In the old days, there lived three famous liars in the cities of Edo, Osaka and Kyoto. As soon as all three get together, they immediately begin to lie in a race. One says:
“I recently tore the sky from the earth and stuck them in my nostrils. What do you think? My nostrils are still empty! Hear the whistle!
Another says:
- Ha, that's all? Yesterday, just for fun, I was throwing up the sky and the earth with clicks, but suddenly I sneezed, and they were blown away without a trace!
And the third one picks up:
“Recently the sun was very hot, so I put the whole world on my head, just like that I hid in the shadows.
But they could not decide which of them was the most clever liar.
One day the liar from Kyoto and the liar from Edo went to visit the liar from Osaka. His little son runs out to meet them and says:
- Dad is not at home!
-Where did he go?
“Dad said that recently Mount Fuji was crushed by a hurricane, it’s barely holding on, it’s about to fall.” So he went to prop her up with two smoking sticks.
-Where is your mother?
“Mom said that the whole Indian land was torn, she took three sewing needles with her and went to patch it up.
Both liars were completely dumbfounded. They wanted to run away without looking back, but they were overcome with frustration and returned back.
“Hey, listen, boy, recently a large stone mortar was carried away by a hurricane, did it fly into your house?”
“Well, it may very well be,” the boy answers. “See if she’s caught in the web under the window.”
Both of them bit their lying tongues and ran away quickly! Then the father returned. His son tells him:
“Just now a guy from Kyoto and a guy from Edo came to visit us.
- Ho, really? What's next?
“They asked me: “Where is your dad?” I tell them: Mount Fuji can barely stand, a hurricane broke it, so you went there - prop it up with two smoking sticks. They asked: “Where is your mother?” And I tell them: The Indian soil was torn, my mother took three needles and went to patch it up. They left, and then suddenly returned and asked if the storm had brought their stone mortar to us. I say, look - maybe she’s caught in a web. Here they gave up and ran away in shame.
The father was horrified listening to this story!
-You are still a child, but you lie so shamelessly! I won’t keep you at home, I’ll take you somewhere.
He put the boy in a coal sack, tied the sack with a rope, put it on his back and walked off.
Soon he came across a drinking house along the way. The wine spirit came from there. And my father loved to drink. He hung the sack with the boy on a pine branch and went to drink wine.
Meanwhile, the little liar found a hole in the bag and began to look out. Suddenly he sees a hunched old man hobbling along the road. Then the boy began to chant, like a prayer:
- Old man, become young! Old, become young! The old man approached the bag and called out to the boy:
- What are you doing there in the bag?
- Yes, this is a magic bag! If you get into it and read the spell: “Old, become young! Old, become young! - anyone will look younger. This morning I was a sixty-year-old man, but I climbed into the bag and spent too much time casting spells. Now, as you can see, I have become quite a teenager.
The old man widened his eyes in amazement.
- Please tell me what a wonderful bag it is! I also want to look younger! Let me in!
- Well, you can, but I won’t let you in for nothing!
- Do you want me to give you these delicious manju?
The boy took the manju, put the old man in the sack instead of himself and ran home.
Soon the old liar left the drinking house drunk. He looked and began to rub his eyes in amazement: an unfamiliar old man was sitting in a coal sack instead of his son and shouting with all his might: “Old man, become young! Old, become young!
The father was surprised, but when he found out what was the matter, he completely lost his head:
- Oh, he is a scoundrel! This is my little son, a liar like few, who deceived you. Excuse me, please. Sorry generously! - And, profusely apologizing, he freed the old man from the bag.
The father returned and saw that his son had been at home for a long time, sitting and devouring manju. The old liar grabbed the little liar by the collar and shoved him back into the coal bag.
- Oh, you such a scoundrel! This time I'll teach you a lesson! He went with him along a different road. But there also turned out to be a drinking house. It smells like wine - it’s impossible to pass by! The father tried and strong and could not stand it; again he hung the bag on a pine branch and went to drink wine.
The boy looked out through the hole in the bag and saw an old woman, somewhat blind, walking along the road. He waited until she came closer and began muttering spells:
“Eyes, see clearly! Eyes, see clearly!”
The old woman was surprised, went up to the bag itself and asked:
- What are you doing there?
- How am I doing what? I’m sitting in a magic bag and reading spells: “Eyes, see clearly! Eyes, see clearly!” I’ve been reading these spells since the very morning - and now I’ve seen the light. And before I was completely blind.
- Oh, what an amazing bag! I can’t see very well, is it possible to let me into this bag even for a minute? - asks the old lady.
- Why can’t you, but I won’t let you in for nothing!
— I have persimmons. I'll give it all to you, just let me into the bag.
She gave the boy a whole basket of persimmons, and he hid the old woman in a bag and ran home as fast as he could.
Soon the father came out of the drinking house in the most cheerful mood. Lo and behold, an unfamiliar old woman is sitting in a sack, blinking her eyes and wailing: “Eyes, see clearly! Eyes, see clearly!”
The father was amazed, but when he found out what was the matter, he was even more amazed:
- These are all the tricks of my worthless son, a notorious liar! Sorry, please! - And, repeating his apologies endlessly, he let the old woman out of the bag.
The father returned home, and what does he see? His son has eaten his fill of persimmons and is snoring, lounging in the middle of the room.
Well, what are you going to do with this!
From then on, the liar from Edo, the liar from Osaka and the liar from Kyoto no longer argued about who was the smartest.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru