In the spring, a goat and a small kid were grazing in the pasture. They walked everywhere together, and the old goat carefully chose places for the kid with the tender spring grass of lamb's ear, which was white with the first flowers and seemed like spots of snow on the still yellow steppe.
When they had plucked all the grass, the old goat said to the kid:
“You stay here, and I’ll go look for good pastures.” Here's a bell for you. If trouble happens to you, call him.
With these words, the goat hung a bell around his neck, copper, round, with a slot and a pattern, said goodbye to the kid and left.
He had not gone far when he heard the ringing of a bell. The goat was afraid that the kid had been attacked by wolves, and quickly ran to the rescue. He came running and saw: there were no wolves.
- What's wrong with you? - the goat asked in fear. - Why did you call for help?
“A fly landed on your leg, drive it away,” answered the kid. The goat scolded him and left.
- Don't call unnecessarily! - he told him goodbye.
But before he had time to hide, the bell rang again and the goat ran back. He came running, and the kid stood there and closed his eyes.
- What's wrong with you? - the goat asks him.
“There’s a speck in my eye,” the kid answers, “take it out!”
The goat took out a speck and said:
- Well, I'm leaving, and don't call for trifles. However, as soon as he disappeared behind the nearest hill, he heard the ringing of the bell again.
“To go or not to go?” - thought the goat, but still could not stand it and ran.
He comes running, and the kid stands calmly, nibbling on last year’s grass.
- What's the matter? - asked the goat. - Did you really call five times for nothing?
“Dry grass has stuck to your side, shake it off,” the kid answers.
The goat got angry.
- And you can shake it off yourself! - speaks. “Don’t you dare bother me with any more nonsense!”
And he left.
For a long, long time he wandered behind the mountain, choosing pasture. I got tired and lay down to rest. As soon as he began to close his eyes, the bell rang again. “He’s probably calling for nothing,” the goat thought and closed his eyes.
But the bell rang more and more alarmingly, and soon the dogs began barking.
“What could it be?” - thought the goat and started to run.
He comes running and sees that the dogs are chasing the wolf, and the kid stands and trembles with fear: the wolf almost ate him.
The goat looked at him and said:
“You’re lucky that the dogs ran up in time, otherwise the wolf would have eaten you.”
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru