A boy lived in one estate. He was ordered to herd a white goat, but he did not want to. The manager whipped the boy and drove the goat into the field to graze. A boy stands in the middle of a field near a goat and cries. An old man approaches him.
- Why are you crying, son? - asks.
“The manager spanked me because I didn’t tend his goat.”
- Don't cry, son. Take this stick and stick it in the ground. The goat will stand by the stick and won’t go anywhere.
The boy stuck the stick in the ground and returned home. And the goat stands by the stick and doesn’t move away. Again the manager whipped the boy and drove the goat out into the field to graze. The boy got angry, pulled the stick out of the ground and ran away. And the goat, as if tied, follows the stick. He walked and walked and came to the village. It was Saturday evening. The men were just getting ready to wash, they had already undressed, and the girls were still steaming in the bathhouse. The boy stuck a stick into the ground in front of the bathhouse, and climbed into the bathhouse to take a good steam bath. When the girls saw him, they got scared, squealed and jumped out of the bathhouse. One of them inadvertently touched the goat and couldn’t tear herself away. Another one hurried to her rescue, but as soon as she touched the first one with her finger, she also stuck. The boy took a steam bath, took a stick and went home, and the goat followed the stick, and the girls followed the goat. The boy returned home, the manager came out to meet him and asked:
- Why are you taking girls?
- Yes, I don’t lead them at all, it’s the goat that leads them, and I’m just carrying a stick.
The manager got angry and jumped up to the girls to tear them away from the goat, but as soon as he touched one with his finger, he became stuck. They had to pass by the manor's house. The master came out to meet them and asked the boy:
- Why are you leading this manager?
- Yes, I’m not leading him at all. It’s the girls who are leading him, the goat is leading the girls, and I’m just carrying a wand.
The master got angry and rushed to help the manager, but as soon as he touched him with his finger, he stuck. The boy went straight to the city and leads everyone with him.
And in the city there lived a king, and he had a daughter whom no one could make laugh. The king ordered to announce throughout the city: “Whoever makes my daughter laugh will get her as a wife and become king.”
Well, of course, different people came here - they thought to make the princess laugh, but they tried in vain: she never even smiled. It happened that a boy was walking past the royal palace. The princess was knitting by the window, she looked out the window and saw: what a miracle! Behind the boy is a stick, behind the stick is a goat, behind the goat are the girls, behind the girls is the manager, behind the manager is the master. The princess burst out laughing and called the king:
- Father, father, come and look! That's wonderful. You can't stop laughing!
The king called the boy and said:
- Be my son-in-law! Tomorrow we will celebrate the wedding, and the day after tomorrow you will become king instead of me.
Well, the boy needs to get ready for his wedding. He hit the goat with a stick - the stick let go of the goat, hit the girls - the goat let them go, hit the manager - the girls let him go, hit the master - the manager let him go. They all went home. But the boy stayed in the palace, became a king and now takes care of the goat.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru