There lived a stupid old woman who had a donkey. In the mornings, the old woman sent the donkey to graze. But every day a fox came to the field, sat astride a donkey and rode on it from morning to evening. The fox prevented the donkey from grazing and she returned home tired and hungry.
- Why does my donkey always come back tired and hungry? – the old woman asked the shepherd.
- What can I do! - the shepherd sighed sadly, - Every day the fox comes and rides on it from morning to evening.
On the advice of her neighbors, the old woman built a saddle from resin and placed it on the donkey's back. When the fox sat astride her, as usual, she said:
- Wow! They prepared a comfortable seat for me.
But during the day the sun began to get very hot, the resin melted, and the fox stuck to the donkey’s back. The cheat wanted to jump, but that was not the case.
- For God's sake, take me off the donkey's back! - the fox asked the shepherd. “I promise I’ll never ride it again.”
“Be patient a little,” answered the shepherd. - I'll take you off soon.
He delivered the donkey and the fox to the old woman. The old woman took a stick, called her daughter for help, and together they began to beat the fox. And the cheat prayed:
“Do to me, grandma, whatever you want, beat me half to death, just don’t lock me in the pantry with raisins.”
- Yeah, you're afraid of dying there! - said the old woman. - No, you cannot escape this punishment!
And the old woman locked the fox in the pantry with raisins. And that's all she needed. The fox began to slowly eat the raisins and soon cleared out the pantry.
A few days later the daughter said to her old mother:
“I’ll go to the pantry for some raisins.”
She opened the door, stuck her hand in and... didn’t find a single berry.
— The fox ate all the raisins! - she told her mother.
The old woman pulled the fox out of the closet and, together with her daughter, began to beat it again. And the fox prayed:
- Do with me, grandma, what you want, just don’t lock me in the chicken coop.
- Yeah, it’s dark and damp there, and you’re afraid of dying! - said the old woman. - No, you can’t avoid my chicken coop!
And she put her in the chicken coop.
The fox began to strangle the chickens, and the rooster crowed furiously. And the old woman shouted to him:
- My cockerel, cockerel! Gouge out the villainess's eyes! Gouge out her eyes!
When the fox had finished with the chickens, she took hold of the rooster and ate it.
In the morning the old woman got up and opened the chicken coop to see what was going on there. And at that very moment the fox dashed out the door, ran into the yard, from there into the field, into the forest - there was no trace of her.
And the stupid old woman was left without raisins and without chickens.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru