There lived a poor man who needed money. He once heard that by calling a spirit, you can order him to bring money and anything else you want. Therefore, he really wanted to have the spirit in his power. He kept looking for a person who could give him a spirit to subdue; Finally he found a sage who had great power and asked for help.
The sage asked him why he needed the spirit.
“I want the spirit to work for me; teach me how to call him. “I really want to have the spirit in my power,” he answered.
The sage said:
- Don't worry, go home.
The next day that man again went to the sage and began to cry and ask:
- Call me a spirit! I must have a spirit under my control so that it can help me.
Finally the sage got tired of this and said:
- Take this talisman, repeat the magic word, and the spirit will come, and whatever you order him, he will do it. But beware: he is a scary creature and must always be busy. If you ever don't give him a job, he will take your life.
The man replied:
- It's very easy; I can give the spirit of work for life.
Then he went into the forest and repeated the magic word for a long time; Finally, the spirit appeared before him.
“I am a spirit,” he said, “I am overcome by your magic, but you must constantly give me something to do; the minute you don’t give it to me, I’ll kill you.
The man said:
- Build me a palace.
The spirit replied:
- Done, I built you a palace.
“Give me the money,” said the man.
“Here’s your money,” answered the spirit.
— Cut down this forest and make a vegetable garden instead.
“It’s done,” said the spirit, “what else?”
The man got scared and thought that he had no more work to do, since the spirit accomplished everything in an instant. The spirit said:
- Give me something to do, or I will eat you.
The poor man could not think of anything else to do, he got scared and started running, ran to the sage and said to him:
- Oh, sage, protect me.
The sage asked him what was the matter, and the man replied:
“I have no more work for the spirit.” Everything I order him to do, he does in an instant and threatens to eat me if I don’t give him work.
At that moment a spirit appeared and, saying: “I will eat you,” prepared to swallow the man. He began to tremble with fear and beg the sage to save him. The sage said:
- I found a way out. Look at this dog with a curled tail. Quickly draw your sword, cut off the tail and let the spirit straighten it.
The man cut off the dog's tail and gave it to the spirit, saying, "Straighten it." The spirit took the tail and began to slowly and carefully straighten it, but as soon as he let go of the tail, it curled again. The spirit carefully straightened it again, but as soon as it let go, the tail bent again. Again the spirit patiently straightened him out, but the tail kept curling as soon as he let it go. So the spirit worked for many, many days until it became completely tired.
“I have never been in such a predicament in my life.” I am an old, experienced spirit, but never have I been in such a difficult position. “I will come to an agreement with you,” he told the man. “You let me go, and I will leave you everything I gave, and I promise not to harm you again.”
The man was very happy and readily accepted this offer.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru