Two stubborn people never lived. One of them never lent anything - not even a ten-kopeck piece, and the second never returned anything - not even a ten-kopeck piece. That’s what they were called: one – “Non-Giving”, and the other – “Non-Giving”.
But then one day, no one knows how it happened, that the Non-Giver’s dime ended up in the hands of the Non-Giving One. He began to demand his ten-kopeck piece. But will a stubborn person who never gave anything back give it back?
Time passed, and finally the Non-Giver settled in the house of the Non-Giving One. Whether it was during the day or at night, he repeated: “Give it back. broom,” but the second stubborn man did not even think of forking out, although the Non-Giver lived with him for a whole month, ate his food and slept on his bed.
One day, late at night, the Ungiving One woke up his wife and said to her:
“I’m really tired of this stubborn guy.” Let's think about how to get rid of it?
We thought and thought and came up with an idea.
“I’ll pretend to be dead,” said the husband, “and you bury me in a cave.” This stubborn man will not follow me to the next world!
- Why would you pretend to be dead? Better give him the ten-kopeck piece and let him go in peace,” his wife advised.
“Stupid, don’t you know that I never give anything away!” - the husband was indignant.
The next morning the wife cried out, notifying the village of her husband’s death. Relatives and friends gathered, performed a funeral service for the deceased and took him to be buried. And the Non-Giver is right there. They put the body of the stubborn man in a cave, and blocked the entrance with stones. When everyone had dispersed, the Non-Giving One scattered the stones, climbed into the cave and silently lay down next to the Non-Giving One. For three days they lay motionless.
On the fourth day, two robbers entered the cave. They had made a successful robbery, and now they needed to divide the spoils. They shared everything except one precious saber.
“I’ll take this saber,” said one robber.
“No, I,” the other objected.
They argued for a long time. Finally they decided to give the saber to someone who wields it better.
The robbers began to look for something to try their skills on, and suddenly they saw two people lying down.
- What a find! — the robbers rejoiced. “Let’s try our skills on these corpses!”
But as soon as the first robber drew his saber, a terrible cry from the stubborn people was heard.
- Shaitans! - the robbers shouted, threw away all the stolen goods and the precious saber and ran away.
And the stubborn people started arguing about the ten-kopeck piece again.
- Why do you need a ten-kopeck piece, stubborn man? Look how much good the robbers left us. “Let’s divide it in half,” said the Ungiving One, and they began to divide the spoils,
A little later, the robbers plucked up courage and decided to wait to see if the devils had already left?
But angry voices were heard from the cave, and the robbers did not dare to go there for a long time.
Finally, one of them dared to look into the cave, but the Bukhara cap was immediately torn from his head.
- Hurry, brother, let's run! - the robber shouted in fear, and they took off running.
They say that they continue their run even now.
And the reconciled stubborn people quickly divided the goods they had received - the Non-Giver received a hat instead of a ten-kopeck piece. Both were satisfied.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru