One rich gentleman had three sons. The two eldest were considered smart, but the third was treated like a fool. The father grew old and decided to separate his sons in advance so that sin would not come between them when he closed his eyes forever. As I decided, I did so. He called all three and declared his will:
“You,” he says, “will receive this from me, you will receive this, and you will receive this: everyone equally without offense.”
Only the two older ones didn’t like this division; they are smart people, they’re happy to grab everything for themselves, and the younger one gets a donut hole.
They began to court their father this way and that, but he did not fall for their tricks and decided in his own way.
“Well, well,” he said. - If you don’t like my division, everything will remain as it is for now, and you go around the world. Whichever of you returns in a year in the most beautiful dress will get everything.
“Okay, father,” the brothers agreed.
They all left the house at once. They walked and walked and found themselves at a crossroads. Here the two older ones separated and abandoned the youngest. They chose smooth and good roads for themselves, but left the younger one humpbacked and bumpy; apparently, no one had walked along that road for years and years. The eldest ended up in the royal city and hired himself into the service of the king. The middle one stayed in a rich house and settled down there. The younger one made his way along the untrodden road for a long time until he saw a wide lawn, and on that lawn a black cat.
- Yeah! - he thought. - Apparently there are people nearby if the cat is sitting!
And then the cat itself ran up to him and started rubbing himself at his feet, and then jumped back, looked around, as if calling for him. He didn’t think long and ran after her. So they walked until they reached the castle.
The cat is at the gate and our fellow is behind it. He enters the hallway, and there is dead silence; from the hallway to the little room, from the second room to the second, from the second to the third, I walked around the entire castle, and didn’t meet a living soul anywhere. Finally he reached a room in which the table was set for one cutlery. There are rich dishes and a glass of drink on the table.
The young man sat down at the table, ate and tasted some drink, then the doors suddenly opened, a black cat jumped into the room, jumped on the table and said:
– I welcome you to my home!
It was wonderful for the guy that the cat was talking. And she’s hers again:
- Don't be afraid of anything. I know everything about you, and about the dispute you had with your brothers and what you are looking for. I am the mistress of this castle, you will feel good here. At this table you will eat and drink every day, and I will give you beautiful clothes, you will be able to choose the best, but for a whole year you will obey me in everything. Every morning, before it’s even dawn, I’ll wake you up. You will get up, take this wooden knife and go into the forest; there you will cut off the rod and return back, and you will whip me until I throw myself on the doorknob. And so every day. That's all your work.
- Oh, dear Kitty! How can I whip you if you haven’t done anything bad to me? – the guy began to refuse.
“It’s up to you to decide,” the cat interrupted him. “If you don’t want to, you don’t have to, but you won’t see a beautiful dress then.”
Our young man had to agree and do everything the cat ordered.
It’s not yet dawn, and she’s already waking him up. The guy jumped out of bed, took a wooden knife, went into the forest, cut off the twig, returned home and started caring for the cat. She was rushing around the room, yelling in a bad voice, he felt sorry, he even gave up. And the cat screams:
– Forgot what I told you?
Like it or not, I had to take up the rod again. He pulled it out three times, and then the Kitty rushed to the doorknob. With that he calmed down. The next morning the same thing. And it went on like this from day to day.
One day the Kitty says to him:
- And your brothers are already going home!
- Really? – the guy was surprised. The year has flown by very quickly.
“Go,” continued the Kitty, “to the middle basement, there you will see a golden dress, take it and hit the road!” Just wear a gold dress underneath and your old one on top; when you come home, don’t show up right away in a gold dress!
Our guy took the golden dress, thanked the cat for his kindness and went home.
At a crossroads I met brothers, they were sitting in beautiful new dresses, relaxing. They saw him, burst out laughing and started calling him all sorts of names!
He didn’t answer them a word, so they came home. The father liked the clothes on his older sons, but all he said to the younger son was:
- Get out of sight.
A guy came out of the room, threw off his old clothes, and walked back and forth across the yard in a gold dress!
The father doesn’t believe his eyes, looks closely, looked and looked, and then says to his eldest sons:
“Just look at the dress your brother is wearing, it’s made of pure gold.”
They only gaped in surprise. What an embarrassment! The youngest's dress is beyond beautiful! It turns out that now the youngest will get everything! But my father decided differently:
- No, that's not all. You will have to walk around the world again. Whoever of you brings the best horse in a year, I will give all my property to him!
The brothers gathered and each went their own way. Mrs. Kitty was waiting for her younger brother in that same meadow and again took him to her castle. Everything was the same as last time, lunch was on the table, after lunch the Kitty came running and said:
- Welcome to me!
They talked and talked, and she promised him a handsome horse in a year, only she told him to obey her in everything.
Our guy began to go into the forest at dawn, cut twigs with a wooden knife, and when he returned, whip the poor Kitty until she threw herself at the doorknob. And so every day. A year later, Mrs. Kitty tells him:
- Your brothers are going home and leading their horses!
He was surprised that a year had already flown by, as if he had just arrived at the castle.
“Go to the stable,” Kitty tells him, “there are horses there, but you take the one tied in the corner, don’t be afraid that he’s skinny.” You pat him on the back and you will immediately see what kind of horse you have!
Our guy caught the skinny horse, thanked Mrs. Kitty from the bottom of his heart and went home.
The horse was walking, barely dragging its feet, but as soon as the guy stroked him on the back, he turned into a golden-maned winged horse and they flew faster than the wind.
They began to approach the crossroads, the winged horse again turned into a skinny nag and trudged along, barely breathing, clinging one leg to another.
The brothers were already grazing their wild horses here and, seeing the youngest astride a nag, began to laugh at him. They got home, the father liked the horses of the two eldest sons, but he didn’t even want to look at the nag of the youngest. All three brought the horses into the stable and went to dinner.
After dinner, the youngest came out of the chambers, changed into a golden dress, led his nag out of the stable, sat on her and stroked her back. And immediately a golden-maned winged horse pranced under him and quickly rushed across the yard.
The father looked out of the window, saw his youngest son on a winged horse, called the older two and said:
- Look, look at the horse your brother is riding on!
Those two almost burst with anger, but what to do, they had to praise him themselves:
“It’s a good horse,” they say, “but ours alone is worth ten of them!”
“Okay,” said the father. - We'll see now. Go, saddle your horses, you will jump over the gate.
The brothers mounted their horses. The eldest spurred his horse, he wanted to jump over the gate, but his horse tripped and broke his leg, the middle one rushed after him, but did not jump over, the horse broke its neck. Then the younger one spurred his horse and, like a bird, jumped over the gate and then back into the yard. The brothers almost disappeared in shame; now it became clear to everyone who had the best horse and who should get the inheritance.
But even this seemed not enough to my father.
“You should,” he said, “take one more walk around the world.” Whichever of you brings the most beautiful bride in a year, I will give everything to him!
Again the brothers went their separate ways.
The cat is already waiting for the younger one in the meadow and calls to her castle:
“I,” he says, “know why your father saw you out of the house.” Listen to me, as you have obeyed me until now, and in a year you will have a bride for whom you will not have to blush.
And again our guy began to go into the forest at dawn, cut twigs with a wooden knife and whip poor Kitty.
When the third year was coming to an end, at dawn Mrs. Cat came to him and began to wake him up.
“Get up,” he says, “your brothers are already going home and leading their brides, the time has come for you to meet the bride.” Today, don’t hit me, but do this: take a wooden ax and go into the forest. There, chop the wood, bring it into the yard and stack it, and also cut as many arrows as you can take in your armful. When you are ready, come to me!
Our guy stacked the firewood and brought an armful of arrows.
“Okay,” Mrs. Kitty told him, “now take this sword and cut me into three pieces, put the pieces on top of the wood, and set the wood on fire!” When everything burns, terrible monsters will emerge from the ashes and begin to attack you. But you throw an arrow at everyone, and the monsters will immediately disappear. Then a toad will appear, and in its mouth there will be keys. You take the keys from her. The toad will also disappear. And you go there and there and open the chambers with that key. Now, take the sword and do as I say.
Our guy’s hands shook:
“Oh,” he said, “how can I treat you like this?”
The cat screams:
“Cut me, cut me, otherwise you won’t have a bride!”
What could he do? He did everything as the Kitty ordered. He took the keys from the toad, opened the room, and there a beautiful girl sat and said to him:
- Oh, thank you, good fellow, thank you, because you freed me.
And she told him what happened to her: her father was a king, after his death she was left alone in the whole world. A witch came to her and began to marry her son, but she did not want to marry her son and the witch, in revenge, turned her into a cat. Now she is not afraid of her, because the toad that disappeared was the same witch!
The girl said, and then added:
- If you want, I will become your wife!
You yourself understand that our fellow happily agreed. And then everything around them came to life. People flocked to the castle from all sides and began to thank our guy for freeing them.
On the same day, the newlyweds got married, and after the wedding, they harnessed horses to a rich carriage and rushed like a whirlwind to their father.
The older brothers also brought their brides. But where did they care about our beauty!
The father was delighted, hugged his youngest son, and hugged his daughter-in-law too.
“My son,” he says, “all three times you showed yourself better than your brothers.” I give my possessions to you.
But the father’s son thanks and answers:
“I,” he says, “do not need anything, I have everything in abundance, and what you promised me, I will willingly give to my brothers.” Let them live in peace and harmony, and we will live at home and you, dear father, we ask you to come to us.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru