Read Online Italian Folktales by Italo Calvino - Free Book Online Page B

the tree gave way and toppled to the ground, his roots in the air. Jack ran and got his mother who, surveying the felled tree, said, “You may now go wherever you wish, my son.” Jack bid her farewell and set out.
    After walking for days and days he came to a city whose king had a horse named Rondello that no one had ever been able to ride. People constantly tried, but were thrown just when it appeared they would succeed. Looking on, Jack soon realized that the horse was afraid of its own shadow, so he volunteered to break Rondello himself. He began by going up to the horse in the stable, talking to it and patting it; then he suddenly jumped into the saddle and rode the animal outside straight into the sun. That way it couldn’t see any shadow to frighten it. Jack took a steady hold of the reins, pressed his knees to the horse, and galloped off. A quarter of an hour later Rondello was as docile as a lamb, but let no one ride him after that but Jack.
    From then on, Jack served the king, who was so fond of him that the other servants grew jealous and plotted to get rid of him.
    Now the king had a daughter who had been kidnapped in her infancy by the sorcerer Body-without-Soul, and no one had heard of her since. The servants went to the king claiming Jack had boasted to everybody he would free her. The king sent for him. Jack was amazed and said this was the first he had even heard of the king’s daughter. But the fact that anyone had dared make light of the episode concerning his daughter so infuriated the king that he said, “Either you free her, or I’ll have you beheaded.”
    Since there was no calming the king now, Jack asked for a rusty sword they kept hanging on the wall, saddled Rondello, and rode off. Crossing a forest, he saw a lion motioning him to stop. Although a bit uneasy, Jack disliked the idea of running away, so he dismounted and asked what the lion wanted.
    â€œJack,” said the lion, “as you can see, there are four of us here: myself, a dog, an eagle, and an ant. We have a dead donkey to parcel among us. Since you have a sword, carve the animal and give us each a portion.” Jack cut off the donkey’s head and gave it to the ant. “Here you are. This will make you a nice home and supply you with all the food you’ll ever want.” Next he cut off the hoofs and gave them to the dog. “Here’s something to gnaw on as long as you like.” He cut out the entrails and gave them to the eagle. “This is your foody which you can carry to the treetops where you perch.” All the rest he gave to the lion, which as the biggest of the four deserved the largest portion. He got back on his horse and started off, only to hear his name called. “Dear me,” he thought, “I must have made some mistake in dividing the parts.” But the lion said to him, “You did us a big favor and you were very fair. As one good deed deserves another, I’m giving you one of my claws which will turn you into the fiercest lion in the world when you wear it.” The dog said, “Here is one of my whiskers, which will turn you into the fastest dog on earth, whenever you place it under your nose.” The eagle said, “Here is a feather from my wings which can change you into the biggest and strongest eagle in the sky.” The ant said, “I’m giving you one of my tiny legs. Put it on and you will become an ant so small that no one can see you, even with a magnifying glass.”
    Jack took his presents, thanked the four animals, and departed. As he was uncertain whether the gifts were magic or not, thinking the animals might have played a joke on him, he stopped as soon as he was out of sight to test them. He became lion, dog, eagle, and ant; next ant, eagle, dog, and lion; then eagle, ant, lion, and dog; finally dog, lion, ant, and eagle. Yes, everything worked like a charm! All smiles, he moved onward.
    Beyond the forest was a lake,