Once upon a time there lived a monkey. One day she started sweeping the floor at home and found a coin. The monkey was delighted, rushed as fast as he could into the shop and bought himself some sweets. Then she climbed high up a tree and began to feast on it.
But as usual, she could not sit still - she kept spinning in different directions and making grimaces, and dropped one candy into the hollow. She deftly went downstairs and tried to get the candy, but that was not the case: the monkey could not grab his treat. She then ran to the blacksmith and told him:
- Blacksmith, blacksmith, make me an ax, I will cut down the tree and get my candy, which fell into the hollow.
“Well, I’ll make you an ax just so you can get your candy!” Here's a coin for you and go buy yourself some more candy.
The cunning monkey took the coin, and she went to the king and said to him:
- King, order the blacksmith to make an ax so that I can get my candy!
- Why are you, monkey, bothering me because of some candy? Here, take a coin and buy yourself some candy. The monkey took the coin and went to the queen.
“Queen, tell the king to do it my way so that I can get my candy.”
And the queen, like the blacksmith and the king, gave her a coin and sent her away.
The monkey hid the coin and went to the mouse.
- Mouse, gnaw the queen's dress so that the queen will do it my way!
The mouse also gave her a coin and told her to leave. The monkey put the coin in his pocket and went to the cat.
- Cat, catch the mouse so that it does it my way! The cat gave her a coin for candy and drove her away. The monkey put the coin in his pocket and went to the dog.
- Dog, catch the cat so that she does it my way! The dog gave her money for candy and drove her away. The monkey took the coin and went to the stick.
- Stick, beat the dog so that he does it my way! Stick gave her a coin and told her to leave. The monkey took the coin and went towards the fire.
- Fire, set the stick on fire, she doesn’t want to do as I tell you!
- Go away! Here, take a coin, buy yourself some candy and don’t pester me!
The monkey took the coin and went to the water.
- Water, fill the fire, he doesn’t want to do as I tell him.
- This was not enough yet! Take the money, buy yourself some sweets and disappear from my sight!
The monkey took the coin and ran to the bull.
- Bull, drink the water, she doesn’t want to do as I tell you!
- You have a coin on you, buy some sweets and don’t bother me with grazing!
The monkey took the coin and went to the peasant.
- Peasant, kill the bull, he doesn’t want to do it my way!
- Leave me alone, monkey. I have a lot of work to do, I'm not a slacker like you. Take the money for candy and go!
Having hidden the coin, the monkey went to Death and asked:
“Death, take the peasant who doesn’t want to kill the bull, who doesn’t want to drink the water, who doesn’t want to pour out the fire, who doesn’t want to burn the stick, who doesn’t want to beat the dog, who doesn’t want to catch the cat, who doesn’t want to catch the mouse, who doesn’t want to gnaw the queen’s dress, who doesn’t want to talk to the king, who doesn’t want to order the blacksmith to make an ax so that I can cut down the tree and get the candy that I dropped into the hollow.”
“Wait, I’ll be right back,” Death answered her and went to the peasant.
- Don't kill me! - the man shouted.
- Then kill the bull! - said Death.
The peasant ran with a knife into the pen. The bull mooed:
- Don't kill me!
- Then drink water! - said the peasant.
The bull ran to the water, and she muttered in fear:
- Don't drink me!
- Then fill the fire! - ordered the bull. The water rushed to the fire, and it crackled:
- Don't flood me!
- Then burn the stick! - said the water.
The fire rushed towards the stick, and it creaked:
- Don't burn me!
- Then beat the dog! - the fire ordered.
The stick attacked the dog, and she whined:
- Don't hit me!
“Then catch the cat,” answered the stick.
The dog chased the cat, and she meowed:
- Don't catch me!
- Then catch the mouse!
The cat rushed after the mouse, and it squeaked:
- Don't catch me!
“Then chew on the queen’s dress,” said the cat.
The mouse began to gnaw on the queen's dress, the queen saw it and screamed:
- Don't chew my dress!
“Then talk to the king and tell the blacksmith to make an ax for the monkey!” - answered the mouse.
The queen spoke to the king, and the king immediately ordered the blacksmith to make an ax and give it to the monkey. The blacksmith obeyed, made a large ax and gave it to the monkey, who cut down the tree and took out the candy. And besides the candy, she now had a lot of money.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru