In ancient times, there lived a sea king, the Dragon. One day he fell ill, and the doctor prescribed him a drug made from hare’s liver. The king summoned the dignitaries and all his subjects, sighed sadly and said:
— The disease can only be cured with hare liver. Which of you will go to land to catch a hare?
Here one military leader stepped forward:
- Although your humble servant does not shine with talent, he still wants to try his luck and catch a hare for the sovereign.
Everyone looked at the military leader. And his head is like a sack, with tentacles sticking out in all directions. This warlord was an octopus, and a thousand years had passed by.
The king answers him:
“Everyone knows your bravery.” If you catch a hare, you will be rewarded according to your deserts and you will take a high position in the state. Suddenly, out of nowhere, the turtle crawled up and began loudly scolding the octopus.
- You, octopus, although you are great, you are of no use - you neither know how to speak nor have any ingenuity! You can't handle this! And if people catch it, they will certainly eat it. Aren't you afraid? No, only I, the tortoise, can catch the hare.
The octopus got angry, widened his eyes, shook his red head and screamed:
- What good are you? Your head is small, you look like a dish! And you keep wondering! They'll see you, grab you, and you'll end up in the soup in no time!
- What a stupid octopus you are! - the turtle argues. “Better listen to how many different talents I have.” I float on the waves - everyone thinks the leaf is floating. I hide my legs and head - they take me for a watermelon. And when you turn it over, it looks like the lid of a cauldron. I’ll freeze in place - even the fishermen won’t notice me. Who else but me can catch the hare?
There was nothing to say to the octopus, I had to give in. And King Dragon entrusted this task to the turtle. The turtle crawled up to the throne, bowed on all four sides and said:
- I live in the sea, the hare in the mountains. I don’t know what he looks like. Tell the artist to draw a hare. I'll take a look.
The Dragon called upon the best artists to draw the hare.
The tortoise bowed to the king, began to attach the image of the hare to its back, but was afraid that it would get wet. The turtle thought and thought about what to do, until she came up with an idea - she stretched out her neck, wrapped the drawing around her neck, and hid it under her shell.
The turtle rose to the surface of the sea, carried it and carried it along the waves until it washed out into a stream running from a mountain ravine.
It was late in the evening. The turtle looked around and crawled along the ravine. She crawls and looks at each animal - not one of them looks like a hare.
Suddenly she sees some animal jumping towards her - exactly as the artist painted. The turtle asks:
- Wait! You are Mister Hare! I am so glad that I finally met you!
The hare opened his slanting eyes in amazement, moved his long ears and asked:
- And you, may I ask who she is?
- I am a turtle.
This is how the tortoise and the hare met. They sit side by side, arguing which of them is older, where is it better to live - on land or under water? Know the turtle praises the underwater kingdom of the Dragon and says:
“Now the palace needs literate people, and the king will be glad to get you to join him, Mr. Hare.”
The turtle extols the hare's talents and invites him to the underwater palace. And the hare was seduced by her promises. The turtle brought the hare to the seashore, put him on his back and threw himself into the abyss. A hare sits on the back of a turtle, looking around. Everything is a wonder to him: the vast sea and the blue waves.
But then the hare appeared before the king of the sea. The Dragon tells him:
“I am the ruler of the underwater kingdom, and you are a small mountain animal.” But only your liver can cure my illness. So I told the turtle to bring you to me. Don’t worry, we will kill you, and then bury you with honor, dress you in silk, and put you in a jade coffin. As soon as I recover, I will erect a monument to you to glorify your feat throughout the centuries. Otherwise, in the mountains, either a tiger will devour you, or a hunter will shoot you. And no one will remember that there once lived a hare. So don’t harbor grudges against me, either now or after death...
Then the king’s servants attacked the hare, and at any moment they would kill him. The hare's eyes dimmed with fear, but he still gathered his courage and said:
“Great king, I can atone for my guilt only by death.” I will willingly give my liver to heal you, great king, especially since they will bury me with all honors. Such a benefit for such an insignificant animal is higher than all the blessings of Heaven, so I don’t regret my life one bit. But here’s the problem: everyone knows that hare’s liver is a miracle cure. Unlike other animals, in the morning I drink dew as beautiful as jade and eat it with flowers. Therefore, everyone asks: “Give me your liver.” Every time you leave home, you have to wash your liver in a crystal river and hide it in a deep gorge on a high rock. If I had known that the great sea king was sick and only a hare’s liver could heal him, I would certainly have brought it with me today. - The hare said this and attacked the turtle: - Well, you are stupid! Why didn’t she tell me the whole truth right away if she really wanted to serve the great sovereign?
The Dragon listened and listened to the hare and howled:
- Oh, you insidious deceiver! Where have you seen animals take out their livers and hide them? Who are you thinking of leading by the nose? Come on! Give me some liver! Alive! This is the only way you can atone for your guilt!
The hare's soul sank into his heels, his legs began to tremble, and his breathing stopped.
- Great king, listen to me! Well, they cut my stomach, but there’s no liver there! Then you won’t be cured yourself, and you’ll ruin me in vain. After all, you won’t be able to get a hare’s liver for anything! You will regret it, but it will be too late.
The Dragon thought, it seems that the scythe is not lying, he ordered the turtle to take him to land and not return without a liver.
The king arranged a feast in honor of the hare and presented him with two hundred selected pearls. A hare came out of the underwater palace and reached the shore on the back of a turtle.
Well, I was delighted with the scythe! He started dancing. He's back in his native place again!
The turtle saw him jumping and dancing and shouted:
- Bring the liver quickly, it’s time to go back! The hare burst out laughing and said:
- You stupid turtle! Is it possible to pull out the liver and then put it back in place? And what do I care about your king? As soon as I remember that you deceived me, I want to settle accounts with you. But since you rolled me back and forth, so be it, I give you life. Come back quickly and tell the Dragon, don’t let him dream of a hare’s liver.
The hare said so and ran away into the forest, only he was seen.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru