2. Lucky Hans

“I was in great need, more than that: I was starving,” old Hans began his confession. “One evening, when I didn’t have the strength to leave the house due to starvation, there was a knock on my door. I opened the door and saw in front of me the old Professor Breuer, who, as you know, lives not far from our village in the estate.

“We know, keep talking,” interrupted Fritz impatiently.

“Professor Breuer said to me: ‘I can feed you, Hans, feed you for life if you only give me your word not to tell anyone about it.’ I swore an oath to him,” the old man sighed heavily, “which I have now broken… Then Breuer took out a jar from under his cloak and handed it to me. ‘In this jar,’ he told me, ‘is the ‘eternal bread’ or ‘dough’. If you eat half of this dough, you will be full all day. And in a day the dough will grow by itself, and the jar will be full again. Don’t be afraid, Hans, said the professor, this is not a bad dough. Don’t worry about how ugly it looks. The dough is nutritious and delicious. Try it.’. I didn’t dare. Then the professor took a bite himself and said: ‘You see, I’m still alive and well.’ He left me this jar and asked me to visit him and tell him how I feel. Then he left…”

The fishermen listened to Hans’s story with such intense attention and surprise that many of them even opened their mouths.

“And what happened next?” asked Fritz, fidgeting in his chair with impatience.

“For a long time I hesitated to touch the dough,” continued Hans. “It looks so much like frogspawn. It was disgusting. Several times I approached the jar, but could not overcome my disgust. I couldn’t sleep from hunger. In the morning, when my stomach began to cramp, I decided: if I were to die anyway… So I scooped up some dough with a spoon and swallowed it. It turned out to be quite tasty and resembled a mashed baked apple. It didn’t even take a minute for me to feel completely full. I was quickly recovering. Mentally thanking the professor for his wonderful gift, I fell asleep soundly and woke up cheerful and healthy.

“And the dough? Have you looked at the dough?”

“I ate less than half, and by morning the jar was full to the brim. Since then, I started to eat well and gained weight quickly.”

The audience seemed to be petrified with amazement. But when the old man finished his story, everyone began to move, started talking, waved their hands, jumped up from their seats.

“So what’s the deal here? Is it like a self-serving tablecloth?”

“If one were given such a treasure, then he’d need nothing else in the world. No need to plow the land, no need to hang out in the sea; just lie on a bench and put the dough in your mouth …”

“Especially in our worthless lands, where even potatoes grow poorly…” When the first excitement subsided somewhat, everyone was seized with doubt. Is this possible? What if old Hans is messing with them? This tale of “eternal bread” seemed too extraordinary, too wonderful to be true.