Once upon a time there lived an orphan boy. And in order to feed himself, he had to become a shepherdess, herding goats.
One day he drives goats past a rye field. And the goats climbed over the fence and into the rye. The shepherd chased and chased after them, his voice strained as he screamed, and the stubborn goats, as if to spite him, rushed across the rye and trampled the ears.
The shepherd boy sat down on a stone and cried. A squirrel jumped up to him. Asks:
- Why are you crying, boy?
“I can’t get goats out of the rye.”
- Just grief? I'll kick them out for you instantly! - says the squirrel and jumped and jumped into the field.
She ran and chased goats and was exhausted. She sat down next to the shepherd and also began to cry. The two of them cry.
- The fox comes running. Asks:
- Why are you crying?
- But we can’t drive the goats out of the rye.
- What a disaster! - says the fox. – I’ll kick them out for you instantly!
The fox ran and ran after the goats, got completely tired, sat down next to the shepherd and the squirrel, and also began to cry. They cry in their hearts, they don’t have time to wipe away their tears.
A bear is coming from the forest.
- Why are you crying here? - asks.
- How can we not cry? We just can’t get the goats out of the rye.
- Oh, you little thing! You can't drive the goats out. So be it, I will help you.
The bear climbed through the fence and broke it. He ran after the goats, and they scattered - try, catch them! The bear roars, circles around the field, tramples rye more than goats, and is completely exhausted. He returned with nothing. He sat down next to the shepherd boy, the squirrel and the fox and roared in grief. The four of them are crying.
A gadfly flies past.
“It’s funny,” he says, “they’re so big and cry.” Who offended you?
And they answer in unison:
“We just can’t get the goats out of the rye!”
“Well, I’ll help your grief,” says the gadfly.
- Where are you! - the shepherd boy answers. “I chased but didn’t drive out, the squirrel chased but didn’t drive out, the fox chased but didn’t drive out, the bear, such a strong man, couldn’t drive out...
And the gadfly buzzes:
- I, I, I, I’ll kick you out! - and flew into the field.
When the goats heard that the gadfly was hovering above them, they started skipping, jumped over the fence and onto the road! And the gadfly circles and buzzes above them:
- I’m already, I’m already, I’m already them!
The shepherd grabbed a twig and ran after the goats. I didn’t even have time to say thank you to my assistants.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru