A sparrow and a mouse lived next door: the sparrow was under the eaves, and the mouse was in a hole in the underground. They fed on what was left over from their owners. In the summer it’s still like that, you can grab something in the field or in the garden. And in winter, at least cry: the owner sets a snare for a sparrow, and a mousetrap for a mouse.
They got tired of living like this, and they decided to dig and sow grain.
They dug up a nice plot.
- Well, what shall we sow? - asks the sparrow.
“Yes, what people sow,” answers the mouse. They collected seeds and sowed wheat.
“What will be yours,” the mouse asks the sparrow, “the roots or the tops?”
- I don’t know myself.
“Take the roots,” advises the mouse.
- Okay, let there be roots.
Summer has come. The wheat has ripened. The mouse squeezed the ears of corn and left the straw for the sparrow.
The mouse took the ears of corn into its hole, threshed them, ground them, baked pies, and eat them for itself in the winter. He lives well, knows no need.
And the sparrow tried the straw - it didn’t taste good!
He had to spend the winter in a garbage pit, hungry.
Spring has come. The mouse crawled out of the hole, saw a sparrow and asked:
- Well, how was the winter, neighbor?
“It’s bad,” says the sparrow, “he barely survived: our tasteless wheat was born.”
“So let’s sow carrots this summer, they’re sweet.” All the hares love her.
- Come on, if you're not lying! - The sparrow jumped up with joy.
They dug up a new ice patch and sowed carrots.
“What will be yours,” the mouse asks the sparrow, “roots or tops?”
“Tops,” says the sparrow. “I’m afraid to take the roots: I’ve already burned myself on wheat once.”
- Okay, take the tops.
The carrots have grown. The sparrow took the tops, and the mouse took the roots. She took her roots to the hole and eats herself little by little.
And the sparrow tried the tops, but they were no better than wheat roots...
The sparrow got ruffled and almost cried. A crow is flying. I saw a sparrow.
- Why are you ruffled, sparrow? - asks.
The sparrow told her how he and the mouse sowed wheat and carrots.
The crow listened to him and laughed out loud:
- You stupid sparrow! The mouse deceived you... The most delicious thing in wheat is the tops, and the most delicious thing in carrots is the roots.
The sparrow got angry and jumped up to the mouse.
- Oh, you scoundrel, oh, you liar! I will fight with you.
“Well, well,” says the mouse, “let’s fight!”
The sparrow invited blackbirds and starlings to be his assistants, and the mouse invited rats and moles.
They began to fight. They fought for a long time, but no one defeated anyone.
The sparrow had to retreat with his army to the garbage pit.
The crow saw this:
- Ha ha, sparrow, and you chose weak helpers! If you called the sea falcon, it would immediately swallow all the mice, rats, and moles.
A sparrow flew to the sea and called to the sea falcon.
A falcon flew in and swallowed the entire army of mice. Only the mouse, the one that deceived the sparrow, remained: it hid in a hole.
Evening came. The falcon flew to spend the night in the whinny. He sat down on a stone and fell fast asleep. And the sparrow chirped in joy and climbed under the eaves.
Meanwhile, the cunning mouse ran into the field to the shepherds, grabbed a firebrand and set fire to the whinny where the falcon was sleeping. The fire soared, made a noise, flared up and scorched the falcon’s wings.
The falcon woke up, but he didn’t even have wings... He grieved and moved on foot to the sea. A hunter noticed him on the way and wanted to shoot him, but the falcon said to him:
- Don't shoot me, good man. Better take it with you: when my wings grow, I will thank you for this.
The hunter took the falcon. For a whole year I fed him and looked after him.
The falcon has grown wings, so he says to the hunter:
- Now take me hunting. I will catch hares and birds for you.
Since then, the falcon has served as the hunter’s assistant.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru