The Tale of Chotur the Orphan. Part - 1

CHOTUR THE ORPHAN.

Part-1

In ancient times, in different parts of the vast steppe, there lived two herders — Aalybay and Musabay. They had countless sheep. The herders constantly migrated with their flocks.
 
One day, Aalybay and Musabay met and became friends. But they were not together for long — it was time to drive the flocks to other places.

The friends parted, but always remembered each other. They met several more times. Their friendship was so strong that at each meeting they shared food and water with each other. But after each meeting, separation followed again.

After a few years, misfortune struck: Musabay fell ill and died. Aalybay was migrating at that time in a completely different part of the steppe and did not know about his friend's death. Soon after Musabay's death, his wife also died. Their son Chotur was left an orphan. The boy was only twelve years old and could not manage the large flocks of sheep. The orphan then took a kurdzhun with food and left his homeland.

Chotur walked for a long time and finally reached some aiyl. Here he met a friend of his father's — Aalybay. Chotur told him his sad story. Aalybay listened to Chotur and wept bitterly.

— Oh, my dear friend Musabay, it is not destined for us to meet again! — he exclaimed.

Then Aalybay said to Chotur:
— You are the only living memory of my unforgettable friend. Now you will be my adopted son. I will settle you in the city and send you to study.

Aalybay bought a small house for Chotur in the nearest city and sent the orphan to a madrasah. Chotur studied well and mastered all the intricacies of knowledge.

One day, while returning home from the madrasah, the boy saw a frog with a broken leg on the road. He picked up the frog. Then Chotur saw a cart that was stuck in the mud and guessed that it had injured the frog.

The boy approached the driver and said angrily:
— Why did you ruthlessly run over a living creature and cause it pain?
— Who needs this filth? — exclaimed the angry driver and struck the boy with the whip.

Chotur remained silent.

He brought the frog home and bandaged its leg. Then he dug a small hole in the corner of the sheep pen, placed the frog there, and fed it with bread crumbs.

And Chotur took care of this frog until it recovered.

Soon Chotur's adoptive father Aalybay arrived in the city.

One day, when the boy had gone to the madrasah, Aalybay entered the pen and saw the hole where the frog lay. Hearing his footsteps, the frog croaked.
— Where did this frog come from? Did Chotur bring it here? — Aalybay wondered.

In the evening, when the boy returned from the madrasah, Aalybay saw Chotur enter the sheep pen, and the frog jumped out to greet him with croaks. The boy began to feed the frog with bread. Aalybay became angry and started shouting at Chotur:
— I am raising you, I want to make you a man, and you are feeding some filth. A real man would never degrade himself by touching a frog! Take your frog and remove it from the yard! — ordered Aalybay. The boy took the frog and went out to the steppe.

The orphan walked for a long time in the steppe until he reached a lake. He was very tired and hungry.

"I will let the frog go in this lake and return," — decided the exhausted boy.

After that, Chotur addressed the frog with these words:
— In my thoughts, I did not want to part with you, but it seems that this is fate. Perhaps we are destined to meet again, but for now, goodbye!

The boy cried and, having released the frog into the water, left.

Then he returned to the city and continued to live in his adoptive father's house.

Several years passed, and Chotur finished the madrasah.

Then Aalybay said to him:
— I have raised you and educated you. Now go to the city of Baghdad and see how people live there!
— Good, — agreed Chotur.

Aalybay equipped Chotur for the journey, gave him a horse, a kurdzhun with food, and said farewell:
— My son, after some time you will reach a fork in the roads. You should take the lower road, which takes six months, but is safe; the upper road takes only three months, but it is dangerous. Do not hurry, my son, and take the lower road.
— Good, — agreed Chotur.

After saying goodbye to his adoptive father and receiving his blessing, the young man set off on his journey. He had to pass by the lake where he once released the frog.

"I will say goodbye to my friend," — decided Chotur and approached the shore of the lake.

He called out to the frog, and at the sound of his voice, it immediately jumped out of the water. And suddenly it spoke in a human voice. It greeted the young man and told him that it was now the king of the frogs in this lake. Chotur told the frog about himself.

As a farewell, the frog said to the young man:
— You saved me from death, you brought me back to life. I spare nothing for you. Take this stone: it can bring anything to life.

With these words, the frog placed a small round stone before Chotur.
— You can bring any creature to life with this stone, — continued the frog, — but do not think of bringing a human to life. That person will repay your kindness with evil. Moreover, with this stone, you can always distinguish truth from falsehood. Now go. Do not be afraid of the shortest road. As long as the stone is with you — you will be safe!

Kyrgyz Tales