird for himself, rather than giving it to you, like any true loyal subject would.”

The king summoned the boy to the foot of his throne. “I want the bird that feather came from. Either you have the bird yourself or you know where it is. Fetch the golden bird for me or I will cut off your head.”

The boy said that he’d found the feather lying on the ground and he’d never seen the golden bird.

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