The Brave Little Tailor
Once upon a time, in a small village, there lived a little tailor who was known for his skill with a needle and thread. He was a quiet man, content with his work, and made a living by sewing clothes for the townspeople. Despite his modest life, he was proud of his craft and always did his best to create beautiful garments. But, deep down, he longed for more excitement in his life, and he dreamed of one day becoming a hero.
One bright and sunny morning, the tailor was sitting by his window, enjoying the warm breeze, when he noticed a swarm of flies buzzing around his jam jar. Annoyed, he grabbed an old cloth and swatted at them, aiming to rid the room of the pesky insects. To his surprise, he managed to catch seven of the flies in one swift blow. He looked down at his handiwork and was astonished to see that he had killed seven flies with a single strike.
An idea struck the tailor, and he decided to boast about his great accomplishment. He quickly sewed a small, colorful belt and stitched the words “Seven at One Blow” onto it in bold letters. Proud of his achievement, he put the belt around his waist and set off on a journey to make a name for himself.
As he walked through the village, people stared in awe at the brave tailor. The townspeople, seeing the bold words on his belt, assumed that he had accomplished something extraordinary. A few curious souls approached him and asked what the words meant, but the tailor simply smiled and said, “I am a man of great courage and strength. I killed seven at once.”
“Seven of what?” one person asked, puzzled.
“Seven flies!” the tailor replied with a grin.
The townspeople, somewhat confused but impressed by his confidence, whispered to one another, “This must be a very brave man indeed.” And so, the tailor’s reputation began to grow, even though he had done nothing extraordinary, except for swatting a few flies.
Word of the tailor’s self-proclaimed bravery soon reached the ears of the king, who was curious to see this courageous man for himself. The king sent his messenger to summon the tailor to the royal palace. The little tailor, eager for adventure, set off at once, thinking that perhaps this was the moment he had been waiting for.
When he arrived at the palace, the king greeted him with a serious expression. “I have heard of your great bravery, little tailor,” said the king. “But our kingdom is in peril. There is a giant who terrorizes the land, and no one dares to confront him. If you are truly as brave as you claim, I challenge you to face the giant and rid our kingdom of his menace.”
The tailor, though nervous, didn’t want to back down from the challenge. He stood tall and puffed out his chest, saying, “I accept your challenge, Your Majesty! I will defeat the giant and save the kingdom.”
The king, though skeptical, agreed to the tailor’s plan. “You may go,” he said, “but remember, the giant is fierce, and many have tried and failed before you.”
The little tailor set off into the forest, where the giant was said to dwell. He walked for hours, his heart racing with both excitement and fear, until he finally came upon the giant’s lair. The giant was a fearsome sight, with wild, tangled hair and enormous hands that could crush anything in their grasp. He was lying on the ground, fast asleep, snoring loudly.
The tailor, not one to be intimidated, quickly devised a clever plan. He found a large rock and rolled it toward the giant’s head. Then, with a quick motion, he used his thread and needle to tie the giant’s toes to the ground, making it impossible for him to move. The giant, still asleep, was completely unaware of the tailor’s actions.
The tailor then crept up behind the giant and struck him with a stick, making it seem like a lightning bolt had hit him. The giant stirred and awoke, but instead of realizing what had really happened, he believed that the tailor was an incredibly powerful force, capable of defeating him with a single blow.
“Who dares to strike me?” the giant roared.
The little tailor, standing tall and proud, shouted back, “It is I, the brave one! You have been defeated!”
The giant, bewildered and frightened, quickly ran off into the forest, never to return again. The tailor, feeling a rush of triumph, returned to the palace to tell the king of his victory.
When the tailor arrived at the royal palace, the king could hardly believe his ears. The giant, the terror of the land, had been defeated by the tiny little tailor. The people of the kingdom cheered and celebrated his bravery, praising him for his cleverness and courage.
But the tailor was not content with just one victory. He had tasted the thrill of adventure and sought even greater glory. So, when a new challenge arose, he eagerly accepted.
This time, it was a wild boar that had been terrorizing the countryside. The tailor, with his typical confidence, went out and used his wits once more. He set a trap for the boar and, with one swift action, caught it. The kingdom rejoiced once again, and the tailor’s fame spread far and wide.
But his greatest test came when the king heard of a fearsome dragon that had been ravaging nearby villages. The king, desperate, called upon the tailor once again. This time, the little tailor did not hesitate. He devised a plan to capture the dragon and, using his knowledge of the land, he trapped it in a deep pit.
When the little tailor returned to the palace with the dragon in tow, the king was astounded. “You have truly proven yourself to be the bravest man in the kingdom,” the king said. “You are no longer a humble tailor, but a hero whose name will be remembered for generations.”
The little tailor, now famous beyond measure, went on to live a life of wealth and prestige. But he never forgot his humble beginnings and the small act that had started it all—the simple swatting of seven flies.
