Once upon a time there lived a man, and he had an only son. One day he said to his father:
- Father, what should I do? I can't live like this. I want to go around the world to learn some craft. After all, it’s like this with us: whoever knows even a trifling craft, no matter what he is, lives better than any peasant.
His father tried to dissuade him for a long time, proving that artisans also have a lot of work and worries, and how could he leave his own father! But the son did not give in to persuasion, and in the end his father let him go.
The son set off on his journey. He walked and walked and came to the river, then he met a man in green clothes. The man asked where he was going.
“I’m going around the world, looking for some master to learn the craft,” answered the young man.
“I am a master, come to me to learn the craft, if you have a passion for it,” suggested the man in green clothes.
The guy immediately agreed and followed him.
They walked along the shore. Suddenly the master jumped into the water, swam and shouted:
- Jump after me, learn to swim!
The guy makes an excuse, doesn’t dare to swim, is afraid of drowning, but the master said:
- Don't be afraid of anything - jump.
The guy jumped and swam next to the master. As soon as they swam to the middle of the river, the master grabbed the guy and dived with him to the bottom. The master turned out to be the devil. He brought the guy to his chambers and gave him to the ancient old woman for training, and he himself returned to earth. As soon as the old woman was left alone with the guy, she told him:
- Son, do you think this man is a master like there are on earth? And he is not a master at all, but a devil! He also deceived me and dragged me here from the earth. But listen to what I tell you. I will teach you all his trades, and when he comes and asks you if you have learned anything, you answer, unless you want to get rid of him and return to earth, that you have learned nothing.
After some time, the devil really came and asked the guy:
-What have you learned?
“Nothing yet,” he answered.
Three years passed like this. And whenever the devil came and asked the guy what he had learned, he always answered: “Nothing.” Finally the devil asked him for the last time:
-Have you learned anything?
“Nothing, I even forgot what I knew before,” the guy answered.
“If you still haven’t learned anything, you’ll never learn anything.” Better get away wherever your eyes look and where your feet take you,” said the devil, getting angry.
But in fact, the guy has perfectly learned all the devil's crafts. He jumped into the water and swam to the shore, got out of the water, and went to his father. His father saw him from afar and ran out to meet him.
- Where have you been, son?
“I learned a trade,” answered the son.
Soon everyone went to the neighboring village for the fair. The son says to his father:
- Father, let's go to the fair.
- What will we go with, son, if we have nothing?
“It’s not your concern,” said the son.
They went to the fair. The dear son says to his father:
- As we approach the fair, I will turn into a beautiful horse, the likes of which you will not find at the entire fair. Everyone will admire him. And my master will come to buy it and give it, no matter how much you ask for. But be careful not to give him the bridle. When you receive the money, take the bridle off your horse and hit the ground with it.
So they approached the fair, and the guy turned into such a horse as had never been seen in the world. The old man led him around the fair, people came running from all sides, but no one dared to ask about the price. Then a master approached in Turkish guise, in a long robe and with a turban on his head.
“I’m buying your horse, old man,” he said. - How much do you want for it?
And as much as the old man asked for, he gave him as many Turks, without saying a word. The old man received the money, took the bridle off the horse and hit it on the ground. At that same moment neither the horse nor the Turk were gone. And when the old man came home with the money, lo and behold, his son was already back, waiting for him.
After a while there was a fair again, and the son again said to his father:
- Father, let's go to the fair.
He immediately agreed and went with him.
“Now I will turn into a shop full of goods; there will be no more beautiful and richer shop than that at the entire fair,” said the son. “No one will be able to buy it, but my master will come and give you as much as you ask.” Just be careful not to give him the keys. And when you get the money, take it and hit the keys on the ground.
And so it happened. The son turned into a beautiful shop, and the whole fair marveled at it. The master came, again in Turkish guise, and asked the old man how much the shop cost. The Turks gave him as much as the old man asked for at once.
And the old man received the money, hit the keys on the ground, and at that very moment neither the shop nor the Turk were left. The shop turned into a dove, and the Turk turned into a falcon, and the falcon chased the dove. At this time, the princess came out of the palace and began to look at them. Suddenly a dove descended like an arrow onto the girl’s hand and turned into a ring. And the falcon hit the ground and turned into a man. The man went to the king and asked to be accepted into the service: he would serve for three years and would not demand anything - neither food, nor drink, nor clothing - if only the king would give him a ring from the princess’s hand!
The king accepted him into service and promised to give him a ring. The man served, and the girl wore the ring, and she really liked it, because during the day he was a ring, and at night he turned into a beautiful young man. One day the young man said to her:
“When they want to take the ring from your hand, do not give it to anyone, but throw it on the ground.”
Three years later, the king came to his daughter and asked to give him a ring. And she, as if angry, threw the ring on the ground; it cracked and small grains fell out. One grain rolled under the king's boot. The servant immediately turned into a sparrow and began to greedily peck the grains. He swallowed everything, and was just about to peck the last grain under the Tsar’s boot, when it suddenly turned into a cat - and grabbed the sparrow by the neck!
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru