Imi-Hits and his grandmother live on the edge of the earth. I once made Imi-Hits an ice slide for myself and skated all day long. One day Imi-Hity comes running home and asks his grandmother:
- Grandma, I saw an animal: the tail is black, but the tail itself is gray. What kind of animal is this?
Grandma says:
- This is a squirrel, grandson. Your father used to hunt this animal.
“I’ll go catch up with him,” says Imi-Hita.
- Oh, grandson, you are still too young to chase a squirrel. If you chase her, she will climb a tree; what will you do with her?
And Imi-Hits went for a ride again. Whether he rode for a long time or a short time, he ran to his grandmother again:
- Grandma, I saw the animal again: the tip of the tail is black, but it is all white. What kind of animal is this?
- This is an ermine, grandson. Your father used to hunt this animal.
“I’ll go, grandma, and catch up with him,” says Imi-Hity.
- Oh, grandson, you are still too young to chase an ermine. If you catch up with him, he will crawl under the root of a tree; what will you do with it?
I went for a ride again with Imi-Hits. How long or short did he ride, he ran to his grandmother and said:
- Grandma, this time I saw such an animal. He's completely black. What kind of animal?
Grandma says:
- This is sable, grandson. Your father used to hunt for this animal.
“I’ll go, grandma, and catch up with him.”
- Oh, granddaughter, where can you catch up with the sable? The sable is an animal with a long trail.
- And what do they get, grandma, for these animals?
- How do they get them? Bow and arrows.
-What kind of bow and arrow are there? How are they made? Make me a bow and arrow, grandma.
Grandma really didn’t want to make things, but what can you do if the child asks. She took a log and whittled something like an arrow. Then I found some kind of stump of a stick and made a bow for my grandson.
The next day the grandmother woke up in the morning, looked - and there was no trace of her grandson.
Whether Imi-Hits walked for a long time or for a short time, he came home in the evening. He brought a whole bunch of all kinds of animals. The grandmother fed her grandson, gave him something to drink, and the two of them sat down to skin the hunted animals. Grandmother teaches:
“Your father skinned the skins like this and straightened the skins like this.” From then on, Imi-Hits began to go hunting every day. He always left when grandma was still sleeping.
So he walked, hunted, and one evening while eating he said to his grandmother:
- Grandma, now I’ll go further away, there are more animals there. Would you make me some kind of box so that I could take food with me. I still don’t know how to walk in the forest properly, it may happen that I will get lost somewhere.
- Yes, that's right, grandson.
Grandma sat down and instantly sewed a box to put the food in.
The next day Imi-Hity put on his food box and went hunting again. Whatever trail he comes across, he follows that trail: if he comes across the trail of a mouse, he follows the trail of the mouse.
If he comes across a trail of weasel, he follows the trail of the weasel. So he walked and walked. suddenly he hears someone screaming and screaming.
Imi-Hity thinks: I’ll go and see who’s screaming there.
He began to creep up. I looked around, and there was a high mountain on the bank of the river. He sees the boy Mengk-poshih riding on an iron sled from a high mountain. He will roll, scream and laugh, roll, scream and laugh. Imi-Hita stands and does not take his eyes off him. Imi-Hita looked at him like that for a long time or for a short time, finally Mengk-poshih noticed him.
- Hey buddy, are you there? - Mengk-poshih tells him. Come, let's ride with me!
“No,” Imi-Hity answers, “I went hunting, I don’t have time to ride.”
- Well, go, go, let’s slide once, whatever! But can you really get rid of Mengka-poshih?
“Go, sit on the front,” says Mengk-poshih.
- No, I won’t sit on the front. I'll jump behind you. I can’t resist with you, you scream and laugh too loudly.
- No, I won’t scream and laugh very loudly. Imi-Hits jumped up from behind and rolled off. When they rolled, Mengk-poshih screamed so loudly that Imi-Hity fell unconscious.
Whether he lay there for a long time or for a short time, he woke up and saw: Mengk-poshih. climbs the mountain with a sled.
- Hey buddy, why did you fall?
Imi-Hits answers:
“I’m telling you, I can’t ride with you.” You scream and laugh very loudly.
“Well,” says Mengk-poshih, “now I’ll be quieter, I’ll laugh.”
- No, I won’t ride with you anymore; My day is passing, I need to hunt.
- Well, let's slide, let's slide one more time. Sit on my lap, you won't fall out.
I tried to dissuade myself from Imi-Hita, but how can I dissuade myself from Mengk?
“Well, sit down, sit down,” says Imi-Hity, “I’ll jump in behind you again.”
Let's roll. Mengk-poshih screamed again and laughed at the top of his lungs. Imi-Hita lost the white light from her eyes. Whether he lay there for a long time or for a short time, he woke up and looked: Mengk-poshih came up to him with a smile.
- What, my friend, did you stay again?
“You’re yelling so hard, is it really possible to ride with you!”
- Well, let's slide one more time, but properly, in an amicable way. Now get into the sled. Imi-Hits says:
- No, I won’t ride with you anymore. I’ll make my own sled, and you can ride alone.
Imi-Khity took his hatchet, cut down a birch tree he liked, split it in half and began to trim it. Mengk-poshih looks: Imi-Hita is pressing - the ax will slip, pressing - the ax will slip.
Mengk-poshih says:
- When will your sled be ready if you continue to hew like this?
- Do you have a special place at home to amuse yourself?
– At home I amuse myself in my grandmother’s language.
- How do you amuse your tongue? - says Mengk-poshih.
- And I'm used to it. “You’re used to screaming and laughing,” says Imi-Hity to Mentk-poshikhu, “you lie down, I’ll quickly make it out in your language.”
“Well, you’ll also cut off my tongue.”
- Well, what do you mean, my hands are so veinless that I can’t hold an ax?
Mengk-poshih agreed, lay down on his back and stuck out his long tongue, like the skin of an animal; Imi-Hity placed a piece of wood on his tongue and began to lightly chop it with thin splinters.
He amuses and says:
- When I was at home, I used to cut like this, like this.
He hewed and hewed, began to hew to the end, got the hang of it and cut off the tip of Mengk-poshikh’s tongue with an ax.
Mengk-Poshikh shouted in a terrible voice, and Imi-Hity fell unconscious.
Whether he lay there for a long time or for a short time, he woke up; completely frozen. He looks, Mengka-poshiha is gone, only a severed piece of his tongue remains.
Imi-Hity stood up, took a piece of his tongue and followed the bloody trail of Mengk-poshih.
He walked and walked and came to a huge city. The houses here are all made of larch and spruce. Where there was not enough larch, they reported with a fir tree, where there was not enough fir, they reported with larch.
As he followed the trail, he came to a house that stood on the other side of the city.
Imi-Hita approached this house, climbed onto the roof and put his ear to the chimney, and began to listen. He hears Mengk-poshih moaning and sighing. His family asks him:
-What happened to you?
He points to his mouth and mutters something. They asked and asked, but got nothing from him.
- Um, what could have happened to him? - someone said with a sigh.
“Go,” said the same voice. - go to grandpa from the neighboring house.
Someone jumped up and opened the door. It turns out that little Mengk came out. He ran out and started dancing. Either he will raise one leg, or he will raise his arm. He dances and sings:
Here and there, jump and jump, Here and there, jump and jump, When I turn my back, the round braid shakes, If I turn with my chest, the beaded ribbon curls.
He ran and ran, dancing, and went into one of the neighboring houses. As soon as Mengk-poshih disappeared into the house, Imi-Hity jumped down, ran to the house where Mengk-poshih had entered, and again began to listen through the chimney.
Mengk-poshiha someone asks:
-What do you say? You were probably sent here on business?
And Meng-poshih continues everything: he will raise his leg, then he will raise his hand, and he himself will sing:
Here and there, jump and jump, Here and there, jump and jump, When I turn my back, the round braid shakes, If I turn my chest, the beaded ribbon curls.
He danced and danced, and then ran away, throwing up his arm and his leg.
Someone in the house says: ‘This dissolute boy was probably sent for some business.
As soon as Mengk-poshih entered his house, Imi-Hity jumped off the roof and ran the same way, down onto the roof, to the chimney opening.
Mengk-poshiha is asked:
- Well, what did grandfather tell you?
And Meng-poshih dances and sings:
Here and there, jump and jump, Here and there, jump and jump, When I turn my back, the round braid shakes, If I turn my chest, the beaded ribbon curls.
“This boy apparently didn’t say anything there.” Go, daughter, help your brother.
Hears Imi-Hits, the girl stood up with the ringing of silver, with the ringing of gold. She went outside. He sees Imi-Hits - before him is the beauty of beauties, the maiden of maidens. She came out, looked around and entered the neighboring house. Imi-Hita jumped down and also ran there. I climbed up and started listening through. chimney, and inside someone says:
- Well, granddaughter, what news did you come with?
- Father, grandfather is calling you. Something happened to my brother. He points at his mouth, mutters something, but can’t really say anything. He will inhale and choke.
– What could have happened? He probably pestered Imi-Hita. Well, go, go, I'll come.
The girl left and went home. As soon as she entered the house, Imi-Hity jumped from the roof and ran after her. He climbed onto the roof of the house where the beauty entered, and saw an old man coming, all gray. I approached this house and entered.
- Well, what happened? - asks.
- Yes, he just went for a ride, and something happened to him.
- Yes, it happened, it happened. “He’s a nasty boy, he pestered Imi-Hita, and now he got it.” Now we need to somehow persuade Imi-Hits.
– Where will we get the Imi-Hits to beg him?
- Where will Imi-Hits go, there he is on the roof, eavesdropping on the chimney.
- How can I beg him?
“What can we do, we’ll have to marry our daughter to him because of this nasty boy.” Go, granddaughter, if you feel sorry for your brother, go, promise to be Imi-Hita’s bride and beg him to heal your brother.
The girl, sad and sad, went out into the street and said:
- Well, go, Imi-Hits, save my brother. I turned around a little and went home.
- Well, did you call? - asks the grandfather.
- She called.
-What was your name? Go ahead, don’t be shy, say you will. his bride.
The girl came out again. She turned around, stood there and said:
- Well, what can you do, Imi-Hits, my brother is already completely dying, I promise to be your bride, just cure him.
“Well, go, go, I’ll come now,” says Imi-Hity. Imi-Hits took his box and entered the house.
- Well, Imi-Hits, this nasty boy must have been pestering you?
“I went hunting,” says Imi-Hity. - I hear someone screaming. I started to approach and saw that he was skating. Then I looked at him and stood there. He noticed me and started pestering me: let's go for a ride. I tell him that I don’t have time, my day is passing, I need to hunt, but he keeps pestering me. Once they started rolling, he screamed so hard that I fell unconscious from his scream. He came for the second time. The second time they rolled, the same thing, I fell unconscious from his scream. The third time, in order to get rid of him, I figured out how to get rid of him.
“Imi-Hits, double your kindness and heal this boy.” We will give you this beauty, who wears living braids like a bird, who walks in the ringing of silver and gold.
Imi-Hits took out a stump of tongue from his box and put it to the boy’s tongue. The tongue immediately began to grow. Then Imi-Hity gave him warm water to drink. When he got drunk for the third time, the boy sighed and said:
“Anna, my heart is finally relieved.” Grandfather and father began to scold him:
“You’re a bad guy, you’re lucky that Imi-Hits came here.” It's good that he is a kind person. If it weren't for him, you would have disappeared without a language.
Then they organized a wedding feast for the whole city, the whole village.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru