Once upon a time, there was one night so long that people thought they would never see daylight again.
The night was pitch black, there was not a star in the sky, no breeze, no rain, not a single sound on the ground, the meadows and forest flowers were not fragrant.
People became deeply despondent and lost heart; they could not prepare themselves shurrasko:
[Shurrasko is charcoal-grilled meat.]
After all, flames did not dance in their hearths, and people were content with tasteless porridge made from cornmeal; the red embers smoldering in the hearths went out, and we had to take care of the firebrands...
The eyes were so sick of the darkness that they spent hours looking at the red firebrands, from which sparks pleasing to the eye did not fall: human lips could not fan the fire.
In such pitch darkness, not a single daredevil would dare to set off across the fields, not a single handsome horse would come to his native pasture - neither hearing, nor smell, nor sight would serve him; even a fox would lose his own scent.
But the ancient night did not go away... still did not go away...
But in the darkness and dead silence, from time to time someone’s sharp, piercing voice was heard: it was the restless tew-tew bird, which had not slept since the last time the sun rose, and which was always waiting for its return: the sun could not help but return, but it was so late!..
Yes, only the tew-tew sang from time to time; her kero-kero, so pure, coming from the very blackest blackness, supported hope in the people gathered around the still reddening firebrands.
But apart from this song, nothing broke the silence; everything froze and hid.
And on the last sunny day, when the sun was already setting where the Indian tribe of Minuans lived and where the star of dawn rose, a terrible downpour poured in: it was a waterspout, a flood that continued endlessly, it kept pouring... it kept pouring...
The fields were flooded, lakes overflowed their banks, overflowed, and streams slid like snakes across the ground covered with anthills, through swamps, merging into one stream; the channels widened, and all this mass of water flowed to the rivers, from the rivers to splashing streams across the fields; it flooded the plains and reached the tops of the hills. There was a refuge for all kinds of animals; out of fear, all the animals mingled: calves and pumas, herds of bulls and foals, partridges and red wolves; fear forced them to become friends. It wasn't like that before!..
On the tops of palm trees, crowds of ants found refuge; snakes twined around the branches of the trees, and rats and other small creatures settled in the paths made from the branches of the bushes.
The water that flooded all the holes did not spare the hole of the huge snake Mboyguazu, which was sleeping calmly, curled up in a ball. Then she woke up and, wriggling, crawled out of the hole.
Then the animals began to die, and the Mboiguazu began to hunt for carrion. But she devoured only the eyes and wanted nothing, nothing else.
And the water subsided, there was more and more carrion, and the huge snake ate its eyes to its fullest.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru