King
K o r n e y C h u kov s k i y
Paunchy Illustrator Nikolay Vorontsov
Paunchshire 1917
fairy tale
King Paunchy was a very nice king and the subjects loved him so much. He had a very kind heart. If they asked him for something, it was theirs. They asked for the crown and he gave it. They asked for the money and he gave it — gave everything to the last coin, and left himself empty handed. Great king! Glorious king! But there was one weakness: he was terribly fat. You have never seen such a fat man: like a human mountain. He was round as a ball and his belly was enormous. Subjects were laughing out loads when they met him.
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Funniest ever King
They ought to say hooray, but they did — a-ha-ha-ha! And they would gladly stop laughing, but they couldn’t – so ridiculous was their king. Everywhere he went – there was laughter. Women, children, soldiers, ministers, - everybody exploded with laughter. Kind King kept his countenance about this mean, pointless laughter hurting him. But when he stayed alone in his castle, he cried like a baby. — Good Lord, — he told then, — my heart is open to you! You know how I love my citizens. Why they mock me? Why they offend me? And irrepressible tears run down his funny plump face.
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Thin, dull and hungry giant
His people lived perfectly: the king didn’t offend anyone. But one time disaster had happened – The gain Yermolay had settled on a nearby mountain. He was an enormous length, high as a bell tower, thin, dull and hungry. He wasn’t an ugly guy and didn’t want did no harm, but what he had to do, if a pig for him was like sandwich. Against his will he had to wade to the people lived underneath and steal their animals: cows, horses, ships. — You think I’m happy to be a robber? — Yermolay explained to the people, who begged him not to steal anymore their cattle. — Believe me, I’m so sorry, it’s such
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Giant’s apologize
a shame. But what can I do, if I has such an appetite? I’m eating just to avoid starving. If once I wanted to eat properly, you would stay entirely without cattle. But it wasn’t easier for people in his apology, and so they went into the town to the king. Everybody has knew about Yermolay’s evil deeds, because cattle wasn’t enough to him, and he started to visit capital daily and steal little boys and girls.
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Half of kingdom is not bad
— I’m so, so sorry. — he told to crying people, — I’ll be glad not to eat your kids, but I has such enormous appetite. All the capital’s citizens was dressed in mourning. And King finally ordered to announce to all of the knights, warriors and princes, that he would grant half of his kingdom to anyone who would beat the giant. — Forgive me, because I have no daughters, — he told to his nobles. — If i had daughter, I would give the most beautiful one to the conqueror of Yermolay and conqueror will mary her. Kings always do like that, when the Giant comes to their kingdoms. But half of the kingdom is a very good fee. I order to make advertisement everywhere!— Advertisments were made, but no one had come to fight giant. The thing was that there were printed a portrait of funny King Paunchy in advertisement. So everyone who look to advertisement, was laughing out loads.
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Advertisment
— What a bugaboo! What a funny mug! And shaking of laughter people forgot to read the text of advertisement. Everybody looked at the ridiculous portrait. This time giant didn’t give up, and everyday newspapers describe his new and new outrages. He stopped to apologize and just swallowed everybody who came to his hand: he raked by his enormous hand kids, who were coming out of school — and swallowed them one after another. What to do? Whom ask for help? King Paunchy couldn’t sleep at nights and was thinking about the giant. Finally he decide: he would go by himself
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Paunchy is going to fight the giant
and he would kill the giant. He will pull his people through the monster. — Give me my sword! — He shouted. — I’m going to fight with the giant! — But your majesty! — Cried the surroundings. — You will risk your noble life. The Giant is fierce and strong! — But I must protect my people! Who will protect them, if not me! Pray for me, my dear, and you should know, that I will return winner or will never return.