Focus: Difficulties in communicating with peers. Feelings of inferiority. Loneliness. Uncertainty. Feeling like a “black sheep”.
Key phrase: “I’m not like everyone else. No one is friends with me!”
In the distant Blue-blue country, behind the blue-blue mountains lay the blue-blue Sea. It was the most beautiful sea in the world. Everyone who saw it thought that they were in a fairy tale - it was so captivating with its extraordinary deep blue color. Even the most evil and heartless person began to have something pounding in his chest and tears welled up in his eyes when he looked into the clear blue waters of the Sea. People left the sea with an unusually light heart, in a good mood, and most importantly, with the desire to do something kind and useful to someone. Therefore, the inhabitants of the Blue-Blue Country were very proud and loved their wonderful Sea.
The sea was not only very beautiful, but also very hospitable. Millions of creatures lived in it, very, very different and extraordinary. There were fancy starfish lying thoughtfully on the branches of coral, and funny seahorses, and busy crabs, always busy with some serious thoughts of their own, and cheerful sea urchins, and many, many other inhabitants of the depths. They all felt very good in this blue sea, because it was their home.
But most of all, the fish loved the sea, of which there were a great many. No one but them knew the sea so well. The fish spent whole days rushing across the endless expanses of the sea, admiring the beauty of the bottom and discovering more and more new ones. interesting places. Only at night did they calm down and fall asleep: some buried themselves in fine clean sand, some swam into cold sea caves, some hid in colored algae or corals. And the sea life seemed to freeze... But as soon as the first rays of the sun broke through the water, everything came to life again and seemed so happy and carefree...
But there lived in this sea one little Fish who did not feel so happy. She considered herself the most inconspicuous and ugly among the fish. She had neither an iridescent tail, nor delicate fins, even her scales, unlike the scales of her colorful friends, were the usual gray color.
This little fish suffered greatly from loneliness, because no one was friends with her, she was never invited to play and they talked to her very little. In general, everyone always behaved as if she simply did not exist. And she so wanted to join a gaggle of cheerful girlfriends, play hide and seek with them, swim in a race, or simply travel along the seabed... But she was never invited. Her friends simply did not notice her. And because of her shyness, she was afraid to come up and speak herself. It seemed to her that since she was so ugly, they would definitely drive her away. Can you imagine how lonely and difficult it was for the little, little Fish in such a huge, huge sea?
And then one day she felt so sad and melancholy that she suddenly stopped distinguishing colors. She stopped seeing the beauty that surrounded her. Nothing made her happy, nothing interested her. This magnificent blue-blue Sea began to seem to her like an ordinary large gray puddle in which the same gray and pale schools of fish live and swim. And the last thing in the world she wanted to talk to them...:
And this Fish decided to swim away to where she would not see anything else. She swam for a very long time and saw a cave. Having dived inside, Rybka found herself in complete darkness, but for some reason this did not make her feel better at all and she began to cry out of despair.
Suddenly she heard someone's gentle voice.
- Why are you crying? - he asked.
“Because I’m lonely,” answered Rybka.
- Why are you lonely?
- Because no one wants to play with me, and also because I can’t look at such a gray, ugly Sea. It's better not to see him at all.
- Gray ugly Sea? - asked the voice. - What sea are you talking about? There are no ugly seas, and our Sea is generally the most beautiful in the world. At least that's what I think.
Then our Rybka suddenly thought, what the Lately this is the first creature that willingly talks to her. She immediately stopped crying.
- Why are you sitting in this cave then? - asked Rybka.
“Because sometimes you just want to be alone.” But there's no way I'm staying here forever. Life is too interesting and beautiful to hide from it. Did you say that no one plays with you? Why? - asked the voice.
“Because I’m gray and ugly and no one notices me,” answered Rybka.
- But this is not true. In fact, you are simply charming and very interesting to be with!
- How do you know? - Rybka was surprised.
“I don’t know, but that’s exactly how you seem to me.” Let's be friends with you? - a voice suddenly asked.
The fish was taken aback by surprise - no one had ever said such words to her.
- Come on... Who are you? she asked.
“I’m a little fish just like you.”
- And are you happy?
“Yes, very much,” answered the little fish. “Let’s swim out of the cave.”
“Come on,” Rybka agreed.
When they swam out of the cave, they finally saw each other.
Our fish’s new acquaintance turned out to be a gray catfish, but for some reason he seemed very cute to her. It would never have occurred to her to call him ordinary and uninteresting. She looked at him curiously.
- Why did you say you were ugly? — Somik, in turn, was surprised. “Look!”
He swam to some glass piece at the bottom. Our fish looked there and... couldn’t believe her eyes. From there, a wonderful, very graceful fish with extraordinary silvery scales looked at her.
“Really... is it really me?” - Rybka couldn’t believe it.
- Of course you. You just didn’t notice it before, you didn’t want to notice. Nature does not create anything gray and ugly. The main thing is to want to see this beauty and then you will definitely see it,” answered Somik.
Our Fish smiled happily, looked back and... froze: The sea suddenly flashed again with all the colors of the rainbow. It shone and shimmered. Rybka had never seen him so beautiful before.
- Thank you, thank you, Somik! — she exclaimed. “Listen, let’s go for a walk?!” I can show you a lot of interesting things that you definitely haven’t seen yet!
- Of course, let's go! — Somik happily agreed. And they swam away from the dark cave. And there were no happier creatures in the whole huge blue Sea than these two little fish.
ISSUES FOR DISCUSSION
What did little Fish suffer from? Do you understand her? Tell me how she felt?
Why didn’t Rybka see her beauty and the beauty of the world around her?
Why did the Fish say “thank you” to the catfish? How did the catfish help her?
flying ship
Once upon a time there lived an old man and an old woman. They had three sons - the two eldest were considered smart, and everyone called the youngest a fool. The old woman loved her elders - she dressed them cleanly and fed them delicious food. And the youngest walked around in a holey shirt, chewing black crust.
He, the fool, doesn’t care: he doesn’t understand anything, he doesn’t understand anything!
One day the news reached that village: whoever builds a ship for the king that can sail the seas and fly under the clouds, the king will marry his daughter to him.
The older brothers decided to try their luck.
Let us go, father and mother! Perhaps one of us will become the king's son-in-law!
The mother equipped her eldest sons, baked them white pies for the journey, fried and cooked some chicken and goose:
Go, sons!
The brothers went into the forest and began to cut down and saw trees. They chopped and sawed a lot. And they don’t know what to do next. They began to argue and swear, and the next thing they knew, they would grab each other’s hair.
An old man came up to them and asked:
Why are you guys arguing and swearing? Maybe I can tell you something that will help you?
Both brothers attacked the old man - they did not listen to him, cursed him with bad words and drove him away. The old man left. The brothers had a fight, ate all their provisions that their mother gave them, and returned home with nothing...
As soon as they arrived, the youngest began to ask:
Let me go now!
His mother and father began to dissuade him and hold him back:
Where are you going, you fool, the wolves will eat you along the way!
And the fool knows his own thing repeats:
Let me go, I’ll go, and don’t let me go, I’ll go!
Mother and father see that there is no way to deal with him. They gave him a crust of dry black bread for the road and escorted him out of the house.
The fool took an ax with him and went into the forest. I walked and walked through the forest and spotted a tall pine tree: the top of this pine tree rests on the clouds, only three people can grasp it.
He cut down a pine tree and began clearing its branches. An old man approached him.
“Hello,” he says, “child!”
Hello, grandpa!
What are you doing, child, what are you doing? a big tree cut it down?
But, grandfather, the king promised to marry his daughter to the one who would build him a flying ship, and I am building it.
Can you really make such a ship? This is a tricky matter, and perhaps you won’t be able to handle it.
The tricky thing is not tricky, but you have to try: you see, and I succeed! Well, you came by the way: old people, experienced, knowledgeable. Maybe you can give me some advice.
The old man says:
Well, if you ask me for advice, listen: take your ax and chop this pine tree from the sides: like this!
And he showed how to trim.
The fool listened to the old man and hewed the pine the way he showed. He is cutting, and it’s amazing: the ax moves just like that, just like that!
Now, says the old man, trim the pine from the ends: like this and like that!
The fool doesn’t let the old man’s words fall on deaf ears: as the old man shows, so he does.
He finished the work, the old man praised him and said:
Well, now it’s not a sin to take a break and have a little snack.
“Eh, grandpa,” says the fool, “there will be food for me, this stale piece of meat.” What can I treat you with? You probably won’t bite my treat, will you?
“Come on, child,” says the old man, “give me your crust!”
The fool gave him some crust. The old man took it in his hands, examined it, felt it, and said:
Your little bitch is not so callous!
And he gave it to the fool. The fool took the crust and couldn’t believe his eyes: the crust turned into a soft and white loaf.
After they had eaten, the old man said:
Well, now let's start adjusting the sails!
And he took out a piece of canvas from his bosom.
The old man shows, the fool tries, he does everything conscientiously - and the sails are ready, trimmed.
Now get into your ship,” says the old man, “and fly wherever you want.” Look, remember my order: on the way, put everyone you meet on your ship!
Here they said goodbye. The old man went his way, and the fool boarded the flying ship and straightened the sails. The sails inflated, the ship soared into the sky, and flew faster than a falcon. It flies a little lower than the walking clouds, a little higher than the standing forests...
The fool flew and flew and saw a man lying on the road with his ear pressed to the damp ground. He came down and said:
Hello, uncle!
Nice, well done!
What are you doing?
I listen to what is happening at the other end of the earth.
What's going on there, uncle?
Wow, what an earworm you are! Get on my ship and we'll fly together.
Rumor did not make excuses, boarded the ship, and they flew on.
They flew and flew and saw a man walking along the road, walking on one leg, and the other leg tied to his ear.
Hello, uncle!
Nice, well done!
Why are you jumping on one leg?
Yes, if I untie my other leg, I’ll cross the whole world in three steps!
You're so fast! Sit down with us.
The speedboat did not refuse, climbed onto the ship, and they flew on.
You never know how much time has flown by, and lo and behold, there’s a man standing with a gun, taking aim. It’s unknown what he’s aiming at.
Hello, uncle! Who are you aiming at? No animal or bird is visible around you.
What are you! Yes, I won’t shoot close. I’m aiming at a black grouse that’s sitting on a tree about a thousand miles away. This is how shooting is for me.
Sit down with us, let's fly together!
They flew and flew and saw: a man was walking, carrying a huge sack of bread behind his back.
Hello, uncle! Where are you going?
I'm going to get some bread for lunch.
What more bread do you need? Your bag is already full!
Whats up! Put this bread in my mouth and swallow it. And to eat my fill, I need a hundred times that amount!
Look what you are! Get on our ship and we'll fly together.
They fly over forests, they fly over fields, they fly over rivers, they fly over villages and villages.
Lo and behold: a man is walking near a large lake, shaking his head.
Hello, uncle! What is it you are looking for?
I'm thirsty, so I'm looking for somewhere to get drunk.
There's a whole lake in front of you. Drink to your heart's content!
Yes, this water will only last me one sip.
The fool marveled, his comrades marveled and said:
Well, don't worry, there will be water for you. Get on the ship with us, we will fly far, there will be plenty of water for you!
It is unknown how long they flew, they just see: a man is walking into the forest, and behind his shoulders is a bundle of brushwood.
Hello, uncle! Tell us: why are you dragging brushwood into the forest?
And this is not ordinary brushwood. If you scatter it, a whole army will immediately appear.
Sit down, uncle, with us!
They flew and flew, and lo and behold: an old man was walking, carrying a sack of straw.
Hello, grandpa, gray little head! Where are you taking the straw?
Is there really not enough straw in the village?
There is a lot of straw, but there is no such thing.
What is it like for you?
Here's what it is: if I scatter it in the hot summer, it will suddenly become cold: snow will fall, frost will crackle.
If so, the truth is yours: you won’t find such straw in the village. Sit down with us!
Kholodillo climbed into the ship with his sack, and they flew on.
They flew and flew and arrived at the royal court.
The king was sitting at dinner at that time. He saw a flying ship and sent his servants:
Go ask: who flew on that ship - which overseas princes and princes?
The servants ran up to the ship and saw that ordinary men were sitting on the ship.
The royal servants did not even ask them who they were and where they came from. They returned and reported to the king:
Anyway! There is not a single prince on the ship, not a single prince, and all black bones are simple men. What do you want to do with them?
“It’s shameful for us to marry our daughter to a simple man,” the Tsar thinks. “We need to get rid of such suitors.”
He asked his courtiers - princes and boyars:
What should we do now, what should we do?
They advised:
It is necessary to ask the groom various difficult problems, maybe he won’t solve them. Then we will turn the corner and show him!
The king was delighted and immediately sent his servants to the fool with the following order:
Let the groom get us, before our royal dinner is over, living and dead water!
The fool thought:
What am I going to do now? Yes, I won’t find such water in a year, or maybe even my whole life.
What am I supposed to do? - says Skorokhod. - I’ll handle it for you in a moment.
He untied his leg from his ear and ran across distant lands to the thirtieth kingdom. I collected two jugs of living and dead water, and thought to myself: “There’s a lot of time left ahead, let me sit for a while and I’ll be back in time!”
He sat down under a thick, spreading oak tree and dozed off...
The royal dinner is coming to an end, but Skorokhod is gone.
Everyone got tanned flying ship- they don’t know what to do. And Slukhalo put his ear to the damp earth, listened and said:
What a sleepy and drowsy one! He sleeps under a tree, snoring with all his might!
But I’ll wake him up now! - says Strelyalo.
He grabbed his gun, took aim and shot at the oak tree under which Skorokhod was sleeping. Acorns fell from the oak tree - right on Skorokhod’s head. He woke up.
Fathers, yes, no way, I fell asleep!
He jumped up and at that very moment brought jugs of water:
Get it!
The king stood up from the table, looked at the jugs and said:
Or maybe this water is not real?
They caught a rooster, tore off its head and sprinkled it with dead water. The head instantly grew larger. They sprinkled it with living water - the rooster jumped to his feet, flapping his wings, “cuckoo!” shouted.
The king became annoyed.
Well,” he says to the fool, “you have completed this task of mine.” Now I'll ask another one! If you are so clever, you and your matchmakers will eat in one sitting twelve roasted bulls and as much bread as was baked in forty ovens!
The fool became sad and said to his comrades:
Yes, I can’t even eat one piece of bread all day!
What am I supposed to do? - says Obedalo. - I can handle both the bulls and their grain alone. It won't be enough yet!
The fool ordered to tell the king:
Drag the bulls and the grain. Let's eat!
They brought twelve roasted bulls and as much bread as had been baked in forty ovens.
Let's eat the bulls, one by one. And he puts bread in his mouth and throws loaf after loaf. All the carts were empty.
Let's do more! - Obedalo shouts. - Why did they supply so little? I'm just getting the hang of it!
But the king has no more bulls or grain.
Now,” he says, “there is a new order for you: to drink forty barrels of beer at a time, each barrel containing forty buckets.”
“I can’t even drink one bucket,” says the fool to his matchmakers.
What a sadness! - Opivalo answers. - Yes, I’ll drink all their beer alone, it won’t be enough!
Forty barrels were rolled in. They began to scoop up beer in buckets and serve it to Opivale. He takes a sip - the bucket is empty.
What are you bringing me in buckets? - says Opivalo. - We'll be messing around all day!
He picked up the barrel and emptied it immediately, without stopping. He picked up another barrel - and the empty one rolled away. So I drained all forty barrels.
Isn’t there, he asks, another beer? I didn't drink to my heart's content! Don't get your throat wet!
The king sees: nothing can take the fool. I decided to destroy him with cunning.
Okay,” he says, “I’ll marry my daughter to you, get ready for the crown!” Just before the wedding, go to the bathhouse, wash and steam thoroughly.
And he ordered the bathhouse to be heated.
And the bathhouse was all cast iron.
They heated the bathhouse for three days, making it red hot. It radiates with fire and heat; you can’t approach it within five fathoms.
How will I wash? - says the fool. - I'll burn alive.
Don’t be sad,” Kholololo answers. - I'll go with you!
He ran to the king and asked:
Would you allow me and my fiancé to go to the bathhouse? I'll lay out some straw for him so he doesn't get his heels dirty!
What to the king? He allowed: “That one will burn, that both!”
They brought the fool with the Refrigerator to the bathhouse and locked him there.
And Kholodilo scattered straw in the bathhouse - and it became cold, the walls were covered with frost, the water in the cast iron froze.
Some time passed and the servants opened the door. They look, and the fool is alive and well, and the old man too.
“Eh, you,” says the fool, “why don’t you take a steam bath in your bathhouse, how about riding on a sled!”
The servants ran to the king. They reported: So, they say, and so. The king was tossed around, he didn’t know what to do, how to get rid of the fool.
I thought and thought and ordered him:
Place a whole regiment of soldiers in front of my palace in the morning. If you do, I’ll marry my daughter to you. If you don’t throw me out, I’ll throw you out!
And on his own mind: “Where can a simple peasant get an army? He won't be able to do this. That’s when we’ll kick him out!”
The fool heard the royal order and said to his matchmakers:
You, brothers, have helped me out of trouble more than once or twice... And now what are we going to do?
Eh, you found something to be sad about! - says the old man with brushwood. - Yes, I’ll field at least seven regiments with generals! Go to the king, tell him - he will have an army!
The fool came to the king.
“I will carry out,” he says, “your order, only in last time. And if you make excuses, blame yourself!
Early in the morning, the old man with brushwood called the fool and went out into the field with him. He scattered the bundle, and a countless army appeared - both on foot and on horseback, and with cannons. Trumpeters blow trumpets, drummers beat drums, generals give commands, horses beat their hooves into the ground...
The fool stood in front and led the army to the royal court. He stopped in front of the palace and ordered the trumpets to be blown louder and the drums to be beaten harder.
The king heard it, looked out the window, and became whiter than a sheet of paper with fright. He ordered the commanders to withdraw their troops and go to war against the fool.
The governors brought out the tsar's army and began to shoot and fire at the fool. And the foolish soldiers march like a wall, crushing the royal army like grass. The commanders got scared and ran back, followed by the entire royal army.
The king crawled out of the palace, crawled on his knees in front of the fool, asking him to accept expensive gifts and marry the princess as soon as possible.
The fool says to the king:
Now you are not our guide! We have our own mind!
He drove the king away and never ordered him to return to that kingdom. And he himself married the princess.
The princess is a young and kind girl. There is no fault on her!
And he began to live in that kingdom and do all sorts of things.
Old ship
Once upon a time there lived an old ship, so old that all its sides were rusty and ached mercilessly, and its voice became so hoarse that it could no longer hum. The entire crew loved their Ship very much, constantly repairing it, repainting it, sewing up holes, and cleaning pipes. Over the past three years he has only gone to sea once, and only for a short distance. Just walked along the coast from one port to another to transport some cargo. They didn’t strain him too much, but they couldn’t part with him either. Although the strict naval authorities have long been talking about its decommissioning.
He was very worried about this and often cried at night. Therefore, when the sailors came in the morning, yesterday's patches were again covered with rust, and some even fell off completely. The sailors did not understand anything and again mended, patched and tinted his poor sides. Most of all the ship loved the Captain, almost as old as himself. The Captain had diseased heart and he was constantly taking some kind of pills, because recently he had some kind of grief, which he never spoke about on board the ship, not wanting to upset him even more.
One night, when only the sailors on watch remained on the Ship, he felt some movement in his hold. Looking there with his inner eye, he saw hordes of rats that were somehow moving too quickly towards the exit. Then he realized that this was the end, because everyone knows that the rats leave the ship before its death. He had one acquaintance, a rat, who gave him less trouble than others. He asked her to gnaw through the ropes and make sure that the sailors left the ship at least for a while (although he knew that this was practically impossible).
There were two sailors on the ship and the rats, after consulting, did not find anything better than to throw one of them overboard. The second one began to run around the deck in a panic, screaming, calling for help, throwing all the life preservers into the water, and then he himself jumped to save his drowning comrade. At this moment, the ship, whose ropes had already been chewed by rats, slowly began to move away from the shore. His plan was to move further out to sea and drown himself there. He turned on the engines himself, set the course himself and gave himself the command “Full speed ahead!” He learned all this over many years of sailing with people. Both sailors looked in bewilderment at the retreating ship, not daring to swim close to it, since they could be sucked in by the propellers and they would die.
And the ship was rapidly picking up speed. The salty wind, mixed with splashes, whipped him on the sides and a certain feeling of freedom filled him from the hold to the tip of the mast. The sea was calm and gentle. The stars in the dark sky formed like an arrow, showing the ship the way. Having reached almost the middle of the sea, it seemed to him that he was ready to turn off the engine and go to the bottom. But then suddenly, out of nowhere, a school of dolphins swam up to him and began to ask for help. They squealed so much that the ship could hardly understand that some child was in trouble not far away. He, of course, abandoned his selfish plans and hurried to the aid of a stranger. The dolphins showed him the way, and the star arrow seemed to confirm it.
Suddenly the ship saw something like land ahead. Either a small island, or an atoll, or just a piece of land sticking out in the middle of the sea. The dolphins said that this was exactly the place where they called him. Swimming closer to the shore, he saw that a small boy was lying near the water and was almost not breathing. The most important thing now was to drag the baby on board the ship. But how can this be done if the dolphins have no hands, and even more so the ship? Dolphins, wise animals, turned the boy on his back and carefully lowered him into the water. One of the dolphins carefully swam under his back and, supported on the sides by a couple more dolphins, hurried to the ship, which, because of the shallows, could not come close to the shore. Without thinking twice, the ship lowered the boat into the water, into which the dolphins transferred the boy, and lifted it aboard again. Someone had forgotten a warm blanket in the boat, which came in handy just now.
The ship quickly turned around and started the engines, which had not yet cooled down, and rushed back to its friends who remained on the shore, to its Captain. He hoped that people would save the boy if he got there in time. Return trip seemed to him three times faster. And now the lights of their native port began to flicker in the distance. The ship sounded its horn for joy, and what is most surprising, the sound turned out to be loud and clear, as it was in its first years of life. Out of amazement, the ship now sounded its horn constantly in order to enjoy the “heavenly music” again and again.
The closer he came to the shore, the more clearly he saw people running along the pier in confusion, waving their arms, shouting something, there was a strange expression on all their faces, as if they had all seen something strange and incomprehensible. Suddenly, among all the faces, he saw his captain, with tears streaming down his cheeks. “What happened? Is it really because of me that there is such a commotion?” the ship thought. It docked and the sailors immediately jumped on board, ran to the boat, took the boy out of it, and handed him over to the shore, where doctors and ambulances were already standing. The doctors put the boy on a stretcher, examined him, and one doctor said that if it had been a little more, he would not have survived, but now there is hope for salvation. The car doors slammed and the boy was taken to the hospital.
The ship felt so tired and happy that he had time that it was not immediately that the conversations of the sailors began to reach him. It was only when the Captain came on board, knelt down and began kissing the deck that he was very surprised. And the Captain, through tears, thanked God that his grandson remained alive and his ship also remained alive, and even looked fifty years younger. Not understanding anything, he looked into the surface of the water and saw that he was not that old piece of junk that had gone into the sea to drown, but a new, sparkling ship, which had no pain, and which had not yet been touched by rust or rats. As soon as he remembered the rats, they immediately appeared. They headed into the hold in an even formation. Only one of his barn rat acquaintances lingered at the entrance and told him that the Captain almost went crazy when he did not see the ship in its place, and the sailors told him with fear that they saw its retreating stern. Just recently, the Captain's grandson disappeared. He sent him out to sea on a yacht to go with his friends and they disappeared. True, after a while all the friends returned and said that the yacht sank, and they were picked up by a passing ship. Only the Captain's grandson remained unfound. And then his good old Ship left somewhere without permission, without telling anyone. There was something to go crazy about. But everyone experienced an even greater shock today, when some Ship from afar began sending sound signals: “The boy is in the boat!” No one except the Captain recognized the old Ship.
The boy was rescued in the hospital, and when he grew up, he became the same captain as his grandfather. And guess what ship he's on?
Once upon a time there lived an old man and an old woman. They had three sons - the two eldest were considered smart, and everyone called the youngest a fool. The old woman loved her elders - she dressed them cleanly and fed them delicious food. And the youngest walked around in a holey shirt, chewing black crust.
“He, the fool, doesn’t care: he doesn’t understand anything, he doesn’t understand anything!”
Then one day the news reached that village: whoever builds a ship for the king, so that he can sail the seas and fly under the clouds, the king will marry his daughter to him. The older brothers decided to try their luck.
- Let us go, father and mother! Perhaps one of us will become the king's son-in-law!
The mother equipped her eldest sons, baked them white pies for the journey, fried and cooked some chicken and goose:
- Go, sons!
The brothers went into the forest and began to cut down and saw trees. They chopped and sawed a lot. And they don’t know what to do next. They began to argue and swear, and the next thing they knew, they would grab each other’s hair.
An old man came up to them and asked:
- Why are you guys arguing and swearing? Maybe I can tell you something that will help you?
Both brothers attacked the old man - they did not listen to him, cursed him with bad words and drove him away. The old man left.
The brothers had a fight, ate all their provisions that their mother gave them, and returned home with nothing... As soon as they arrived, the youngest began to beg:
- Let me go now!
His mother and father began to dissuade him and hold him back:
- Where are you going, you fool, the wolves will eat you along the way!
And the fool knows his own thing repeats:
- Let me go, I’ll go, and don’t let me go, I’ll go!
Mother and father see that there is no way to deal with him. They gave him a crust of dry black bread for the road and escorted him out of the house.
The fool took an ax with him and went into the forest. I walked and walked through the forest and spotted a tall pine tree: the top of this pine tree rests on the clouds, only three people can grasp it.
He cut down a pine tree and began clearing its branches. An old man approached him.
“Hello,” he says, “child!”
- Hello, grandfather!
“What are you doing, child, why did you cut down such a big tree?”
- But, grandfather, the king promised to marry his daughter to the one who would build him a flying ship, and I am building it.
“Can you really make such a ship?” This is a tricky matter, and perhaps you won’t be able to handle it.
- The tricky thing is not tricky, but you have to try: you look, and I succeed! Well, you came by the way: old people, experienced, knowledgeable. Maybe you can give me some advice. The old man says:
“Well, if you’re asking me for advice, listen: take your ax and chop this pine tree off from the sides: like this!”
And he showed how to trim.
The fool listened to the old man and hewed the pine the way he showed. He is cutting, and it’s amazing: the ax moves just like that, just like that!
“Now,” says the old man, “finish the pine from the ends: this way and that way!”
The fool doesn’t let the old man’s words fall on deaf ears: as the old man shows, so he does. He finished the work, the old man praised him and said:
- Well, now it’s not a sin to take a break and have a little snack.
“Eh, grandpa,” says the fool, “there’s food for me, this stale piece of meat.” What can I treat you with? You probably won't bite my treat?
“Come on, child,” says the old man, “give me your crust!”
The fool gave him some crust. The old man took it in his hands, examined it, felt it, and said:
“Your bitch is not so callous!”
And he handed it to the fool. The fool took the crust and couldn’t believe his eyes: the crust turned into a soft and white loaf.
After they had eaten, the old man said:
- Well, now let's start adjusting the sails!
And he took out a piece of canvas from his bosom. The old man shows, the fool tries, he does everything conscientiously - and the sails are ready, trimmed.
“Now get into your ship,” says the old man, “and fly where you want.” Look, remember my order: on the way, put everyone you meet on your ship!
Here they said goodbye. The old man went his way, and the fool boarded the flying ship and straightened the sails. The sails inflated, the ship soared into the sky, and flew faster than a falcon. It flies a little lower than the walking clouds, a little higher than the standing forests...
The fool flew and flew and saw a man lying on the road with his ear pressed to the damp ground. He came down and said:
- Great, uncle!
- Nice, well done!
- What are you doing?
“I’m listening to what’s going on at the other end of the earth.”
- What's going on there, uncle?
- The vocal birds are singing and singing, one is better than the other!
- What a great listener you are! Get on my ship and we'll fly together.
Rumor did not make excuses, boarded the ship, and they flew on.
They flew and flew and saw a man walking along the road, walking on one leg, and the other leg tied to his ear.
- Great, uncle!
- Nice, well done!
- Why are you jumping on one leg?
- Yes, if I untie my other leg, I’ll cross the whole world in three steps!
- You're so fast! Sit down with us.
The speedboat did not refuse, climbed onto the ship, and they flew on.
You never know how much has passed, and lo and behold, there’s a man standing with a gun, taking aim. It’s unknown what he’s aiming at.
- Great, uncle! Who are you aiming at? No animal or bird is visible around you.
- What are you! Yes, I won’t shoot close. I’m aiming at a black grouse that’s sitting on a tree about a thousand miles away. This is how shooting is for me.
- Sit down with us, let's fly together!
Shot and sat down, and they all flew on. They flew and flew, and they saw: a man was walking, carrying a huge sack of bread behind his back.
- Great, uncle! Where are you going?
“I’m going to get some bread for lunch.”
- What more bread do you need? Your bag is already full!
- Whats up! Put this bread in my mouth and swallow it. And to eat my fill, I need a hundred times that amount!
- Look what you are! Get on our ship and we'll fly together.
Lo and behold: a man is walking near a large lake, shaking his head.
- Great, uncle! What is it you are looking for?
“I’m thirsty, so I’m looking for somewhere to get drunk.”
- Yes, there is a whole lake in front of you. Drink to your heart's content!
- Yes, this water will only last me one sip. The fool marveled, his comrades marveled, and said:
- Well, don’t worry, there will be water for you. Get on the ship with us, we will fly far, there will be plenty of water for you!
Opivalo got into the ship, and they flew on. We don’t know how long they flew, they just see: a man is walking into the forest, and behind his shoulders is a bundle of brushwood.
- Great, uncle! Tell us: why are you dragging brushwood into the forest?
- And this is not ordinary brushwood. If you scatter it, a whole army will immediately appear.
- Sit down, uncle, with us!
And this one sat down with them. They flew on.
They flew and flew, and lo and behold: an old man was walking, carrying a sack of straw.
- Hello, grandpa, gray little head! Where are you taking the straw?
- To the village.
“Isn’t there enough straw in the village?”
- There is a lot of straw, but there is no such thing.
- What is it like for you?
- Here’s what it is: if I scatter it in the hot summer, it will suddenly become cold: snow will fall, frost will crackle.
- If so, the truth is yours: you won’t find such straw in the village. Sit down with us!
Kholodillo climbed into the ship with his sack, and they flew on.
They flew and flew and arrived at the royal palace. The king was sitting at dinner at that time. He saw a flying ship and sent his servants:
- Go ask: who flew on that ship - which overseas princes and princes?
The servants ran to the ship and saw that ordinary men were sitting on the ship.
The royal servants did not even ask them who they were and where they came from. They returned and reported to the king:
- Anyway! There is not a single prince on the ship, not a single prince, and all black bones are simple men.
What do you want to do with them? “It’s shameful for us to marry our daughter to a simple man,” the Tsar thinks. “We need to get rid of such suitors.”
He asked his courtiers - princes and boyars:
- What should we do now, what should we do?
They advised:
“We need to ask the groom various difficult problems, maybe he won’t solve them.” Then we will turn the corner and show him!
The king was delighted and immediately sent his servants to the fool with the following order:
- Let the groom get us, before our royal dinner is over, living and dead water!
The fool thought:
- What am I going to do now? Yes, I won’t find such water in a year, or maybe even my whole life.
- What am I supposed to do? - says Skorokhod. - I’ll handle it for you in a moment.
He untied his leg from his ear and ran across distant lands to the thirtieth kingdom. I collected two jugs of living and dead water, and thought to myself: “There’s a lot of time left ahead, let me sit for a while and I’ll be back in time!”
He sat down under a thick, spreading oak tree and dozed off...
The royal dinner is coming to an end, but Skorokhod is gone.
Everyone on the flying ship was sunbathing - they didn’t know what to do. And Slukhalo put his ear to the damp earth, listened and said:
- What a sleepy and dozy one! He sleeps under a tree, snoring with all his might!
- But I’ll wake him up now! - says Strelyalo. He grabbed his gun, took aim and shot at the oak tree under which Skorokhod was sleeping. Acorns fell from the oak tree - right on Skorokhod’s head. He woke up.
- Fathers, yes, no way, I fell asleep!
He jumped up and at that very moment brought jugs of water:
- Get it!
The king stood up from the table, looked at the jugs and said:
- Or maybe this water is not real?
They caught a rooster, tore off its head and sprinkled it with dead water. The head instantly grew larger. They sprinkled it with living water - the rooster jumped to his feet, flapping his wings, “cuckoo!” shouted.
The king became annoyed.
“Well,” he says to the fool, “you have completed this task of mine.” Now I'll ask another one! If you are so clever, you and your matchmakers will eat in one sitting twelve roasted bulls and as much bread as was baked in forty ovens!
The fool became sad and said to his comrades:
- Yes, I won’t even eat one piece of bread in a whole day!
- What am I supposed to do? - says Obedalo. “I can handle both the bulls and their grain alone.” It won't be enough yet!
The fool ordered to tell the king:
- Drag the bulls and the grain. There will be!
They brought twelve roasted bulls and as much bread as had been baked in forty ovens. Let's eat the bulls, one by one. And he puts bread in his mouth and throws loaf after loaf. All the carts were empty.
- Let's do more! - Obedalo shouts. - Why did they supply so little? I'm just getting the hang of it!
But the king has no more bulls or grain.
“Now,” he says, “there is a new order for you: to drink forty barrels of beer at a time, each barrel containing forty buckets.”
“I can’t even drink one bucket,” says the fool to his matchmakers.
- What a sadness! - Opivalo answers. - Yes, I’ll drink all their beer alone, it won’t be enough!
Forty barrels were rolled in. They began to scoop up beer in buckets and serve it to Opivale. He takes a sip - the bucket is empty.
- What are you bringing me in buckets? - says Opivalo. “We’ll be messing around all day like that!”
He picked up the barrel and emptied it immediately, without stopping. He picked up another barrel and it rolled away. So I drained all forty barrels.
“Isn’t there some more beer?” he asks? I didn't drink to my heart's content! Don't get your throat wet!
The king sees: nothing can take the fool. I decided to destroy him with cunning.
“Okay,” he says, “I’ll marry my daughter to you, get ready for the crown!” Just before the wedding, go to the bathhouse, wash and steam thoroughly.
And he ordered the bathhouse to be heated. And the bathhouse was all cast iron.
They heated the bathhouse for three days, making it red hot. It radiates with fire and heat; you can’t approach it within five fathoms.
- How will I wash myself? - says the fool. - I'll burn alive.
“Don’t be sad,” Kholodilo answers. - I'll go with you!
He ran to the king and asked:
“Would you allow me and my fiancé to go to the bathhouse?” I'll lay out some straw for him so he doesn't get his heels dirty!
What to the king? He allowed: “That one will burn, that both!”
They brought the fool with the Refrigerator to the bathhouse and locked him there. And Kholodila scattered straw in the bathhouse - and it became cold, the walls were covered with frost, the water in the cast iron froze.
Some time passed and the servants opened the door. They look, and the fool is alive and well, and the old man too.
“Eh, you,” says the fool, “why don’t you take a steam bath in your bathhouse, how about riding on a sled!”
The servants ran to the king. They reported: so, they say, and so. The king was tossed around, he didn’t know what to do, how to get rid of the fool.
I thought and thought and ordered him:
- Place a whole regiment of soldiers in front of my palace in the morning. If you do, I’ll marry my daughter to you. If you don’t throw me out, I’ll throw you out!
And on his own mind: “Where can a simple peasant get an army? He won't be able to do this. Then we’ll kick him out!”
The fool heard the royal order and said to his matchmakers:
- You, brothers, helped me out of trouble more than once or twice... And now what are we going to do?
- Eh, you found something to be sad about! - says the old man with brushwood. - Yes, I’ll at least field seven regiments with generals! Go to the king, tell him - he will have an army!
The fool came to the king.
“I will carry out,” he says, “your order, just for the last time.” And if you make excuses, blame yourself!
Early in the morning, the old man with brushwood called the fool and went out into the field with him. He scattered the bundle, and a countless army appeared - both on foot and on horseback, and with cannons. Trumpeters blow trumpets, drummers beat drums, generals give commands, horses beat their hooves into the ground... The fool stood in front and led the army to the royal palace. He stopped in front of the palace and ordered the trumpets to be blown louder and the drums to be beaten harder.
The king heard it, looked out the window, and became whiter than a sheet of paper with fright. He ordered the commanders to withdraw their troops and go to war against the fool.
The governors brought out the tsar's army and began to shoot and fire at the fool. And the foolish soldiers march like a wall, crushing the royal army like grass. The commanders got scared and ran back, followed by the entire royal army.
The king crawled out of the palace, crawled on his knees in front of the fool, asking him to accept expensive gifts and marry the princess as soon as possible.
The fool says to the king:
- Now you are not our guide! We have our own mind!
He drove the king away and never ordered him to return to that kingdom. And he himself married the princess.
- The princess is a young and kind girl. There is no fault on her!
And he began to live in that kingdom and do all sorts of things.
V. G. Kvashin
At first the sea was empty. Only the Master of the Sea and his wife lived at the bottom. The owner of the sea arranged the entire sea: now he will make some kind of shoal, now an island, now he will invent a current. And the wife just sits and sits. One day the wife says:
- I'm bored. You are always doing something, inventing things, but I have nothing to do.
The Master of the Sea thought and decided to give his wife a gift. Created fish.
- Here's some fish for you. You will be the Mistress of the Pisces. Herd them, look after them, breed them, whatever you want. It will be more and more fun.
The wife was delighted and began to fish. Three days later he says:
- You invented fish. How will I breed them if they have nothing to eat?
“It’s true, I forgot about it,” answers the Master of the Sea.
I thought about it and created small crustaceans, crabs, shells, and various algae and planted them on the bottom.
- Let the fish eat this.
The wife was satisfied and went to breed fish. A little time passed, the wife again asked her husband:
- You made different crustaceans, but what will they eat?
The Master of the Sea thought - indeed, it was a mistake. I looked - there were no crustaceans at the bottom. I decided to feed everyone at once, and came up with whales and seals.
- Let the crustaceans eat whales and seals when they die and fall to the bottom. These animals are big, there are enough crustaceans for everyone!
After some time, the Mistress of the Fishes came to her husband again.
- Why are you unhappy again? - asks the Master of the Sea. - I created fish for you, food for them - I made all kinds of crustaceans, I came up with food for crustaceans - let them eat dead whales. What else are you missing?
“You came up with everything well,” says the wife. - But what will these huge whales and seals eat?
The Master of the Sea thought. Indeed, whales and seals have nothing to eat. It is impossible to create other animals - there is nowhere to house them, and so the sea is already full of all kinds of living creatures. He thought and thought and came up with an idea.
- Let the whales eat crustaceans, the seals eat fish, the fish eat crustaceans, algae and shells, and let the various crustaceans eat dead whales, seals and fish. This way everyone will be full.
- You're so smart! - said the Mistress of Fish. - It’s not for nothing that you are the Master of the Sea! Now there is food for everyone at sea.
