Mr. Balal

Extracted from Rasekhoon
Once upon a time, there was a king in ancient times who could not have a child of himself. He was very sad due to this fact. One day because of sever sadness he wore dervish clothing and set off. He went and went until when suddenly an old man having white hair and bright face appeared on his way. When the old man was informed of the problem of the king, he gave the king an apple and wanted him and one of his wives whom he loved more to eat it. The he said to the king: "Don't say anything about this to your wife, but know that your wife will give birth to a daughter that they will take her when she will be seven years old." The king became calm a little and returned back to the palace and ate that apple with one of his wives he loved her so much and was also his cousin. The woman became pregnant and after nine months and nine days and hours she gave birth to a beautiful daughter. Time elapsed and elapsed and the girl grew old and older and beautiful and more beautiful. Seven years elapsed and the king remembered what the dervish had said no longer. One day the same dervish appeared in front of the king and said: "On Thursday night, your daughter will be seven years old. Take her to bathroom and make up her completely and seat her on a stretcher and wait to come to take her."
They acted according to the order of the dervish. Suddenly a black cloud appeared in the sky and took the girl and went. The father and mother of the girl who were watching that became sorrowful but they could do nothing.
The cloud took the girl and soon she entered a palace. Two black slaves came ahead and the
girl was delivered to them. The slaves were in her service. Forty nights and forty days
elapsed. At the fortieth night, Sazeh Ghaba who was the king of the fairy and the husband of the girl, said to the girl: "Do you like me to send you to visit your father and mother?"
The girl cried. Sabzeh Ghaba became upset. In the morning the black cloud came and took the girl to see her father and mother. When the girl reached the palace, her father and mother got happy. But they noticed that the girl was qite silent. One of the wives of the king took the girl with herself to the bathroom. In the bathroom a pebble from her mouth and a pebble from her left ear and a pebble from her right ear fell down. The woman asked her: "Wher are you? What are you doing?"
The girl answered: "I don't know at all. I know only those who are entertaining me, first bring dinner for me, then they give me a bowl of syrup. As I drink it I fall asleep."
The woman said: "When you returned back, eat the dinner but don't drink the syrup and see what happens."
Then the woman placed the pebbled back to the mouth and ears of the girl.
The day, when the girl should returned back, came. They made up again the girl completely and seated her on the stretcher. The same black cloud came and took the girl.
At night, when they brought eat and syrup for her, the girl ate her dinner and sent the slave to bring water for her. As he went, the girl immediately poured the bowl of syrup under the carpet and pretended that she was asleep.
She noticed that two black slaves came and stood up on two sides of her. Then they took out two golden key categories and opened forty locks of the ground and exited through an appeared door. The gir got up and secretly followed them. But she noticed that Sabzeh Ghaba was coming from away. The girl went back to her bed as soon as possible and lied down and pretended asleep.
Sabzeh Ghaba and two slaves came in. As Sabzeh Ghaba saw the girl said: "O Mr. Balal!" The slave said: "What's the matter, Master?"
Sabze Ghaba said: "When you took this dear of me to her parents, didn't she have any sadness?" Balal answered: "No, Master!"
Then the two slaves spread the tablecloth and brought kebab. Sabzeh Ghaba ate his dinner and slept next to the girl. The girl waited until she became sure that he was asleep. Then she touched the necklace of Sabzeh Ghaba and noticed that forty golden locks were hanging round his neck and all of them were locked. She began to play with them and to open them until when she succeeded to open all of the except a lock which remained closed. At that time, suddenly fairs gathered around Sabzeh Ghaba and began to cry. Sabzeh Ghaba realized that it was most probable that due to their cry the girl would wake up. So he said: "O mr. Balal!"
Balal answered: "What do you want, Master?"
Sabzeh Ghaba said: "Put the girl in the chest before than coming of my father and mother."
Mr. Balal put the girl into a chest and took it to a mountain. The father and mother of Sabzeh Ghaba came. Sabzeh Ghaba's mother braided her hair and Sabzeh Ghaba's father closed the opened locks one by one. Then they asked about the girl. Sabzeh Ghaba said: "I don't know."
For a big while the job of Balal was putting the girl into the chest in the morning and carrying her toward the mountain, and bringing back in the night. He continued this work for several days and several months until at last the father and mother of Sabzeh Ghaba died.
Sabzeh Ghaba did not tent to the customs of the fair so much. So he gradually he was converted to a human being and took the girl with himself to the palace of the father of the girl. By seeing them, the king and his wife got glad. They held for them wedding celebration. Also the king put his crown on the head of Sabze Ghaba and went to a corner and began to pray God for the remaining of his life.