Once upon a time there lived a poor man. He had nothing in his heart. Every day he went to the seashore and cast a net. If he managed to catch something, he sold the fish and somehow eked out his days.
The poor man did not have children for a long time. Finally a son was born, who was named Ahmed.
Years have passed. Ahmed turned 14 years old. The father says:
“You see, son, my whole life has been spent in poverty.” This is because I haven’t studied anything, I can neither read nor write. All my life all I knew was to fish. Now I’m old, and I don’t even have the strength to do this. And we felt really bad. I don't want you to have the same bitter fate. You need to study. Maybe you’ll learn some kind of craft, you’ll become one of the people, you won’t have to hang around all your life, like me.
Ahmed did not contradict:
- Your will, father, as you say, I will do so! This answer pleased the poor man:
- Thank you, son. Get ready to go. Let's go look for a scientist - Mirza, who would teach you the sciences.
The next morning they woke up very early, as soon as the sky turned pink. They put a piece of churek and dried fish into the bag and set off. They walked for a long time, passed many roads, passed dozens of villages, but nowhere could they find an efficient teacher. They stopped at a spring in the forest.
The father says:
“We are very tired, son, and hungry.” Let's eat and take a break.
They ate some bread and cheese and washed it down with spring water.
- Oh, what wonderful water! - exclaimed the father. Before he had time to utter these words, a huge man came out of the water and asked loudly:
- Why did you call me?
Ahmed's father was speechless in surprise. With difficulty coming to his senses, he replied:
- I didn’t call you... Who are you? Why did you think I called you?
The man who came out of the water was indignant:
- Didn’t you say “Ohai”?
- Yes, did I say “ooh”? So what?
- And the fact that Ojai is my name. You called me and I came. What are you doing here?
Only now Ahmed’s father understood what was going on and said:
“We stopped here to rest because we came from afar and were very tired. I am looking for a good teacher who would teach my son all the sciences.
“Where will you find a better Mirza than me?” - the interlocutor jumped up. - Give me your son, I will teach him all the sciences. Come back for him in a hundred days. By that time he will have mastered all the sciences and put the keys to them in his pocket.
What better could Ahmed's father ask for? He thanked Okhai from the bottom of his heart and begged him to take good care of the boy, to protect him like the apple of his eye, because this is his only child.
Ohai said in a good-natured voice:
- Be calm, not a single hair will fall from his head. When you come for your son, bend down to the spring, drink some water, say “Ohai,” and at the same moment Ahmed will come out to you.
The father kissed his son deeply goodbye, told him to obey the teacher in everything and left. And Okhai took Akhmed by the hand, muttered some spells, and both disappeared into the spring. When Ahmed opened his eyes, he saw that he was in front of a small fortress. Neither his clothes nor he himself were at all wet, as if they were not the ones who had descended to the bottom of the spring. He was surprised how this could happen, but did not ask anything.
As soon as they passed the fortress wall, Okhai took Ahmed by the hand and led him into a small room.
- This will be your room, this is where you will live.
After that he left.
Ahmed immediately opened the door and went out. He was tormented by curiosity, he was impatient to quickly examine the place where he found himself. The walls of the fortress, made of gold and silver bricks, rose almost to the skies. Everything around was decorated with precious stones, pearls, and gold. The unbearable brilliance dazzled my eyes.
Ahmed walked in one direction and saw that everything here was densely overgrown with trees, flowers and bushes. But - a strange thing - everything that grew here was red. Ahmed stood for a while and went to another part of the fortress. There were many kinds of animals here: lions and tigers, bears and wolves, foxes and jackals. Snakes crawled in the thick grass. Ahmed went even further and saw: everything was on fire. Fire and smoke rose to the skies, and he ran away from here and found himself behind the fortress. Here, instead of a wall, the sea stretched without end and edge. And right next to the shore there was a ship on which there was not a soul. Everything he saw made Ahmed feel terrible. He thought: “Ochai probably deceived my father. He won’t teach me anything, but will torture and kill me. It’s better that I get on this ship and run away.”
So he did. He sailed on the sea for seven days and seven nights and suddenly saw a wall in front of him. Its base rested on the seabed, and its top rose to the seventh heaven. This entire wall was made of human skulls. As soon as the ship stopped, Ahmed heard voices coming from all sides:
"O young man, have pity on yourself, do not under any circumstances even think of getting off the ship. As soon as your foot touches the ground, Ohai will do to you the same thing as he did to us. We, too, were so young and beautiful. Ohai lured us into his fortress by deception, and then he killed everyone under some pretext, and this is what we have become. O young man, beware: wherever you go, wherever you hide, Ohai will find You. At first he will be kind, he will only ask where you were going. Be careful not to say that you wanted to run away. Say that you decided to walk along the sea. Then he will not kill you, but will only take you back to the fortress. No matter how hard we tried, none of us managed to escape from this fortress. Until you find out the secret of the fortress, no one knows it. Try to find it." find out this secret from her. If you succeed, you are saved, if not, our fate awaits you." At that same moment, the sea became agitated, boiled, seethed, and Okhai’s head appeared on the surface. He raised a terrible cry. Ahmed was not at all afraid and calmly answered:
- You left me alone, I got bored, I went out and saw this ship, I decided to take a little walk along the sea. Okhai immediately calmed down and took Ahmed to the fortress.
“I have forty rooms,” he said affectionately, “when you get bored, you can open two or three rooms.” It will be more fun for you as you gradually explore the entire palace. Here are the keys to thirty-nine rooms. There is no access to the fortieth.
Ahmed thanked him and put the keys in his pocket. And as soon as Okhai left, he immediately began to inspect the rooms. Whatever door he opened, he saw such riches that he could not tell in a fairy tale or describe with a pen. Not a single Shah had so much gold and precious stones. There was no bird's milk here.
Gradually, over several days, Ahmed walked around thirty-nine rooms. He stood in front of the door at number forty for a long time, lost in thought. "I wonder what's hiding here? Why didn't Ohai give me the key to this room? I'll try to open this door too, come what may."
No sooner said than done. Ahmed broke the lock and entered the room. This room was unlike all the others. Everything here was pitch black, there were thick black carpets on the floor. And only the sparkle of diamonds enlivened this blackness. Even the dishes in the room were made of black agate. Opposite the door, on a black marble throne, lay a girl whose face radiated like a diamond. She raised her head at the rustling sound, and Ahmed saw that she was crying. The girl was so beautiful that don’t eat, don’t drink, just look and look at her. I must say that Ahmed was also good-looking. Therefore, when she saw an unexpected guest in her room, the girl fell in love with him at first sight. They looked at each other for a long time, unable to utter a word. Ahmed was the first to come to his senses. He asked: “Oh beauty, who are you?” Tell me what you are doing alone in this luxurious dungeon. The girl began the story:
- Listen and know, O beautiful young man! As many brave men and heroes came into this room as there were hairs on my head. But I didn’t reveal my secret to any of them.
However, I see that you are a decent and brave person, I will tell you everything. I am Ohai's daughter. And the fortress you see belongs to my father. Everything that is here is magical or enchanted. My father is an evil wizard. He lured many people here and then tortured them.
That's why I'm sitting alone in this black room. Every time he brings a new person, he casts a spell on me and locks me here. And out of grief, I clean the room with black and cry.
But now that you have found me, I will go out with you. She took Ahmed by the hand and led him out of the room. They went into the yard.
- Ahmed, do you see this garden? Why do you think everything is red here? And everything you plant here grows red? And this is why. My father blew off so many heads in this garden that the trees, flowers and grass absorbed human blood instead of moisture. That's why only red things grow here.
They went further and saw wild animals. The girl said:
- They were all people. It was their father who bewitched them. She then showed Ahmed the fire.
“And this fire was ignited by the groans and curses of the tortured.” And the sea on which you sailed are the tears of innocent victims. I see you are a nice young man. I feel sorry for you. I don’t want my father to do to you what he did to them. I'll tell you a few words, and you remember them. The father brings all his victims here and begins to teach witchcraft. Every day he initiates them into the secret of only one magic. Ninety-nine days later he arranges a test. He kills those who learn everything correctly.
It turns idle people into insects, birds and animals. And those who could not learn anything, although they tried, are released on all four sides. Know that you must remember everything your father teaches you. But when he starts testing you, pretend that you don’t know anything. Whatever you ask, answer: “I don’t remember, I don’t know.” This is the only way you can be saved.
Ahmed thanked her and promised to do everything exactly.
It turned out just as she said.
Every day Okhai revealed to Ahmed the secret of some kind of witchcraft. He taught him to turn into birds, to take on a variety of shapes. This went on for ninety-nine days. On the hundredth Ojai came and started asking questions. But no matter what he asked, Ahmed invariably answered: “Usta, I don’t know, I forgot everything…”
At first Okhai laughed, then he began to threaten, and finally he became completely angry, beat the student and shouted:
- Oh, you shameless one, I spent so much time on you, taught you so many lessons, but you didn’t remember anything, nothing remained in your head.
Ahmed answered everything:
“What can you do, lips, you see for yourself, I don’t know anything.” I would be glad to please you, but I am unable to. If I remembered at least something, I would answer and thereby get rid of punishment.
Just at this very time, Ahmed’s father came to the spring. He drank water and said: “Ohai.”
And Okhai, taking Ahmed by the hand, led him to the spring. He brought it out and said to the old man:
“Your son turned out to be terribly stupid, I have never met such a stupid person.” No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t teach him anything. If it weren't for my promise, I would have driven him away long ago.
It's a pity you didn't come to see him sooner. I don't need such a worthless student. Take him away, he'll never learn anything.
What could the poor father do? He took his son and went home, saddened. Ahmed could not find a place for himself with joy. When they had gone about a quarter of the way, he said:
- Father, go ahead, I’ll catch up with you now.
The old man was so upset that he didn’t even ask why he needed this, he nodded his head and walked forward. Ahmed ran behind the bushes, cast the necessary spell and turned into a lame partridge, which began to run back and forth in front of his father. The old man wanted to catch a partridge, because they had nothing to eat at home, but the bird, even though it was limping, deftly turned around and hid behind a bush, and a minute later Ahmed appeared before his father. The old man saw him and sighed bitterly:
- Eh, son, son, now I see that you are really good for nothing, you will not be of any use to me. I sent you to study so that you could become a Mirza and earn a living. And you would feel good, and I would have a calm old age. But you turned out to be careless and learned nothing. Even if he helped me, he still doesn’t. Just now a lame partridge was jumping in front of me. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t catch her. Of course, where am I old... If you were nearby, maybe you could help catch her, we would have lunch...
Ahmed laughed loudly. This made the old man even more angry.
- Why are you laughing? What's so funny? But Ahmed did not answer:
“I’ll explain this to you later, father.” The old man frowned. His son's words seemed impudent to him. How could the poor fellow know that Ahmed had learned the secrets of black and white magic and had just tested himself for the first time. That's why he laughed so joyfully.
- Don't worry, father, everything will be as you wanted. You will sit quietly at home, and I will feed you.
- What and how will you feed me, son? - the father asked sadly.
Ahmed stopped and said decisively:
- So you don’t believe me? OK. Then I'll tell you everything right now. Ohai told you a lie. I learned all the secrets of witchcraft, but I deceived him, and he thought that I knew nothing.
Look what I can do. Now I will turn into a black horse. You will take me to the market and sell me for a hundred rubles. Don't be sad, we won't part. Not even a day will pass before I return to you.
Just don't sell the bridle under any circumstances. No matter how much they beg you, no matter how much they give you. If you are persuaded and you sell the bridle, you will never see me again.
Having said this, Ahmed immediately turned into a slender black horse. The old man took him by the bridle and led him to the market. The horse was so beautiful that the buyers almost came to blows. Everyone wanted to buy a horse. But the old man would not give it away for less than a hundred rubles. Finally some horseman gave him this price. He begged to sell the bridle, but the old man did not agree. He took the money and went home, and Ahmed was already waiting for him there.
They lived comfortably for some time, and when the money ran out, Ahmed again turned into a horse, even more beautiful than the previous one.
The father took the horse and led it to the market. It was bought by a thin, tall dervish. He talked so much, so flatteringly, praised the horse so much, asked to sell the bridle so much, that the old man forgot about everything in the world and sold the horse along with the bridle. He returned home, but his son was not there. He waited a day, another, a month, Akhmed did not appear. Only then did the poor fellow remember how strictly Ahmed had ordered him not to sell the bridle. He grabbed his head in despair:
- Oh woe is me, what should I do now? Why did I give away the bridle? Now I will never see Ahmed.
But let’s leave the old man alone for a while and see what happened to Ahmed.
The dervish who bought the horse turns out to be none other than Ojai. Ahmed barely raised his head when he recognized his teacher. With anger and hatred, he pulled the bridle until he dragged Ahmed into the fortress. Here he threw the bridle to his daughter and shouted:
“Hold him and make sure he doesn’t run away.” I'll go get a saber and cut off his head.
The girl, of course, immediately realized that it was Ahmed. She was happy because she loved him very much and missed him. But I was also very upset. She knew that now his father would never let him out alive. She could have simply untied the bridle and let Ahmed go, but she was afraid that Ohai would still catch up and kill him. So she just relaxed the bridle a little and said:
“Ahmed, if you shake your head properly, the bridle will fall off.” When your father appears with a saber, jerk your neck and run.
As soon as she had time to say this, Okhai appeared with a saber in his hands and, stopping in front of the horse, growled menacingly:
- Well, be careful, Ahmed. I have been around for many years, but no one has ever managed to deceive me. You were the first to dare to lie to me that you didn’t know anything. Well, now you'll memorize everything by heart.
He waved his saber over the horse's head, but he shook his head, the bridle fell, and Ahmed, uttering the magic words, turned into a deer. He rushed as fast as he could to run through the mountains and valleys. But Ojai did not hesitate. He threw his saber to the ground, whispered a spell and, becoming a hunter with a bow and arrow, set off in pursuit of the deer. A deer runs and a hunter chases after it.
They crossed many mountains, walked through many gorges, drank water from springs, and finally both became exhausted. Ahmed sees that Ojai is about to catch up with him. As he walked, he cast a spell, became a goldfish and threw himself into the water. Ohai, without hesitation, turned into a fisherman and cast a net. The fish swam away from him, and the fisherman cast his net again. Ahmed realized that Okhai would not leave him alone, he turned into a golden apple and hid from him in a chest. But Ohai tracked him down here too. I opened the chest, and lo and behold, there was no apple there. Only from right under my nose did a gray bird fly up. Then Okhai became completely furious, turned into a kite and chased the bird.
Ahmed the bird flies, Okhai the kite overtakes him. Ahmed sees the situation is bad, turns into a handful of millet and scatters on the ground. At that very moment, Okhai turned into a chicken with a brood and began pecking at the grain. Now that he had picked up the last grain, he calmed down that Akhmed was no more. But no, one grain rolled into the sand, under the chicken’s foot. It set, and as soon as Okhai calmed down, a jackal jumped out from under his paw, strangled the hen and chickens and ate them.
And so the chase ended. Ahmed Ohaya won. And when he took a breath, he immediately remembered that it was Okhai’s daughter who helped him escape. It was she who revealed to him the secrets of the fortress. And Ahmed decided that he should go to the fortress of his tormentor and break the spell. And if she agrees, he will marry her.
Having made this decision, Ahmed uttered the magic words and flew into the air into the seventh heaven, and landed near the spring through which there was an entrance to the fortress. And since he knew all the secrets, it didn’t cost him anything to get into the fortress; the doors themselves opened before him.
From the gate, Ahmed went straight to room forty. I opened the door and couldn’t believe my eyes. There's nothing black here anymore. The walls are decorated with bright fabrics, and the floors are covered with patterned carpets. Only the girl is dressed in black from head to toe.
Ahmed came in, said hello and asked: “Why is everything that was black before now sparkling brightly, and you’re wearing a black dress?” The girl calmly answered:
- I know everything, Ahmed. I know that you killed your father. And I’m glad, because he was an evil man and got what he deserved. So I decorated the room with expensive, bright fabrics. But be that as it may, he was my father, and I cannot help but grieve for him. That's why I put on mourning. But now you have come...
Without finishing, she went into another room and put on a dress embroidered with gold. And before she was so beautiful that you could not eat or drink for a whole year, just look and look at her. And now she has become a thousand times more beautiful.
- Oh beauty, I came to take you with me. Do you agree to become my wife?
Okhai's daughter thought for a moment and replied:
- I agree. But a long time ago I swore that I would marry only the one who would solve the mystery of the white diva apples.
Ahmed put his right palm to his eyes as a sign of respect and readiness to fulfill her will:
- I will find out the secret of the white diva apples...
At the same hour he left the fortress and set off on his way. A day - walking, two - a halt, three - the road. Finally I reached the dense thicket.
Let's leave him here for a while and see what Ohai's daughter was doing in the meantime.
As soon as Ahmed left, she turned into a bird and in the blink of an eye was transported to the very forest that he had traveled to for many days. Here she once again changed her appearance and became a figure of indescribable beauty.
In this form she met Ahmed and asked:
- Young man, may Allah forgive me my curiosity, where are you from and where are you going? Ahmed reluctantly replied:
“I got lost and accidentally ended up in this forest. She smiled.
- Oh Ahmed, don’t hide anything from me. I am the daughter of the great and mighty Shah. I know all the wisdom and mysteries. I know who you are, where you are going and why. Ohai's daughter wanted to take revenge on you for her father's death. That's why she sent you on a journey from which there is no return. Don't succumb to her charms, come home.
But Ahmed stubbornly stood his ground.
- O beauty of beauties! I promised my daughter Ohai and I will die, but I still have to find out the secret of these apples. If only I manage to stay alive, I will definitely do it.
“Perhaps you are afraid of losing Ohai’s daughter?” But why am I worse? If you want, we will go to my father's domain. He is already old and you will become my husband and heir to his throne.
But Ahmed was relentless.
- Oh, peri, I don’t need anything. I promised my daughter Ohai and I will marry only her.
Having said this, he continued on his way, never looking back. Before he had time to go far, the girl, having turned into a hero, came out to meet him.
Ahmed walked without seeing anything in front of him. Sad thoughts overwhelmed him. He thought about his father, who was probably grieving alone in his miserable shack, about his daughter Ohai, whom he left alone in the fortress. Suddenly he raised his head and saw that a huge hero, as tall as a plane tree, was approaching him. In each hand he holds seven millstones, easily playing with them, as if they were not millstones, but amber rosaries. The hero blocked Akhmed’s way and asked menacingly:
- Who are you, young man, and where are you going?
“I’m going to find out the secret of the magic apples,” Ahmed answered obediently.
The hero laughed:
- Oh, you poor thing. A hero like me could not cope with this task. But you are like a little child against me. Should you do this?
Ahmed shrugged.
- Well, I can’t, I can’t do this. I will die, but I will not leave this path. Well, where are you going?
The hero raised his head proudly:
“Oh, young man, have you heard that the wizard Ohai has a beautiful daughter who is known for her intelligence?” I found out that Ojai died, and I go there to forcibly take his daughter away.
Ahmed became angry:
- So know, this girl is my bride. And as long as I'm alive, no one will dare take her away.
The hero's eyes widened. Foaming at the mouth he shouted:
- How dare you, little one, compete with me?! If I throw even one millstone at you, all that will be left of you is a wet spot.
Seeing that the hero was furious, Ahmed drew his sword.
- O hero, do not boast of your strength. If you want, let's fight. Let's see who wins who. The girl realized that Ahmed had passed this test too, and said (that is, of course, the hero said):
- O young man, if I compare my strength with such children, I will fall so low in my own eyes that I will never be able to defeat anyone. I don’t want to touch you, go with God.
And with these words the hero left. And after a few steps he again took on a different appearance. This time the girl turned into a terrible witch who sat down in front of the destroyed fortress and began to wait for Ahmed.
Ahmed reached the fortress and saw the witch. The lower lip swept the ground, the upper rested on the sky. As soon as she noticed Ahmed, her face was distorted with anger, she squealed:
- O son of the human race, how dare you set foot on my land?
But Ahmed answered fearlessly:
- Oh old woman, don’t scream! I'm going to find out the secret of the magic apples that belong to the white diva.
The old woman laughed loudly:
“As many heroes, as many brave men came here as there were hairs on your head.” But none of them managed to find out this secret. They all laid down their heads. Let's go see what you can do.
And she led Ahmed into a large room. Here she left him alone, but soon returned with a golden tray on which lay three apples. All three were the same color and the same size.
She lowered the tray to the floor and said:
- Young man, here is your task. If you decide, it means you are smart, and then I will tell you the secret of apples. You can go back. But if you don’t decide, take your head off your shoulders.
- Well, I agree, set your task. The witch gave him apples.
- Look: one of them is one-year-old, the other is two-year-old, the third is three-year-old. But no one except me knows which apple is how old. If you can guess, the secret is yours.
Ahmed waved his hand.
- There is nothing easier. Bring me some water, old woman, in some container. I'll tell you what you're asking.
The witch brought water. Ahmed put all three apples into the bowl. One immediately sank, the other remained in the middle, the third floated to the surface.
“Look, old woman,” said Ahmed, pointing to the bowl. “The apple that sank is the freshest, and therefore the heaviest.” This is an annual apple. That apple that floats in the middle is stale, a little dry and lighter. This is a two year old apple. And what floated to the surface was completely dry. This is a three year old apple.
The old woman had no choice but to admit that he had correctly solved her problem. She immediately became better.
- Son, this was the secret of the three apples. You figured it out yourself. I see that you are a smart young man. That's why I won't kill you. Go in peace.
Ahmed was about to set off on the way back, but then the girl took on her previous appearance and called out to him:
- Ahmed, Ahmed...
He turned around and couldn’t believe his eyes: the terrible witch had disappeared, and in her place sat Okhai’s daughter. Rubbing his eyes, he asked:
- What is this? Is this really a dream?
- No, Ahmed, this is not a dream. The witch you met is me. And the daughter of the Shah, who wanted you to marry her, is also me. And the hero with the millstones is me too. I was the one testing you. You have passed all the tests. Now I'm yours. As you say, we will do so.
Ahmed did not know what to do with joy. But then he calmed down a little and suggested:
“First of all, let’s go to the fortress and disenchant all the people.” And then we’ll go to my father, who can’t wait for me, and have a wedding there.
They came to the fortress, removed the spell from all the people whom Okhai had enchanted, and raised the dead. They all knelt before Ahmed and his bride and said:
“You saved us, and we are ready to serve you for the rest of our lives.”
“We don’t need to serve anything.” I have only one request for you. Now we are heading to my father, where we will have our wedding. Come with us, everyone, be our guests. After the wedding, everyone will go wherever they want.
Of everything that was collected in the fortress, Ahmed and his bride took only what they could easily take with them, but which was expensive. Then Ahmed turned to the people they had disenchanted and said:
- Let everyone take what they want.
And again people began to thank him.
Finally, Ahmed, his bride and the Ojai prisoners they freed set off. They walked and walked until they came to the house of Ahmed's father. The poor old man saw that his son was walking in front of a large crowd with a beautiful woman, and for joy he could not utter a word. And Ahmed approached his father, bowed at his feet, and kissed him deeply. The old man came to his senses and asked:
- Son, what kind of people are these and where have you been so far?
Ahmed sat down next to his father and spoke in detail about everything that had happened to him during this time.
And the next day they began to prepare for the wedding.
-The wedding took place for forty days and forty nights. No one had ever seen such a wedding in their entire life. And I was there, I ate the pilaf, took it with my hands, put it on my tongue, but it didn’t get into my mouth.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru