Irit and Nurit
Part Two
Poor Irit was alone now, away from her family's house. She was very sad.
"What can I do?" she thought. "Where can I go?"
She began to cry.
Suddenly, she heard a voice.
"What's wrong?" someone was saying. "Can I help you?"
She looked up. An old man with a kind face was standing in front of her.
"My mother has sent me away," said Irit, "because I didn't sell my chat in the market. She doesn't love me. She tied me up with this rope. She sent me out of the house. I can never go home again."
"My poor child," said the old man. "Come to my house. I will look after you."
Irit looked at the old man.
"He is good, I can see that," she thought.
The old man untied the rope, and Irit went to his house with him. She helped him. She cooked his food, and cleaned his house. She gave him his food in a beautiful mesob. She was happy now.
One night, the old man said to Irit, "Tonight, my daughter, watch the house. Black water will come into it. When you see it, do nothing. Do not wake me. But after the black water, golden water will come. When the golden water comes, then you must wake me."
The old man went to sleep, but Irit sat and watched the house. Soon, black water began to run across the floor. Irit waited and did nothing. Then the black water went, and golden water ran across the floor.
Irit went and woke the old man.
"Grandfather, wake up," she said. "The golden water is here."
The old man picked Irit up and threw her into the golden water. Then he went outside and looked up into the sky.
"Wind! Wind!" he called out. "Pick up this girl and take her to her father's house!"
At once, a strong wind began to blow. It picked up Irit, and carried her to her father's house. It put her down on the roof.
Irit's mouth was full of the golden water. She spat it out, and it fell down into the courtyard of the house. It was not water now, but metal. It was pure, yellow gold.
Nurit came out of the house, and began to sweep the courtyard. Soon, she found the gold. She was very surprised.
"Mother!" she called out. "There is gold here, in the courtyard!"
Her mother came and looked.
"You are right," she said. "That's wonderful! Pick it up, my darling, and put it in a jar. We will keep it carefully."
She went inside, and Irit spat again. More gold fell into the courtyard. Nurit looked up, and saw her.
"Mother!" she shouted. "Irit is on the roof of the house!"
Her mother was angry. She did not come outside again.
"Don't talk to me about that girl," she said. "How can she be on the roof? She went away and she never came back. I'm sure the hyenas have eaten her."
Nurit was still looking up at her sister.
"Where did this gold come from, Irit?" she asked.
"I spat it out of my mouth," said Irit.
"I don't believe you," Nurit said.
Irit spat more gold out of her mouth.
"Oh!" said Nurit. "It's true! How did you do it? How did you change your spit into gold? Come down here, my darling sister. I will get you some nice things for you to eat. Come and tell me everything. Perhaps I can learn to spit gold too. Oh, I am so happy to see you again!"
Irit was angry.
"Nurit isn't happy to see me," she thought. "She doesn't love me. She only wants gold."
She wanted to punish Nurit.
"I met an old man," she said, "and I went to his house. I cooked his food, and put it on the floor for him."
"What?" said Nurit. "Didn't you give him his food in a mesob?"
"He likes to eat it from the floor," said Irit.
"What happened next?" said Nurit. "Go on, my dear Irit. Tell me more."
"At night, black water came into the house," said Irit. "When it came, I woke him at once. He threw me into the water. After that, I began to spit gold. Now, Nurit, you promised to give me some nice food. Where is it?"
Nurit laughed.
"If you want food, go to my mother and ask her," she said. "I'm not going to give you anything. I'm going to the old man's house. Soon I will spit gold from my mouth too."