THE BROTHER WHO MET PROVERTY

A polish story by Aleksandra-Dokurno

Once upon a time, in a faraway village by great river, there two brothers named Antek and jonek.
Jonek was a kind hearted and patient man, always eager to help other, and it was with gratitude
that he. Took over the running of his parent’s from once they had become too old to care for the
animals. Jonek was a successful famer and soon married a beauty full women who was as gentle
and hardworking as he.
Antek helped his brother at the beginning, but he soon tired of farming move on from one job to
another, first becoming a carpenter’s apprentice, then a baker’s assistant, and then blacksmith’s
assistant. Being a lazy man, Antek was unable to say any one job and would always move on
when the work became too hard or tiresome. Finally he settled down and married the daughter of
a very rich Joek, despite being and a diligent and compassionate man, had no such luck. He
toiled in the fields but his crops did not yield very much come harvest time. The wheat that did
grow was soon beaten down by angry storms and merciless winds, his cattle were plagued by
disease and hunger. His wife fell ill, and just as she began to recover, four of his children were
stuck down by yellow fever. When he finally ran out of money, Jonek was forced to pay a visit to
his heartless brother. ‘Antek, led me some money,’ pleaded Jonek. ‘My beloved children are ill,
my horse is dying, and my ox is lame. I cannot work, and we are so hungry.’
‘Alright, but you must pay me back what you owe and more,’ replied Antek with a smug grin on
his face. Jonek was saddened by his brother’s lack of goodwill, but he had no choice but to
borrow the money despite such unreasonable demands.
Jonek borrowed and borrowed from his brother, and Antek let this happen, believing that one day
he would be able to take over the family farm and reap the rewards.it was not too long before the
mean brother got his wish. Jonek fell behind in his payments and was unable to continue the
upkeep of the farm eventually he was forced to search for new home.
Antek was a very mean fellow and began to move all of his possession into the farm before
Jonek and his family had even had a chance to move out. Despite his terrible run of bad luck,
Jonek remained positive. He told his wife: ’There is shall house at the very edge of the village
where a shepherd once live. We can just about manage to live in such a place.’
Although he was determined to remain optimistic, Jonek wept as he bid farewell to his childhood
home. He left the farm with his wife and seven children. They carried their humble possessions
on their backs and made their new home. Antek was so mean that he even refused to lend them
his cart for the journey.
Jonek sold his remaining cattle for less half what they were worth and tried his best to settle into
the little house on the edge of the village.
His wife and children tended a small vegetable patch in the modest garden, while Jonek took on
various odd jobs around the village. The family spent many years living an impoverished life, all
the time wary of the wolves who roamed in the forest, all time hungry for food or in need of
extra money to buy clothes or medicines.
During those hard years, Antek, the mean hearted brother, become the wealthiest man in the
country, but never once did he offer to help his brother.
One day, as Antek was hosting a lavish wedding for his eldest daughter, Jonek decided to visit
the church to pray for help . In the church he saw his brother and his family- all in the front row,
all dressed in extravagant skills and furs and smooth leather boots, while poor Jonek remained at
the back of the church: a cold and hungry figure hiding in the shadows.
Once the ceremony had come to an end, Jonek followed the wedding processing towards his old
family home. He stayed in the background where he would not be seen, tears filling his eye,
overcome with grief at all that he lost. When he reached the farmhouse, he stood hunched in the
doorway and pleaded whit his brother. ’Brother,’ he whispered, ‘God be with you. I am famished.
My wife and children are starving, Take a moment from your festivities to help us, please.’
Upon seeing his poor brother, Antek growled: ‘I do not help idle creatures.’ And with that he
grabbed a bone whit barely a few scraps of meat on it and anger at how the feeble offering into
his brother’s hands. Jonek was overcome with despair and anger at how his own brother could
treat him so callously. He took the bone and ran from the farm into cold, dark night. It was not
long before Jonek found himself on the bank of the river. A strange voice inside his head
whispered: ‘Why must you suffer so? Jump in, jump in. The water is deep. You can finish this.’
But Jonek knew that he could not leave his family to fend for themselves. He slumped down into
the damp grass and began to grow on the scarps of meat still left on the bone his brother had give
him. Give some to me too.’
The poor farmer slowly tuned around and took in the strange sight that before him: a tall
creature, thin and bony with skin almost translucent in the moonlight. The creature was very pale
with dark, sunken eyes. It had red lips that seemed to glow in the darkness, and it wore upon its
shoulders a cloak made from