There lived a grandfather and a woman, they had a son. The old man was poor; He wanted to send his son to science, so that in his youth it would be a pleasure for his parents, a change in his old age, and a remembrance for his soul after death, but what will you do if there is no income! He took him, took him around the cities - maybe someone would take him on as an apprentice; no, no one started teaching without money.
The old man returned home, cried and cried with the woman, grieved and grieved over his poverty, and again took his son to the city. As soon as they arrived in the city, a man met them and asked his grandfather:
- What, old man, are you sad?
- How can I not get sad! - said the grandfather. - I took him, he took his son, no one takes him into science without money, but there’s no money!
“Well, then give it to me,” says the person you meet, “I’ll teach him all the tricks in three years.” And three years later, on this very day, at this very hour, come for your son; Yes, look: if you are not late, you will come on time and recognize your son - you will take him back; and if not, then he should stay with me.
The grandfather was so happy and did not ask: who is the person he meets, where does he live and what will he teach the little one? I gave him my son and went home. He came home in joy and told the woman about everything; and the person he met was a sorcerer.
Three years have passed, and the old man has completely forgotten what day he sent his son to science, and does not know what to do. And the son, a day before the due date, flew to him like a small bird, slammed into a rubble and entered the hut as a good fellow, bowed to his father and said: tomorrow it will be exactly three years, you must come for him; and told where to come for him and how to recognize him.
“My master is not the only one in science; there are, he says, eleven more workers who remained with him forever - because their parents could not recognize them; and only you don’t recognize me, so I will remain twelfth with him. Tomorrow, when you come for me, the owner will release all twelve of us as white doves - feather to feather, tail to tail and head to head. Just look: everyone will fly high, but I, no, no, will take it higher than everyone else. The owner will ask: did you recognize his son? You point to the dove that is tallest.
Afterwards he will bring twelve stallions to you - all of the same color, manes on one side and even in appearance: as you begin to pass by those stallions, take good note: no, no, I will stamp with my right foot. The owner will ask again: did you recognize his son? Feel free to point at me.
Afterwards he will bring to you twelve good fellows - tall in height, hair in hair, voice in voice, all with the same face and clothes. As you begin to pass by those fellows, take note: no, no, and a small fly will land on my right cheek. The owner will ask again: did you recognize his son? You point it at me.
He told all this, said goodbye to his father and left the house, slammed into a rubble, became a bird and flew away to his owner.
In the morning the grandfather got up, got ready and went to fetch his son. Comes to the sorcerer.
“Well, old man,” says the sorcerer, “he taught your son all the tricks.” Only, if you don’t recognize him, he will remain with me forever and ever.
After that, he released twelve white doves - feather to feather, tail to tail, head to head evenly, and said:
- Find out, old man, your son!
How do you know, look, everything is equal! I watched and watched, and one pigeon rose higher than all of them and pointed to that pigeon:
- Look, it's mine!
- I found out, I found out, grandfather! - says the sorcerer.
Another time he released twelve stallions - all as one, with their manes on one side.
The grandfather began to walk around the stallions and take a closer look, and the owner asked:
- Well, grandpa? Did you recognize your son?
- Not yet, wait a little.
Yes, when he saw that one stallion stamped his right foot, he now pointed at him:
- Look, it's mine!
- I found out, I found out, grandfather!
For the third time, twelve good fellows came out - tall, hair to hair, voice to voice, all looking the same, as if the same mother had given birth.
Grandfather passed by the fellows once and didn’t notice anything, the next time he passed by – also nothing, and when he passed the third time, he saw a fly on one of the fellows’ right cheek and said:
- Look, it's mine!
- I found out, I found out, grandfather!
There was nothing to do, the sorcerer gave his son to the old man, and they went home.
They walked and walked and saw: some gentleman was driving along the road.
“Father,” says the son, “I’ll now become a dog; the master will buy me, you sell me, but don’t sell the collar; Otherwise I won’t come back to you!
He said this and at that very moment he hit the ground and turned into a dog.
The master saw that the old man was leading a dog and started selling it: the dog didn’t seem to him as good as the collar. The master gives one hundred rubles for her, and the grandfather asks for three hundred; They bargained and bargained, and bought the master’s dog for two hundred rubles.
As soon as the grandfather began to take off the collar - where! - the master doesn’t even want to hear about it, he’s stubborn.
“I didn’t sell the collar,” says the grandfather, “I sold one dog.”
And the master:
- No, you're lying! Whoever bought the dog also bought a collar.
The grandfather thought and thought (after all, you really can’t buy a dog without a collar) and gave it back with a collar.
The master took the dog and put it with him, and the grandfather took the money and went home.
Here the master is driving along and driving, suddenly - out of nowhere - a hare runs towards him.
“What,” the master thinks, “or let the dog go after the hare and see how fast it is!”
As soon as he released it, he looked: the hare was running in one direction, the dog in the other - and ran into the forest.
The master waited and waited for her, but he didn’t wait and left for no reason.
And the dog turned into a good fellow.
Grandfather walks along the road, walks wide and thinks: how can he show his eyes home, how can he tell the old woman where he put his son? And his son had already caught up with him.
- Eh, father! - speaks. - Why did you sell it with a collar? Well, if we hadn’t met the hare, I wouldn’t have returned, I would have disappeared for nothing!
They returned home and lived little by little. How much time has passed, one Sunday the son says to his father:
- Father, I will turn into a bird, take me to the market and sell me; Just don’t sell the cells, otherwise I won’t go home.
He hit the ground, became a bird, the old man put it in a cage and carried it to sell.
People surrounded the old man and began vying with each other to trade the bird: that’s how it seemed to everyone!
The sorcerer also came, immediately recognized the grandfather and guessed what kind of bird was sitting in his cage. One gives dearly, another gives dearly, and he is dearer than everyone else: the old man sold him a bird, but he won’t give him the cage; the sorcerer went back and forth, fought with him, fought, but won’t take anything!
He took one bird, wrapped it in a scarf and took it home.
“Well, daughter,” he says at home, “I bought our rogue!”
- Where is he?
The sorcerer opened his handkerchief, but the bird was long gone: it flew away, my dear!
Sunday has come again. The son says to his father:
- Father! Today I will turn into a horse; Look, sell the horse, but you can’t sell the bridles, otherwise I won’t return home.
He hit the damp ground and became a horse; Her grandfather took her to the market to sell.
The old man was surrounded by merchants, all dealers: one gives dearly, another gives dearly, and the sorcerer is dearer than everyone else.
The grandfather sold him his son, but will not give him the bridle.
- How can I lead the horse? - asks the sorcerer. “At least let me bring you to the yard, and then, perhaps, take your bridle: it’s not for my gain!”
Then all the dealers attacked the grandfather: it doesn’t work that way! If I sold the horse, I also sold the bridle. What can you do with them? Grandfather gave the bridle.
The sorcerer brought the horse to his yard, put it in the stable, tied it tightly to the ring and pulled its head high: the horse stands on only its hind legs, its front legs do not reach the ground.
“Well, daughter,” the sorcerer says again, “when I bought it, I bought our rogue.”
- Where is he?
- It’s in the stables.
The daughter ran to look; She felt sorry for the good fellow, she wanted to let go of the reins longer, she began to unravel and untie, and meanwhile the horse broke free and began to count the miles.
The daughter rushed to her father.
“Father,” he says, “I’m sorry!” Sin misled me, the horse ran away!
The sorcerer slammed onto the damp ground, became a gray wolf and set off in pursuit: he was close, he would catch up!
The horse ran to the river, hit the ground, turned around like a ruff - and splashed into the water, and the wolf followed him like a pike.
Ruff ran, ran through the water, got to the rafts where the red maidens wash their clothes, threw himself in a golden ring and rolled under the feet of the merchant's daughter.
The merchant's daughter picked up the ring and hid it. And the sorcerer became still a man.
“Give me back,” he pesters her, “my gold ring.”
- Take it! - says the girl and threw the ring to the ground.
As soon as it hit, at the same moment it crumbled into small grains. The sorcerer turned into a rooster and rushed to peck; While he was pecking, one grain turned into a hawk, and the rooster had a bad time: the hawk picked him up!
That's the end of the fairy tale.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru