One guy inherited a rich inheritance from his parents, but he soon squandered it. All he had left was his father’s saber at his side, a handful of salt on the table, and a cat-mouse-catcher under the table. What should a beggar do? He took his three treasures and went around the world to seek happiness. They walked and walked, but neither the cat knew the way, nor did he know it himself. We wandered into the forest. And there is noise in the forest. They followed the noise and looked - it was so wonderful! A huge scary lion fights with the devil. What to do? The guy wanted to run away, but the lion shouted to him:
- Don’t run away, grab your saber, help defeat the devil: it will be good for you, and for me.
The guy obeyed, and together they easily dealt with the devil. Leo is pleased and satisfied. Says:
– Do you know what I’ll tell you? You have served me, and I will serve you; here, just beyond the forest, is the royal palace. The king there is competing with the same devil as ours. But it’s bad for the king, poor fellow: how many troops he recruits in a night, so many devils he crushes in a day. I'm afraid that the king himself might fall into the devil's clutches. So what do you think, should we both go and rescue the king? After all, you and I have defeated one devil, but the second won’t be stronger than the first? So you will go out into people. You see, I know: this king has a marvelous mirror with four screws. As soon as you turn the first screw, the perfume is right there. If you spin the second time, others will appear. Third - the third spirits will fly. The fourth is still others. Here you go. Once we defeat the devil, the king will ask you: what should I give you as a reward? And you say in response: give me a mirror with four screws. He will give it back - so you are on horseback. So how? Won't you chicken out?
- Why be cowardly? Let's go. What will be will be.
We came to the king. The king is glad to the deliverer, but doubts:
“How can you deal with the devil alone, if yesterday and the day before yesterday a whole thousand could not defeat him?”
And the guy responded:
- It’s not your concern, I know what I’m doing.
- Okay, son, have it your way. If you defeat the devil, ask for whatever you want, I’ll give you everything.
The guy and the lion got down to business. They had to tinker a lot, no joke - such a devil! To tell the truth, they overpowered him more by cunning than by force: the lion crept up behind the devil, jumped up on the back of his neck and knocked him over on his back. And the guy with the saber is right there, cutting anywhere. I thought - how great is the wisdom of cutting down a lying person! Well, it’s not that simple: the devil spits fire, that’s the point. However, they still defeated the devil. A guy came to the king to ask for a reward - a mirror with four screws. The king frowned: just give him a mirror! But he didn’t argue – an agreement is worth more than money.
The guy went on wandering around the world, proud and proud: in his hands there was a mirror, on one side there was a lion walking, on the other there was a cat, on the side there was a sharp saber - a sight for sore eyes!
They walked and walked, climbed to the top of the mountain, and saw a birch grove between two rivers.
“Wait,” said the guy, “this is a nice place, you can rest here.”
All three of them got hungry on the way, and there wasn’t a crumb of bread. What should I do?
“Here you go,” the lion laughs, “we’re sitting on horseback, but we don’t notice the horses: what’s the use of a mirror?” Should we grieve about bread? Come on, turn the screw.
OK. Twisted it. The first spirit in human form is right there: what do you want?
- All three of us should eat. That's it. The spirit rushed off headlong. Soon various dishes appeared. All three ate.
The next day the guy doesn’t know what to do with boredom.
“Here you go,” says the lion, “but what about the mirror?” It's time for you to think about shelter over your head. Where will we live? Turn the second screw.
OK. Twisted it. The second spirit in human form is right there: what do you want?
– A palace for the three of us. That's it.
The spirit rushed off headlong. Soon a beautiful diamond palace descended from the sky - right on the mountain, between two rivers. The guy went to the palace to rest, the lion remained to guard the gate, and the cat jumped onto the stove to guard the house. Everything is so wonderful, just amazing!
But the next morning the guy got bored. Doesn't know what to do.
- What to do? - says the lion, - what is the mirror for? There should be a garden around the palace, just think about it.
OK. The guy turned the third screw. The third spirit in human form is right there: what do you want?
– There should be a garden around the palace.
The spirit rushed off headlong. Soon trees flew through the air - both this and that - and dug themselves into the ground. All sorts of singing birds flew in, forest animals came running. Life has changed differently: birds sing, animals growl, trees bloom - you can’t see enough, you can’t hear enough.
But the next morning the guy got bored again: how to relieve boredom?
- How to speed it up? - the lion is surprised, - I know why. What is your mirror for? It’s time for you to get married, tell yourself to bring a wife: live like this to the fullest. The king lives by the river and near the sea, and with him his daughter is a beautiful woman, the most beautiful you could not find. Here's your betrothed. Order it to be brought.
The guy turned the fourth screw - a fourth spirit flew in in human form: what do you want?
“The king lives by the river and near the sea, and with him is a beautiful princess.” Bring her to me as my wife.
The spirit rushed off headlong. One-two! And the princess is right there. Her boyfriend took her for himself, and they lived in complete harmony.
But the old king grieved greatly for his daughter. He sent ships along the rivers and across the seas, sent messengers overland - they searched and searched, but returned with nothing. There was nothing to do, the king went to the witch. The witch wondered, wondered, and found out: the princess was on a steep mountain, in a diamond palace, living with her husband.
“Give me a ship with servants: I’ll go up the river and return your daughter.” The king responded:
- What's the use of one ship? And what can you, woman, do alone? I will send an army and grind the diamond palace into powder.
And the witch: no, they say, the lion guards that palace, he alone will tear the whole army to shreds.
“Well,” he says, “let me cheat, you’ll see what happens.”
- Well! “Be it your way,” the king answered and gave the witch a ship with servants. The ship went up the river, but did not dock at the palace itself: the witch left the ship at a distance, at the foot of the mountain, dressed herself as a beggar and went to the palace. And God knows how she did it, but while she was carefully walking, the princess fell ill in the palace. The guy wasn’t at home at that time; he went out hunting with a lion and a cat. Of course, at such a time it would be convenient for a witch to sneak into the palace. I went to see the sick woman, and she groaned and groaned. The witch to her: what happened?
- Oh, it’s hard and dreary...
“Yes, this is empty,” says the witch. - How many times have I, a poor old woman, wandered around the world to see the sick? Let me stroke it a little and it will feel better.
And indeed: I stroked it a little, the patient got better.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru