There are such creatures in the Basque region - lamignacs, not people and not non-humans, lamignacs - one word. They are not very tall, but they are so clumsy that something happens to them all the time: someone gets their hand caught in the door, someone trips over a stone and falls from the mountain, and someone even stretches out of the blue. The Laminyaks were born even before people appeared on earth. It is inconvenient for the Laminyas to live with people, and they cannot leave the earth, because they always forget something on it. Such is the fate of the Laminyaks: no matter what task they take up, they will not complete it. If they start talking, they’ll forget the most important words, they’ll start dealing with people in a friendly way, but they’ll definitely quarrel.
Lamiñacs live everywhere in the Basque region, although they love the corners where the grass is higher and there are small swamps. The green duckweed that floats in the swamp is still called by the Basques “ruber-kami of the Laminyaks,” and fairy tales are also told about them everywhere.
Lik stands on the edge of a gorge, and the inhabitants of Lik had to build a bridge across this gorge.
But they did not dare: the place was bad, not far from Mount Kastelo - the capital of the La-Mignacs, and although the inhabitants of Lik had an agreement with the La-Mignacs not to touch each other, they did not trust the Laminaks, and the La-Mignacs were also afraid of people.
And yet the residents of Lik decided. They sent the smartest people to Mount Kastela. Let them, they say, offer the Laminyaks to build a bridge across the gorge. If they agree, that’s fine, but what will they ask for this bridge?
The Laminyaks listened to the people and agreed.
“Yes,” they say, “we will build you a bridge across the gorge.” It will be made of hewn stone, and we will do everything one night before the first cock crow. One condition: Lik will give us whatever we ask.
Residents of Lika ask:
-What do you ask?
– And the most beautiful girl Lika! - the Laminyaks said all together.
It’s a pity, of course, to give the most beautiful girl to the Laminyas, but a bridge is also needed. We agreed.
Everyone agreed, except for that girl's fiance. “No,” he thought. - I'll think of something. I can’t give my bride to these Laminyaks.”
Night came and the Laminyaks began to build a bridge. And the young man hid near the abyss, watching how things were going with them.
He sees: the bridge is almost ready, dawn is far away, he still can’t wait for the cock’s crow, and his bride will probably disappear.
But he figured out how to save the girl!
He went to Lik, found a chicken coop, opened the door to it and began waving his arms with such noise, as if he had not arms at all, but wings, and he himself was not a man, but a huge rooster.
The rooster in the chicken coop woke up, was frightened that the roosters were already crowing at dawn, and he was late, and how he started yelling: “kook-ka-re-ku!” And at that time the Laminyaks were just lifting the last stone from the bottom of the gorge to put it in place in the middle of the bridge. They heard a rooster crow, threw a stone and disappeared with noise and shouting:
- Let the rooster be cursed for crowing ahead of schedule!
The residents of Lik, of course, did not give the girl to the Laminyas.
The bridge remained unfinished. People were never able to finish it either. No matter who lifted that last stone, no matter who tried to put it in its place - in the middle of the bridge - nothing worked.
Apparently, the bridge in Lika has the same fate as the Laminyaks, who can never complete any task.
So the bridge in Lika will forever stand with a hole in the middle!
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru