Tale told by Storyteller Lutrykin - Atysmas Storytelling Assembly in Jena Year 2591 (2016-12-26)
Eukisse’s Hat
Why Mektoub Mounts wear red caps at Atysmas.
Long long ago, back in the Old Lands, even before the founding of Coriolus or Zoran, when homins lived in small villages, there was a young Fyros hominette who lived in a village in the Desert.
This hominette, who was named Eukisse, was an orphan, and was raised by the village as a whole to honour her parents.
She had studied hard and learned much about the different fibres that she could harvest in the desert, how to comb them and spin them to make thread and yarn.
Eukisse also knew all the different dyes that she could colour the fibres with, how to prepare them and how to combine them. She made many new colours.
She also knew how to knit all kinds of garments, socks and gloves and vests and hats, and she would make them in all the colours she knew how to create.
Because she was so busy with spinning and dying and knitting she did not have much time to make friends.
When she had a little time and tried to approach the other children in the village they pointed and laughed and said: "Kiss, kiss, go play with your piss."
As we all know, yubo piss is an important ingredient in making dyes work correctly. However, children can be very cruel.
One day Eukisse made a recipe for a dye that was so bright a red that you could say it glowed when it was applied to Anete fibre.
She knitted a hat of the glowing red Anete fibre, put it on her head and went to the village square to show it off, but the other children mocked her, saying that a glowing hat would only attract predators.
Now the time of Atysmas came near and all the children looked forward to the presents that the Sint (Father Atysmas) would bring them.
The night before Atysmas she said her prayers and then tucked herself into bed to sleep until the morning. A dust storm was rising and the wind was blowing hard, but her hut was solid and she was not afraid.
As she was beginning to go to sleep there was a knock at the door of her hut. She wrapped a blanket around her and opened the door.
There stood Father Atysmas himself. Behind him were his mektoub mount and his train of Packers, all loaded with gifts. Eukisse could barely see them through the dust.
"Eukisse, will you loan me your glowing hat? The dust is so thick I need more light to lead my packers so that I can deliver the presents.”
Of course Eukisse was glad to do so, but Father Atysmas was disappointed. "It needs to fit on the head of my mount. This is too small."
In a flash, Eukisse grabbed her knitting needles and knitted with the glowing yarn as fast as she could. In no more time than it takes to tell, she had made a Mektoub sized hat, glowing brightly in the darkness of the dust storm.
Father Atysmas delivered all his gifts that night, thanks to the glowing hat. The last gift was to Eukisse, a new set of the shiniest knitting needles she had ever seen.
Ever since then at Atysmas time the Mektoub Mounts wear red hats to remember the time that Eukisse saved Atysmas with a red hat.
Epilogue: The children of the village never did invite her to play with them. Children can be cruel.
However, Eukisse finally married a handsome homin who was able to see her talents even if she wasn't popular and they were happy together for all their life.
Eukisse’s Hat
Why Mektoub Mounts wear red caps at Atysmas.
Long long ago, back in the Old Lands, even before the founding of Coriolus or Zoran, when homins lived in small villages, there was a young Fyros hominette who lived in a village in the Desert.
This hominette, who was named Eukisse, was an orphan, and was raised by the village as a whole to honour her parents.
She had studied hard and learned much about the different fibres that she could harvest in the desert, how to comb them and spin them to make thread and yarn.
Eukisse also knew all the different dyes that she could colour the fibres with, how to prepare them and how to combine them. She made many new colours.
She also knew how to knit all kinds of garments, socks and gloves and vests and hats, and she would make them in all the colours she knew how to create.
Because she was so busy with spinning and dying and knitting she did not have much time to make friends.
When she had a little time and tried to approach the other children in the village they pointed and laughed and said: "Kiss, kiss, go play with your piss."
As we all know, yubo piss is an important ingredient in making dyes work correctly. However, children can be very cruel.
One day Eukisse made a recipe for a dye that was so bright a red that you could say it glowed when it was applied to Anete fibre.
She knitted a hat of the glowing red Anete fibre, put it on her head and went to the village square to show it off, but the other children mocked her, saying that a glowing hat would only attract predators.
Now the time of Atysmas came near and all the children looked forward to the presents that the Sint (Father Atysmas) would bring them.
The night before Atysmas she said her prayers and then tucked herself into bed to sleep until the morning. A dust storm was rising and the wind was blowing hard, but her hut was solid and she was not afraid.
As she was beginning to go to sleep there was a knock at the door of her hut. She wrapped a blanket around her and opened the door.
There stood Father Atysmas himself. Behind him were his mektoub mount and his train of Packers, all loaded with gifts. Eukisse could barely see them through the dust.
"Eukisse, will you loan me your glowing hat? The dust is so thick I need more light to lead my packers so that I can deliver the presents.”
Of course Eukisse was glad to do so, but Father Atysmas was disappointed. "It needs to fit on the head of my mount. This is too small."
In a flash, Eukisse grabbed her knitting needles and knitted with the glowing yarn as fast as she could. In no more time than it takes to tell, she had made a Mektoub sized hat, glowing brightly in the darkness of the dust storm.
Father Atysmas delivered all his gifts that night, thanks to the glowing hat. The last gift was to Eukisse, a new set of the shiniest knitting needles she had ever seen.
Ever since then at Atysmas time the Mektoub Mounts wear red hats to remember the time that Eukisse saved Atysmas with a red hat.
Epilogue: The children of the village never did invite her to play with them. Children can be cruel.
However, Eukisse finally married a handsome homin who was able to see her talents even if she wasn't popular and they were happy together for all their life.