The Foolish Ferryman and the Hurry to the Valley

Uncle Milan was the ferryman of the windy pass. He lived in a small Balkan ridge hamlet called Ravna, known for its hillside flocks and grey boulder bridges. Milan had unusual logic. Some thought he was simple, but his strange ideas always contained a lesson.

One chilly morning, a traveler named Gojko arrived carrying a box of delicate dried herbs. These herbs appeared to be urgent medicine for a sick girl across the pass. The Bistra river flowed fast, swollen by spring rains from the tall peaks.

Milan sat on his flat wooden raft, which was tied tightly to a post. Milan held the guide cable and pulled with all his might, groaning under the effort. Yet, the raft did not move because the rope remained tied.

Gojko looked at him and asked, ‘Uncle Milan, what are you doing? Why do you pull the cable while the raft is tied to the post?’

Milan stopped, wiped his wet forehead, and smiled. ‘Ah, Gojko! I pull now so the raft remembers the effort. When we untie, the raft will cross by itself, and we can rest!’

Gojko shook his head. ‘A raft has no memory! Untie it. I must cross now with this urgent medicine before noon!’

Milan nodded. ‘Ah, an urgent task. Very good.’ He untied the heavy rope from the post.

But the river ran wild today. The white water tossed the raft. Milan slowly and carefully pulled the guide cable, moving the raft forward inch by inch.

Gojko watched the water rush past. He noticed a swift, smooth current near the middle that bent toward the opposite bank.

‘Look!’ Gojko shouted above the roar of the water. ‘If we let go of the guide cable, the current will carry us to the other bank in two minutes! It is a perfect shortcut. Let go of the rope, Milan! We must hurry!’

Milan looked at the rushing current, then at Gojko. He appeared very thoughtful.

‘A shortcut!’ Milan said. ‘Why did you not say so? Speed is everything when a child is sick. In fact, if speed is what we need, let us take an even better shortcut.’

Milan grabbed Gojko’s wooden box of medicine. ‘If we throw this box into the swift water right here, the river will carry it to the other side in ten seconds! It will arrive much faster than our raft!’

Gojko gasped and grabbed the box back. ‘Are you mad? If we throw it in the water, the box will hit the sharp rocks downstream! The medicine will get wet, the herbs will wash away, and the box will break into tiny splinters!’

Milan scratched his chin. ‘Ah. So you want the medicine to arrive safe and dry, not just fast?’

‘Of course!’ Gojko cried. ‘What good is a fast delivery if the medicine is destroyed?’

Milan smiled gently. He gripped the thick guide cable with his strong, calloused hands and pulled the raft another inch forward.

‘Then why,’ Milan asked, ‘did you want me to let go of the cable? The raft is our box. If we let go of the rope, the current will carry us fast, yes. But it will also carry us straight into the grey boulder bridge downstream. The raft will break, we will sink, and your medicine will feed the fish.’

Gojko looked down, feeling foolish. He realized his impatience almost caused a disaster. He quietly took a seat on the raft and waited.

They crossed the river safely, inch by inch, and Gojko delivered the herbs in perfect condition.

Later, in the village square, Gojko told the story to the villagers. Milan sat nearby, eating a piece of salty cheese, and added, ‘After all, a traveler who drowns in a swift river does indeed arrive at the bottom very quickly, but he rarely manages to deliver his goods.’

Moral: True responsibility means doing a job safely and properly, even when we are in a hurry.