Once upon a time there were three robbers who lived on the other side of the Šumava Hills. The robbers were called Mirek, Marek and Miroslav.






Mirek was the nicest of the three; Marek was the smallest and the greediest; and Miroslav was the angriest.

The country was pretty. But it had patches, lots and lots of patches of land full of poisons put there a long time ago by wicked people. Many hardworking dwarfs, working in small gangs, were busy cleaning up these patches, bit by poisonous bit.

One day the robbers had an idea. It was this. They would replace all those small gangs of dwarfs with one giant. The giant would be pleased and give them lots of money in return. They all agreed this was a good idea and so Mirek, as the nicest of the three, was sent off to give the giant the good news.

When they discovered what the robbers were up to, the dwarfs grew worried, each wondering which of them the giant would choose to help him with the work. The dwarfs laid down their tools and waited. For two years, the dwarfs waited and still no giant appeared with work for them. And without work, they became poor.

And then the robbers had another idea. It was this. They would ask the dwarfs to sell them their tools, which they no longer needed. The robbers would then sell the tools to the giant, who would then sell them back to the dwarfs or at least to those dwarfs he would choose to help him with the work. And they would all get even richer! All of them except the dwarfs, that is. They all agreed this was a good idea and so Marek, being the smallest of the three, was sent off to speak with the dwarfs.

Meanwhile Mirek, who you remember was the nicest of the robbers and liked to please people by giving them good news, had told not just one but six giants about the plan. And at once they had all started fighting.

And Marek, being the greediest as well as the smallest of the three, had told the dwarfs that they would be paid in foreign gold the robbers had hidden in a country on the other side of the mountains. And the dwarfs, who were honest as well as hardworking, said that they wanted to be paid with local coins, and refused to sell the robbers their tools.

Then the bad-tempered Miroslav, who thought everyone fools, insulted the dwarfs and the giants and shouted at everyone else because he was so cross that the plan was not working.

The giants got upset and left the country. The dwarfs told the Authorities about the plan. And the three robbers were thrown into prison.

And now the dwarfs are back at work, busy cleaning up those patches, bit by poisonous bit, in that pretty country on the other side of the Šumava Hills.