Once upon a time, on the edge of a poor village there stood a farm as poor as the village itself. And on this farm lived this skinny, but surprisingly proud cockerel. He was skinny because he didn’t have to fill his goiter every day, but he was proud - that’s part of his character... Rarely, very rarely, did he manage to slip into the owner’s garden and feast on caterpillars, worms, snails or just green grass. But as soon as the hostess noticed him in the garden, she drove him away. And then the cockerel returned to the yard again, offended, but not resigned.
However, he also had a consolation in his yard - a large dung heap in which he looked for food for himself. What do you want? He had to feed himself. So he spent all day stomping around on this heap, raking, digging, looking for something to peck.
One day, a cockerel was digging through a pile and suddenly found a tightly stuffed wallet under rotten leaves. He immediately realized that this wallet was a whole wealth, and, forgetting about everything in the world, even hunger, he immediately rushed to count the golden crowns. It turned out that there were exactly one hundred coins in the wallet. Overwhelmed with joy, he arched his chest proudly, roared loudly to the whole village and ran as fast as he could to notify the village roosters and hens about the happiness that had befallen him.
And at that very moment the king and his retinue were passing along the road. He heard the loud, loud singing of a cockerel and asked what happened there. The servants told him about the lucky cockerel and the hundred gold crowns. The king began to think: how to fish them out? After all, he was deeply in debt. After thinking about it, he called the cockerel to him and said:
- Listen, buddy, lend me your hundred crowns. I will return them to you in exactly three months.
- With pleasure, Your Majesty! — the cockerel shuffled. “Just pay the interest.”
- Well, what kind of conversation can there be! You will receive both money and interest on time. “I give you my royal word,” the king assured the cockerel and, taking one hundred gold crowns, he rode further to his royal castle.
Well, the cockerel returned to the yard to his dung heap.
Three months have passed. The cockerel is still digging in the sad heap, announcing the ringing “kook-ka-re-ku” to the whole area and still can’t wait for the debtor king. And, as if on purpose, there was no word from the king. “He must have no time for me right now,” the cockerel reflects. “He’s got enough to do.” I’ll wait a little, I’m not in a hurry yet.”
But when four months passed and the king still did not give any news about himself, the cockerel became worried. He took a piece of paper, pulled out the best feather from his tail, mended it and wrote a letter to the king:
Ku-ka-re-ku! Ku-ka-re-ku! Repay, king, the debt to the rooster!
Days flew by, weeks flashed by, and no response from the
no and no. The cockerel wrote another letter... and another, but he tried in vain: the king is silent, and his courtiers are silent.
And then one morning our restless cockerel flew up onto the fence and declared publicly:
- I’m going to the king for my hard-earned money.
kami. The king must return them to me, and with interest.
For this he gave me his royal word.
The cockerel cleaned his feathers, rinsed his beak in a puddle, scraped off the dirt from his spurs, threw the bag behind his back and moved straight to the royal castle.
A wolf met him on the way and asked:
- Where are you, godfather, going at the crack of dawn?
- We know where!
I'm going to the king for my hundred crowns.
- Maybe you can take me too? Your road is long, but I’ll keep you company.
- Well, I wouldn't mind. It's more fun together. Get in my bag!
The wolf climbed into the bag, and the cockerel moved on. Suddenly a fox comes across him.
- Hello, cockerel! Where did you go early in the morning?
curled up?
- Hello, godmother fox!
I'm going to the king for my hundred crowns.
- Oh, how interesting! - the fox whined. - Happy you, cockerel, you will see the king himself! But I never had a chance to see him... He would have taken me with him, my friend. At least I'll admire his royal majesty.
- If you want, reach into the bag. Just keep in mind: there’s already a wolf in the bag. No matter how you accidentally fight.
- What are you talking about, my friend! The wolf and I are old friends. We have nothing to share.
The cockerel moved on. He walks along, sings songs and grunts: after all, a wolf and a fox are not an easy burden! Suddenly he hears:
- Karrr... Karrr... Where are you going, pet?
shock?
The cockerel looked up and saw an old raven on an elm branch. Well, how can he not answer, if he is a fellow member of the feathered kingdom? And the cockerel says:
Yes, I’m going to the king for my hundred crowns.
“Karrr, to corr...role,” the raven croaked. “Take me with you.” Maybe I'll be useful to you there.
- If you are not afraid of the wolf and the fox, climb into my bag.
“I have nothing to be afraid of them, we live together in the forest, we peck at the same food.”
The raven dived into the bag, and cheerful laughter came from there. One cockerel was not amused. He walked with a heavy bag on his back and kept thinking and wondering: will the king give him the money or not? Will he give it away or not?
The cockerel approached the royal castle and saw: the gates were wide open, and there was a guard standing at the gate. The cockerel stuck out his chest, lifted his head up and walked importantly past the guards. Well, they didn’t even know to ask him why he was going to the king. He walked painfully proudly - and you won’t stand up to him!
So the cockerel reached the very royal chambers. When he got there he started bawling at the top of his throat:
Ku-ka-re-ku! Ku-ka-re-ku! Repay, king, the debt to the rooster!
The king heard the rooster crow, got angry and quickly gave the order:
- Hey, servants, grab the scoundrel and throw him into the smoking room.
nickname! Let him eat his fill on the royal feed, and then fry him and serve him to my table!
So much for the royal word of honor! No money, no interest, and the very life of the poor cockerel hung in the balance.
Before the cockerel had time to look back, the royal servants pounced on him, grabbed him and threw him and the sack into the chicken coop. However, the cockerel did not lose heart: he jumped to his feet, brushed himself off, let out a war cry and began to look at his new acquaintances. What is there to look at: there were only important royal roosters and chickens in the chicken coop, and there was no one to have a heart-to-heart talk with. They looked with contempt at the skinny cockerel, consulted among themselves about something - to know, our cockerel did not suit them! - and let’s peck him wherever we have to. The poor fellow never saw the white light! He endured and endured, and when his patience came to an end, he called out loudly:
Fox, godmother, get out of the bag!
A fox jumped out of the bag, its teeth were chattering, its eyes were shining with a hungry gleam! The roosters and hens saw the terrible fox and instantly ran away in all directions.
In the morning the servants opened the chicken coop and gasped: there was no one in the chicken coop except a skinny cockerel. They ran to the palace, told the king about the outlandish news, and he responded:
- Oh, wicked rooster! Throw him into my sheepfold right now!
The servants hastened to carry out the royal order: they grabbed the cockerel and threw it into the sheepfold. The sheep saw the cockerel, got angry, clattered their hooves, and completely pushed the poor fellow. The cockerel decided that his hour of death had come, and shouted in despair:
Ku-ka-re-ku! Ku-ka-re-ku! Help, gray, rooster friend!
The wolf jumped out of the bag, shook himself and got to work: he instantly scared away all the sheep. Out of fear, they knocked down the gates with their foreheads and fled in all directions.
Early in the morning the king himself hurried to the sheepfold. He sees: the gates are wide open, and there is not a single sheep in the sheepfold! The king spat on the ground out of anger, and the cockerel shouted to him again:
Ku-ka-re-ku! Ku-ka-re-ku! Repay, king, the debt to the rooster!
The king finally became furious and ordered:
- Hey, servants, pluck the rooster to a single feather!
The cockerel had no time for jokes at this point. He took off to the very top
high crossbar and shouted:
Ku-ka-re-ku! Ku-ka-re-ku! Help, raven, your rooster friend!
The raven didn't have to wait long. He flew out of the bag, flapped his wings and landed on the top of the king's head - just look, he would peck the king right on the crown. The king got scared and let's ask:
- Don't touch me, you rascal!
- Oh, am I a fraudster? Car...rrrr! - the raven got angry. - Give the rooster a hundred gold crowns! - and a bale of the king on the top of his head.
- Oh, oh, oh! - the king yelled. “I’ll give it up, I’ll give it everything!” - and ordered his treasurer to immediately count out one hundred gold crowns to the cockerel.
The cockerel received a hundred crowns and, out of joy, even forgot about the interest. After all, this happens!
The cockerel sang his “ku-ka-re-ku”, clutched a wallet with coins in his beak and walked through the castle gates ahead of his assistant friends.
When they were all on the road, the raven suddenly said:
- Car...rrrr! Listen, buddy, it wouldn't hurt you
reward us. Therefore, give me for my faithful service
ten crowns
However, for some reason the cockerel did not hear him. He walked forward, but didn’t even look back at the raven. The crow looked at the cockerel again, grinned to himself and flew away.
Of course, you are unhappy: after all, the cockerel offended the raven. He offended both the fox and the wolf. Eh, what can I say! You are absolutely right. But tell me honestly: is justice such a frequent guest of ours?
And here’s what else is interesting: what would you do in his place?
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru