Katapush and the Clever Grandmother
Description
Once upon a time, there was a grandmother with her grandson named Katapush. The grandmother would go to pasture (dushtira) with her cattle, promising to make butter and lassi for Katapush when she got there. Katapush stayed in the village and planned to join his grandmother later with some necessary items. In the summer, Katapush set out to visit his grandmother and on the way, he met a cat who asked where he was going. When Katapush told the cat he was going to see his grandmother, the cat threatened to eat him. Katapush cleverly responded: "Don't eat me now, rather eat me after I got a little fat" . Further along, Katapush met a wolf. The wolf also asked where he was going, and when Katapush said he was visiting his grandmother, the wolf threatened to eat him. Katapush repeated his plea: "Don't eat me now, rather eat me after I got a little fat" . Next, he encountered a fox and a bear, who asked the same question. Katapush gave them the same answer, [thus successfully] delaying his fate. When Katapush finally reached his grandmother's place, she welcomed him with eggs, butter, and lassi. However, Kata-push refused to eat. When his grandmother asked why, he explained about the cat, wolf, fox, and bear who had threatened to eat him, and how he promised to return after he had gotten fatter. His grandmother reassured him, saying: "Don't worry, I will find a solution to this problem."
As they prepared to return to the village, the grandmother hid Katapush in a corner of a goat skin bag used to make lassi and carried it on her head. On their way back, they encountered the cat again. The cat asked what she was carrying on her head. The grandmother replied: "I have Khurut made of milk. The cat demanded to see it, but the grandmother cleverly responded: If I put it in your hand, it will burn you. Next, they met the wolf, who asked the same question to which the grandmother replied the same. Then they encountered the bear and the fox. Each time, the grandmother gave the same response. The wolf, suspicious, followed them and eventually hit the grandmother from behind. The goat skin bag fell, and Katapush escaped. The animals caught him, tied him up, and decided to eat him. The wolf and bear went to fetch sticks to make a fire, leaving the cat and fox to guard Katapush. The cat fell asleep, and the fox got busy with other tasks. Seizing the opportunity, Katapush woke up, freed himself, and hid in the stove. When the wolf and dog returned, they found Katapush missing. They asked the cat and the fox where Katapush was, but they didn't know. In their anger, the wolf and dog killed the cat and the fox and prepared a dish called Lajak, mixing their meat in it. Katapush hid in the stove where they prepared to light a fire. As they were about to start it, Katapush produced the sound of firecrackers. The animals were surprised and scared by the sound, and they run away. Katapush took the meat from the Lajak, put it in a vessel, and went to his grandmother.
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2.3.15.2
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