Other stories
Once upon a time, there was an old man and an old woman. And all they had in the world was one cat and one rooster.
They were very poor and they were very hungry. And they got into a terrible row and they decided that they would separate forever.
And the old woman had the cat. And the old man had the rooster.
Well, with the cat, the cat would catch small birds and she would roast the birds and she had something to eat.
But the old man had nothing to eat at all.
Time passed, and one day he went to the rooster and said, ‘I am sorry… I am going to have to cut you in half and eat half of you.’
And the rooster nodded.
And he cut the rooster in half. And from that day on he was called ‘Half Rooster’ or, in Albanian, ‘Gjysma Gjeli’.
Gjysma Gjeli lived with the old man. But after a while he thought, ‘I have got to go and get some money.’
So Gjysma Gjeli set off hopping on one foot along the road to make his way in the world.
And along the way he met a frog in a pond:
‘Ribbit… where are you going… ribbit?’
‘I am making my way in the world.’
‘Take me with you all the way
And I will help you night and day.’
‘Gjysma Gjeli jump in my belly.’
And the frog jumped into the belly of the half rooster, and along the way he hopped until he came to a fox:
‘Where are you going?’
‘I am making my way in the world.’
‘Take me with you all the way
And I will help you night and day.’
‘Gjysma Gjeli jump in my belly.’
And the fox jumped into the half rooster’s belly, and along the way he hopped until he came to a wolf:
‘Where are you going?’
‘I am making my way in the world.’
‘Take me with you all the way
And I will help you night and day.’
‘Gjysma Gjeli jump in my belly.’
And the wolf jumped into the belly of the half rooster, and along the way he hopped until he came to a little mouse:
‘Where are you going?’
‘I am making my way in the world.’
‘Take me with you all the way
And I will help you night and day.’
‘Gjysma Gjeli jump in my belly.’
And the little mouse jumped into the belly of the half rooster, and along the way he hopped.
But now his belly was rather full and Gjysma Gjeli he went into the gardens of the palace of the King. And there in the cabbage patch he crowed as only a Gjysma Gjeli half rooster can.
Well, the King came rushing out. ‘What is all this noise? Catch that rooster!’
And the King’s men went looking through the cabbage patch for the rooster. And they cut the heads off every one of the cabbages until they came to the last one. And there, inside the cabbage, they found Gjysma Gjeli.
‘Well,’ said the King, ‘roast that half rooster!’
So they seized Gjysma Gjeli and they put him in the oven… ‘Save me!’
The frog jumped out of his belly, and all of the water that the frog had swallowed from the pond came whooshing out over that fire and put out the flames.
‘Ohhh, well,’ said the King. ‘Hmmm… Let the geese peck that half rooster to death!’
So there he was, put among the geese. And the geese got ready to peck. And just as they started pecking, he said… ‘Save me!’
And out of his belly jumped the fox and the fox ate up all of the geese.
‘Ahhh, well,’ said the King. ‘Hmmm… Put him in the stables. Let the King’s horses trample him to death!’
So the King’s men put Gjysma Gjeli into the stables and they closed the stable door and bolted the stable door and the horses reared up with their great hooves about to trample Gjysma Gjeli… ‘Save me!’
And out of his belly jumped the wolf and the wolf killed all of the King’s horses.
‘Well,’ said the King, ‘lock him up tight in a great treasure chest!’
So they opened the King’s greatest treasure chest and they put Gjysma Gjeli inside and they locked it tight.
And the treasure chest was full of gold coins, and Gjysma Gjeli pecked up those gold coins one by one by one until they were all inside his belly… ‘Save me!’
And out of his belly jumped the mouse and the mouse gnawed a hole in the side of the
