There lived an old man. He had three sons - brave men. One day the eldest son went out into the street and saw a moose track near the house. He bent down and took a closer look - the trail was completely fresh. Apparently, the elk had been near the house quite recently.
“Probably the elk has not gone far,” thought the eldest son.
He returned to the yurt, took the gun and began to collect everything that was necessary for the hunt.
“Where are you going, son?” his father asks.
“Don’t ask, father, I’ll be back quickly.”
“Don’t go anywhere,” the old man asks, “I had a bad dream.” It doesn't bode well.
- What did you see in your dream, father? - asks the eldest son.
“I saw in a dream that you were lying on a log covered in blood!” Don't go, please!
- All this is nonsense! “I don’t believe anything,” said the eldest son and ran out into the street.
Near the house he again found the elk trail and followed it.
The sun had already descended low and almost connected with the edge of the earth when the eldest son caught up with the elk. He fired and apparently hit him right in the heart. The elk fell to the ground as if knocked down.
While the eldest son was skinning the elk and cutting its meat into pieces, it had already become completely dark. He began to prepare for the night.
He had just put the tent down and was about to eat the cooked meat when an old woman appeared in front of him out of nowhere. She was scary: gray hair hung in strands on her blackened and wrinkled face, four rotten teeth stuck out of her mouth, dirty and old clothes hung on her bony body.
- Well! I'm so glad, son, that I see you! That's good, I killed such a big moose! Apparently I arrived just in time. Let's eat some fresh meat. Let me spend the night by your fire and feed me!
“Well, there’s plenty of food, and there’s plenty of room around the fire,” said the eldest son.
- How glad I am, son, to hear such words! And so they ate and began to go to bed.
“Beloved son, have pity on me,” the old woman asks, “give me your bed.” Otherwise, if I lie down on the frozen ground, I will become numb and die.
The guy threw her the bed.
“Instead of a pillow, at least give me your gun,” the old woman asks again.
And the old man’s eldest son gave her the gun. It's quiet all around. The guy just hears a sound, like iron creaking on iron.
“Old woman, what are you doing there?” the guy shouted.
“Dear son, apparently it’s me grinding my teeth in my sleep.” She probably swallowed the meat without chewing it, which is now putting pressure on my liver. Why are you scared, don’t be afraid, go to sleep! The guy believed and fell asleep again. And in the morning, as soon as it began to get light, he woke up from the cry of an old woman:
- Bear, Wolf! Bear, Wolf! - shouted the old woman, her mouth open.
And immediately a bear and a wolf ran out of the forest, tongues hanging over their chests.
- Oh, you are a witch! Give me the gun quickly!” the guy shouted.
The old woman threw him a gun, which she chewed in half at night.
“Witch, what did you do?!” the guy only managed to say.
A bear and a wolf immediately attacked him and tore him into pieces.
A day has passed. The old man and his sons are waiting for their eldest son, but he does not return. Then the middle son left the house and also saw elk tracks near the house. The guy touched the footprint with his hand. He hasn't had time to freeze yet. Apparently the moose had just run by.
"Won't go far!" - thought the middle son and ran towards the house. He ran into the house, grabbed a gun with a cartridge belt, and got ready to go hunting.
“Where are you going, son?” asked the father.
- I, father, will be back quickly.
- Listen to me, don’t go! Your brother left and did not return. And I had a bad dream! Don't go!
- What dream did you have, father, tell me!
“I saw blood pouring out of your wounds in a hot stream.”
- Come on?! “All this is nonsense,” the guy said and followed the trail of the elk.
The old man stayed at home with his youngest son. He did not sleep all night and waited for his eldest sons. But no one returned home.
And the next morning, the youngest son saw the same elk track near the house. It was completely fresh.
The youngest son ran into the house. He took a gun, a bag with cartridges and just wanted to go out, his father said to him:
-Where are you going, son?
- I'll go hunting. An elk just passed by our house.
- This is some kind of witchcraft, not an elk. Two brothers went and did not return. “How nice it would be if you didn’t go anywhere,” says the old man.
- No, I still want to see what kind of amazing elk walks around our house all the time. Let's see who wins again!
“I’m afraid, son, I’m very afraid for you!”
“Well, if I don’t kill anything,” the youngest son answers, “at least I’ll find out what happened to my brothers: whether they are alive or not.”
- Well, go! Just be careful.
The youngest son followed the trail of the elk, walked through two clearings and only caught up with the elk on the third.
The sharp eye did not make a mistake, the strong hand did not tremble. The youngest son hit a moose. He fell down dead.
While the guy was skinning and cutting meat, it got dark. He lit a fire and set the meat to cook. Sits, waits. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a terrible old woman with gray hair and sparse rotten teeth protruding from her mouth appeared in front of him.
- How good, my friend, that you killed such a moose! “I’m so glad to see you here,” said the old woman.
The guy didn’t answer anything. He continued to sit with his head bowed, but vigilantly watched the old woman’s every movement.
- Why are you silent, my son! - the old woman continued after a while. Why don't you invite me to your fire? Or do you feel sorry for meat?
- No, I don’t mind meat. There is a lot of meat, why bother?
- Your brothers did not spare meat. They were good guys!
-Have you met them? “Where are they?” the guy asked, unable to bear it.
- Yes, I met them. They are here, nearby. They killed a lot of moose and are sitting there.
“If they killed a lot of moose, why don’t they come home?” — the guy thought, but didn’t say anything out loud.
We dined on meat. We got ready to go to bed.
“Son,” the old woman asks, “give me your bed, a bag with cartridges and a gun under my head, otherwise I’ll freeze to death on the bare ground.”
- Well, what else can you ask for? Old people teach not to give your gun or bag to a stranger. That's why I won't give you anything, old woman.
We went to bed. Suddenly, through a dream, he hears: someone is pulling the gun. The guy opened his eyes and saw the old woman gnawing on his gun.
“What are you doing, old witch!” the guy shouted and grabbed the old woman by the hair.
The old woman opened her mouth and shouted:
- Bear, Wolf! Bear, Wolf! And then the Bear and the Wolf run out of the forest. They hung their tongues down to their chests.
The guy saw this and tied the old woman to a tree. And he killed the Bear and the Wolf. - Well, now you, old witch, will you tell me where my brothers are?!
“I don’t know where they are,” the old woman answers.
- Why are you pretending? I'll show you how not to know!
He grabbed a birch tree, tore it out by the roots and began to beat the old woman. What can you do, the old woman had to say that the brothers were eaten by a bear and a wolf.
Then the younger brother ripped open their stomachs, but found only bones and meat.
- No, you won’t get rid of me like that! - the guy shouted. “I’ll make you revive them!”
- What are you saying? How can I turn them alive?
- I don’t know anything! Either you revive them, or I will torture you. Choose one of two!
“I just can’t revive,” the old woman moans;
- So you can’t? Very good! The guy heated the birch tree on the fire and again began to beat the old woman. The meat peeled off and the veins appeared. “Stop it!” the old woman moans. “Let me catch my breath!”
- Here's a break for you! “The guy started hitting even harder.
“Stop it,” the old woman asks again. “Now I’ll revive your brothers.”
Then the guy says:
“I don’t intend to wait long.” Revive soon!
“I can’t do that here.” Far from here there is a small lake of living water. If you bring living water from there and sprinkle the brothers, they will immediately come to life.
“Very good!” says the guy. “You will lead me to this lake!” Hurry up!
- No, I can’t get you there. I have no strength at all. “So you don’t want to lead me?” The guy started beating the old woman again.
- Stop it, let me catch my breath. I will do everything as you say!
Just as the old woman had time to say this, the guy sees something like a motley cow standing in front of him. He sat down on her. My ears immediately began to buzz. He came to his senses after some time at the lake, around which there was green grass, and a little further away there was complete smoke.
“This is the lake of living water,” says the old woman. But the guy just didn’t believe it. He shot at a bird flying over the lake. The bird fell like a stone into the lake and immediately burned.
“So you’re still going to deceive me,” the guy shouted. “You’re still being cunning!” He began to beat the old woman.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru