The deer ran, ran, ran - and finally stopped. He was very tired and lay down under a tree in the middle of a field covered with tall grass. Suddenly he saw a leech, which, arching its back, was crawling along a blade of grass. From time to time the leech stopped, raised its head as high as it could and turned it in all directions, as if trying to find a road or a place to move to.
The deer laughed in his heart at such movements of the leech and said:
- Hey, buddy! Why do you stop and look closely several times? When will you crawl like this, for example, to Mount Soputan?
The leech looked at the deer and said:
- I have such a habit of walking. But your question about when I will crawl to Mount Soputan is offensive to me. You probably think I can't run. But I'm not proud. I can compete with anyone who runs fast.
The deer laughed loudly when he heard the leech's answer.
- Stretch?! - he exclaimed. -Dear friend, if you mean me, then I can give you three days in advance, and even then I will overtake you.
- I'm serious. “We can try,” the leech answered defiantly. “And I don’t need your three days in advance.” Let's leave at the same time. Aren't you afraid?
Hearing this challenge, the deer was even more surprised.
“How will we compete if I can’t see you while you’re running?” he asked.
- Oh, don't worry about that! Just call me more often. If I don’t answer, it means you’ve already overtaken me. But for now I answer - run, don't stop. This will mean that I haven't lost yet. But be careful lest I leave you behind,” the leech said mockingly.
The deer's heart lit up when he heard the leech's words. He didn't think twice about it. Raising his head high, he shouted:
- Well, let's start now! One, two... three! And the deer rushed, as if flying, through the tall grass, through thickets and bushes, from one mountain to another. When two mountains were left behind, he shouted:
- Leech!
“I’m here, my friend,” answered the leech.
“Wow! She runs fast!” thought the amazed deer.
He continued to run as if on wings, crashing into thickets and bushes. When two more mountains remained behind, he called again:
- Leech!
“I’m here, my friend,” the leech answered again. And the deer kept running. Having reached the foot of Mount Soputan, he called again:
- Leech!
“Here I am,” came the voice of a leech very close. Hearing this voice, the deer stretched out on the ground. He almost couldn't breathe from fatigue.
- How's it going, buddy? - the leech asked, raising her head.
The deer did not answer. He lay with his eyes closed and breathed quickly. It was clear that he was very tired.
“Here, my friend,” the leech continued, “don’t humiliate the little ones and don’t look contemptuously at the weak.” Don't think that because he is small, that means he is stupid. There are many smart little ones and weak ones for whom dexterity replaces strength.
“Sorry, friend,” said the deer. “Now I’ve learned that mind is more useful than strength.” I'm dying of fatigue and can't compete with you anymore, but...
“But together we reached the foot of Mount Soputan,” said the leech.
- That's right, that's right.
- You know, I won not without your help. But the leech did not want to tell how she managed to defeat the deer, and he never learned about her cunning.
And it was like this: before the deer made its first jump, the leech had already managed to attach itself to its shoulder blade. Therefore, she could answer the call of the deer every time. So she managed to win two victories at once: she did not allow the deer to overtake her and drank her fill of his blood.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru