The Adventures of Baba Pena | Chapter 2

Baba Pena Boxes the Siren

Baba Pena is full of stories. She loves to tell folktales about mythical creatures and fantastical adventures oddly reminiscent of her embroidered portraits. As the years went by, her tales started blending more and more. Now, they sound like she's recounting moments from her own life. Take her embroidered portrait with the siren. According to Baba Pena, she met her one day in early spring...

The bite of winter was still in the air, but the clear skies held the promise of spring's approach. Everyone in the village had already exchanged martenitsi, the red-and-white bracelets everyone wears in anticipation of spring. Baba Pena, being the popular baba that she is, had an armful of martenitsi, from all the neighbours.

One day, she'd decided it was time to make a short trek up the mountains to see if any nettles, wild garlic, and other herbs were ready to be picked and used in her homemade soups. She grabbed her big wicker basket, pulled on her hiking boots, and off she went.

While the path was steep and rocky, no obstacle was too big of a challenge for Baba Pena. She climbed, and even leapt, over rocks and still-frozen mud like an Olympic champion, until she reached a clearing in the forest with a large lake in the centre. The sun-drenched stones along the water's edge were the perfect spot for Baba Pena to rest her legs a little before carrying on.

She had set down her basket for just a little while when a frantic rustling caught her attention. A small flock of birds burst out of the bushes and bolted for the skies. Lizards skitted away. A red deer cleared a cluster of pine trees and ran across the clearing. When it noticed Baba Pena sitting on a rock, it paused with an anxious expression. Well, as much as a deer could look anxious, of course.

"What are you still doing here? Save yourself!" urged the deer.

"Save myself from whom?" asked Baba Pena.

"The siren, of course," replied the deer. "She was spotted in this lake. Every living creature is leaving the area. This is now her kingdom. You don't want to trespass."

"Why not?"

"She will use her siren voice to hypnotise you and get you to walk off a cliff." With that explanation, the deer deemed that Baba Pena sufficiently informed. It leapt back into action and hurried away.

This would simply not do, thought Baba Pena. How could one siren demand so much space just for herself? Besides, this was one of her favourite areas to pick herbs from, not to mention the wild strawberries that would be in season in a few months. No, someone had to do something about this greedy siren.

If this was the siren's lake, Baba Pena was already in the right spot. She circled the edge of the lake slowly, tossing a few pebbles into the water with the tip of her boot. She assumed this would be the equivalent of knocking on someone's door.

Sure enough, after less than a minute of taunting, a pair of dark, glistening eyes emerged from the water's surface. They were soon followed by a wicked smile that showed she recognised Baba Pena's challenge and was ready to accept it.

"Did you not hear the news?", spoke the siren. "This is now private property. I suggest you pick up your little basket and run off like the others."

Baba Pena looked back at her half-filled basket by the rocks.

"That would be a problem," she retorted. "You see, this is one of the best spots for picking herbs. And oh, you should see all the berries in summer! They are perfect for making compotes and jams. My grandchildren absolutely love them."

"I know," hissed back the siren with an irritated tone. "Why do you think I picked this particular lake?"

"Well, then you see the problem. I can't simply stay away from this area just because you declared it as your kingdom, and neither should the poor animals you chased away. So, there is only one thing for me to do."

"And what is that?", the siren cocked her head inquisitively.

"I will box you for your so-called 'kingdom'", replied Baba Pena matter-of-factly. She then pulled out two boxing gloves from her coat's pockets. "I always carry a pair of gloves with me, just in case. If you win, I leave. If you lose, your kingdom is mine. The animals will come back and you will share this spot with everyone else. Deal?"

The siren smirked self-assuredly. "Deal." She dove back into the water and emerged a moment later with her own pair of boxing gloves. She slithered along the water's surface to the edge of the lake and hauled her body on the solid ground. As soon as her tail touched the thawing mud, it split in two and morphed into a pair of legs. She stood up and shrugged off her robe, revealing a turquoise wrestling suit underneath. Baba Pena also took off her coat, leaving her in her own wrestling outfit, ornately sewn with white, red, green, and blue patterns. It was so perfectly coordinated with the patterns on her headscarf, that you might wonder if she did not plan this encounter.

Baba Pena took up a fighting stance across the siren and the match began. The siren immediately leapt on the offensive, hurling fist after fist. But she was no match for Baba Pena, who skillfully dodged every attack. The siren couldn't even leave so much as a bruise. Dodge, swerve, duck. Baba Pena was an agile moving target that proved impossible to hit. After only a few rounds, the siren's skin was bespeckled with her sweat that rolled down her temples, catching the lake's water droplets along their paths. Baba Pena's heart rate wasn't even elevated.

Soon, the siren's hungry pants for air slowed down her movements so much that it felt like she was boxing in slow motion. That was when Baba Pena struck. A punch to the nose, a right hook, and a knee to the stomach later, the siren flew in the air and landed on the other side of the clearing. Unbelievable! She was down. Exhausted, she couldn't find the strength to get up, or even move.

Baba Pena counted. One... two... three... four... five... six... seven... eight... and she was the victor!

Baba Pena jumped victoriously, pumped her fists in the air, and sent out a war cry that cracked through the air and reverberated through the mountaintops. This let all the animals know that the siren had fallen and that Baba Pena was their reigning queen. They were safe to come back home.

And so, the balance in the forest was restored, the siren swam back to the bottom of the lake, and Baba Pena went back to picking her nettles. In other words, just another one of Baba Pena's adventures. Or, at least, so she says.

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