The mouse

Comment

The content of this text was recorded in Russian by Ljudmila Zhukova from one of the residents of the village Nelemnoe. In 1990 it was translated into Yukaghir by Vasilij Shalugin.

Translation

(49-1) We used to live roaming with the whole family on the land called Ottur-Kol. (49-2) Only my two elder brothers lived in Verkhnekolymsk. (49-3) One day in the morning my mother got up and saw a small mouse eating our clothes. (49-4) It found them. It ate the clothes, the blanket, the mittens, and the shoes. It found them and ate them. (49-5) The mother said that this would call down trouble. (49-6) She had to catch the mouse and kill it. (49-7) Mother caught that mouse. It had fallen into a small barrel. (49-8) Mother was happy, because she thought that it had been eating things calling down a trouble. (49-9) She was happy to catch it. There wouldn't be any trouble. (49-10) She took a needle and a thread. (49-11) She put on the mittens and took that mouse. (49-12) We were standing looking and laughing at how mother caught it. We were thinking how she would punish it. (49-13) Mother brought the needle with the thread close to the mouse's mouth. (49-14) She was going to sew up its mouth. Suddenly that mouse moved its legs and started jerking. Mother got frightened and that mouse escaped. (49-15) Mother was very sad that she hadn't sewn up its mouth. (49-16) In summer we got into trouble. (49-17) Two of my elder brothers drowned. (49-18) That very spring that mouse had babies on the blanket. (49-19) Their mother mouse escaped and the babies were thrown into the water. (49-20) I have forgotten why they were thrown into the water without being killed. I don't know, maybe this was not to bring on trouble. (49-21) From that time on my elder sisters and I always remember this story and believe in it.