One master had three sons: two were smart, and the third, the youngest, was a fool. In the old days, this was how it was with all gentlemen.
Once upon a time the master lived, lived well, grew old, and his sons grew up. He began to think and wonder which of his sons should leave the estate to. The smart sons started arguing.
- The estate should be mine! - says one.
- No, mine! - not inferior to the other. But a fool does not enter into an argument, just know that he laughs at his smart brothers:
“It’s true that the property is mine, but if you want it as a family, take it for yourself, leave me only the old horse and the wooden cart.”
But the smart brothers just can’t get along, and it almost comes to a fight.
The old master listened to their arguments and saw that things wouldn’t work out that way. He called his sons and said:
“My sons, you will not resolve the dispute this way.” You better go and find each of you a patterned scarf. Whoever brings the most beautiful scarf will own the estate.
Well, we need to end the argument and carry out our father’s orders. The next day, smart sons get ready to set out on a journey, but the fool doesn’t even lead the way. The smart brothers took the best horses and more money and rode out of the yard through different gates to look for patterned scarves.
The father of the fool asks:
- Son, don’t you want to try your luck? And the fool, laughing, answers:
“Let the older brothers look, then I won’t have to look.”
The father has nothing to say to this. Some time passed, and when four days remained before the brothers returned, the fool harnessed the old nightingale horse to a wooden cart and drove off through the third gate.
He drives and drives, and he doesn’t know which way to go. He let go of the reins: let the nightingale go wherever she pleases. He drives like this, he drives, he arrives in a large forest, and sees a fork in the road. To the left is a large, wide road, and to the right is a small, narrow path. The fool wanted to ride along the wide road, but as soon as the horse approached the fork, he immediately turned right. The fool thought: “Since the horse wants it so much, let him walk along the narrow path,” and he rode on.
Soon evening came, and the fool drove into a dense forest, not a single light to be seen around. He was starting to get angry with the horse because it had brought him right into the wolf’s mouth. But the fool drove a little more and saw bright lights. He drives up and looks: there is a large palace in front of him. A fool wants to enter the palace, and at the gate two huge cats sit and bare their teeth. The fool was frightened, but then he thought: “Anyway, the wolves will eat me in the forest, so it’s better if the cats tear me apart,” and calmly went to the palace. Then the cats stopped baring their teeth, and they weren’t going to touch him, only everyone was rubbing at his feet.
He entered the yard, and was met by many cats and cats. And what a miracle! All cats speak human language. They immediately took the fool to the palace, and the old nightingale horse to the stable and did their best to please them.
In the morning the fool was getting ready to go further, and the cats surrounded him on all sides and begged him to stay with them a little longer. The fool would be glad to stay, but he only has three days left. During this time, he must find a scarf more beautiful than the smart brothers bring. The white cat heard this and said:
- Well, brother, it’s nothing. Stay with us for three more days, and then go - you will have a scarf and everything you want.
The fool lived these three days in the cat's palace like a king. The servants feed him, put him to bed, and do whatever he wants. On the third day in the evening, the cats harnessed the old nightingale horse to a wooden cart, and the white cat gave the fool a small nut and said goodbye:
- Go home calmly. Just make sure you don’t open the nut along the way, and everything will be fine.
The fool got into his cart and drove home, only a pillar of dust.
And the smart brothers are already at home and show their father what beautiful scarves they got. Both of their scarves are really good, but they can be more beautiful. But they themselves and the horses were so emaciated that they were unrecognizable.
Here a fool rides into the yard, and the old nightingale horse dances under him, and it doesn’t look like he’s really tired.
Father says:
“Apparently, son, you had a good life as a guest, but you didn’t get a rich gift.” The fool laughed and answered:
“I had a good time while visiting, and I brought a rich gift.”
He took out the nut that the white cat had given him from his pocket, clicked it lightly, and immediately he had such a beautiful handkerchief in his hands - the whole room shone with it. Seeing this, the smart brothers were dumbfounded. And the father says:
- Well, sons, you see for yourself that it’s a fool’s business to own property: he brought a scarf - you won’t find anything more beautiful.
Smart brothers don’t argue: the scarf is truly a sight for sore eyes; but in order to give away their property to a fool, they don’t even want to hear about it.
“Well, no, no,” the fool answers. “It’s true that the property is mine, but if you want, divide it as you wish, and leave me only the old nightingale horse and the wooden cart.”
Smart brothers argue day and night, but they still can’t divide the property.
- The estate should be mine! - one shouts.
- No, mine! – the other does not agree. Their father reconciled, reconciled, but achieved no sense. Then one day he again called his sons and said:
“Whoever receives the estate still needs to get married.” So hit the road and bring back wedding dresses for your brides. Whoever brings the most beautiful dress will receive the estate.
The smart sons again took the best horses, more money and set off through different gates. But a fool doesn’t even listen. Father asks:
- Son, don’t you want to try your luck?
The fool answered him, just like the first time:
“Let the older brothers look, then I won’t have to look.”
The father has nothing to say to this.
Time passed, and when four days remained before the brothers returned, the fool harnessed the old nightingale horse to a wooden cart and drove off through the third gate.
And again, the poor guy doesn’t know where to go. Yes, that’s what I decided: if the nightingale horse turned out to be smarter than him the first time, then let him take him wherever he wants now. And as soon as the fool let go of the reins, the nightingale ran at full speed, just hold on! And in the evening they again drove up to the old cat’s palace.
At the gates of the palace, just like the first time, two huge cats sit and bare their teeth. But the fool is no longer afraid: he jumped out of the cart and straight into the palace.
Again many big and small cats came running, and they greeted the fool as if he were a king. He himself was taken to the palace, and the old nightingale horse was taken to the stable.
In the morning the fool was getting ready to go further, and the cats surrounded him on all sides and begged him to stay with them a little longer. The fool would be glad to stay, but he only has three days left. During this time, he must find a wedding dress more beautiful than the smart brothers will bring. He told the cats about his concern. The white cat heard this and said:
- Well, brother, it’s nothing. Stay with us for three more days, and then go - you will have everything you want.
If so, then the fool stayed in the palace for all three days.
On the third day, in the evening, the cats harnessed the old nightingale horse to a wooden cart, and the white cat gave the fool a small box and said goodbye:
“Go home calmly, just make sure you don’t open the box on the way, and everything will be fine.”
The fool got into his cart and drove home, only a pillar of dust.
And the smart brothers are already at home and show their father what beautiful wedding dresses they brought. The father looks: both of their dresses are really good, but they can be more beautiful. But they themselves and their horses were so emaciated that they were unrecognizable.
Then the fool flies headlong into the yard on his nightingale, so that even the gates sway from the wind. His father looked at him and said:
- Apparently, son, you had a good time as a guest, but what kind of gift did you get? The fool laughed and answered:
“What life was like as a guest, so is the gift!” - and opened his box. The father and both smart brothers are amazed: the fool takes a wedding dress out of the box, and such a beautiful one that the princess herself does not have.
And again the father says to his smart sons:
“Well, sons, you see for yourself that it’s a fool’s business to own property: I brought a wedding dress—you won’t find anything more beautiful.”
Smart brothers don’t argue: the dress is truly a sight to behold; but in order to give away the property to a fool, they don’t want to hear about it.
And again the fool did not argue.
“The property is mine, but if you want, divide it as you wish, and leave me only the old nightingale horse and the wooden cart.”
Smart brothers just can’t divide the estate.
- The estate should be mine! - one shouts.
- No, mine! – the other does not agree.
Their father listens, listens, says nothing, thinks - maybe they themselves will decide the matter well. Only the father sees: smart sons almost get into a fight. He called all three and said:
“What has happened up to now has happened, but in the future things will no longer work that way.” Go, and let each of you find a wife. Whoever has the most beautiful wife will own the estate.
If the father decided so, the sons have nothing to do - they must go look for wives for themselves. The smart brothers again took the best horses and more money and left through different gates. And the fool again doesn’t lead with his ears. Time passes, and the fool is still sitting at home. It seems to the father that it’s time for his son to set off long ago, but he’s not going to. Somehow the father could not stand it and asked:
- Son, don’t you want to try your luck? The fool only laughs in response:
“Let the older brothers look, then I won’t have to look for long.”
The father has nothing to say to this. And again, four days before the brothers returned, the fool harnessed his old nightingale horse to a wooden cart and drove off through the third gate.
“Where should I go now? - the fool thinks. - The cats gave me a scarf and a wedding dress, but where can they get a beautiful wife for me?” And so he thought and so on, but came up with nothing. Finally he decided: “If the nightingale horse turned out to be smarter than me those times, let him now go wherever he pleases.” And the horse ran even faster than before, straight along the familiar road to the cat’s palace.
In front of the palace the nightingale horse stopped. At the gate, as then, two huge cats sit and bare their teeth. The fool thought: “If the nightingale horse brought me here, I’ll have to stay,” and entered the palace.
Again the cats came running from all sides and greeted him like a king, and took the nightingale horse to the stable. That evening the fool walked around the whole palace, looked into all the nooks and crannies: was there at least one person somewhere, were it really only cats living in the palace? No matter how much he searched, he found no one except cats.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru