There was a drought. For many days the sun burned the earth. All the shoots in the fields have dried up. The rivers have dried up, the lakes have become shallow. Hunger awaited the people.
Then the elders gathered for a council. They called upon the most powerful sorcerers and spellcasters, and they said:
“The lakes will be filled with water, and rain will revive the earth when you sacrifice beautiful Njeri to the water.”
The elders went to Father Njeri and said:
- Only you can save the people. And the father took his daughter to the shore of the lake.
“Father,” Nzheri asked him, “is it true that you said: “Let my Nzheri perish if that is necessary to save the people?”
The father replied:
- It's true. - And his face turned gray.
- Then come, rain, to save people! - said Njeri.
And the water in the lake rose and wet her feet.
“Mother,” asked Njeri, “is it true what you said:
“Let my Nzheri perish if that is necessary to save the people”?
Mother said:
- It's true. “And she covered her face with her hands so that no one could see her tears.”
- Then come, rain! Save our people! - said Njeri.
And the water rose to her knees.
“My grandfather,” asked Njeri, “is it true what you said: “Let Njeri die in order to save the people”?
“That’s true,” said the grandfather with a heavy sigh.
- Then come, rain! Revive our land! - said Njeri.
And the water rose to her waist.
“My mother’s sister,” asked Njeri, “is it true that you said: “Let Njeri perish so that all our people do not perish?”
“It’s true,” the elder sister said to her mother, and her voice trembled. “Then let the life-giving rain come!” said Njeri.
And the water rose to her chest.
“My father’s brother,” Njeri asked, “is it true that you said: “Let our Njeri die in the lake in order to save people”?
“It’s true,” answered his father’s elder brother, his eyes clouded with tears.
“Then come, welcome rain, save the people of my country!” - said Njeri.
And the water rose to her shoulders.
- Goodbye everyone! - said the girl. — Njeri will die in the lake. And you, rain, come so that others do not die. Come, come quickly, rain!
And the water overwhelmed her head. And thunder rumbled in the sky and torrential rain poured onto the ground.
The next day a young man came to the village. This was the groom of the beautiful Njeri.
In despair and grief, he hit the water with his whip, which stole his bride from him. But the elders told him:
- Don't hit the water like that. After all, our Nzheri sleeps there.
And at this time, a girl’s voice was heard from the depths of the lake.
- My fiance! - she said - Wouldn’t you also say:
“Let my Njeri perish, if this is necessary, so that others can be saved”?
And the young man answered with pain in his heart:
- Yes, and I would say so.
Then suddenly the water in the lake parted and Nzheri rose from its bottom. She was even more beautiful than before.
The young man took her hands and led her to his parents’ house.
And then Njeri and the young man got married, and there was no one happier in the world than them.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru