One day a man was walking through a dense forest in winter. Night fell and he was frozen to the bone. I finally came across someone's house. I knocked.
“Let me spend the night, I’m cold.” I'll pay whatever you ask, just don't take too much.
The owner let him in, but refused the money.
“I’ll let you in to warm up,” he said, “I’ll give you dinner and lodging for the night, but you must answer all my questions.” If you answer, fine; if you don’t answer, beware, you’ll get a slap in the face.
What to do? The traveler agreed, and the owner led him to a rich table. We had dinner, talked about this and that, and the owner asked:
- Come on, tell me now, what is it? - and points to the cat under the table.
- Cat! - the traveler answers, and he himself thinks: “Well, every child knows that!”
“No, not a cat,” the owner answers and rewards him with a hefty slap in the face. - This, my friend, is purity!
The guest was surprised: what’s wrong with the owner? And he points to a jug of water:
- What is this?
- Water!
“No,” says the owner and treats him to a second slap. - This is kindness!
- Tell me, what is this? - asks the owner, pointing to the fire.
- Fire!
- No! - And again a slap in the face. - This, my friend, is beauty! Let's see if you know what it is up there. - And the owner points to the attic.
- Attic! - the guest answers and receives a fourth slap.
- No, this is height!
The traveler, seeing that there would be no end to this, got up from the table and asked the owner to let him into the yard to think. The owner let him in. Going out into the yard, the guest grabbed a large cat and tied a burning splinter to its tail. The cat ran straight into the attic in fear, and the traveler returned to the house and said to the owner:
“Purity took beauty and carried it to heights. Give us kindness rather to kill beauty.
The owner will not understand his words; he has already forgotten what he just told him. He got angry with him and shouted:
- Yes, speak like a human being!
At this point the guest came out and himself.
- A! So you don’t know either!
He rewarded the owner with four hefty slaps in the face, and then explained:
- Your house is on fire, buddy!
And he left.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru