A long time ago, when there were no people on earth yet, and only trees grew and grass turned green, birds soared in the sky and various animals jumped and jumped, the Heavenly Ruler sent down an unprecedented drought on the earth. This drought dragged on month after month, and there was no end to it.
The sun, red as a hot coal, scorched everything around. The earth breathed heat day and night. All ponds, lakes, rivers and streams have dried up. The trees were charred. The birds fell to the ground dead. Frogs and toads died in dry ponds. Lifeless animals lay high in the mountains and forests.
A toad sat in his small hole with his mouth wide open, his throat was all dry. A toad will look out of its hole, see the boundless hot heights, bulge its eyes, look at the heavens, and start its bre-ke-ke-ke-ke! The toad was very angry with the Heavenly Ruler; he would have swallowed him whole, but he was too small. The toad sighed, groaned, thought, thought and decided. If I can’t swallow the Heavenly Ruler, then why not rise to the sky-high heights and find out why it hasn’t rained for so long? The toad's eyes bulged and measured the path to the sky-high heights. He sees a long journey, high to the sky. She stuck out her tongue, closed her eyes, sat and thought.
And then he starts gnashing his jaws: to convene his remaining relatives, the frogs, for a council. The frogs cried and croaked - they all turned blue from adversity, turned green from drought. The toad sat down, leaned on its front paws, hunched its back, bulged its eyes, opened its mouth wide and squealed:
“I want to ask the Heavenly Ruler why he doesn’t send us rain.” Everything around has withered away, if there is no rain, then in two or three days we will die!
The frogs turned even bluer, greener and shouted:
- Kwa-kwa! This never happened! Never happened! No one has ever reached the Heavenly Ruler! Stop talking, otherwise the Heavenly Lord will punish you!
- Bre-ke-ke-ke! “And this way and that the end comes to us,” objected the toad. “It’s better to rise to the sky-high heights, maybe then we’ll be saved.” Who's with me? I will answer to the Heavenly Ruler, rely on me!
The frogs jumped after the toad. And the rumor ahead of them is that the toad and his relatives are going to the Heavenly Ruler himself to start a lawsuit.
A toad jumps, holding a withered leaf in its paw like a banner. Her skin was all covered with pimples. The frogs croak loudly, jump so fast - only their legs sparkle.
They walked past a bamboo grove with burnt leaves. And there the yellow rooster was hiding from the sun. He looks and a toad with frogs walks past. The rooster asks:
- Ku-ka-re-ku! Hey toad! Where are you leading the frogs through this inferno?
The toad's eyes bulged, its mouth opened wide, and it waved a leaf-flag:
- Bre-ke-ke-ke! The sky has sent us a great drought. I go to the Heavenly ruler to ask for rain. The yellow rooster perked up:
- The heights of heaven are far away, how can you get to them?
– If you walk and walk, you can reach the heights of heaven! - answered the toad.
- How can you defeat the Heavenly Ruler - after all, he is great, and you, a toad, are small? - asked the rooster.
– He who sends down drought is low, he who demands rain is great! The Heavenly ruler will hear the truth. And if the good man does not want to send rain to the earth, our numerous army will force him to yield.
- Ku-ka-re-ku! And those who are not your relatives, toad, can go with you?
– The more of us there are, the better!
“I don’t have your courage, toad.”
“But you have a strong beak, rooster.” - Well, take me with you! .
And they all moved on. The frogs jumped more merrily. A toad jumps ahead with a flag leaf. The army moves - dust rises in a cloud. They entered the forest, where all the leaves had fallen, all the flowers had faded, only the bees were humming pitifully, crying in a swarm: there was nowhere for them to collect nectar.
The bees saw the toad with the frog army, stopped crying and asked:
- Z-z-z! Hey toad! Where are you going with frogs and a rooster through such heat?
The toad's eyes bulged, its mouth opened wide, and it waved a leaf-flag:
- Bre-ke-ke-ke! The sky has sent us a great drought. I go with a complaint to the Heavenly ruler. May it give rain to our land.
The bees flew up to the toad and began chattering:
- The heavens are high, high, high... How to get to them?
“If you walk and walk, you can reach heaven,” answered the toad.
- You, toad, are small, the Heavenly ruler is great, how can you defeat him?
– He who sends down drought is low, he who demands rain is great! The Heavenly ruler will hear the truth. And if the captain does not want to send rain, our numerous army will force him to yield.
- Z-z-z!!! We don't have your courage, toad.
- But you have long stingers.
- Take us with you too!
And we all moved on together. Frogs are jumping, a yellow rooster is flapping its wings and crowing. The bees are buzzing above them. A toad jumps ahead with a flag leaf. The army moves - dust rises in a cloud.
We reached the top of a high mountain, the stones there turned black from the heat. The army stopped - a striped tiger and a bear were lying in the middle of the road. The toad has raised its flag and is jumping past them. The tiger and the bear are groaning and just about to give up their breath from the heat and hunger. They opened their eyes slightly, saw a toad, and growled. They ask:
- Rrrr! Hey toad! Where are you going in this sunny day? Made a terrible noise...
The toad's eyes bulged, its mouth opened wider, and it waved its flag to the tiger and bear:
- Bre-ke-ke-ke! The sky has sent us a great drought. I'm going to the Heavenly Lord of the rain to demand.
At these words, the tiger and the bear jumped to their paws.
The frogs, the rooster and the bees became frightened, started screaming, croaking, cackling, humming:
- Bre-ke-ke-ke! - said the toad. -Whoever wants it to rain, let him come with me. Don't be afraid of each other!
The tiger and the bear ask:
- R-rr-r-r! Can we reach the heights of heaven?
- Bre-ke-ke-ke! If you walk and walk, you can reach the heights of heaven,” answered the toad.
The tiger and the bear thought for a moment and asked again:
- But you, toad, are small, and the Heavenly Lord is great, where can you defeat him?
- Bre-ke-ke-ke! He who sends down drought is low, he who demands rain is great! The Heavenly ruler will hear the truth. And if the captain does not want to send rain, our numerous army will force him to yield.
- Can you and I, toad, go?
- Bre-ke-ke-ke! The larger our army, the better!
- R-rr-r-r... You’re too small, toad, we probably won’t go with you.
“I, a toad, am small, but I have great courage.” But you, the tiger and the bear, are both huge, and you were frightened by the mere thought that you had to go to the Heavenly Ruler.
The toad waved the flag and pointed to the blazing sky. Again she approached the tiger and the bear with questions. It grinds its jaws and gives orders to the earth and sky. When the tiger and the bear saw how formidable the toad was, they stopped looking at it with contempt.
“If we appear as a huge army to the Heavenly Ruler,” says the toad, “he will have to listen to us.” Otherwise we will all perish!
- Rrr... Yes, you're right. We used to despise you, toad, but now we respect you for your courage. You are weak and small, but the rooster and the bees are with you, you dare to look straight to the heavens. We'll go with you! But we just don’t have that kind of courage.
- Bre-ke-ke-ke! But the bear climbs trees skillfully, the tiger has powerful strength, isn’t that enough?
- Well, let us go with you!
They agreed to go together.
The toad raised its paw with the flag and jumped onto a high stone. The frogs crowded around. The rooster sat on a large fallen tree. The bees hovered and hummed above them. On the one hand, a striped tiger stood next to the toad, growling for warning, on the other, the bear raised its paw, and just like that, it would knock the enemy off his feet. The toad opened its mouth wide and wide, its abdomen swelled, it gained courage, looked at the blazing sky and said loudly:
- Bre-ke-ke-ke! Now we'll reach the skies! The Heavenly Ruler will have to do it our way. Because I, a toad, have great courage. Frogs have agility. The rooster has a strong beak. Bees have long stingers. The tiger has mighty strength, the bear has the art of climbing high. Do you all agree to go to the Heavenly Ruler with a complaint?
“We agree!” the frogs croaked.
- We agree! – the rooster flapped his wings. The bees hummed and danced:
- We agree!
The tiger stretched, claws and fangs exposed:
- I’ll walk next to you!
And the bear, to show off his talent, instantly climbed a tall tree.
And the army moved. Bees are flying ahead. Next is a toad with a flag jumping, on the right side of it a rooster is walking, on the left side a tiger and a bear are walking. And behind them jumps and jumps the frog army - the toad relatives. The army moves - dust rises in a cloud.
They walked for a long, long time in a stifling cloud of dust, the sun burning hotter and hotter. The flag leaf in the toad's paw has completely withered and turned yellow. Finally the army reached the sky-high heights, right up to the very gates of the monastery of the Heavenly Ruler. They stand there with their eyes closed: everything around is so blazing, just look, the animals will turn to ash. The gates to the abode of the Heavenly Ruler are high, high, they are locked tightly, there are mighty fortress walls on both sides - there is no way to climb.
- What should we do, toad! - the army muttered. “It’s not easy to get to the Heavenly Ruler.” What should we do?
The toad opened its bulging eyes wide and saw: there was a large drum in the tower on the fortress wall. And he says to the bear:
- Climb up the wall, climb into the tower and hit the drum three times - give a sign that we are calling the Heavenly Ruler, we have a conversation with him.
As the toad said, the bear did just that: he climbed into the tower, grabbed a stick and hit the drum three times - the fortress walls shook, and thunder rolled into the locked chambers of the Heavenly Ruler.
And the Heavenly Ruler was just at that time playing chess with his close associate. Spirit of heavenly thunder. The Heavenly Ruler heard the roar of drums, took his hand away from the chess and asked:
– Who dared to disturb the peace of our Heavenly Palace? Who dares to beat the drum when I'm playing chess? !|The palace guards ran in, reported in fear that the fortress walls were surrounded by an army of toads, and demanded that the toad be released before the eyes of the Heavenly Ruler for a conversation. The Heavenly Lord became angry, threw the chessboard onto the jade floor and exclaimed menacingly:
- Toad? This homely, thin, dirty creature of the swamp wants the Heavenly ruler to honor her with a conversation!..
And the drum thundered incessantly, everything around was ringing and buzzing. The Heavenly Lord could not stand it, turned to the Spirit of Heavenly Thunder and ordered in anger:
“O Commander-in-Chief of our army, we command you to destroy this insignificant toad and her vile army with thunder and lightning!”
The Spirit of Heavenly Thunder grabbed his lightning battle ax and walked out the gate. They saw the frogs of the Spirit of Heavenly Thunder, heard his thunderous cry, looked into his eyes sparkling with lightning and immediately scattered out of fear, even the tiger backed away from the onslaught of the wind.
And only the toad raised its leaf-flag high, opened its mouth wider, puffed out its belly and shouted:
- Bre-ke-ke-ke! Where are you, my bees with long stingers? Fly here and pity the Spirit of Heavenly Thunder in your eyes and ears!
The bees swooped in and began to sting and bite the Spirit of Heavenly Thunder. His head was spinning from pain and his vision was dark. Before he even had time to rumble with thunder or strike with lightning, he jumped into the violent winds and rushed back to the palace to the Heavenly Ruler. As soon as the gates of the palace opened slightly to let the Spirit of Heavenly Thunder through, nimble frogs rushed after him, and the whole army of toads rushed after the frogs: they scream, croak, hum, growl - they rejoice in victory.
The Heavenly Lord learned that the commander-in-chief of his army had fled in disgrace, and that a toad had entered the palace, and he became terribly angry. Here a magical centipede creeps up to his throne - the dragon's bed - and asks to go into battle. The Heavenly Lord nodded his head and commanded:
- Let the toad die. Hit her with your poison! The magical centipede hurried, moving its countless legs, spewing poison from its deadly sting, and thousands of centipedes moved behind it: everything around became black and black. The frogs were frightened, croaked in fear, even the tiger retreated when he saw that droplets of centipede poison had fallen on his striped skin.
Only the toad raised the flag leaf higher, opened its mouth wider, inflated its abdomen to the limit and shouted:
- Bre-ke-ke-ke! Where is my yellow rooster with a strong beak? Peck all the crawling creatures!
The rooster crowed loudly, flapped his yellow wings like he would peck at a magic centipede - and swallowed it whole. The rooster was pecking left and right, and instantly dealt with the creeping army. The bear on the tower beats the drum even harder, and the army of the toad screams, croaks, hums, growls - the victory is triumphant.
The Heavenly Lord heard that the magical scolopendra had lost the battle, he became more angry than before, and fear crept into his heart. Heavenly spirits, heavenly generals, heavenly warriors came to the throne of their ruler, fell to their knees, and began to ask permission to fight the army of the toad. The heavenly ruler looked at his formidable powerful army and calmed down.
Heavenly spirits, heavenly generals, heavenly warriors in sparkling shells, some with a sword, some with a pike, rushed at the toad’s army, shaking the heavens and earth with a thunderous cry.
The toad raised its leaf-flag high, opened its mouth wider, swollen its abdomen, plucked up its courage and shouted:
- Come on, venerable tiger! Disperse this pack! The tiger sprung up, exposed its fangs, straightened its claws, growled and jumped straight into the crowd of heavenly spirits. Many generals and warriors died here, and those who survived abandoned their shining armor and fled in fear. The bear on the tower beats the drum, the toad raises the leaf-flag high, the army of the toad screams, croaks, hums, growls - victory triumphs. The toad entered the palace and approached the sovereign's chambers - the dragon's court.
To her right is a yellow rooster, to her left is a striped tiger, bees are hovering and buzzing above her; frogs are jumping around. The toad sat down in the middle of the dragon's courtyard, raised its flag, and cried out to the Heavenly Ruler:
- Bre-ke-ke-ke! O Heavenly Ruler! For several years now you have not sent rain to our land, because the rivers and streams have dried up, the grass and trees have turned black, birds and animals are dying countless times.
The Heavenly Lord heard these words and became emboldened. Since that's the only thing, I'll have to get out. I'll talk to the toad. Such an ugly creature, but she has extraordinary courage! The Heavenly Ruler appeared in the sovereign dragon gallery* and asked:
- Why did you want, toad, to appear before our eyes?
- Bre-ke-ke! - the toad answers. – O Heavenly Lord, we have only one request to you: so that we all do not die from the terrible drought sent down by you, give the earth rain.
The Heavenly Ruler laughed and nodded his head:
- So this is what it is? So, that's all you came to me for? Go back home, toad, I will send rain to the earth right now.
The toad bent down and looked down at the earthly world: the wind rose there, black clouds gathered, everything went dark in the four countries of the world, and unprecedented rain poured down.
The bees buzzed and flew. The rooster crowed loudly and menacingly. The striped tiger sprang up and roared with joy. And the bear began to beat the drum even louder.
The toad turned around and said:
- O Heavenly Lord! Now we can return, but how will we notify you the next time there is a drought on earth again?
“Think of something, toad, but don’t appear before our eyes again,” the Heavenly Ruler hastily answered.
- Fine. Let us, O Heavenly Ruler, agree with you that as soon as I raise my voice and shout: “Bre-ke-ke-ke!” - you will immediately send rain to the earth.
“Okay, okay, let it be your way,” said the Heavenly Ruler. “Just don’t make any more noise in my palace.”
That's where they parted. And the toad led his army back. When they returned to earth, the sky was no longer blazing with fire, there was a pleasant coolness all around, rivers were rustling and streams were filled with clear moisture: trees were green everywhere, birds were singing. The toad’s relatives also managed to multiply; they all came to greet her with honor.
And the little unsightly toad, tired from the road, returned to its quiet hiding place and lay down to rest. The toad began to breathe easier. She closed her eyes and quietly, smiling to herself, fell asleep.
From that time on, all the toad had to do was give his voice, bre-ke-ke-ke, and immediately the Heavenly Ruler sent rain. Apparently, that’s why our venerable ancestors said: The Toad is related to the Heavenly Ruler himself - and they ordered their children and grandchildren never to touch toads, to always remember their merits and benefits.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru