Once upon a time there lived a bug and a flea. They loved each other very much. So the flea came to visit the bug. He was delighted and quickly put the milk on boil.
The milk was boiling, but not yet boiling, and the bug did not have enough firewood. He said to the flea:
- You sit down, I’ll go gather and bring firewood.
Klopik left. The flea sat and sat and thought: “I hope the bug doesn’t run away with milk. I’ll go have a look.”
The flea jumped up to look at the milk, but fell into the cauldron and was boiled.
The bug returned home. He looks - the flea is nowhere to be found. “Where has she gone?” he thought and shouted:
- Flea-ah! Flea-ah!
But the flea did not answer. “It’s sitting somewhere,” the bug thought and went to the boiler with milk. And then I saw that the flea fell into the hot milk and was boiled.
The bug scratched his face, tore out all his hair, began to scream and cry... At that time a magpie flew in and asked:
- Hey, bug, what's wrong with you? You scratched your face, pulled out your hair and are crying?
Klopik cried even harder and said:
- The flea died! Oh, I, a grief-stricken bug, in mourning!..
- Poor bug! If so, then I will be in mourning too!
The magpie said this, threw off all its feathers and flew up onto a plane tree branch. Chinar asked her;
- Hey, magpie, why are you peeling off?
- Oh, don't ask! - said the magpie. - The flea is dead. The bug, heartbroken, is in mourning! I, a mangy magpie, will also be in mourning!..
- Poor bug! — the plane tree said sadly. “If so, I, the plane tree, will also be in mourning!” And he shook off all the leaves.
Every day one goat came to the plane tree, picked up the fallen leaves and ate them. Today he came and saw: all the leaves of the plane tree had fallen off.
- Hey, plane tree, what's wrong with you? - asked the goat. - Every day few leaves fell from you, but today all your leaves have fallen?
- Oh, don't ask! - said the plane tree. - The flea is dead! The bug, heartbroken, is in mourning! The magpie has peeled off, I've dropped the leaves!
- Poor bug! If so, I, the goat, will also be in mourning! - The goat said this and broke off his horns. After that he went to the river to drink water. Water saw a hornless goat and asked:
- Hey, goat, what's wrong with you? Why are your horns broken?
- Oh, don't ask! - said the goat. - The flea is dead! The bug, heartbroken, is in mourning! The magpie has peeled off! The leaves were falling off the plane tree! I knocked off my horns and am also in mourning!!!
- Poor bug! If so, I, the water, will also be in mourning! - The water said this and became cloudy...
So, because of the death of a dear friend - a flea, the bug, grief-stricken, put on mourning. Feeling sorry for him, the magpie peeled off, the plane tree shed its leaves, the goat knocked off its horns, and the water became cloudy.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru