One old man lived his entire life in a cave because he could not get enough wood to build a hut. His wife also died in this cave. The old man felt that his strength was leaving him, and he thought with sadness about the fate of his son, who, apparently, was also destined to live out his life in this cave. Before his death, he called his son to him and ordered him to be buried in a stone niche of the burial platform.
“A week after the funeral,” he said, “a tree will grow from my bones.” Cut it down and build yourself a hut.
The neighbors only laughed at the young man when he spoke about his father’s prediction. But then a sprout appeared on his father’s grave, the sprout turned into a tall tree, and then the villagers called a gathering and declared that the tree belonged to them.
In vain the young man protested and convinced him that the tree was his. He turned to the spirit of his father with a prayer - let him move the tree somewhere else. People looked, the tree suddenly flew over the hills. They asked the young man to return the tree back, promising him some of the boards, but the young man did not believe them and headed after the tree, which flew further and further.
A tree fell in a strange village, and the young man told people that he wanted to stay and live here and share the gifts of the tree with them.
The tree immediately took root, and people sat under the shade of its crown. But the most remarkable thing was that the young man cut all the branches from the tree and distributed them to the villagers, and the tree continued to grow and grow.
Then he cut down the trunk to make himself a boat and build a house, but the tree sprouted new shoots and grew tall again.
All his life the young man used what the magic tree gave him, and did not need anything. And his former neighbors could not forgive themselves for letting such wealth slip from their hands.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru