A long time ago, in a distant country, there lived a peasant. Every day he came to the field, plowed the ground, sowed grain. One day he saw a group of people walking past his field, carrying a canopy, and the Emperor was sitting in it.
The peasant thought: “How good it is to be the Emperor! He is the most powerful on earth, everything is in his hands! I want to be the Emperor!” And then the peasant turned into the Emperor.
He had power in his hands, people obeyed him, he was the most powerful. But one day, looking at the sky, he thought: “The whole world is in my hands, but I have no power over the Sun! The Sun gives life and no one can command it! I want to become the Sun!” And then the Emperor became the Sun.
It shone in the sky, giving warmth and helping plants and animals live. But one day a cloud appeared in the sky and covered the Sun. The sun thought: “The cloud is stronger than me! I want to be a cloud!” And turned into a cloud.
Now he could calmly sail across the sky and cover the Sun. But one day the wind came and scattered the cloud. The cloud thought: “The wind is stronger than me! He is free to dispose of the clouds as he pleases! I want to be the wind!” And then he turned into the wind.
Now he could fly wherever he wanted and transport clouds, giving them a wide variety of shapes. But one day he encountered an insurmountable obstacle on his way - a high cliff. The wind thought: “I cannot move this rock from its place! It is the most powerful on earth! Even the waves, approaching its foot, humbly retreat away! I want to become a rock!” And turned into a rock.
Now he had strength and power in his hands; neither the wind nor the sea could move him. But one day a power appeared that hovered over the rock. This was a man who cut stones, giving them a wide variety of shapes. The rock thought: “A man is more powerful than me! He can break me into pieces and do whatever he wants! I want to become a man!” And he turned into a peasant who came to his field every day, plowed the land, sowed grains and reaped a rich harvest.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru