A6 The Dead Rise and Return
Yulia Davudi of ⁺Hassar ⁺Baba-čanga in Sydney, Australia
There was once a woman. A pitcher—you know what a pitcher is? They put water in it. A pitcher has a handle of rope. Women would put it on their shoulders and go to draw water from the stream for drinking. She put a pitcher on her back and went to the stream to fetch water. On the way to the stream a deacon did this to her, did this, he winked, yes, he did this to her. On the next day she went and a priest did the same. The woman becomes very uncomfortable. On the third day she saw that a large bishop winked at her, because she was very beautiful. She comes to her husband and says, she says ‘The story is like this. I went to fetch water and a deacon winked at me, a priest winked at me and a bishop winked at me. What kind of village is this? What kind of land is it? I am uncomfortable.’ Her husband says ‘No, no. Do not be uncomfortable. Give them an appointment to come to the house.’ She says ‘How is it possible for me to bring them home?’ He says ‘Bring them home and you will not have any trouble.’ Tell the deacon to come at six o’clock, early, not to come late. At six o’clock he should come and be in the house. Tell the priest half past six. Tell the bishop seven o’clock. Give them a time (to come). Do not give them more time. Tell the deacon ‘At six o’clock I shall be ready for you to come.’ She says ‘Very good.’ She goes. The deacon winks at her. She says ‘Well, very good. Do you want me?’ He says ‘I am dying for you.’ She says ‘Good, come at six o’clock. My house is in such-and-such a place.’ The deacon comes (and makes to) embrace her neck and kiss her, but she says ‘No, no, do not rush! Why are you in a hurry? I have cooked, I have prepared (food), I have decorated the table for you so we can eat and drink a little. Then afterwards I am yours. My husband is not here. They sit and eat. The deacon is happy. Suddenly it is half past six and the priest knocks on the door. She says ‘Oh woe! My husband has come. What should I do? What should I do?’ Her husband had said ‘Put them in an oil barrel, a barrel.’ Barrels, do you know what a barrel is? Barrels, in which there is oil and they are large. He said ‘Put him there.’ She said ‘I have no place (to put you). I have no place, oh woe! Now he will kill you. Get into a barrel.’ He gets into a barrel. The priest comes. The priest is worse (than the deacon), comes (and makes) to … she says ‘No, no. I have laid this meal for you. Let us sit, eat and drink, then, well, it is (just) you and me, there is nobody. You know my husband has gone abroad.’ He says ‘Very good.’ They sit, eat and drink. It becomes seven o’clock. It becomes seven o’clock. There is a knock at the door. The bishop comes. She says ‘Oh woe, my husband has come. I did not know he would come back.’ She puts also him there. The bishop enters. The bishop is worse than the others. She says to him ‘Wait a little, make a little (wait).’ Before he could speak, there is a knock at the door. When there is a knock on the door, she says ‘Oh woe! My husband has entered. Now he will kill you.’ ‘What should I do?! What should I do?! I am a bishop, my reputation will be lost! Everybody knows me.’ She says ‘Come on, get into this barrel.’ He gets into the barrel and sees that the deacon and priest are there. They put on the lid. Her husband enters. Her husband enters and gestures with his eye. He says ‘Are there here?’ She says ‘Yes.’ He speaks very loudly with his wife so that they can hear. He says ‘Wife, do you know what the story is?’ She says ‘No.’ He says ‘Oil has become very very expensive. Tonight I must sleep sitting on the barrel of oil so that people do not come and steal it.’ He sits on the barrel of oil. Well, they all die. The bishop dies. The priest dies. The deacon dies. Now what could they do? The three of them are dead, there in the barrel. He says ‘Let’s call people to come to bury our dead. They weep. They lament in anguish (saying), for example, ‘my grandmother has died,’ ‘my grandfather has died.’ They weep. They put him long like this, like this in his coffin. People come to take him away and bury him. They say ‘Look, this dead of ours rises and comes back. Put him very deep (in the grave). (If) it is two metres that you normally place the dead body, make it three metres, otherwise this dead man will come back again.’ They take that man and put him two metres deep. They put earth on him and bury him. They come back to take (their) money. They see that they have laid out the priest there. They say ‘We told you that he would come back. Here he is here.’ They take him off again and put him four metres deep. They dig and dig and put him four metres deep. They cover him and come back to take (their) money. They see that the third one is there. The relative of the dead man becomes very upset and says ‘I told you, I told you once (and for all). You have come only for money. I told you that our dead rise and come back. Look he has come back.’ They ponder what on earth they could do so that they do not have to bury him anymore. They would take him away and take him high up a mountain, onto a very high mountain. From there they would throw him down. They do not want to bury him. They take him away and take him up a mountain, which was very high. They take him up and up and up. They are so exhausted. From there they want to throw him down. A Muslim was performing ablutions there. He was washing his hands and feet under the mountain with water. Do you know what ablution is? They wash their hands, they wash their legs, saying bismillāh, bisimillāh. He was washing his hands and feet there and sees that something is coming on top of him. He gets up and flees. He gets up and flees. ‘We do not want this. Let them rot. We do not want either their money or they themselves, let’s go.’ Before he (the dead man) touches the ground, he (the Muslim) flees. ‘We do not want him.’ That man got up and flees. He sees something coming on him and flees. They think that he is a dead man. They say ‘Before he touches the ground, look he is rising.’ He fled and went on his way. ‘We do not want them. We do not want their money nor shall we bury their dead.’ They leave (the scene) and go on their way.