kaytek the wizard What do you want a moustache for Kaytek puts on an innocent look and says For a show at school So who are you going to be King John Sobieski I can paint a moustache on you I’d prefer a real one But what’ll you do after the show I’ll shave it off They laugh They’ve fallen for it Give him some Eau de Cologne I don’t want any says Kaytek flinching Why not It’ll make you smell good I don’t want any The boys will laugh at me They’ll say I want to get married Don’t you want to get married No way What the heck for The young people in the store are bored so they’re happy to joke around conver sation says the girl But a lady comes in to buy something and interrupts the Come here and I’ll paint you a moustache It’ll be just like a real one says the barber But you will invite us to the show won’t you Don’t forget Kaytek’s friend is getting impatient What took you so long They wanted to spray me with perfume For free I guess so Why didn’t you let them Why should they waste their stuff It’s all right to have a joke but I’m not a jerk I don’t like cheats Well sure King John Sobieski 1629 1696 was the Polish king who defeated the Turks at the Battle of Vienna in 1683 All notes have been added by the translator 14
janusz korczak Kaytek goes into a store selling cleaning products He asks for flea killer The lady gives it to him That’s for fleas bedbugs and roaches We don’t have any bedbugs or roaches at home My mom said just get it for fleas Doesn’t matter That’s good powder everyone buys it Show me how much cash you have Kaytek tightly clenches his empty fist No I have to ask I have to do what my mom says Well go ask her And tell her it costs a zloty Do you live far from here Just round the corner If you buy things here often you’ll get candy See this Yes She shows him a jar full of candy Kaytek leaves Thinks she’s so smart as if I’d give her a zloty right away he tells his pal She thinks I’ll be tempted by candy It’s been dyed those colors for sure How many stores is that now Six Exactly half OK let’s go on What’s your rush Let me take a rest My head’s already spin But it’s nothing Kaytek is okay He goes into the seventh ning store It’s a garden center Can I get a coconut palm here asks Kaytek We haven’t any says the lady Please would you look miss The nature teacher told me to So you tell the nature teacher he’s got bats in his belfry No he hasn’t Our teacher knows what he’s talking about get one The zloty is the Polish currency 15
kaytek the wizard It’s not nice to talk to children like that You’re not allowed to insult the teacher Get out of here you little brat Trying to preach morals at Sure it’s about morals because you shouldn’t talk like that me In the doorway he sticks out his tongue at her Pity I didn’t tell her to get stuffed and wallpapered too Why are you so annoyed Because I’m getting bored with all this traipsing about Tough you made a bet I know that without you telling me I started it so I’ll fin ish it Outside the store there’s a stall selling soda water A glass of gas please says Kaytek The lady fills a glass with water and hands it to him And Kaytek says I don’t want the water just the gas He makes another innocent face But she doesn’t even look She takes a swing and flings the water at him Kaytek dodges just in time She misses Go break an arm and a leg you thief But Kaytek isn’t a jerk or a thief He could have drunk the water and run away And he is feeling thirsty You’re the cheat lady He’s mad at her and at himself And at his pal Hey listen he asks his pal What does he’s got bats in his It must mean he talks garbage You could have figured that belfry mean out for yourself They stop outside a photography studio I’m coming in with you As you wish They go inside 16
