The Unlucky Days
In the past, there were two brothers who lived very different lives. The eldest had inherited the family estate which allowed him to exist comfortably and abundantly. The younger brother, on the other hand, was as poor as could be. His sleepy village offered little opportunity to better himself, and without any support from his late parents’ estate, he could barely keep bread on the table.
One day, the poor man asked to share a meal with his rich brother (because perhaps he would have some advice for his only sibling), but the older brother just laughed.
“Of course, you cannot sit at my table, a man dressed in rags with not a cent to his name. No, you would be better off standing in the fields to scare away crows.”
So off the poor man went, to stand in the fields and shoo away the crows. He chased all the birds away but one – a raven. Instead of flying away, the raven flew towards the man, perched atop his shoulder, and whispered:
You will find neither fortune nor happiness in this place. But, walk three villages in either direction, and you will encounter all sorts of welcome surprises.
With nothing to lose, the man went home and instructed his family to pack their bags. They filled a basket with a few scraps of bread and meat before choosing a direction and setting off.
For days, the family walked. They passed through one village, then a second, but they would need to venture through the woods before reaching the third. The trip started well enough, but once deep in the woods, the man felt the weight of his decision. He thought about his poor luck, lack of funds, and the uncertainty he faced. The unlucky days of his past were a heavy burden to carry, and the man began to panic.
To calm his nerves, his wife suggested they take a break and refill their water-skins. They had been walking alongside a bubbling brook, and as the man bent down, instead of filling his skin with water, he persuaded the memories of his unlucky days to gather inside the pouch. Once inside, he knotted the strings and buried the bag at the water’s edge.
Miraculously, just a few minutes later, the family emerged from the woods and discovered an abandoned village. They chose a modest home with a stable to be their own, but as they got settled, there was a great commotion on the hillside.
The man went to investigate and discovered an enormous goat was trapped between two rocks. He had long, curled horns, a goatee, and the man suspected the animal was an angel (or perhaps a devil). But being the kind soul he was, the man helped the goat off the hillside and offered him the stable. In response, money fell from the rafters! The man grabbed a couple of empty chests to catch the money, and soon, he was rich!
While he and his family worked the land, he ordered supplies and seeds from his neighboring villages and also sent an invitation to his brother. Would he like to join him and his family for a meal?
The older brother assumed this was a ploy to get money or food, but he was also curious. What was it like three villages in either direction? The man decided he would like to see, so he baked a basket of pancakes as a gift. But as he passed through the first village and then the second, he began hearing rumors of the rich family who lived on the other side of the woods.
The eldest brother felt envy bubbling in his gut, so he tossed all the pancakes into the dirt. When he emerged from the woods and met his younger brother, he noticed his sibling looked healthier and happier than ever. The younger brother told the older one all about the goat and showed him the money chests.
When the man saw his guest turn green with envy, he decided to share his secret: He’d hidden the best of the treasure in a water-skin and buried it near the stream in the woods. But a word to the wise, don’t open it.
The jealous man didn’t stay to eat with his brother’s family or tour the village. Instead, he headed back into the woods and seized the bag. But as soon as he opened the pouch, the unlucky days came pouring out. He ran the rest of the way home, but the unlucky days clung to him like a spell. When the older brother reached his village, he saw that his house was no more, and his fields had gone fallow. Too proud to ask for help, the man moved into his brother’s old house.
According to the raven, he spends most of his days in the fields, chasing away the crows.
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This story was inspired by and adapted from the Ukrainian folktale told by Robert Nisbet Bain.
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