Once upon a time there was a husband and a wife, they were great lords. They wanted a son because they didn’t have any. One day, walking down the street, the husband met a magician.
– Mr Magician, could you teach me how to have a child? – he asked.
The Magician gave him an apple and said – Give this to your wife and let her eat it. In nine months a beautiful baby will be born –
The husband returned home with the apple and gave it to his wife saying – Eat this apple and we’ll have a beautiful baby, a wizard told me that –
The wife happily called the maid and told her to peel the apple. The maid peeled the apple and kept the peels to eat them. After 9 months, the mistress and the maid had a son, on the same day. The one of the maid, was red and white as the apple peel and the one of the mistress, white as the pulp of the apple.
The lord kept them both as his children, raised them together and let them go to school together. Growing up, Pomo and Scorzo loved each other like brothers.
One day, they went for a walk and heard about the daughter of the magician, who was beautiful as the sun. No one had ever seen her because she never went out and didn’t even look out the window.
Pomo and Scorzo, then, got a bronze horse with a big empty stomach and hid inside with a trumpet and a violin. The horse walked by itself because they moved the wheels. They went to the magician’s palace and began to play. The magician looked out, saw the bronze horse playing alone and let him enter the house, so his daughter could had fun listening to it.
The daughter was amused, but, when she was left alone with the bronze horse, she saw Pomo and Scorzo coming out from the horse and she was frightened.
– Do not be afraid – said Pomo and Scorzo – we came here to see how beautiful you are, but if you want us to go away, we will go. But if you like our music and wants us to stay, we will play. We will then return inside the horse and we will go out without anyone noticing that we are inside –
So they stayed to play and had so much fun together, that the wizard’s daughter didn’t want to let them go.
– If you want to come with me, you’ll be my bride – Pomo told her.
She said yes, so they hid in the horse’s belly. As soon as they went away, the magician came home, called his daughter, looked for her, asked the guard-master about her but she was nowhere to be seen.
Then he realized that there had been a betrayal and got furious, he went to the balcony and screamed three curses against his daughter – She will find three horses, one white, one red, one black and she, who likes white horses, will jump on the white one and that’s the horse that will betray her. If not, she will find three dogs, one white, one red one black, and she, who likes black dogs, will pick up the black one and that’s the dog that will betray her. If not, when she will go to sleep with her husband, a snake will enter through the window and that snake will betray her – While the magician screamed these three sentences from the balcony, three old fairies passed by the street below and they heard everything. In the evening, the fairies, tired from the long journey, stopped at a tavern.
As soon as they entered, one of them said – Look where the wizard’s daughter is! If she knew the three curses her father sent her, she would not sleep so quietly! –
Pomo, Scorzo and the magician’s daughter were asleep on a bench in the tavern. Scorzo was actually not asleep because he couldn’t fall asleep, but also because he knew it was always better to sleep with one eye opened.
He heard the fairy saying – The Wizard has wished her to meet three horses, one white, one red and one black, and she has to jump on the white, who will betray her –
– But – added the other Fairy – If anyone were aware of that, they would immediately cut off the horse’s head and nothing would happen –
The third Fairy added – But, if someone tells this secret, they will become marble stone –
The first fairy then said – The magician wished her, as well, that she’ll find three little dogs and the one she’ll take in her arms, will betray her –
– But – said the second fairy – If anyone was aware of that, they would immediately cut off the dog’s head and nothing would happen –
The third fairy said then – But if someone tells this secret, they will become marble stone. Then he wished her that on the first night that she will sleep with her husband, she’ll be betrayed by a snake entered from the window –
The second fairy then said – If anyone was aware of that, they would immediately cut off the snake’s head and nothing would happen, but if someone tells this secret, they will become marble stone –
Scorzo, found himself as the keeper of those three terrible secrets. They were not to be told , if he didn’t want to become marble stone. The next day, they left and arrived at a post office, where Pomo’s father sent them three horses: one white, one red and one black. The wizard’s daughter immediately jumped on the white one, but Scorzo pulled out his sword and cut off the horse’s head.
– What are you doing? Are you are crazy? – said Pomo and the wizard’s daughter. – Forgive me, I can’t tell you why – said Scorzo.
– Pomo -, said the wizard’s daughter, – Scorzo is a young man with a bad heart! I do not want to stay with him any more –
Scorzo told her that he had cut off the horse’s head because he had lost his mind. He begged her to forgive him and so she did. When they arrived at Pomo’s parents house, three dogs ran towards them, one white, one red and one black. She was about to pick up the black one, but Scorzo pulled out his sword and cut off the dog’s head
– He has to go away from us immediately, he’s a crazy and cruel man! – shouted the bride.
Pomo’s parents arrived there and they were so happy for the son and the bride. When they got to know about what happened with Scorzo, they persuaded her to forgive him again. During lunch, while everybody was happy, Scorzo stood apart, thoughtful, and no one could make him say which thought oppressed him.
– Nothing, nothing – he said, but he left very early, saying he was sleepy.
Instead of going to his room, he entered the couple’s room and hid under the bed. The couple then went to bed and felt asleep. Scorzo watched over them till he heard a sound of breaking glass. He saw a snake entering the room. Then he jumped out, pulled out his sword and cut off the snake’s head.
The bride heard the noise and got up, then she saw Scorzo in front of the bed, with the sword out. She didn’t see the snake, which disappeared, and started crying and screaming.
– Murderer! Murderer! Scorzo wants to kill us! I have forgiven him twice already, this time he will pay with death! –
Scorzo then is taken, imprisoned and after three days he’s prepared to be the hanged. Conscious of his destiny, he asked to say something to Pomo’s wife before dying.
The bride then went to see him in prison – Do you remember when we stopped at the tavern? – said Scorzo
– Yes, I remember – she said
– Well, while you and your husband were asleep, three fairies entered the Inn and said that the Magician had cursed his daughter three times. He cursed her, to find three horses and when she’ll get on the white one, he’ll betray her. They said that if there would have been somebody, ready to cut off the horse’s head, nothing would have happened, but who will tell this story will become marble stone – As he said these words, his feet and legs became marble.
The young woman understood everything – Enough, enough please! – she shouted – Do not tell me anything else! –
And he said – Since I’m going to die, I want you to know. The three fairies also said that the wizard’s daughter would find three dogs – He told her the curse of the dogs and became marble stone, up to the neck
– I get it! Poor Scorzo, forgive me! Don’t say anything else! – said the bride.
He spoke softly because he already had a marble throat, and babbled because his jaws became marble. He told her about the curse of the snake – but … that who will tell the story … will become marble stone… – then he was silent, made of marble from head to toe.
– What have I ever done! – screamed the bride, who was desperate – His faithful soul is condemned… unless … of course, my father only could save him – She took a sheet of paper, a pen, the inkwell and wrote a letter to his father, asking for forgiveness and begging him to come and visit her.
The Magician, who only had eyes for her daughter, ran there with galloping horses.
– Father – said his daughter, hugging him – I have to ask you a favour! Look at this poor young man made of marble! He became marble from head to toe, to save my life from your three curses – The magician, sighing, said – Because I love you, I will do this –
Then he took a bottle of balm from his pocket and brushed Scorzo’s body with it.
Scorzo returned to being made of meat and bone as before. So instead of bringing him to the gallows, they brought him home in triumph, with music and songs, and the crowd was shouting – Hooray Scorzo! Hooray Scorzo! –
Pomo and Scorzo
