Once upon a time there lived an old woman. And she had a grandson, bald and unsightly. They didn’t have anything, not a piece of land, just a dilapidated shack, it was as empty as a ball. The old woman spun wool, knitted a pair of stockings a day and sold them. This is how they lived, subsisting on bread and water.
One day the old woman, as usual, gave her grandson money and ordered him to bring bread. Kechal set off, but suddenly saw a huge crowd in the middle of the street. All the people were screaming, shouting over each other. Everyone had a club in their hands, and they all beat the unfortunate dog, which was darting from side to side in horror. She was no longer able to bark and only squealed pitifully. Kechal could not look at the torment of the poor creature without tears and cried out:
- Oh people, what did this dog do, why are you beating it like that? And what will this give you? What will you achieve by killing her? Here, take the money that I had to buy bread with and give me the dog.
The people readily agreed, took the money and gave Kechal the dog. He took her in his arms and went home. The old woman had not eaten anything since the morning and was impatiently waiting for her grandson, who was supposed to return with bread. Seeing that instead of food he brought a small dog, she was very upset and asked:
- Son, didn’t you buy any bread?
Kechal lowered the dog to the floor and answered:
“Grandma, I was going to the market as you ordered, but on the way I saw a whole crowd beating a small dog. My heart almost burst with pity. I gave them all my money and took the dog.
The old woman said nothing. The job is done, what's the point of grumbling? She knitted a new pair of stockings, sold them and sent her grandson to the market, strictly instructing him not to return without bread. “Otherwise it will be bad,” she added.
Kechal did not answer a word, took the money and left. But before he had even walked a few streets, he again came across a noisy crowd. This time the victim of the furious people was a cat. Kechal pushed his way into the thick of the crowd and asked:
— What was the poor cat’s fault? Why is she being beaten so cruelly?
Someone told him that the cat had stolen a large piece of meat from the butcher, and now she was being punished. Kechal was indignant:
“Oh people, if you were as hungry as this cat, you would also steal the meat.” You probably don’t know what hunger is. I went to the market to buy bread, but here's my money. Take them and give me the poor animal.
The butcher was delighted, handed him the cat and went into the shop. And Kechal went home. The old woman was waiting for him on the threshold. From a distance she saw that she was not carrying bread, but a cat. Well, this time she did not remain silent. She scolded Kechal at all costs, even grabbed a stone from the ground and threw it at him.
“Did I tell you or not not to dare to return without bread?” And you, wicked man, what did you do? We ourselves are dying of hunger, there is no bread in the house for two days, and a dog is not enough for you, you also brought a cat...
Kechal didn’t answer, he just lowered his head low. And what could he say? He himself knew: the old woman was right, they had nothing to eat, and then there was the dog and cat to feed. He just promised never to do that again and went to bed.
In the morning, the old woman spun wool, knitted stockings, sold them to her neighbor and gave the money to her grandson.
“Just look,” she shouted after him, “you’d better not come back without bread!”
This time everything went well. Kechal bought bread and brought it home. In the evening they had dinner, fed the animals and went to bed.
Kechal could not sleep all night. Heavy thoughts overwhelmed him. What's next? What to feed them? How much will grandma get for stockings? What can he buy with this money? Eh, damn money... Already in the morning he decided to go into the forest and take his new friends with him. Perhaps they will find something to profit from there. With this he fell asleep. And in the morning I told my grandmother about my plan. She just nodded her head silently.
He called the cat and the dog and went into the forest. They walked for a long time. For so long that we were completely exhausted. Finally we reached the top of the huge mountain. From here Kechal saw that three diva-monsters were sleeping below the entrance to the cave. Just the sight of them made the poor fellow’s heart sink into his throat. The first diva had seven heads, the second had three heads, and the third, the youngest, had one head. Their ears stuck out in different directions, like pieces of pita bread, and their tusks were huge, like those of an elephant. When the divas breathed, flames burst out of their nostrils, as if a blacksmith's forge was blazing inside. Their claws are like ploughshares.
While Kechal stood on top, afraid to even move out of fear, the divas woke up and, grabbing each other by the horns and tails, began to fight. Our Kechal wanted to quietly escape before he was noticed, but suddenly a dog barked, and the divas, forgetting about the fight, instantly flew to the top of the mountain and grabbed the unfortunate man along with the dog and cat. Kechal was shaking from head to toe. But the seven-headed diva peacefully said:
- O son of the human race, resolve our dispute. If you give reasonable advice, we won't touch you.
These words gave Kechal hope, and he asked:
-What are you arguing about? The three-headed diva replied:
- Yesterday we found two most precious things - a flying carpet and a magic ring. It’s worth sitting down on this carpet and saying: “Oh magic carpet, take me there!” - and you will instantly find yourself where you want. The ring is even better. Whatever you ask will be fulfilled immediately. Now you understand: there are three of us, but there are only two things. Since yesterday we have not been able to separate them. Yesterday we fought until we fell down exhausted. And today we woke up a little and started fighting again.
Kechal thought: what could he come up with more cunningly and escape from the divas? Finally he said:
- O marvels, my brothers, give both of these things to me. I will resolve your dispute. I’ll throw a stone from the mountain and you three will run after it. Whoever brings the stone first will receive the carpet. Whoever comes second will put a ring on his finger. Let the latter blame himself.
The divas thought, thought and agreed. All the same, they decided, the latter would not be at a loss. He will eat Kechal.
Our Kechal grabbed a huge stone and threw it down the mountain. The stone rolled down, and the divas rushed after it as fast as they could.
As soon as they were out of sight, Kechal put a magic ring on his finger, jumped onto the carpet, put the cat and dog there and said:
- Oh magic flying carpet, take us straight home. Before he had time to utter these words, the magic carpet had already soared into the air and carried them away.
Kechal looked down and saw that they were floating above the seashore. Then he immediately remembered that the dog and the cat, and he himself, were dying of hunger. And grandma has nothing to eat at home. “I wish I could go down here and catch some fish,” he thought. - Let me try. And he said out loud:
- Oh, magic flying carpet, put us down here, I want to catch fish.
As soon as he said this, the carpet smoothly sank to the ground. Kechal immediately took the ring off his finger and said: “Oh, magic ring, I can at least catch two fish...” And then the big mother fish brought her two cubs ashore and said:
“I only have two children, and I’m giving them to you as a gift.”
He took the fish, gathered some brushwood and made a fire. He fried some fish, ate one himself, and gave the other to the cat and dog. But they didn’t eat. Kechal got angry:
-Oh unfortunate animals, why did Allah create you so ungrateful? Eat! And suddenly the dog spoke in a human voice:
- Listen, our brother, we are not at all as ungrateful as you think. Our conscience simply does not allow us to eat this fish. This mother fish had only two children, and she gave them to you. You shouldn't have accepted such a priceless gift. You should have taken pity on her and returned at least one cub. But you didn't. And you will be punished. The mother fish is suffering now, that's why we didn't eat. Kechal bitterly repented of his mistake. But what could he do? Fried fish cannot be brought back to life. Kechal grieved, grieved, and went to the sea to wash his hands. But as soon as he lowered them into the water, the magic ring slipped off his finger and disappeared into the sea. No matter how much Kechal looked for him, he could not find him. Finally it started to get dark. He unrolled the magic carpet and decided to return home. The dog and cat told him:
“Brother, go home, and we’ll take a walk here, maybe we’ll be able to find the ring.”
Kechal flew away, but they remained. They walked along the seashore for a long time, you never know, suddenly they saw an old fisherman come, threw a net into the sea, waited and began to pull. He pulls and pulls, he’s all tense, the veins on his forehead are swollen, but he can’t pull it out. The dog and cat rushed to help him and grabbed the net with their claws and teeth. Somehow they pulled it out. And there was a huge fish in the net. The old man cut open her belly and gave the insides to the dog and cat who had helped him so much. They started gnawing on the insides, and suddenly they came across a ring, the same magic one. With joy, they forgot about hunger and rushed as fast as they could to Kechal. They came running, gave me the ring and told everything how it happened. Kechal took the ring, stroked the cat and dog and gave them something to eat. And then he says:
“Oh magic ring, I don’t ask much from you.” Only one palace. And so that it was made of gold and silver bricks. And let its towers reach the clouds. I don't need anything else. As soon as he said this, there was a roar and a palace so beautiful appeared before his eyes that Kechal had never dreamed of. The grandmother just clasped her hands and began to ask her grandson where he got such strength in his hands. He told her about his meeting with the divas, about the magic carpet and the magic ring, about how his cat and dog helped him. The old woman cried with joy that they would no longer beg, that she did not have to spin wool and knit stockings day and night.
They began to live and live in the new palace, and rumors about it spread throughout the world until it reached the Shah himself. The Shah called his vizier and said:
- O my wise vizier, I heard that Kechal has a luxurious palace, my own looks like a barn in comparison. The vizier answered, lowering his eyes:
- My great Shah, no matter how bitter it is, it seems that this rumor is true. And I heard about this palace.
- So why are you delaying, oh wise vizier? Find out where this wicked man lives, how he managed to build such a palace. But this is not enough. You must take this palace from Kechal.
The vizier replied:
- Oh my Shah, it takes a witch to reveal the secret.
The Shah immediately gave the order to find the witch and immediately deliver her to the palace. However, when the witch was brought in, the Shah recoiled in horror, she was so disgusting. Her eyes are slanted, her mouth is crooked, her legs are like wheels, she has a hump on her back, and her face is so gloomy, as if she was angry with the entire human race. When the surprise passed, the Shah turned to his first vizier.
- Oh, my wise vizier, this is a cripple. What's the use of it? She stumbles even out of the blue... Instead of the vizier, the witch herself answered with a bow:
- O great and powerful Shah, don’t look at my face, you will see what I am capable of. Test me. Command whatever your soul desires - I will fulfill everything.
The Shah shrugged his shoulders incredulously, but said:
- To have it your way. Let me give you a reality check. They say that somewhere in my lands, far, far from here, the beggar Kechal lives with his old grandmother. And suddenly, out of nowhere, a palace appeared, so much so that now my Shah’s chambers began to look like a barn. You, old one, must find Kechal, find out his secret and make sure that I can take this palace from him.
The witch laughed:
- Is that all?
The Shah was surprised:
- Isn’t it enough for you?
The old woman pursed her lips:
- May Allah protect you. Such matters are a mere trifle for me, easier than anything. I will find out everything you want. But just know, great and mighty one, even for the Shah I do nothing for nothing.
- What do you want, old woman? - the Shah asked displeasedly. He was not used to being spoken to so impudently.
- Gold!
- Okay, you will have gold. - And he threw her a whole handful of coins. “But if you don’t cope with the task, don’t blow your head off.”
At the sight of gold, the witch's eyes widened and sparkled like those of a cat that had caught a fat mouse. Even the threat of cutting off her head in case of failure could not darken her joy.
The witch came home, sat down in a large clay jug in which she did all her evil deeds, turned the handle of the jug down and at the same moment flew into the sky with a roar and crack. She flew and flew, whether it was long or short, and finally she saw a large palace in the distance. It shone like the sun, illuminating everything around with bright light. She turned her jug towards the palace. She landed on the very outskirts of the city, among the shacks. She slowly got out of the jug, smoothed her hair, took the staff and rosary in her hands and went to the palace. She stood for a long time, hiding behind a tree, looking out for everything, and finally saw that Grandma Kechala was on the balcony. The witch immediately got out of her hiding place and started walking, but just under the balcony she suddenly pretended to twist her ankle and began to fake moan. Grandmother Kechal felt sorry for the poor sick old woman. She ordered the servants to bring her into the house. She initially broke down for the sake of appearances, but then agreed. This is all the witch needs. They say: what can a blind man wish for? Two eyes. As soon as the servants brought her in, Grandma Kechala asked:
- Sister, where are you going?
The witch flatteringly replied:
- Thank you, kind woman, for your help and greetings. I'm a poor lonely old woman. I have neither a dear soul, nor a stake, nor a yard. Thank you, kind people like you, they give me food, and I somehow get by. But I haven’t had poppy dew in my mouth for several days now. My legs give way. So I tripped over a stone and fell.
Grandma Kechala became completely pitiful. After all, not so long ago, she herself never ate her fill. She ordered the servants to serve the most delicious dishes. The witch ate her fill, and then began to chatter, began to weave all sorts of tall tales, and finally, having confused the poor old woman’s head, she seized the moment and asked:
“Sister, I see you are a very good woman.” Forgive me for my curiosity, but I can’t help but ask you this. Even the Shah himself does not have so much goodness, such luxury. Where did your grandson get all this from? After all, you say, there are only two of you in the whole wide world.
Grandma Kechala looked around fearfully and, lowering her voice, answered:
“I see that you are a kind woman, so I will tell you our secret.” Just look, sister, this is strictly between us, you are the first person I’m telling. My grandson will return home soon. You will see a ring on his finger. Know this ring is magical. Whatever its owner asks for, the wish will immediately come true. But that's not all. You can stand on that green carpet and say: “Oh, magic flying carpet, take me there...” The carpet, like a bird, will rise into the sky and carry a person wherever he wants. We were the poorest in our city. And all the wealth, and this palace, and all this luxury gave us a ring and a carpet.
So the witch found out the secret of Kechal. But this was not enough for her. She decided to stay in the palace for the night, wait for the owner, and then we’ll see. Maybe it will be possible to fulfill the second order of the Shah. Therefore, while weaving her tales, she grabbed her bruised leg, then her head, and groaned and gasped endlessly: “Oh, what a headache!” Where am I going to go at night? So she whined until Grandma Kechala suggested:
“Don’t be sad, sister, there’s plenty of space in the palace, you’ll spend the night with us, and in the morning you’ll move on.”
The guest hugged her grandmother with joy and began to kiss her.
- May Allah send you happiness. But I keep thinking about where to go when everything hurts so much.
Finally Kechal arrived. The witch did not take her eyes off the ring that sparkled on his finger. It's time to go to bed. The guest and hosts settled down in the largest room. They made a bed for her at the door, and Kechal and the grandmother lay down in their corners.
In the middle of the night, the witch got up, sprinkled sleeping powder on both of them so that they wouldn’t wake up from the noise, pulled the ring off Kechal’s finger, stood on the magic flying carpet that was lying on the floor, and said:
- O magic flying carpet, transport me and this door to the land of our Shah. Let Kechal and the old woman stay here.
Before the witch had time to cast the spell, the carpet flew up and in the blink of an eye the palace and the witch found themselves in the Shah's capital. She grabbed the old ring and the carpet and went to the Shah.
- Here's the ring, and here's the carpet. Now get up and look out the window. There it is, the palace. You can take a look.
The Shah called the vizier, and together they went to inspect the palace. No other shah on earth had such a wonderful palace.
Meanwhile, Kechal woke up and saw in horror that there was no palace, no carpet, no ring. And they are lying together with their grandmother on a holey mat in their old shack. Then he immediately realized who yesterday’s guest was. He became sad, thought about it, and then said:
- Grandma, spin some wool, knit some stockings and sell them to your neighbors. And I’ll go to the market and buy bread and onions. The poor old woman again, as in the old days, pulled out a spindle, spun some thread, knitted socks and sold them, and gave the money to her grandson. And so it went from that day on.
But one day the dog and the cat agreed to help Kechal somehow.
“He saved us from death,” said the dog. “And now it’s our duty to do him good.” We must find both the magic carpet and the magic ring.
“That’s right,” the cat agreed.
And early in the morning they set off. The cat ran ahead, and the dog did not lag behind her a single step. For forty days and forty nights they walked so fast that even a bird could not catch up with them; they swam across many rivers and crossed many mountains. Finally they reached the city, where there was a palace built of gold and silver bricks.
But no matter how much the dog and cat looked into the doors and windows, no matter how much they searched, they did not find a single crack through which they could enter the palace. With great difficulty they managed to see that the Shah was sleeping, and a flying carpet was spread in front of his throne. Only the ring was not visible, and it was impossible not to notice it. This ring also had the property that it always shone like the sun. And suddenly the cat saw that every time the Shah exhaled air, a sheaf of light burst out of his mouth. The cunning cat immediately guessed that the Shah had hidden the ring under his tongue. She told the dog about this, and they began to think and wonder how to break into the palace, steal the carpet and the ring. Suddenly, fortunately, the cat noticed a mouse jump out from behind the door. She quickly grabbed the mouse, but it burst into burning tears:
“I conjure you with your mother’s milk, do not eat me.” My children are hungry and cold, I bring them food. Let me go, cat, I beg you...
The cat thought and said:
- Fulfill my condition - I won’t eat you.
- What is the condition? — the mouse perked up.
“You must gnaw a hole so that I can go into the palace with you.” Then you will take out the ring that the Shah hides under his tongue. When this ring reaches me, I will let you go. Not a single hair will fall from your skin.
The mouse put its paw to its eyes as a sign that it accepted all the conditions and said:
- I agree. It doesn't cost me anything.
In five minutes she chewed a huge hole in the door. Together with the cat, they crawled into the palace. The cat immediately climbed onto the door and pulled back the bolt. The door opened slightly. The Shah was fast asleep in his bed. The cat quickly rolled up the carpet and took it to the dog. Then she returned to the room, where the mouse, crawling across the ottoman, climbed onto the Shah’s chest and quietly tickled his nose with its tail. The Shah sneezed and the ring fell out of his mouth. The cat picked up the ring, thanked the mouse and left. They sat down with the dog on the carpet and flew home. They gave Kechal the carpet and the ring. He immediately asked:
“Oh my magic ring, give me back my palace of gold and silver bricks.”
Before he had time to say these words, together with his grandmother, cat and dog, he again found himself in the palace. There was such joy and fun.
From that day on, the cat and dog guarded the palace, not allowing a single person to approach it. And Kechal lived and lived in a palace made of gold and silver bricks and made a fortune.
Let's leave them here and see what happened to the Shah when he woke up and discovered that there was neither a carpet nor a ring. His despair knew no bounds. He made a terrible noise, gathered all his courtiers and ordered the vizier to come up with something again. But the vizier only spread his hands:
- O great and powerful Shah, now no one will help you. Kechal realized how we had deceived him. Now he is very careful, so it is better to calm down and live in your palace. Let him live in his own.
No matter how stubborn the Shah was, he could not do anything. He listened to the vizier and left Kechal alone.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru