Previously, Mount Arayat rose near the village of Kandaba, and not where it is now. Even then it was a beautiful mountain, covered with dense forest. People lived at its very foot, in the shade of the trees that grew on its slopes. Sometimes they saw Kargon, the patron saint of Mount Arayat, as he walked at sunset. His gray beard and hair shone like silver in the rays of the setting sun.
The inhabitants of Kandaba constantly cut down forest on the mountain and sold it. They willingly bought timber from them to build houses, and thanks to this trade, the inhabitants of Kandaba quickly became rich.
It takes years for a tree to grow. Although the Kandabians knew this, they did not plant new trees in place of those cut down. They thought only about how to quickly get rich, and forgot about their sacred duty to Mother Nature.
Kargon, the patron saint of Mount Arayat, was very sad, looking at the stumps of the cut down trees. People only laughed at Kargon’s sadness.
“A tree is worth nothing when it sticks out on a mountain,” they said. “It’s better to cut it down and sell it, then we’ll have something to buy delicious food, beautiful clothes and jewelry with.”
One night a thunderstorm broke out. Over Mount Arayat, the darkness was torn apart by lightning, and in the light of the lightning people saw Kargon. Only now it was not a gray-bearded old man, but a tall, powerful young man. He stood with his head thrown back and his hands outstretched to the sky. Thunder rumbled deafeningly and rain poured down. People got scared and hid in their huts. And they became even more frightened when the earth suddenly shook and the huts swayed.
It's a sunny morning. The air was clear, not a cloud in the sky, but how amazed the residents of Kandaba were when they saw that there was no Mount Arayat! The place where she stood was now a muddy swamp.
But the residents of the neighboring area were even more amazed - they saw Mount Arayat on their plain. They were very happy because they knew: the wealth of Mount Arayat is more valuable than gold. And they began to grow and protect trees on the mountain.
Kargon still lives on Mount Arayat. Sometimes the most eagle-eyed old people and children see him walking along it before sunset. But now his face is calm and he always smiles.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru