A Basket Of Figs
There are many stories that suggest fig trees are sacred – their fruit believed to offer blessings from the divine.
Perhaps that’s why, one January day, a wealthy farmer made a promise:
The first gentleman to bring him a basket of figs would inherit half his land.
The man didn’t want to give away part of his fortune, but what choice did he have? Despite dozens of doctor’s visits and long nights spent in prayer, his daughter’s health continued to wane. He turned to his fellow villagers for help because surely, someone would have fresh figs to offer the maiden.
And despite the fact that it was still winter, when gardens are dormant and the earth is barely starting to stir, he was right.
In an older part of the village, a woman lived with her two sons. Their house was modest, and their garden small. They only had enough room for a few rows of carrots and an ancient fig tree that had been there for as long as anyone could remember.
Because their yard was so small, it was completely protected from the elements. Tall walls insulated the garden from storms and harsh wind, which created a unique microclimate for growing food. They had heard whispers of the sick maiden and her father’s request for figs, so the mother encouraged her eldest son (the favorite boy) to quickly fill a basket.
He set out with the ripest figs from the tree, but just when he reached the man’s gate, an old woman stopped him. She was carrying a young child and the boy knew she was a witch. She asked what he was carrying in his basket, and the boy lied and said he was carrying horns.
She replied, “Ah yes, it is horns you carry,” before waving goodbye.
When the boy showed up at the man’s door and announced he had figs for the girl, his bliss was short-lived. He reached into the basket, and instead of soft, plump fruit, he touched cold, smooth bone. He was indeed carrying a basket of horns.
He returned home to his mother and brother, cursing the witch for his bad fortune. The other boy listened without saying anything. He wasn’t concerned for his brother or the witch but for the maiden, who had not received her figs. He grabbed the last three pieces of fruit dangling from the tree, which were not as big or ripe as the previous ones, but they would have to do.
When he reached the farmer’s gate, he too met the witch and her child. She asked what he was carrying in his basket, and he told her he had collected figs for the sick maiden.
She replied, “Ah yes, it is figs you carry.”
As she turned to go, the boy stopped her. He asked if she and her child would like a couple of figs? There were only a few, but he had enough to share.
The witch smiled, took two figs, and waved goodbye.
The boy worried that he only had one fig left, but perhaps one fig was all the maiden needed?
When he handed over his basket to the worried father, the farmer’s eyes lit up. Instead of one tiny fig, the basket was full of the largest, ripest figs he had ever seen. His daughter ate figs for the next two days, and on the third day, she had made a full recovery.
However, for reasons unknown, the father was suspicious of the boy. How had he happened on figs in the middle of January when everyone else’s trees were bare? Instead of gifting half his land as promised, he told the boy to complete one additional task: Catch the pair of rabbits destroying his garden before nightfall. Otherwise, the deal is off.
The boy immediately went to work trying to catch the two rabbits, but they were too swift for the clever boy. After hours spent chasing the creatures, the boy decided he would never be a landowner and decided to head home.
But at the bottom of the man’s gate stood the same witch as before. She asked him about his troubles, and he explained he’d been tasked with catching a pair of rabbits that were much faster and wiser than he.
“Then why not try a new strategy,” said the woman. She handed him a flute made from reeds and bamboo and told him that instead of chasing something, let it come to him.
The boy was skeptical, but the witch had helped him before, so he ran back to the man’s garden and played the flute. Within seconds, the rabbits were at his side. Instead of catching the animals (or worse, butchering them), they struck a compromise. He told the rabbits that if they went on vacation for a few days, in return, he’d build them a house – because, after all, he was set to inherit quite a bit of land.
He also promised them a basket of figs.
The rabbits agreed and took off toward the mountains. To celebrate his victory, the boy played the flute as the sun drooped low and the moon took back the sky.
The sick maiden (now fully recovered) listened to the notes floating past her room. She insisted her father pay the boy as they had agreed, and soon after, the boy with the figs became her husband.
According to the witch, they lived well and happily until the end of their days.
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This retelling was adapted from the Portuguese folktale, Fresh Figs.
