From Cuentos Populares en Chile (Chilean Folktales) – by Ramón A. Laval
Part 1 – Magnificent Stories, Stories of Animals, Anecdotes (Cuentos maravillosos, Cuentos de animales, Anécdotas)
037. Las Tres Mentiras (The Three Lies)
A peasant, on dying, left to his three sons the sum of three hundred pesos as his entire inheritance. The two eldest, who were very greedy, wanted to take possession of the entire amount; and in order for only one person to keep the money, they proposed to the youngest to bury the coins and to travel the world for a year, and to give it to the person who, on their return, could tell the biggest lie. The youngest brother accepted the proposition, and so they left. A year later the three of them met in the same place where they had departed, which was where they had buried the money, and after embracing one another, the oldest began:
I, little brothers, had worked all year long as a farmer, and once I planted a bush of chickpeas which grew so, so much that it reached the sky.
That is a grand lie! -said the other two.
Now tell yours, brother -said the eldest to the second brother.
I -said this one- was working in a spinning mill, and on one occasion I worked with a thread so, so long that while I held on to one end, the other reached the sky.
Truly a grand lie -said the other two.- And you, little brother, it’s your turn to tell yours.
I -said the youngest- didn’t work on any specific job, but on what I had to do; and so I did everything. One night I was walking down a very lonely road by myself when I began to roll a cigarette, and as I was going to light it, I found out that I didn’t have any matches with me, yet I was dying for a smoke in the meanwhile. What did I do then? I saw a fire on the Moon and went up there to light my cigarette.
And how did you climb up there?
Using the thread that you made.
And how did you get down?
Using the chickpea stalk that you planted.
The three hundred pesos went to the youngest, who was the least greedy and who had not even bothered to concoct his lie during the year.
—– VOCABULARY —–
Herencia – (legal) inheritance, legacy, estate; (biology) heredity; (older siblings’ used item) hand-me-downs; (endowment) legacy, heritage
Adueñarse – (to seize; used with “de”) to take over, to take control of, to take possession of; (to overcome; used with “de”) to take hold of
Chacarero – (agriculture) (South America) farmer, owner of a small farm
Hilandería – spinning mill
Fijo – (unchanging) fixed, firm, permanent, steady; (attached) fixed; (intent on something) fixed
Urdir – (weaving) to warp; (to scheme) to plot