One day a girl went to a fair: she wanted to hire herself into someone’s service. And finally, some eccentric-looking elderly gentleman hired her and took her to his home. When they arrived, he said that first of all he had to teach her something, because all the things in his house were called not like everyone else, but in a special way.
And he asked the girl:
- What will you call me?
“Master or Mister, as you wish, sir,” answered the girl. But he said:
- No, you must call me “lord of all gentlemen.” What do you think this is called? - and he pointed to the bed.
- Bed or bed, as you wish, sir.
- No, this is my “white swan”. What would you call it? - he asked, pointing to his trousers.
- Pants or trousers, as you wish, sir.
“You should call them 'crackers and firecrackers.' Who is this? - he pointed to the cat.
“Cat or pussy, as you please, sir.”
“From now on, you must call her a “mustachioed monkey.” Well, what is this, he pointed to the fire?
- Fire or flame, as you wish, sir.
- You should call him “red cockerel”, What about this? - he continued, pointing to the water.
- Water or moisture, as you wish, sir.
- No, this is a “clean pond.” What is the name of all this? - he asked, pointing to his house.
- House or cottage, as you wish, sir.
“You should call it “to all mountains.” At night, the frightened maid woke up the owner shouting:
- O master of all masters! Get off your white swan and pull out the firecrackers and firecrackers! The mustachioed monkey got a spark from a red cockerel on his tail! Grab a clean pond quickly, otherwise the red cockerel will engulf your entire mountain!
But by the time the owner realized what had happened, his house had burned down.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru