A long time ago, an old man and an old woman lived in the same village. They were very old, they could hardly drag their feet, but they lived together and helped each other in everything.
Sometimes they would sit by the fire and warm themselves: “You and I have become weak,” the old man will say. “The roof has been leaking every day, but I don’t have the strength to fix the hole.”
“Don’t be sad,” the old woman will answer him. — A leak in the roof is not a problem. It’s worse that you and I are about to die, but I would really like to live a little longer.
One day an old man went to the mountains to collect brushwood. He walks and thinks: “I remember, my old woman loved to eat mushrooms. Should I go look, or what?”
He put the bundle on his back and went deep into the forest. As he walks, he sees a mushroom here, and picks a mushroom here. He walked and walked and got lost. And it was a hot day. The sun is shining - I can’t save you. “If only I could have a sip of water now,” the old man thinks. Suddenly he hears a stream babbling somewhere in the thicket, singing loudly - droplets beating on pebbles.
The old man made his way through the thickets and saw water flowing along the rock, and at the foot there was a small lake.
- Eh, I’ll drink some cold water now! - the old man was delighted. He threw down the fagot, sat down on the bank, scooped up water with his hand: - Oh, yes, water! Oh yes, delicious! - he exclaimed. - How cool! And how sweet! I have never drank such water in my life!
He drank some water and felt as if his back stopped hurting and his head didn’t fall to the side. I got up, but my legs didn’t feel like my own - everyone was trying to jump and run. The old man became cheerful: “What a wonderful forest! - he thinks. - What a bright sun! Eh, life is good!”
Little does the old man know that he drank not just plain water, but youthful water, and that he is now not an old man at all, but a young guy. The old man should look into the water! Yes where there! He picked up the bundle and ran along the mountain path to the old woman.
He ran to the house and shouted: “Old woman, old woman, it’s me who’s returned!” I got a little lost, so I was late. The old woman turned her head and grumbled: “Hey, guy, why are you breaking into my house, and on top of that, talking all sorts of nonsense?”
The old man’s mouth opened in surprise. “Are you, old woman,” he says, “have you completely lost your mind, or what?” It's me! - Ha ha ha! - the old woman laughed. “Do you think that since I’m old, you can fool me?”
“You apparently took a nap during the day,” the old man got angry, “you haven’t woken up yet.” Wipe your eyes!
“And I didn’t sleep during the day,” the old woman was offended. - I see what I need. Answer immediately: who are you and what do you want?
The old man was taken aback - he couldn’t understand what had happened to his old woman? - Don’t you recognize me? “It’s me, your old man,” he spoke again. “What kind of old man are you?” - The old woman widened her eyes. - You’re still very young! Oh, I made you laugh!
- Who is young? - the old man did not understand. - Come closer and take a better look!
The old woman came closer. “It’s strange,” she said, “it looks like you’re wearing an old man’s kimono...” “Not an old man’s, but my own,” the old man got angry. -Whose kimono do you think I should wear?
“And the voice seems to be just like my old man’s,” the old woman thought thoughtfully. “What do you think?” - the old man did not let up. - Who else’s voice should I speak in?
“And your face is the same as my old man’s when he was young...” the old woman was completely at a loss.
- How was it when you were young? - The old man didn’t believe it. - Well, you, old woman, tell me! I remembered what happened a hundred years ago!
The old woman stared at him, unable to take her eyes off. The old man felt uneasy. He walked up to the tub of water and looked into the water: a young guy was looking at him from there, smiling.
“Hey, old woman,” muttered the old man. “What happened to me?” “I don’t understand,” answered the old woman. “It looks like you, but it doesn’t seem like you!” The old man looked into the water again and then slapped his forehead with his palm. “I got it, I got it!” - shouts. — I drank water from a lake in the forest. Apparently that water was rejuvenating, so my youth came back to me!
The old man began jumping and dancing around the house. “Oh, yes!” Oh yes I am! - rejoices. - I've become young again! Now I am not afraid of illness or death!
And then he says to the old woman: “Don’t be sad!” Tomorrow morning we’ll go to the mountains and find a lake. You too will be young and beautiful with me again! You and I will live again cheerfully and happily.
- Why should I wait until the morning? - the old woman was offended. “Today you have become young, but until tomorrow I must live as an old woman.”
“It’s already late,” the old man began to persuade her. - Who goes to the mountains at night? And we won’t find that lake in the dark. Wait until morning!
- Wait, wait... I don’t want to! - the old woman did not let up. - Look how many years I waited - I became an old woman.
The old man didn’t listen to her anymore, he lay down and fell asleep, so soundly that he didn’t hear anything.
The next morning he sees that the old woman is gone. “Hey, old woman, where are you?” - he shouted. But no one answered him. The old man realized that the old woman did not wait for him, she went to the mountains herself. “Okay, let him go,” the old man thinks. “She apparently doesn’t have the strength to wait. She will come back as beautiful as she was before.”
The sun rose from behind the mountains, behind the mountains and set. It began to get dark, but the old woman still did not return.
“Apparently, my old woman got lost in the forest,” the old man decided. “We’ll have to go look for her.”
He got ready and went to the mountains. He goes and calls the old woman. Suddenly he hears a baby crying somewhere in the thicket.
The old man was surprised: where is the baby from? He made his way through the thickets, came out to the lake, and saw a baby lying on some rags, screaming and struggling. The old man took a closer look, and these were not rags at all, but an old woman’s kimono.
Then the old man realized that his old woman was greedy: she could not tear herself away from the rejuvenating water, so she turned into a small child. The old man took the baby and took it home. So he had to nurse his old woman.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru