Once upon a time there lived two kings in the world next door. They were so jealous of each other that one day they started a war. One king was all beaten and beaten, he could not cope with his army. It somehow stood on the bank of a river, and there was no bridge or perch across the river.
The king sends an officer to see what the enemies are doing. The officer climbed to the top of a tall tree, higher than the entire forest, looked here and there and suddenly saw: children were playing in the clearing almost below him, a fire had been lit. And then a man approaches them, with such a long nose that there is no end to his nose.
The kids stopped playing and came to him:
- Uncle Weevil! Uncle Weevil!
“Hello, kids,” says Weevil.
- Hello, Uncle Weevil! What's new with you?
- Yes, there is something, kids.
- Tell me quickly, Uncle Weevil!
- I’ll tell you, but you’re just silent. Two kings are at war with each other. All alone, beaten and beaten, there is no way an army can cross the river without a bridge. But he doesn’t know what is growing in the forest, not far from us, a red oak. If you cut one branch from it and place it across the river, a bridge will immediately grow. Just don’t say a word about this to anyone!
Crick-crack, brick-crack!
If you say the word, you will become a stone!
Crick-crack, brick-crack!
That's all the officer needs. He got down from the tree and set off to look for a red oak. He found it, cut off a branch and took it to the king.
“Your Majesty,” he says, “I undertake to build a bridge across the river in one night.” Let the army be ready. And don't ask anything else.
“If you do what you promised,” the king answers, “I will reward you well.”
The officer laid the twig on the bank, and suddenly it grew and grew: it turned into a bridge and spread across the river.
The army crossed the bridge and beat the enemy, taking him by surprise.
A little time passed, the enemies gathered all their troops and again beat the king.
The officer decided to return to the tree. He climbed to the very top, saw: again a clearing, in a clearing by the fire there were children, and out of nowhere, a man with a long nose was walking towards them.
- Uncle Weevil has arrived! Hello, Uncle Weevil!
- Hello, kids.
– What will you tell us?
- Tell me what? Yes, I know something.
- Tell me quickly, Uncle Weevil!
- I’ll tell you, but you’re just silent. The king built a bridge across the river, but then they beat him anyway. But he doesn’t know what is growing in the forest, not far from us, a hollow oak tree. There is rot in the hollow. If you collect this dust and throw it in the enemy’s eyes, the enemy will immediately suffocate and go blind. Just don’t say a word about this to anyone!
Crick-crack, brick-crack!
If you say the word, you will become a stone!
Crick-crack, brick-crack!
That's all the officer needs. He got down from the tree and quickly looked for the hollow oak. He found it, filled all his pockets with dust and went to the king.
“Your Majesty,” he says, “send the army into battle, and I’ll stand in front, then you’ll see everything.” If only the wind would blow from us to the enemy.
“Let it be as you say,” the king answers. - Let's beat the enemy, I'll reward you well.
The battle began the next day. The officer throws the rubbish into the wind, but it turns into clouds and strangles the enemy soldiers. Some immediately fell dead, some ran away, only one in a thousand escaped. The enemy surrendered and peace was signed.
The king praises the officer for his victory.
- I promised you a good reward. I give you my daughter as a wife; I can’t think of a better reward.
The king's daughter, like daylight, is beautiful. And the officer had been in love with her for a long time. He is waiting for the wedding, walking around the yard with his bride, having fun. She tells him:
- How did you build a bridge across the river and unleash such a pestilence on the enemy?
- Oh, princess, I’ll tell you everything. I climbed the tallest tree in the forest, I saw a fire in the clearing, and there were children near the fire. Here a man with a long nose comes towards them. I overheard their conversation.
- What was the conversation about?
- Here's what it's about, princess.
He had just begun to tell her about those secrets when he suddenly turned to stone. The princess was frightened and called for help. The whole palace had gathered, and the officers' uncle was there.
“Oh,” he shouts, “what happened to my nephew!”
The princess began to tell how and what happened, and she herself suddenly turned to stone.
Grief in the palace. The king ordered the petrified bride and groom to be placed in the cathedral, and everyone put on mourning.
But the officer’s uncle still has a strange story going on; he wants to see that Weevil. He could not resist and went into the forest. He climbed the largest tree and saw that the princess was telling the truth. A fire is burning in a clearing, children are playing around the fire, and then a man with a long nose comes towards them.
- Hello, Uncle Weevil!
- Hello, kids.
- What's the news today, Uncle Weevil?
- Yes, there is something.
- Tell us! Tell us!
- I’ll tell you, but you’re just silent. When I told you about the king that he couldn’t cross the river and beat the enemy, his officer was sitting on a tree not far from us and overheard me. He built a bridge across the river and showered his enemies with magic dust from the hollow. The king gave him his daughter as a wife as a reward. But the officer revealed my secret to the princess, and she also blabbed. Both were petrified, the entire kingdom is now in mourning. But people don’t know that there is a spring deep in the forest, covered with a mirror. If you lift the mirror, scoop up a little spring water, sprinkle it on the bride and groom - they will come to life again. Just don’t say a word about this to anyone!
Crick-crack, brick-crack!
If you say the word, you will become a stone!
Crick-crack, brick-crack!
The uncle did not delay the officers; he quickly looked for the spring. I didn’t find it right away, I spent more than one hour. In the evening he goes to the cathedral with magic water, he can’t wait to try the remedy. He just sprayed it on his nephew, and he was already alive and threw himself on his uncle’s neck. The same thing happened to the queen.
Everyone was happy and they were preparing for the wedding again.
And the king keeps asking the uncle officer how he revived the royal daughter. But he remains strong, does not reveal the secret, and is afraid that a terrible punishment will befall him too. The king keeps pestering him, and the officers, uncle, feel that there is no point in remaining silent. Let me go, he thinks, to that tall tree again, maybe I’ll hear something else and avoid trouble!
So he went into the forest, climbed a tree and looked down at the clearing. Again everything is as it was: the children are by the fire, and a man with a long nose is walking towards them.
- Hello, Uncle Weevil!
- Hello, kids.
- What's new, Uncle Weevil?
- Yes, there is something, kids. I'll tell you, but you're just silent. You already know that the officer and the princess turned to stone. And the officers’ uncle hid in a tree not far from us and overheard me, went to the spring and revived the bride and groom. They are alive and well again, and my uncle is getting stronger, there is no way to keep the secret. If he reveals the secret, he will become a stone. But he doesn’t know that there is an orange tree growing on the bank of the river. If you pick an orange from it and eat it, and then cut a hole in the trunk and whisper the whole secret there, nothing bad will happen to you. The secretion will go down the trunk into the roots and drown in the river. Even talk about him, even shout, but you won’t become a stone. Just don’t say a word about this to anyone!
Crick-crack, brick-crack!
If you say the word, you will become a stone!
Crick-crack, brick-crack!
Uncle listens to the officers with all his ears. Hurry out of the tree and towards the river. I found an orange tree and did everything as Uncle Weevil said. And then he went and told the king without fear what had happened.
The next day the wedding took place. If I told you about all the fun and all the amusements that were there, there wouldn’t be enough time until tomorrow. I can only say that the young people lived happily and long, and in their country they had peace and wealth.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru