A gypsy woman is sleeping and has a dream that some old woman comes to her and tells her to go here and there for water.
“A big treasure will come to you, dear, don’t miss your happiness,” said the old woman and disappeared.
The gypsy woman woke up in a cold sweat. She sees her husband sleeping next to her. I won’t tell him anything, let him be happy later,” the gypsy decided and quietly got out of the tent. She took the rockers, hung the buckets on them, grabbed the rope and walked along the road, as the old woman told her. And the moon is shining in the sky, illuminating the gypsy’s path. The gypsy sees: indeed, the well is standing. She tied a rope to the bucket and threw the bucket down. She scooped it up once, took out the bucket, and there was only dirt and sand in it. The gypsy threw the bucket into the well again, scooped it up a second time, took out the bucket, and there were black coals in it. The well gurgled here, began to bubble, and water began to rise from it - straight to the gypsy. The water is flowing. Out of fear, the gypsy started to run. She ran a little and came to her senses, remembered what the old woman had told her about the treasure. The gypsy thought and returned back. She approached the well and immediately remembered that she had drowned the bucket with the rope in the well. The gypsy exclaimed:
- God, make sure that my property returns! She had barely uttered these words when a small wooden barrel rose to the surface of the water and floated straight into the gypsy woman’s hands...
And at this time the gypsy woman’s husband woke up. He sees: there is no wife.
-Where have you gone, damn woman? – the gypsy got angry and ran to look for his wife. He saw her at the well and shouted from afar:
- Why are you standing there? Found the time to go get water, you fool!
As soon as these words reached the well, the barrel sank back into the hole, the water subsided, became covered with greenery, like in a swamp, and everything became quiet. And the bucket, with a howl and a groan, jumped straight into the gypsy woman’s hands. As she stood, she sat down by the well, exhausted. And she doesn’t know whether to scold her husband out of anger for preventing him from taking out the treasure, or to tear out her hair for not being able to leave the tent more quietly.
So the gypsy and gypsy woman returned to the tent without treasure and with empty buckets.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru