In distant, distant times, a certain powerful king ruled the eastern part of the Himavanta Mountains. And that king had two wives. Time passed, and the king's eldest wife suffered. The younger one completely lost her peace of mind with envy. And there was something to envy - the royal first-born would become the legitimate heir to the throne.
When the time came for the king’s eldest wife to give birth, she moved into the maternity wards, and with her the younger wife - she volunteered to care for the woman in labor.
At midnight the queen gave birth to a son and two daughters. And almost simultaneously, in the nook in front of the entrance to the maternity wards, some stray dog whelped - ka. The king’s youngest wife, without hesitation, replaced the children with puppies, and put the twins in a box and threw them into the river. And so that no one would know about her villainy, she presented the midwife with expensive gifts and strictly ordered her to remain silent.
In the morning the midwife appeared before the king and reported:
- O blessed king! Your wife gave birth to... three puppies.
The king was upset.
“Don’t tell anyone about this,” he commanded, “and destroy the puppies immediately.” If anyone finds out about what happened, you will not escape the death penalty.
And for greater persuasiveness, he presented the midwife with precious stones.
A month later, when the queen recovered from her grief, the king expelled her from the country.
Meanwhile, the box with the twins floated and floated along the river, and finally it was washed ashore by the current. And there, just at that time, an old man from a nearby village was swimming. The old man looked into the box and was stunned: fate gave him three babies at once. The old man picked them up and hurried to the village to the old woman. The old woman was delighted - they finally had children in their later years - and began to feed the twins honey.
The old man and the old woman became very attached to the children and cared for them touchingly.
The years passed, and the old people did not notice how the children grew up. Now they helped their adoptive parents in everything and respectfully called them “dad” and “mama.”
When the children were sixteen years old, the old woman died. The old man almost lost his mind from grief and endlessly complained that he was unable to get the elixir of immortality. Now, if we could get this medicine, the old woman, you see, would be alive. But at his age he could no longer go in search of the elixir.
The children saw their father being killed and began to ask him about the magic potion.
This is what their father told them:
– There is such an elixir of immortality, but I don’t know exactly where it is obtained. I only know that in the Himavant mountains there lives an old man in a cave who was lucky enough to obtain this elixir and with its help gain immortality. I also know that in the place where it is found, golden and silver trees grow, and sweet-voiced golden birds live on them. I once wanted to go for the elixir, but the old woman dissuaded me, because in the mountains and forests danger lurks at every step of a person. So she died, and soon it will be my turn.
And it’s true: two years later, when the twins turned eighteen, the old man died. The children grieved for a long time for their beloved parents, mourning their sad fate, and finally decided to find the elixir of immortality.
They decided that the brother should go, and the sisters would stay at home and wait for him. The young man took the bundle of food and set off. He walked for seven days and seven nights and finally came to the cave where the old man lived.
The old man saw the young man and was surprised:
– What brought you here, my grandson, and where are you going?
“I need to find the elixir of immortality at all costs,” answered the young man. -Will you help me, grandfather? .
“I really know where to look for him, but on the way to him, my grandson, many dangers await you.” Is it worth the risk? You still have to live and live. Let's say you manage to defeat tigers, lions, and leopards. What will you do if you meet cannibalistic nats? Do you have enough ingenuity, endurance and courage? Will you be able to find a way out of a difficult situation?
“Don’t worry about me, grandfather,” the young man answered. – Just explain to me where to find the elixir. I'm not afraid of anything!
- Oh my grandson! - answered the old man. “You don’t yet know what danger is.” After all, you won’t be able to see the danger right away. Danger can lurk in the beautiful, the good, and the pleasant. You cannot avoid meeting with cannibalistic nats who have the ability to take on any form. We must always be on our guard. Just relax and goodbye life.
The elder tried to dissuade the young man in every possible way, but he was adamant in his determination to find the magic potion at any cost. He begged the elder so much to show him the way that he could not stand it.
– You will go north from this cave, without turning anywhere. On the seventh day you will find yourself at the top of the mountain. There will be a lake there, and there will be water in it. This is the magic potion you are looking for. Just drink it and you won't grow old. Along the shores of this lake beautiful golden and silver trees grow, and sweet-voiced golden birds live on them. Birds are immortal - they drank water from the lake. Well, if I failed to convince you of anything,” the elder added at parting, “I ask one thing, my grandson, be careful!”
The young man thanked the elder and set off on his way. On the fourth day he met a beautiful girl.
– Where are you coming from and where are you going? – the girl asked.
“I’m looking for the elixir of immortality,” the young man answered innocently.
“It’s not far from here—two days’ journey.” But you look so tired! Spend the night here, and in the morning you will hit the road with fresh strength.
- Fine. If the village is nearby, then I’ll spend the night with you,” the young man agreed.
“It’s very close,” the girl answered and walked ahead, pointing the way.
The young man followed and admired her beauty.
And in fact, they soon came to a small village. The girl invited the young man into the house and began to treat him to all sorts of dishes. Then she led the young man into the room where a bed had been prepared for him. And since he was pretty tired, he immediately fell asleep, blessing fate for sending him such a lovely girl in the forest.
Meanwhile, the girl turned into a nata-eater and arranged a feast, during which the gullible young man was eaten.
The sisters waited a long time for their brother's return, but they never did. And then the older sister called the younger one.
“You stay here,” he says, “I’ll go get the elixir of immortality, and at the same time I’ll look for my brother.” If I don't come back in a month, then you go look for us.
Taking the knapsack with food, the elder sister went the same way that her brother had walked, and seven days later she came to the cave where the venerable old man lived.
The old man came out to meet the girl and asked:
– What made you, granddaughter, go on such a long journey?
The girl told how her brother went to get the elixir of immortality and never returned. Now she goes to look for him and therefore asks the elder to show her the way. The elder guessed that the young man whom he persuaded not to go to the magic lake was her brother, and with even greater zeal he began to persuade the girl to return home.
“The path that must be taken to get the elixir is very far and dangerous.
But the girl was adamant, and the old man finally gave in. He explained how to find the magic lake, and at parting he reminded her of the dangers that await her along the way.
The girl thanked the elder and moved on. On the fourth day, she met a girl about the same age as her and asked!
-Where are you going, sister?
“I’m going to look for the elixir of immortality.”
“You have to go for two whole days.” And you seem to be pretty tired. Spend the night here, and in the morning you will hit the road with renewed vigor.
The girl was really very tired, and her peer was so affectionate and courteous that it was inconvenient to refuse the invitation. They came to the village, the hostess fed the guest, and then put her to bed. When the girl fell asleep, the cannibals ate her.
And the younger sister waits and waits for her sister, but she’s still not there. And when a month had passed, I gave up. She packed the bundle and also set off. On the seventh day she came to the dwelling of the immortal old man.
– Have you ever met my brother and sister? - asks. “They went for the elixir of immortality, but never returned.”
The elder said that he saw both brother and sister and that he persuaded them not to go to the lake. But they did not listen and probably died.
“I beg you,” the elder said at the end, “don’t go there.” This is a very dangerous place!
But the girl stood her ground.
- Please, grandfather, show me the way. I have no one in the world except my brother and sister. It would be nice to find the elixir of immortality, but the most important thing is to find the brother and sister.
The old man had to give in.
“I probably won’t be able to dissuade you either.” - And he showed her the path along which the brother and sister left.
The girl walked and walked and on the fourth day she met a beautiful girl a little older than herself.
-Where are you going, sister? - she asks.
- I'm looking for my brother and sister. Have you ever met them?
- No, I didn’t have to. And you, sister, seem to be very tired. Would you like to relax with me? I live not far from here. You’ll spend the night, and in the morning you’ll hit the road with renewed vigor.
The girl really wanted to rest, but she remembered the elder’s order - to go strictly north and not turn anywhere.
“Thank you, I’m not tired,” she replied.
Here it must be said that the cannibalistic nats could use magical power only within the confines of their village; elsewhere they were unable to harm anyone.
And the girl walked and walked and after two more days she came to a lake around which gold and silver trees grew. She drank water from the lake and filled it with a vessel specially taken from the house. Then she broke branches of golden and silver trees along with the sweet-voiced birds sitting on them and put them in a basket.
After this, the girl set off on her way back - after all, she needed to quickly find her brother and sister. However, no matter how much she searched, she could not find her and in the end she decided that the elder was right - apparently they were no longer alive. She began to think about what she should do, where to go, and decided to go to the elder. She came to the elder, told him about everything and asked his permission to stay.
The elder readily agreed:
“Now there will be a living soul next to me.” My loneliness is over.
And the girl, without hesitation, began to busy herself with the housework. She planted branches of gold and silver trees near her home. She settled the birds in the cave. She treated the elder as if she were her own father, and lovingly took care of him.
Meanwhile, a rumor spread that the ruler of the eastern part of Himavant was seriously ill. More and more often he was visited by thoughts of death, instilling fear and disgust in him. And then one day he called his ministers and ordered them to obtain the elixir of immortality at all costs. And he promised to generously reward the one who succeeds.
The ministers dispersed to all corners of the country to fulfill the highest command. And then one of the ministers remembered a story about a magic potion that he heard in his distant childhood. He remembered that this drug was found in the impenetrable jungle, and decided to try his luck. The minister traveled through many villages and finally reached the region where the old man and the girl lived.
The minister told them that the king was seriously ill and nothing could save him - the only hope was the elixir of immortality. Word for word, the minister told how many years ago the king’s beloved wife gave birth to three puppies and how she was expelled from the kingdom for this. And now the king is very old, and he has no heir. And if it is not possible to find the elixir of immortality, then the king will certainly die, and the kingdom will die with him.
The girl did not know that the king was her father, but she wanted to save the country from destruction, and the people from countless victims, so she told the minister:
“I have an elixir of immortality for the king.” Just promise that you won't tell anyone where you got it.
The minister was delighted, thanked the girl and hurried to the palace. . The old man was alarmed:
- Dear granddaughter! Our quiet life is over. Now people will come and also demand a magic potion. We need to get out of here as quickly as possible. It is best to settle on the shore of a magical lake.
Meanwhile, the minister arrived at the palace and appeared before his master.
- O blessed king! Take the elixir of immortality, but I beg you, don’t ask me where I got it. I swore that no one would ever find out.
The king drank the miraculous elixir and immediately recovered - all his ailments disappeared. To celebrate, he generously gave gifts to the minister. So the king continued to rule safely in his domains.
Twenty years have passed. Many of his ministers grew old and died during this time. The same fate befell the royal wives and all his numerous servants. They were replaced by others, but not even a hundred years had passed before the entire royal entourage moved to another world. Only the king still remained cheerful and cheerful. The appearance of new faces irritated him very much, and he was so tired of getting used to new ministers and wives every time that he began to think about death more and more often.
Eternal life is meaningless. There is no need to be afraid of death, for life is a road that sooner or later leads to a milestone called death. The road may be easy or difficult, short or long. The immortal always stands still. So the king saw many births and many deaths and gradually came to the conclusion that his life was meaningless and wished to die. But an immortal cannot die! The longer the king lived, the more tiring and boring life seemed to him! The stronger the desire to find death grew in him! Then he and his entourage boarded a ship and sailed away from the shore. And since then no one has seen him.
It is known that there are two immortal beings in the world - an old man and a girl, and that they live in the Hima-vanta mountains, but no one knows where exactly, just as no one knows where the elixir of immortality can be found.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru