One day, a house mouse met a forest mouse somewhere. They said hello and got to know each other. The house mouse asked the forest mouse how it was doing and what it was feeding on.
“I have plenty of everything,” answered the forest mouse. “We have as much food as you want in the forest, just collect it!” I live in a hollow. And under the roots I dug myself a pantry and store supplies for the winter in it.
- You live modestly, as I see! - the house mouse told her. “You have a lot of worries and work, apparently.” That's why you're so skinny. And I live in the city and own all the houses, all the shops and warehouses. I live with everything ready and never worry about anything. But I wouldn’t mind seeing your home and looking into your pantry.
And so the forest mouse took the city mouse to itself. She showed her her supplies - nuts, chestnuts, acorns, roots - and cordially treated the guest.
“All this is not bad,” the city mouse told her, “but you always have to fast.” But I’ll treat you to balyk, sa-rum, and ham! Let's go to my city!
The boastfulness of the city mouse offended the forest mouse, but what could she say to her new swaggering acquaintance? She went to see how the city mouse lived.
They came to the city and made their way into the house where the city mouse lived. Here she arrogantly explained to the guest:
— I have two apartments: a winter one - under the floor, where it’s warm and cozy. And the summer one is in the attic: it’s very spacious and lamb, ham and lard are suspended from the ceiling. In addition, all cupboards and chests are in my possession. I can eat to my heart's content and dispose of my master's clothes. And I have as many carpets as I like. And you, I suppose, only run on dry leaves and moss hummocks...
The city mouse said all this in order to show her guest how poor and insignificant she is.
“But the birds sing so well in our forest!” — the wood mouse tried to at least boast about something.
- What birds! Our musicians here play so well that all your birds can’t compare with them! - the city mouse said proudly and led her forest guest to the attic.
Here she treated the wood mouse to dried figs, cheese and lard and boldly climbed everywhere.
The guest, embarrassed by such an abundance of food, modestly took a bite of all these rich dishes.
“Well, now let’s go, I’ll show you where the people live who prepare all this for me,” said the city mouse and led the guest along the beams of the attic. From here they began to look through the gap.
A cat was sitting by the fireplace. The forest mouse had never seen a cat and began to ask its companion what kind of animal it was.
The house mouse immediately thought: “I will destroy this simpleton, take possession of her goods and live, whenever I wish, in the forest, as in a dacha.”
“This is my old mother warming herself by the fire,” she answered.
“I need to say hello to her,” said the wood mouse. “But I don’t know how you greet your elders.”
- You say: “Ukinchara, sikinchara, persimmon-saki guu”, and jump to her. “She will receive you warmly,” answered the city mouse.
The forest mouse jumped to the floor and found itself next to the cat, bowed respectfully to her and said a greeting:
- Ukinchara, sikinchara, persimmon-saki guu!
The cat stared at her in surprise. And the house mouse burst into laughter. She was shaking all over with laughter, spinning and dancing on the beam, delighted with her evil idea. This beam was smooth, and a house mouse, climbing through the fat, smeared its paws with it. She slipped and fell right in front of the cat's nose.
ki. The cat smelled the fat and immediately saw that this mouse was fatter than a forest mouse. Here she muttered: “Gurmasti, sirma-
- and then grabbed homemade
sti, maha-madla madlapsiriri” the mouse and strangled it.
And the wood mouse rushed to the door, squeezed under it and barely escaped certain death.
Since then, she made a vow to herself never to be friends with the arrogant, envious and treacherous.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru