Once upon a time there lived a peasant. He had three sons - two smart, the third a fool. His father grew old. The time has come to share the good among the sons. But the old man doesn’t know who to give the house to. All three sons are dear to him, and the youngest is the dearest of all. His brothers considered him a fool, but his father loved him for his kindness and honesty.
He calls his sons and says:
“I want to divide the property between you, so that after my death you won’t have any knops.”
The older brothers were happy. They have been waiting for this day for a long time. And the father says:
“To make everything fair, get ready for the journey and bring me a shirt.” Whoever is the thinnest will get the house. Do you agree?
“We agree,” all three say and set off on the road.
The older ones went straight to the city - they make thinner shirts there. But the fool didn’t realize this - he went into the forest. He went along the same road that he had driven the cattle, reached the forest - and into the forest. He walks along some kind of path, completely narrow, inconspicuous. He walked and walked and came to someone's house. Big, no less than a church. And all around there is only forest and silence - like in a cemetery.
The fool approaches the house, sees that the door is not locked, and goes inside.
And there's not a soul there. But everywhere there is cleanliness and order, and in one upper room there is a long table, covered with dishes, as if someone was about to feast. And the fool was already hungry on the road, he didn’t think twice about it - he sat down at the table and ate and drank as well as a guest. I ate and drank and went to look at the house. I went around all the rooms. I counted them and counted them, and I lost count.
Suddenly there seemed to be a rustling sound behind one door.
“Yeah! - thinks. - Someone came. Now we will find out what kind of gentlemen live here.” He opens this door and goes into it. As soon as he walked in, he was immediately rooted to the ground with fear: there was a chair in the corner, and on the chair was a large copper snake. She raised her head and looked straight at the guest.
The fool wanted to give traction, but the snake said to him in a human voice:
- Don't be afraid, stupid! I won't do anything to you.
The fool listened and stayed. And he himself is trembling all over like an aspen leaf.
- How did you get here? - says the snake.
The fool told. The snake says:
- There will be a shirt for you. Thin-pretty thin. Just serve me for a year. Eat and drink as much as you want. And all you have to do is bathe me once a day and put me back in the chair.
The fool thought and said:
- Okay, I agree! The main thing for me is that I have a shirt, and I’m not afraid of any work.
But the fool loved all kinds of animals: puppies and foals. And I fell in love with the snake - it turned out to be good. She fed him the most delicious food, and he bathed her once a day and laid her on a chair. I didn’t notice how the year passed. But a year later he still said to the snake:
- Now I’ve done my part! It's time for me to return to my father.
“Well, go,” says the snake. - Open the closet and take the thinnest shirt in it.
The fool took the shirt, said thank you and set off on the way back.
He returns, and the brothers are already at home. And everyone has a beautiful shirt. But only the fool turned out to be even more beautiful. The father saw this and declared the fool his heir.
- Well, no! - the elders shouted. - That’s no good! Try us again.
“Okay,” says the father, “I’ll give you another year.” Bring me a piece of carpet. Whoever has the most delicious food will get the house. Do you agree?
“We agree,” all three say.
And again on the road. The older ones, of course, go to the city, and the younger ones go back to the forest. I found my inconspicuous path, followed it to a large house - and, most likely, to a snake.
I looked, and it was no longer copper, but silver. The fool told her what his need was.
“You will have a hard time,” says the snake. - Just serve me for a year. And all you have to do is bathe me twice a day and put me back on this chair.
“I’m not afraid of any work,” thought the fool. “The main thing is that there is carpet.” And he stayed.
He lived well this year. The work is a breeze, and the food is delicious. However, a year later he still said:
- It's time for me to leave - a year has passed. We need to return to our father.
“Well,” says the snake, “go.” Open the closet in the closet and take the rug. You won't find anything this delicious anywhere.
The guy took the rug, said thank you to the snake, and set off on the way back.
The father tasted each of the rugs and saw that the youngest had the most delicious one.
“It’s up to him,” he says, “to be the heir.” So we agreed.
- Well, no! - the older brothers shouted. - That’s no good! Try us again! After the third time, no one will argue - whoever wins will win!
-Have it your way! - says the father, - I give you another year. Find yourself some brides. Whoever has the most beautiful one will get the house. Do you agree?
- We agree! - all three say.
The older brothers were delighted and thought: “I bet not a single beauty will marry our fool.
They set off on the road again. The older ones, out of habit, go to the city, the younger ones go back to the forest. He found a large house in the forest, went in and saw: the snake was no longer silver, but golden.
Told her what he was looking for.
“The beautiful one won’t marry me,” he says. My older brothers will laugh at me.
“It will do,” says the snake. - Just serve me for a year. You know, I won’t offend you with food, and the work is easy: you’ll bathe me three times a day, and then put me on a chair.
“I’m willing to,” says the fool and remains. But he himself can’t believe that the snake will help him this time too.
A year later, the fool comes to the snake and asks to go home.
“Well,” says the snake, “go.” I will keep my word. But first you will have to light the large stove in the kitchen red-hot. You will melt it, come for me, carry it in your arms to the kitchen and throw it into the very fire. I’ll start rushing back out of the fire, I’ll start threatening you, begging you, but you don’t listen to anything. If you obey, you will be lost!
The fool lit the stove, threw the snake into the fire and closed the door. Lord, what started here! The snake hissed, whistled and raised such thunder that it was terrifying! But even though she threatened the fool, even though she begged him to let her out, he never let her out.
And then everything became quiet. The fool opened the oven doors and saw: the oven was completely burned out - there were no coals or ash left.
“These are miracles!” - he thinks and leaves the kitchen. I went around the whole house, but the snake was nowhere to be found. She deceived him and got burned.
I finally looked into one room - dark, nondescript. He looks: it is parted off with a silk curtain. He looked behind the curtain, and there was a bed covered with silk, and on the bed a girl of written beauty was sitting. She saw him and said:
- Thank you, fool, for your faithful service! An evil wizard turned me into a snake because I did not marry his vile son. And I couldn’t get rid of his evil spell until someone agreed to serve me for three years and fulfill all my desires. If it weren’t for you, I would have remained a snake all my life - now copper, now silver, now gold - each for a year. Let's get married if you like me.
They held hands and went out into the yard. And there everything became different: there were flowers around the house, and behind the fence, instead of a forest, there were flat fields. And on the porch there is a beautiful carriage with horses.
They got into the carriage and went to their father. The older brothers also found beauties, but not like the fool. They were like the moon, and she was like the sun. The older brothers had to give in; they did not dare to contradict their father for the third time. But the younger brother himself did not want anything.
“I don’t need any good,” he says! We already have a lot of everything, more than the landowners. Let my brothers take everything for themselves.
And they played three weddings at once. The fool gave rich gifts to everyone - both his father and his smart brothers. And he moved in with his fiancee. To your incomparable beauty.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru