Paweł Kępka [z Huty Dąbrowy] kazał zięciowi, żeby zawiózł Żydowi do Żelechowa siano, machorkę i śledzie. Za tę grzeczność Żyd dał mu kozę.
Nim z tego Żelechowa przyjechał, była noc. Teście już spali. Wtedy on wyprzągł konia, kozę wpuścił do obory, a sam poszedł spać do swojego domu na drugi koniec wsi.
Jednakowoż u teściów wcale jeszcze nie spali. Żona tego, co przywiózł kozę, wyszła doić krowę. Otworzyła oborę, krzyknęła i zemdlała.
Wyszła Pawłowa, widzi rogi:
-O Jezu! Diabeł w oborze!
A Paweł:
-Kaśka, leć duchem po święconą wodę!
Wyświęcili tę kozę tak:
-Duchu wszelki, czego potrzebujesz? Czego chcesz od mojego inwentarzu? Wyleź, którędyś wlazł!
Koza, jak to koza – stoi. Oni widzą, że nie pomaga, i krzyczą:
-Bywaj, kto w Boga wierzy!
Dopiero się zrobił rwetes we wsi.
Sąsiad Kępków spał w oborze w długim kożuchu. Jak usłyszał krzyki, zleciał jak wiązka na ziemię.
Dziewczyny, co były z kądzielą, krzyczały, że na wsi jest wściekły pies. Chłopy znowu, że musi się pali.
Kto tylko mógł, leciał z kijami i widłami do Kępków.
Ludzie patrzą: rzeczywiście, z obory, z progu wystają rogi… Dopiero nadleciał boso i w kalesonach ten, co kozę przywiózł, rozpowiedział wszystkim, co i jak.
Nie trza się śmiać z tego, bo na okolicy nie było kozy, a przecież w oborze nie było światła (elektryki).
„Literatura Ludowa”, Nr 2-3, rok IV, Warszawa 1960
opowiedział Jan Pietrzak ze wsi Huta koło Łukowa, spisała Jadwiga Biaduń
The Devil in the Barn
Long ago in Huta Dąbrowa, strange things were often blamed on spirits, ghosts, or even the Devil himself. After all, the village had no electricity, nights were dark, and unusual sights could easily spark fear.
One day, Paweł Kępka sent his son-in-law to Żelechów with a wagonload of hay, tobacco, and herring for a Jewish trader.
The journey ended successfully, and as payment the trader gave the young man a goat.
That should have been the end of the story.
Instead, it became one of the funniest tales in local folklore.
The son-in-law returned late at night. Not wanting to wake anyone, he quietly placed the goat in his in-laws’ barn, unharnessed the horse, and went home to sleep.
A little later, his wife stepped into the barn to milk the cow.
The moment she opened the door, she saw two large horns emerging from the darkness.
She screamed and collapsed.
Hearing the commotion, Paweł’s wife rushed outside.
She saw the horns too.
„A devil!” she cried.
Within moments, the entire household was convinced that some evil spirit had entered the barn.
Paweł ordered holy water to be brought immediately.
Standing safely outside, the family began sprinkling water through the doorway while commanding the mysterious creature to leave.
„Spirit, what do you want from our animals? Leave this place!”
The goat remained perfectly still.
To the frightened family, its silence only made the situation more terrifying.
Soon the shouting spread across the village.
Neighbors woke up and rushed outside.
Some believed a fire had broken out.
Others thought a rabid dog was attacking livestock.
People grabbed pitchforks, sticks, and anything else they could use as a weapon before running toward the Kępka farm.
When they arrived, they saw exactly what the family had described:
A pair of horns sticking out of the dark barn doorway.
Panic spread even faster.
Then, at last, the son-in-law appeared, running barefoot through the village in his underwear.
Out of breath, he shouted:
„Stop! It’s only a goat!”
The crowd stared.
The horns moved.
The mysterious beast stepped into the moonlight.
It was indeed nothing more than a goat.
The villagers burst into laughter.
According to the story, nobody should be too quick to mock them. At the time, goats were virtually unknown in the area, and without electric lights, almost anything could look frightening in the darkness.
And so the „devil” of Huta Dąbrowa became one of the most beloved comic legends in the region.
Original source: Jadwiga Biaduń recorder “Literatura Ludowa,” nos. 2–3, vol. IV (Warsaw, 1960). Tale narrated by Jan Pietrzak of Huta near Łuków.
Translated into English by Karolina Zabielska.