There lived an old man and an old woman. Once the old woman was chopping cabbage and accidentally cut off her finger. She wrapped it in a rag and placed it on the bench. Suddenly I heard someone on the bench crying. She unfolded the rag, and in it lay a boy as tall as a finger.
The old woman was surprised and frightened: —?Who are you?—?I am your son, born from your little finger. The old woman took him and looked - the boy was tiny, tiny, barely visible from the ground. And she named him Little Thumb.
He began to grow with them. The boy did not grow in height, but he turned out to be smarter than the big one. So he once said: -? Where is my father? -? I went to the arable land. -? I’ll go to him and help him. I hear a voice, but I don’t see anyone. Who is it that speaks to me?—?I am your son. I came to help you plow. Sit down, father, have a snack and rest a little!
The old man was delighted and sat down to dinner. And the Boy climbed into the horse’s ear as big as a finger and began to plow, and punished his father: -? If anyone sells me, sell me boldly: I’m sure I won’t be lost, I’ll come back home. A master rides past, looks and marvels: the horse is walking, the plow is yelling, but there is no man! Are you blind? Then my son is plowing.—?Sell him to me!—?No, I won’t sell: we have only joy with the old woman, only joy, that a boy as big as a finger.—?Sell it, grandfather!—?Well, give me a thousand rubles.—?What’s so expensive?—?You see for yourself: the boy is small, but smart, quick on his feet, easy to deliver!
The master paid a thousand rubles, took the boy, put him in his pocket and went home. And the Little Boy tore a hole in his pocket and left the master.
He walked and walked, and the dark night overtook him. He hid under a blade of grass near the road and fell asleep. A hungry wolf came running and swallowed him. A boy the size of a wolf’s belly sits alive, and he has little grief!
The gray wolf had a bad time: he sees the flock, the sheep are grazing, the shepherd is sleeping, and as soon as he sneaks up to carry away the sheep - a boy as big as a finger and screams at the top of his lungs: -? Shepherd, shepherd, sheep spirit! You are sleeping, and the wolf is dragging the sheep! The shepherd will wake up, rush to run at the wolf with a club, and even poison him with the dogs, and the dogs will tear him up - only shreds fly! The gray wolf will barely get away!
The wolf became completely emaciated and had to starve. He asks Little Thumb: —? Get out! —? Take me home to my father, to my mother, and I’ll get out. There’s nothing to do. The wolf ran into the village, jumped straight into the old man’s hut. A little boy the size of a finger immediately jumped out of the wolf’s belly: “? Beat the wolf, beat the gray one!”
The old man grabbed the poker, the old woman grabbed the grip - and let's beat the wolf. Then they decided to take care of him, skinned him and made a sheepskin coat for his son.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru