It so happened that Khampha remained an orphan. He lived with his old grandmother in a dilapidated hut on the edge of a mountain village. They were completely poor, but Khampha did not complain about his fate and tried to work hard. From early morning until dark, he cut down trees and burned stumps, preparing the land for arable land.
One day the grandmother said to the young man:
“You should catch some fish, Khampha.” Go to the stream and set the top. At this time there are so many fish in the stream.
“Okay,” answered the young man and immediately began to weave the top.
The top turned out to be very big. Khampha went to the stream and placed it. In the morning I went to check, but the top turned out to be empty, and on the bank of the Khampha stream I noticed traces of various animals.
This happened every morning. Khampha became sad and told his grandmother about everything. The old woman listened to her grandson and advised him to set a trap and catch the forest animals, because, of course, it was they who were dragging the fish out of the top.
Khampha listened to his grandmother’s advice and did everything as she said. The next morning he went to the stream and saw that a fox had fallen into a trap. Khampha approaches the fox, and she suddenly begins to cry bitterly.
- Release me, Khampha, to freedom! - asks. “I’ll still be useful to you.” Just call, I’ll come running right away.
The young man took pity on the fox and released it into the wild. The fox stood on its hind legs, pressed its front legs to its chest and bowed for a long, long time, only then it ran off into the forest.
Again Khampha set the pinnacle and set a trap. This time a tiger was caught in the trap. He saw the young man, bowed his head low and said:
- Don’t offend me, Khampha, don’t destroy me! It’s better to set me free, I’ll still be useful to you. Just call, I’ll come running right away.
He took pity on the Khampha tiger and let him go. The tiger bowed, licked the young man’s feet as a sign of gratitude, roared joyfully and ran off into the forest.
The next day, Khampha again went to the stream to see if there were fish in the stream. He sees that the rhinoceros has fallen into a trap. Khampha was about to deal with the rhinoceros, but he asked:
“Don’t ruin me, I’ll still be useful to you.”
The kind young man also released the rhinoceros.
The matter did not end there: the next time a huge elephant was caught in a deep hole. He also asked for mercy and gave the young man his tusk. After this, a kind forest spirit named Phi Noi became entangled in the snare. And the young man let him go. Then a huge snake fell into the trap, and Khampha also took pity on the snake.
Since then, no one else climbed into the top of Khampha, he began to bring home a full basket of fish every day. The young man cooked the largest and most delicious fish separately for his grandmother. He puts a steaming pot in front of the old woman, and she moves it away:
“I’m already old, grandson, I don’t need a lot of food.” And you are young, you need to eat well, then you will become a dexterous and strong man, you will be able to plow any mountain slope.
Once, a grandmother and her grandson spent the entire day cutting down trees in the forest and returned home only in the evening. They entered the house and froze in surprise: everything was clean, a delicious meal had been prepared. Until now, no one had ever even looked into their poor hut. The old woman thought about it and said:
“No other way than they sent us a helper from heaven, she will brighten up our poor life!”
The next day, the grandmother and grandson pretended to go to the field, but they quickly returned back, hid near the house and began to look with all their eyes. At noon, a beautiful fairy emerged from the elephant tusk, and the old hut immediately became bright from her radiance.
Khampha sneaked into the hut unnoticed, grabbed a tusk and broke it into small pieces: the young man wanted the beautiful fairy to remain in his house forever and become his wife. Only, he thinks, he’s not very handsome, and the hut is miserable, it’s unlikely that the Ivory Fairy will agree to live here.
“Beautiful fairy,” the young man said sadly, “I know we are too poor, and therefore I do not dare tell you: stay with us, we will be husband and wife.”
But Fairy Ivory smiled joyfully in response:
- Don’t be sad, good Khampha. This is why I came to your hut, to become your wife and helper. Don’t let it bother you that your house is poor and you yourself are not handsome. But you have a good heart.
Khampha was delighted and thanked the beautiful fairy Ivory for her kind words. They began to cultivate the mountain field together, and harmony and happiness settled in their house.
One day, an important royal nobleman appeared in those parts. He saw the fairy Ivory and was so amazed by her beauty that he was confused: “But she is more beautiful than the queen herself!”
The nobleman returned to the capital, appeared to the king and immediately told him that the poor man’s wife outshone the queen herself in beauty. The king ordered to convey the highest decree to Khampha: let him immediately deliver his beautiful wife to the palace.
The young man got angry:
“Doesn’t His Majesty have a queen?” Why on earth should I leave my wife?
The courtiers were afraid that these daring words might reach the ears of the common people, and they advised the king to achieve his goal not by force, but by cunning, otherwise the king would glorify himself throughout the world.
The king considered that there was a lot of common sense in the words of the courtiers, and came up with a trick. He remembered that he had a very angry and strong rooster. In fights, this rooster did not know defeat. And so the king orders to call the young man and says to him:
“Bring your rooster here, little one, and let him fight mine.” If my cock overcomes yours, you will have to separate from your wife. Understood?
Khampha trudged home and told his wife about what had happened. The beautiful fairy Ivory tenderly took her husband's hand.
“You once said,” he says, “that you released many different forest animals into the wild, and for this they promised, if necessary, to come to your aid.” Go to the forest and call the fox, let him help you.
Khampha was delighted, went into the forest, called the fox and told her about his misfortune. The fox laughed:
“Well, no one knows how to deal with chickens and roosters better than me.” Give me freedom, I t? I will instantly deal with not only the royal rooster, but also the rooster of the Heavenly Lord himself. Get on my back and we'll hit the road right away. As soon as we reach the gates of the royal palace, I will immediately turn into a rooster. Take me in your arms and tell me that your rooster is ready to fight the royal one.
Khampha was delighted, sat on the fox’s back, and soon they were at the walls of the palace. The fox turned into a rooster with a strong beak and sharp spurs. Khampha took the rooster in his arms and carried it to the palace. The king found out that the young man had appeared and chuckled maliciously: he had no doubt at all that the royal rooster would win. But before the royal rooster had time to take a single step, the Khampha rooster swooped in like the wind, and the poor fellow gave up the ghost. The king saw this and became seriously angry.
“Tomorrow you bring your bull here,” he orders Khampha, “let him fight my bull.” If my bull defeats yours, you will have to separate from your wife. Understood?
The young man wandered home and told the fairy Ivory about everything, and she said:
- Go into the forest and call the tiger, he will certainly help you out.
Khampha went into the forest and began shouting and calling for the tiger. The tiger came running and the young man told him about his misfortune.
“It doesn’t matter,” said the tiger, “I can knock down a forest bull with one blow, and I can easily deal with the king’s bull.” Sit on my back, we will rush to the gates of the royal palace in no time. There I will turn into a bull, and you take me to the king, he will not wait for us.
Khampha did as the tiger ordered.
The king pretended to be hospitable, and was sure that now he would definitely prevail.
The king's bull is powerful and fierce, his horns are very sharp! The Khampha bull contrived and rushed at the royal bull, which fell dead.
The king became more angry than before and immediately came up with a new trick.
“Tomorrow bring an elephant here, let him fight with my elephant,” said the king. “If my elephant defeats yours, you will have to part with your wife.” Understood?
Khampha went home and told his wife about what had happened. She told him to find a rhinoceros in the forest. Khampha went into the forest, called the rhinoceros and told him about his misfortune. The rhinoceros turned into a huge elephant, rushed at the royal elephant - the royal elephant crashed to the ground.
The king finally became angry and came up with a new trick. This time he wanted to test who could handle the boat more skillfully: Khampha or the royal soldiers? Khampha was frightened and asked his wife what he should do. The beautiful fairy Ivory says:
- Go call the snake, won’t it help you out of trouble?
Khampha went into the forest again, found the snake, and told it about his misadventures. The snake immediately agreed to help: it would turn into Khampha’s boat, and they would instantly overtake the royal rowers.
And so it happened. The king became angry when Khampha's boat rushed forward, stamped his feet and screamed in a voice that was not his own. From a loud scream, the roof of the tower collapsed on the king’s head, and that’s where his end came.
Khampha rejoiced: now his beloved wife would not be taken away from him, and he went home with a calm soul. Yes, I was happy early. After his death, the evil king turned into the evil forest spirit Phi Hai. I decided not to give in, to take revenge on Khampha, to take his beautiful wife away from him. Phi Hai gathered smaller evil spirits and ordered them to obtain for him the soul of the beautiful fairy Ivory at any cost. Let one of the forest spirits, they say, turn into a poisonous snake and climb into the pot, the same one in which the beautiful fairy Ivory prepares food. As soon as she takes the pot, the snake will bite her. The fairy will die from a snake bite, and the snake will take possession of her soul.
The kind forest spirit Phi Noi, whom Khampha once pitied, learned about Phi Hai’s insidious plan and promptly told the beautiful fairy:
— Before preparing food, pour boiling water into the pot.
Fairy Ivory listened and poured boiling water into the pot, scalding the snake hiding in it. She died immediately.
But Phi Hai did not calm down: he persuaded the owl to kidnap the beautiful fairy.
An owl flew up to Khampha's house and screamed so terribly that the Ivory Fairy shuddered and fell lifeless.
Khampha cried with burning tears. And then, having nothing else to do, he decided to bury the body of his beloved wife.
“Don’t rush,” hears the voice of the kind Phi Noi, “leave everything as it is, I will find a way to help you.”
Khampha listened to Phi Noi’s advice and lay down to rest, because he was completely exhausted from grief. And then an owl just flew in - he wants to take the soul of the beautiful fairy.
- Hey, owl! — the good spirit Phi Noi called out to her. “Phi Hai asked me to help you.” Quickly take the soul of the beautiful fairy and climb into this basket with her. I’ll take you to Phi Hai in no time. The stupid owl actually climbed into the basket.
“It’s not such a tricky thing to destroy someone,” Phi Noi shook his head. “It’s much more difficult to resurrect someone from the dead.” Can you, owl, bring the beautiful fairy to life?
The owl widened its round eyes, flapped its wings, arched its short neck and screamed protractedly. The lifeless fairy woke up here. Phi Noi grabbed the owl by the throat and ordered:
- Well, admit how your owl tribe sends death to people!
The owl opened its beak and screamed strainedly:
- Ay...yay...yay...y...oh!
Phi Noi took a knife and shortened the owl's tongue. Since then, owls no longer instill mortal fear in people with their terrible cry.
The evil forest spirit Phi Hai found out that again nothing had worked out for him, and he died out of anger - this time forever. And so the evil king came to an end.
The nobles decided to make Khampha king, everyone knows what a kind heart he has. We went to his house on elephants.
Khampha came out and said:
“You can’t be a king and not oppress good people.” I have no use for the royal throne!
The nobles heard Khampha’s wise words, took off their rich clothes and went home. And the capital was left without a king. When the king passed away, people lived in peace and harmony, helping each other in everything.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru