There lived an old man and an old woman. They had an only daughter. They huddled in a cramped hut.
Their only hope was that their daughter would grow up and be able to help them.
One day the old man took his donkey and went into the forest to get firewood. The forest was far from his home.
The old man loaded the donkey with brushwood and got ready to go home. Suddenly he heard a terrible roar and someone's heavy steps.
Starin, out of fear, did not know what to do, where to go, and stood next to his donkey. At that moment an adau appeared in front of him.
- Hey, old man! – he shouted menacingly. - How dare you take my firewood? You should be severely punished for this, but this time I will have mercy on you! If you come for firewood another time, bring your daughter, otherwise your head won’t be blown off!
The old man bowed at the feet of the Adau and trudged home.
At home, he told his wife about everything, and both of them were grieving and did not know what to do. It was a cold time. How to do without firewood, how to cook dinner without firewood?
The old man had to go into the forest again to get firewood. The old woman, crying, equipped her daughter for the journey.
The old man brought his daughter to the place where he always got firewood, but there was no one there. Then he hastily loaded the donkey with brushwood and turned back. But here, as if from the ground, adau grew.
- What, old man, has he come again?
“Yes, I came and brought my daughter, as you ordered,” the old man answered and pointed his hand at the girl.
Adau said:
- Take the wood home, and then come back here. Here you will see my traces. Follow these tracks and you will go straight to my house. Look, don’t even try to disobey me, otherwise you’ll never see your daughter!
With these words the adau disappeared.
The old man arrived home, threw down the brushwood, mounted his donkey and immediately rode off into the forest again.
The old man reached the place where he was collecting firewood and saw traces of the adau. He followed these tracks.
He drove for a long time and finally saw a large crystal house with a golden roof. His daughter was sitting on the balcony of the house. The girl saw her father, rushed to meet him and shouted joyfully:
- Father has come!
Then the adau himself came out. He tied the donkey and led the old man into the house.
The old man stayed with his son-in-law for two days. When he was getting ready to go home, the adau gave him a horse instead of a donkey, and in one of the khurjins, in addition to food, he put a goose.
“When you arrive home,” said the adau, “sit this goose down and tell her: “Come on, goose, give us what we need!” And when she gives you as much as you need, say: “That’s enough!” - and she will stop.
The old man returned home and said to the old woman:
- Well, wife, it seems that now we will live comfortably! This goose will help us.
With these words the old man sat the goose in the middle of the hut and said:
- Come on, goose, give us what we need!
And the goose began to carry gold and silver coins. The old man was silent until the goose carried away three large piles of gold and silver. Then he decided that he had enough and ordered her:
- That's enough now! And the goose stopped.
The old man became a rich man. He demolished his old hut, built a large house and acquired a farm,
When summer came, the old man said:
- Come on, wife, let's go to the healing waters, bathe in a hot spring - it will do us good!
The old woman agreed. They took the goose with them and drove off.
The old man arrived at the place and entrusted the goose to the owner of the house where they were staying.
“Put our goose in your house,” he said, “and look after her until we leave.” Just please don’t tell her: “Come on, goose, give me what I need!”
The owner of the house took the goose and took it to his home. But out of curiosity, he violated the old man’s prohibition and, when he was left alone, said to the goose:
- Come on, goose, give me what I need! And now the goose began to carry gold and silver.
This owner was a dishonest and greedy man; he did not return his wonderful goose to the old man, but replaced it with another, similar one. The old man did not notice anything, took a simple goose and left. Returning home, he sat the goose in a corner and said:
- Come on, goose, give me what I need!
But the goose just cackled loudly. The old man begged the goose for a long time, but it was all in vain. A few days later the old man went into the forest to Adau and began to complain to him:
- Apparently, your goose has grown old - she no longer carries gold or silver!
Adau guessed that his wonderful goose had been replaced, but there was nothing to do. He gave the old man a yardstick and said:
“Here’s another gift for you, just be careful, old man, don’t give it to anyone!” When you come home, say to the arshin: “Come on, arshin, measure out what you always measure!” When the arshin measures out how much you need, you say: “That’s enough!” - and he will stop.
The old man came home and said to Arshin:
- Well, arshin, measure out what you always measure!
And the arshin began to quickly measure out large pieces of silk, satin, velvet and other expensive fabrics. When the arshin measured the whole pile, the old man said:
- Enough!
And he stopped measuring the arshin. The old man sold cloth, velvet, silk and began to live even richer.
Summer has come. The old man decided to go again with his wife to the same hot spring. He also took with him a wonderful arshin. They stopped in the same place as last time. The old man gave the arshnn to the owner of the house for safekeeping and said:
– Please hide this arshin in a chest and lock it before we leave. And don’t even think about saying by chance: “Well, arshin, measure what you always measure.”
The cunning owner immediately guessed that this arshin was not simple. He brought it to his house, put it on the table and said:
- Well, arshin, measure out what you always measure!
And the arshin began to measure all sorts of expensive fabrics and piled up the table so much that the owner involuntarily shouted:
- Enough!
And he immediately stopped measuring the arshin. It is clear that the owner appropriated this wonderful arshin. And he handed the old man, who did not suspect anything, another arshin bought in the shop.
Returning home, the old man ordered the arshin to be measured, but the arshin lay there like a simple stick. The old man again went into the forest to the adau and began to complain:
“Your yardstick has apparently deteriorated.” How many times have I told him to “measure”, but he lies there and doesn’t measure...
Adau guessed that someone had replaced the arshin too. He gave the old man a new gift: atamskuagu.
[Atamskuagu – wooden hammer.]
“When you come home,” he said, “order this hammer: “Come on, atamskuagu, work hard!” Do what you always do!”
The old man took the hammer and went home.
“Probably this hammer won’t let me down and will do its job better than a goose and a yardstick,” he thought.
As soon as the old man returned home, he said to the hammer:
- Well, atamskuagu, do what you always do!
Then the hammer jumped up and let’s hit the old man! He beat him so hard that the old man fell down. But the hammer didn’t leave him alone and he was hitting him without stopping.
- Enough! Enough! Enough! - the old man yelled. And only then did the hammer stop hitting him.
The old man thought for a long time about why the Adau punished him so much, but he still didn’t understand anything.
When summer came, the old man and his wife went to the hot spring again. Just in case, he took the atamskuaga with him.
The owner of the house saw the old man and the old woman and was very happy. The first thing he asked them was:
-Will you leave me something for safekeeping?
And then the old man had the idea to check the owner’s honesty. He handed him a hammer and said:
- Take care of this atamskuagu hammer as you take care of your eye! And don’t even think about telling him: “Come on, atamskuagu, work hard!”
The owner realized that this, of course, was not an ordinary hammer. He ran to his house, put the hammer on the table and said:
- Come on, hammer-atamskuagu, work hard!
At the same moment, the hammer jumped up, rushed at the owner and began to hit him, hitting him everywhere. No matter how the owner fought back, no matter how he turned, it was all in vain. The scammer got scared and started calling for help. Neighbors gathered, but could not calm the atamskua. Those who were bolder grabbed the hammer, but he immediately tore himself out of his hands and attacked the swindler again. Covered in bumps and bruises, the owner could not resist and shouted:
– Call here the old man, the owner of this atamskuagu, quickly! When the old man arrived, the exhausted deceiver began to beg him:
- Please stop your hammer, and I will return both the goose and the arshin to you!
“Oh, so that’s why my goose stopped laying eggs, and my arshin stopped measuring!” - said the old man. - Well, so be it, I will forgive you this time for your trickery... Hey, hammer-atamskuagu, stop it!
And the hammer immediately obediently bounced to the side.
The fraudulent owner, without hesitating a minute, gave the old man both the goose and the arshin. The old man and the old woman, satisfied, returned home with their goods and began to live, without knowing need, in complete contentment.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru