Once upon a time, Pacala was sitting near a forest and was thinking what to do next. As he looked on the road, he saw a carriage coming towards him. Quickly, he got up, picked up a wood block and raised it in the air. In the carriage there was a lady and the coachman who was driving the horses. The boyar, seeing Pacala, told the coachman to stop the carriage and said: "Good day!" Pacala answered: "I thank thee!" "What are you doing here?" "Well, master, I left this piece of wood to rest a bit, and then I'll take it home. But where are you heading?" "I heard about a certain Pacala that fools people and I am going to find him so he can fool me." Pacala said to the boyar: "Don't go any further, nobleman, for I am Pacala. But I can't fool you now because I left my fooling machine at home. If you still want me to fool you, I'll go in the village to get my fooling machine and then I shall fool you. And to make haste, get off the carriage, you, the lady and the coachman. You, sir, hold this wood well, careful not to toss it, and I will be back shortly." The lady and the coachman got off, and the boyar kept holding the wood block as tight as he could, so that he wouldn't shake it. Pacala got in the carriage and he was gone. The night fell. Still, there was no sign of Pacala. So did the night pass and the second day till noon. Then, a man was passing by. "Good day!" the man said. "Good day!" replied the boyar. "What are you doing there, sir?" The boyar told the man that he was holding the wood block. "Until Pacala will come with his fooling machine to fool us. He said he'd be back before we know it, and he's not here yet." Then, the man said to the boyar: "But, sir, isn't it enough of a fooling that he's gone with the carriage and the horses?" from Tudor Pamfile, Cartea povestirilor hazlii (Funny Stories Book), Ramuri, Craiova
by Anonymous
