About the Golden Braid
When Ondřej’s parents died, he decided to set out into the world to gain experience. One beautiful day, he arrived in a big city. Through winding alleys, he reached a vast square.
He looked around at the surrounding houses with interest. Suddenly, a woman dressed in splendid clothes bumped into him. He almost fell to the ground. Instead of apologizing, she immediately started shouting:
"What are you loitering here for, you rascal! Are you blind? Don’t you see you’re standing in my way?"
Before Ondřej could recover, the stranger walked away.
"Who was that stuck-up lady?" he asked a nearby market vendor.
"Don’t you know the wife of our highest burgomaster?" the merchant replied, surprised.
"Watch out for her. Next time, avoid her by a wide margin, or things could end badly for you. You were very lucky. Today she was in a hurry. If not, she would have ordered the guards to throw you in jail. There, the bailiff would have given you a good beating with a cudgel."
Ondřej couldn’t get over such arrogance. "Such walking pride!"
His cheeks flushed red.
"Proud she is," the merchant agreed, "that’s true, but most of all about her long braid. She spends hours in front of the mirror admiring how beautiful it is. She’s obsessed with herself. For some time now, she has forbidden all ladies and girls to wear the same ornament on their heads. She wouldn’t tolerate anyone having a more beautiful hairstyle than hers."
"And what does the burgomaster think of such behavior?" Ondřej asked.
"Don’t even ask. He’d rather go to his brother’s every Friday than listen to her talk. She talks about nothing else all day but her braid."
"When does the burgomaster return?"
"Not until Sunday evening," the merchant replied.
"That gives me plenty of time," said Ondřej.
At these words, he smiled, for he had a brilliant idea. He quickly said goodbye to the merchant. He went to the inn opposite the town hall and checked in. He could hardly wait for Friday. Finally, the awaited day arrived. Since morning, Ondřej impatiently watched for the burgomaster’s carriage.
After noon, the gates opened and a carriage drawn by white horses drove out. Only the burgomaster was inside. As always, he left his wife at home.
Ondřej had been waiting for this moment. He immediately went to the town hall. He threw a white robe over his clothes, covered his face with a silk scarf, leaving only his eyes visible. He put on a strange turban. He knocked firmly on the door. After a moment, a maid appeared. When she saw the strange figure, she was startled. She had never seen such a peculiarly dressed person in her life.
Before she could react, Ondřej muttered mysteriously: "Announce me to your lady, I have a very important message for her."
The maid ran as fast as her legs would carry her. Out of breath, she reached her mistress:
"Madam, there’s a strange man outside the house. He insists on speaking with you."
"What does he look like?" the woman asked. "If he’s a beggar or a tramp, tell him straight away to get lost. Otherwise, I’ll have his back thrashed with a stick."
"Oh no, madam, he’s no vagabond. He looks like a foreigner from a distant land."
"What! Why didn’t you say so right away! He must be a merchant offering rare goods!" the woman exclaimed.
"Invite him in immediately! Don’t let him be offended that we kept him waiting so long."
The maid ran back as if her heels were on fire.
"Honored sir, you are expected," the maid said politely.
Ondřej followed her with a measured step. They passed through several rooms until they reached the reception room. There, the burgomaster’s wife was already eagerly waiting for him. She sat on a sofa, her head wrapped in a scarf, and smiled sweetly at Ondřej. She immediately sent the maid away. She didn’t want her to hear what was not meant for her ears.
"Honorable sir, sit down and tell me what important matter brings you here."
Ondřej bowed deeply to the woman. At the same time, he uttered a mysterious incantation:
"Ib-bíl-nazo-bú-ús." Then he sat down in a comfortable armchair.
The burgomaster’s wife looked at him in confusion.
"Most beautiful and precious lady, I am merchant Abú-alí-akir, I come from the distant oriental Damascus. News of your magnificent and lovely braid has reached even our faraway land. Everyone there talks about nothing else."
The burgomaster’s wife’s eyes widened. "Really? About my braid?"
"What else? Everyone longs to see it," Ondřej said sweetly.
"That’s why I made the long journey to see it with my own eyes."
The woman was all flustered by the news. She hadn’t expected anything like this.
"May I see your beautiful braid?" Ondřej asked.
The burgomaster’s wife removed her scarf.
"Such beauty! Such splendor!" Ondřej gushed.
He stood up and approached the burgomaster’s wife. He examined the braid for a long time and very carefully.
"I’m glad I had the honor to see it. It is truly magnificent… But it could be even more splendid!"
"Even more splendid?" the woman wondered.
"Yes. How would you like it if it were made entirely of gold? Imagine, madam, of real pure gold!"
At these words, the burgomaster’s wife almost fainted. She truly hadn’t expected such a surprise.
"I am so bold," Ondřej said apologetically, "I didn’t even ask if you would like such a golden braid at all?"
"Of course I would!" the burgomaster’s wife blurted out.
"Your words please me greatly. But it won’t be free," Ondřej said.
"Give me ten ducats and you’ll have what no one else has."
"Ten ducats? That’s a lot of money," she hesitated.
"Well, if you don’t want to…"
"No, no. I didn’t say I don’t want to, noble sir. Of course I agree," she hurried to clarify. She was afraid he might change his mind.
"Those ten ducats are worth it. I’ll have a whole head of gold," she thought.
The woman pulled a purse from her pocket and paid Ondřej.
He thanked her profusely and then said:
"Now is the right moment. I will perform a great transformation. Now close your eyes!"
The burgomaster’s wife did as he asked. This was the moment Ondřej had been waiting for. He pulled a long, sharp pair of scissors from under his coat, snip-snip, and he was already holding the heavy braid in his hand. The woman’s head now looked like a sparrow’s nest.
"There, it’s done," Ondřej said contentedly.
When the burgomaster’s wife opened her eyes, she couldn’t believe what she saw. The stranger was holding her pride and joy in his hand!
She almost fainted. Before she could say anything, Ondřej spoke sweetly:
"Don’t worry, noble lady. I will take the braid with me and soak it in a precious golden bath. Tomorrow I will bring it back and, with the help of a magical ointment, return it to its original place. For now, wrap your head in a scarf."
Ondřej hid the braid under his clothes and quickly said goodbye to the burgomaster’s wife. Before leaving, he instructed her:
"Don’t say a word about what happened here, or the magic will be broken."
The burgomaster’s wife swore she would be as silent as a fish. When Ondřej left, the maid was very surprised to see her mistress with a scarf on her head.
Ondřej returned to the inn. First, he had a good meal and drink with the gold coins he had earned. Then he went to the market and bought the most beautiful horse. That very day, he left the city.
Days passed. The burgomaster’s wife couldn’t wait. From early morning, she watched for the mysterious stranger.
"I can’t wait for him to arrive," she rejoiced.
Noon passed and the man was nowhere to be seen.
"He’ll probably come in the afternoon," she comforted herself.
The afternoon passed and it gradually began to get dark. Evening came, but still the stranger did not show up.
"He must have been delayed on the road and will come tomorrow," she thought.
The next morning, someone knocked on the door.
The burgomaster’s wife ran out as if stung by a needle.
"Finally, he’s here! I thought he wouldn’t come," she called out joyfully. She went out to meet the wealthy merchant. But what a surprise! Instead of the expected merchant, her husband stood in the doorway. The woman was startled.
"It’s you, husband?" she said sullenly.
"And who were you expecting? And why do you have a scarf on your head?"
"The wind blew into my ears and now my head aches. It feels like it’s splitting," she lied.
"That’s a fine welcome," the councilman grumbled.
The woman still hoped for another knock at the door. But she waited in vain. Now she finally realized she had been thoroughly fooled.
"Oh, poor me, what will I do now?" she worried.
From all this, her head really started to hurt. She told her husband:
"I’m not feeling well, I’ll go to bed early today."
She went to her room. At night, she took off her scarf and went to bed. In the morning, she was awakened by noise. Her husband was calling:
"Woman, come here quickly. Where did you put my new hat?"
The burgomaster’s wife jumped out of bed. She had completely forgotten about the scarf. She ran to her husband. When he saw her, he was stunned.
"Unfortunate woman, what’s that on your head? Where did you put your beautiful braid?"
She told her husband everything, crying.
"What a disaster! What a disgrace!" the man lamented. "Next week we’re supposed to visit my brother. He invited us because he’s hosting a big ball. All the nobility will be there. How can we go? You look like a scarecrow! We’ll have to stay home! Someone might be frightened by you."
And what about Ondřej? He mounted his horse and sped out of the city. He rode nonstop all day and all night. In the nearest town, he sold the heavy braid to a wigmaker. With the money he got, he bought beautiful clothes. He even had enough left for a royal lunch.
As he ate his crispy roast, he remembered the conceited burgomaster’s wife. She couldn’t recover from the unpleasant event and had nothing left but tears.
Translated into English by artificial intelligence