An old man and an old woman lived in the same village. They were in great poverty; they did not eat enough bread.
One day an old woman collected the last bits of firewood - she wanted to light the stove, but there was nothing to light it with: there was no torch.
The old woman says to the old man:
- There’s nothing to light the stove with! Go into the forest for a torch. Cut down a birch tree and we’ll stock up on splinters.
The old man took an ax and trudged into the forest. I started looking for birch trees to cut down.
He didn’t have to search for long: he immediately saw a beautiful birch tree.
He came closer to the birch tree and wanted to chop it down, but as soon as he swung his ax, the leaves on the birch tree rustled and the branches began to move. The birch tree bent down to the old man and spoke in a human voice:
- Have pity on me, old man, don’t cut me! And whatever you need, you will have everything.
The old man got scared and even dropped the ax from his hands.
“I’ve been living for seventy-seven years now, but I’ve never seen such a miracle!” thought the old man.
He did not touch the birch tree. He returned home and said to the old woman:
“I would have brought you some good logs for the splinter, but the birch tree suddenly began to ask in a human voice: “Don’t touch me, old man! Whatever you need, you will have everything.” Well, I obeyed.
- A! The birch tree doesn’t want to be cut down,” cried the old woman, “so go break its branches and there will be food for our lambs!”
And she drove the old man back into the forest.
The old man immediately saw a beautiful birch tree. He approached her, bowed and said:
“My wife ordered me to break your branches, she wants to feed the lambs with leaves if I don’t chop you down into a splinter!”
“Don’t cut me down,” says the birch tree, “and don’t break my branches.” And whatever the old woman asks for, she will have everything!
The old man had nothing to do, he had to return home.
I came home and was surprised: dry splinters lay in piles everywhere!
- Well, old woman, see how much splinter we have!
And the old woman would attack him:
- Why did you just ask for a splinter from a birch tree? After all, we need to light the stove, but we don’t have wood. Go ask for firewood!
She kicked the old man out of the house with curses and screams.
The old man took the ax and went into the forest again.
He trudged to the birch tree, bowed to it and began to ask:
“Give me, beautiful birch, some firewood: we’ve all run out, there’s nothing to heat the stove with!”
“Go home, old man; whatever you ask for, you will have,” the birch tree tells him.
The old man went back home.
I walked up to the house, looked, and was amazed: the yard was full of firewood! Firewood was cut, split and stacked. And the old woman is dissatisfied again:
- Why did you only ask for firewood from a birch tree? After all, we don’t even have a handful of flour! Go, ask for flour!
- Wait, you can’t do that! Just now I begged for firewood.
Old woman, let's scold the old man. She screamed and screamed, then she grabbed the poker and kicked him out of the house.
“Do,” he shouts, “what you are ordered!”
The old man took the ax and went into the forest again. He came, bowed to the beautiful birch tree and began to lament:
- You are my beauty, white birch! The old woman sent me to you again to ask for flour. If you can, help, give as much as you can!
“Go home, old man; whatever you ask for, you will have,” said the birch tree tenderly.
The old man was happy and quickly walked home.
He returned and went to the barn. He can’t believe that he will have torment.
I entered the barn, and lo and behold, the barn was filled to the brim with flour!
The old man felt so happy, so cheerful that he forgot all his previous grief and need.
“Well,” he thinks, “now we’ll always be full!”
And the old woman saw the old man, ran out of the house and began to scold him again:
- You old fool, your wooden head! Why did you only ask for flour? Go, stupid, ask for two chests of gold!
She hit him with a yoke and kicked him out.
The poor old man hung his head and trudged off into the forest again.
He approached the birch tree, bowed to it and began to lament:
- Beautiful birch! My old woman sent me to you again - she demands two chests of gold...
“Go, old man, go: what you ask, you will have,” said the birch tree.
The old man went. He approached the hut, looked out the window and saw an old woman sitting on a bench, sorting through gold coins. And the coins sparkle and sparkle! He went into the hut and looked - there were two chests standing near the table, full of gold.
Here the old man lost his mind. He also began to sort out the coins.
“We need to hide the gold more reliably so that no one sees!” says the old woman.
“We must, we must!” answers the old man. “If they don’t find out that we have so much gold, they’ll ask for it or they’ll take it away!”
We talked, thought and hid the gold in the underground.
Here live an old man and an old woman. We are happy that there is a lot of money. Only gold does not give them peace, day or night: they are afraid that someone will steal the chests.
The old woman thought and thought about how to protect the gold, and came up with an idea. She says to the old man:
- Go, old man, to your birch tree, ask her to make us terrible, terrible! So that all people fear us! So that everyone runs away from us!
The old man had to walk into the forest again. He saw a beautiful birch tree, bowed to it and began to ask:
- Make us, beautiful birch, terrible, terrible! So scary that all people would fear us, run away from us, and not touch our gold!
The birch tree rustled with its leaves, moved its branches, and said to the old man:
- Go home, old man: what you ask will happen! Not only people, but also forest animals will fear you!
The old man returned home and opened the door.
“Well,” he says, “the birch tree promised: not only people will be afraid of us, but also forest animals!” They will run away from us!
And as soon as he said, both he and his old woman became covered with thick brown hair. The arms and legs became paws, and claws grew on the paws. They wanted to say something to one another, but they couldn’t - they just growled loudly.
And so they both became bears.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru