Once upon a time there lived a widow with five little sons. She owned a small piece of land irrigated by a ditch. The meager harvest from this plot was barely enough for them not to die of hunger. But one day, a cruel tyrant, the owner of neighboring lands, without taking into account their legal right to use the water of the ditch, blocked the ditch with a dam and doomed the family to complete poverty.
The eldest son tried more than once to break the dam, but to no avail; he alone could not do it, and his brothers were still just children. And although the boy understood that it would cost the rich man nothing to restore the dam, his childhood pride did not allow him to abandon these desperate but fruitless attempts.
One day, in a vision, he saw his deceased father, who gave him instructions that strengthened hope in his heart. Soon after this, the tyrant, enraged by the independent behavior of the “stubborn little guy,” slandered him throughout the entire district, declared him a troublemaker and turned all his neighbors against him.
The boy had to leave his home and go to a distant city. There he hired himself as a servant to a merchant and worked for him for many years. The elder brother sent almost all of his earnings home through traveling merchants. So that these people would not have the unpleasant feeling that he was imposing his orders on them, and that it would be unsafe for them themselves to help a family in disgrace, he asked them to transfer money to his brothers as payment for small services that they could provide to travelers.
After many years, the time has come for the elder brother to return to his native land. The years had changed him so much that when he approached the house and identified himself to his brothers, only one of them recognized him, but he himself was not entirely sure of this.
“Our older brother had black hair,” said the youngest.
“But I’m old,” answered the elder brother.
“Both from his speech and from his clothes it is immediately clear that this man is a merchant,” said another brother, “and there have never been merchants in our family.”
Then the elder brother told them his story, but could not dispel their doubts.
“I remember how I looked after you when you were just children, and how you were attracted by the rapidly running water, stopped by the dam,” the stranger began to remember.
“We don’t remember this,” said the brothers, for their childhood years were almost completely erased from their memory.
“But I sent you the money you’ve lived on since our irrigation ditch dried up.”
- We don't know any money. We received only what we earned by providing various services to travelers.
“Describe our mother,” suggested one of the brothers, still wanting to get some evidence.
The older brother began to describe his mother, but since she died a long time ago, and the brothers did not remember her well, they saw many inaccuracies in his story.
“But even if you are our brother, what do you want from us?” - they asked.
“That tyrant died,” said the elder brother, “his soldiers scattered around the world to look for new owners, so now is the time for us to unite and with common efforts revive this land.”
“I don’t remember any tyrant,” said the youngest of the brothers.
“The earth has always been like it is now,” said another.
- And why should we do what you tell us?! - exclaimed the third.
“I would like to help you,” said the fourth, “but I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”
“Besides,” the first brother spoke again, “I don’t need water.” I collect brushwood and light fires at night. Visiting merchants stop to warm themselves with them, ask me for various services and pay me for it.
“If you let water in here,” said the second one, “it will flood the pond in which I breed ornamental carps.” Passing merchants stop to admire them and shower me with their generosity.
“I myself am not against letting water in, but I’m not sure whether it can revive this land,” said the third brother.
The fourth brother remained silent.
— Cast aside all your doubts and let’s get to work as soon as possible.
- No, we’d better wait until the merchants come.
“The merchants won’t come anymore, because it was I who sent them here.”
But the brothers did not believe their elder brother and continued to argue with him.
And it was just in winter, when merchants did not pass through their edges, since all the roads leading to them were blocked with snow.
And before spring came into its own and trade caravans began to move along the Silk Road again, a new tyrant, who was more ruthless than the first, invaded their lands. Since this robber was not yet entirely confident in his abilities, he looked for abandoned lands to capture. A canal that belonged to no one, blocked by a dam, awakened greedy hopes in his heart, and he annexed it to his possessions and planned in the near future, as soon as he strengthened his power, to turn his brothers into his slaves. In the meantime, he had to reckon with them, because they were all strong people, not excluding the youngest.
But the brothers are still arguing, and now it’s unlikely that anything will stop the tyrant from carrying out his insidious plan.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru