Clever Grethel

Once upon a time there was a cook named Grethel. She wore shoes with red bows, and when she walked outside in them, she would turn this way and that and think, "You really are a pretty girl!" When she came home, she would drink a glass of wine in her happiness, and since wine makes you hungry, she would taste the best of whatever she was cooking until she was full. She always said, "The cook must know what the food tastes like."

One day her master said, "Grethel, a guest is coming tonight. Prepare two chickens very nicely." "I'll take care of it, master," answered Grethel. She killed the two chickens, scalded them, plucked them, put them on a spit, and toward evening set them by the fire to roast.

The chickens turned brown and were almost done, but the guest had not arrived yet. Then Grethel called out to her master, "If the guest doesn't come soon, I have to take the chickens off the fire.

It would be a pity not to eat them right away while they are juiciest!" The master said, "I'll go and fetch the guest myself." As soon as the master turned his back, Grethel set the spit with the chickens aside and thought, "Standing by the fire so long makes one hot and thirsty.

Who knows when they'll come? I'll run down to the cellar for a drink." She went down, filled a jug, said, "God bless you, Grethel," and took a big drink, then another.

Then she went back and put the chickens over the fire again, basted them, and turned the spit merrily. But the roast smelled so good that Grethel thought, "Something might be wrong, I should taste it!" She touched it with her finger and said, "Oh, how good the chickens are!

It really is a shame not to eat them right now!" She ran to the window to see if the master and the guest were coming, but she saw no one. She went back to the chickens and thought, "One wing is burning!

I better take it off and eat it." So she cut it off, ate it, and enjoyed it. Then she thought, "The other wing must go too, or the master will see that something is missing." After she ate both wings, she looked for her master but didn't see him.

It suddenly occurred to her, "Who knows? Maybe they're not coming at all and have gone somewhere else. So, Grethel, enjoy yourself! One chicken has been started, take another drink and eat it all up. When it's gone you'll have peace.

Why let God's good gifts go to waste?" She ran to the cellar again, took a huge drink, and ate the whole chicken happily. When the first chicken was finished and the master still hadn't come, Grethel looked at the other chicken and said, "Where one is, the other should be.

Two go together. What's right for one is right for the other. I think another drink won't hurt me." So she took another hearty drink and let the second chicken join the first.

While she was in the middle of eating, her master came and shouted, "Hurry, Grethel, the guest is coming right after me!" "Yes, sir, I'll serve it up soon," answered Grethel. Meanwhile the master checked that the table was set properly, took the big knife he would use to carve the chickens, and sharpened it on the steps.

Soon the guest arrived and knocked politely on the door. Grethel ran to see who it was, and when she saw the guest, she put her finger to her lips and whispered, "Shh! Get away as fast as you can! If my master catches you, you'll be in trouble.

He invited you to supper, but he plans to cut off your ears. Listen, he's sharpening the knife now!" The guest heard the sharpening and rushed down the steps as fast as he could. Grethel wasn't idle; she ran screaming to her master and cried, "You invited a fine guest!" "What do you mean, Grethel?" "Well," she said, "he took the chickens I was about to serve right off the dish and ran away with them!" "What a trick!" said her master, and he was very sad about the fine chickens.

"If only he had left me one, so I could have something to eat!" He called for the guest to stop, but the guest pretended not to hear. Then the master ran after him, still holding the knife, and shouted, "Just one, just one!" meaning the guest should leave him one chicken.

But the guest thought he meant one of his ears, and he ran as if fire were under him, to keep both ears safe.