There lived a poor widow in the city of Osaka, and she had a son named Torayan.
She often scolded her son because he was the first timid person in the world and always got into trouble. The dishes fell out of his hands. The wallet itself, without the help of a thief, disappeared to an unknown location. The rope was entwined around my legs, and the rake hit my forehead. And if Torayan fell, then, as if on purpose, into the dirtiest puddle in the whole city.
By order of his mother, he fried eels for sale. That's what he did for a living.
Once Torayan bought a big fat eel, put it on the board and wanted to cut off its head with a knife, but, as always, he was gape. The eel slid off the board, wagged its tail, and fell into the ditch. And then to another. And from the second to the third.
- Hey, where are you going? Wait, honey, wait!
Torayan runs after the eel. He was about to grab him by the tail, but stumbled and let go again. He runs on. This is the end of the city.
Torayan ran to the field where the radish grew.
And the owner of the field will shout:
- Hey, why are you running around here on my land? You're trampling vegetables!
- “What, what”!.. I’m catching an escaped eel, that’s what! Yes, obviously I won’t catch it. How can I get home now? Do you know how strict my mother is?! Oh, wretched me, it would have been better if I had never been born! Where will I go now?
- Why are you crying? - the peasant tells him. “Tears won’t help your grief.” If you're afraid to go home, stay with me. I’ll hire you as a worker and help me harvest the radishes.
Torayan was delighted and got to work. Unfortunately, he came across a large radish with such a strong root that you couldn’t pull it out. Torayan strained, braced his feet, and pulled with all his might:
- Well, one more time!.. She goes, she goes, she goes!.. Again, no move... Well, wait, I’ll jerk you so hard that if you were a tree, you’d jump out of the ground with your roots.
How he will tear the radish!
She jumped out of the ground - pon! And Torayan was thrown, as if by a click, high, high. He flew up like an arrow released from the string, and bang! Fell near the house of a bocharov on Bocharov street.
The cooper was speechless with fright.
- Where are you from? It really just fell from the sky.
“I was pulling a big radish out of the ground, and as soon as I pulled it with all my might, it jumped out - pon!.. I was thrown to you,” Torayan said, rubbing his bruised back. “Now I can’t go to my owner, the gardener.” He will laugh at me. And I can’t go home, I’m afraid of my mother! Where should I go now, poor fellow! Won't you shelter me, master?
- Here it is, it turns out, what a deal! — the cooper was surprised. “Well, I just need a worker.” You'll be putting rims on barrels.
Torayan began to stuff a bamboo rim onto the barrel, yes, apparently, from birth he had both left hands. I bent the rim into a circle and couldn’t hold it.
- Pin! — the rim clicked and threw Torayan high, high! Clap! He fell to the ground. Looks where he is? It turned out to be in the yard of an umbrella maker on Umbrella Street.
- Where did you come from, with a hammer in your hand? — the owner was surprised. “What wind blew you away?”
“I worked for a cooper, putting rims on a barrel. And one rim snapped me so hard that I flew up to the very heavens... Now I’m ashamed to show myself to the cooper. Won't you shelter me, master, at your place?
- Well, good! Stretch the paper over the umbrellas, it's not difficult.
Torayan looked around. Everywhere in the courtyard, umbrellas are colorful, like jellyfish in the sea.
“Well, it seems I’ve settled in pretty well,” Torayan thinks. “I’ll get to work.”
He pulled the paper over the largest umbrella and took it to show the owner. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a whirlwind came. He should have thrown the umbrella, but Torayan didn’t think of it, and the wind carried it and twirled it like a feather.
Torayan holds onto the handle of the umbrella and dangles her legs in the air. No kite has ever flown so high.
The mouther flies higher and higher and finds itself in the very sky. There are clouds under his feet. He sees a tall beautiful house standing on the clouds. Torayan shouted:
- Hey, owners, whoever is in the house, answer me!
A strange-looking woman came out of the door in response to Torayan’s call. Her eyes sparkle and sparkle like lightning. Torayan even closed his eyes.
She says:
- How did you get here to us, man? This is the home of the thunderers, and I am the Lightning of Fire.
Torayan's legs gave way. Forcibly, forcefully, it came out of his mouth:
- So, the umbrella took me to the very sky? What will happen to me now? Have pity on me, give me shelter.
Just then the horned devils are coming, beating on drums. These were the thunderers. Torayan told them about his misfortune.
“Well, perhaps, stay with us,” say the thunderers. “You can help us.” As soon as we beat our drums: goro-goro-goro-goro, you immediately pour water from the jug.
- I’ll try.
The devils began to beat the drums, Torayan poured water from a jug onto the ground, The fiery lightning sparkled with his eyes every now and then.
Torayan looked through the clouds to the ground:
- What a laugh, what a fun job! Oh, what fun!
Torayan pours water from a jug, and there is turmoil on the ground. People are running around like frightened ants, taking clothes off poles, opening umbrellas, hiding in all sorts of places. Torayan stared, gaped, and stepped into the gap between the clouds.
Torayan flies from the sky upside down. He was about to grab the wing of a flying wild goose... The wild goose screamed in a voice that was not its own. Torayan let him out - and splat! Landed in the very middle of Osaka Bay. There were just circles in the water.
In an instant, Torayan found himself on the seabed.
There is a palace of wondrous beauty under the water, all decorated with pearls.
- Oh, what is this? No way, the Palace of the Dragon Lord?
Otohime, the beautiful daughter of the sea king, came out to Torayan and took the guest to her father.
The sea king Torayana greeted him kindly.
- Where did you come from, guest? Did the waves of the sea carry you away, did you fall from the ship?
- No, I didn’t fall from a ship, from the sky itself.
And he told the sea king everything that had happened to him.
The sea king began to laugh. Pisces even laugh until they cry. The octopus grabs its sides.
- Well, our guest amused us, thank you.
A rich meal was served here.
The fish began to dance and the octopus began to jump. The sea maidens sang songs.
Otohime says to the guest:
-Have you seen what a beautiful garden we have? All the flowers of the year bloom in it.
Torayan wanted to see the garden.
The beautiful princess Otohime punishes him:
- Look, guest, be careful. If some tasty delicacy comes down from above, don’t be tempted by it - disaster will happen.
The sea king's garden is good. Everything blooms in it at once: spring cherries, summer irises, and autumn chrysanthemums.
Torayan walks along the silver paths, looking around.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a piece of meat comes down, and it looks so tender and tasty. It hangs right in front of Torayan's nose. Torayan forgot the words of the sea princess, caught the bait with his mouth and howled:
- Oh! Ay! Something bit into my lip. Save!
The meat was skewered on a fishhook! Torayan feels - they are dragging him up. As his head appeared from the water, the fishermen on the boat became alarmed:
- Monster! Monster! We caught a sea monster on a hook!
Torayan answered them with tears:
- What a monster I am! The same person as you! Save, help!
- Indeed, it’s like a person! What a miracle!
The fishermen pulled Torayan out of the water and asked:
-Where did you come from? What kind of tribe? Where do you live?
— I live in the city of Osaka, not far from here.
- That's the thing! We caught a local guy on a bait. Wherever our brother goes!
They put Torayan on their shoulders and carried him home to his strict mother for punishment.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru