Blue snake. Tales (P

Pavel Petrovich Bazhov (1879–1950) is a writer and folklorist who received the Stalin Prize in 1943 for his book of Ural tales “The Malachite Box.” In modern Russia, he remains popular, because in his works P. Bazhov writes about the unchangeable and eternal - about how important love, patience and kindness are. The language of the tales is unique and unusual for the average reader, but it is the language that makes Bazhov’s works a property of world literature. For primary school age.

A series: Primary school library

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The given introductory fragment of the book Tales (P. P. Bazhov) provided by our book partner - the company liters.

Blue snake

Two boys grew up in our factory, in close proximity: Lanko Puzhanko and Leiko Shapochka.

I can’t say who came up with such nicknames for them and why. These guys lived amicably among themselves. They matched it. The same intelligence, the same strength, the same height and years. And there was no big difference in life. Lank's father was a miner, Lake's was grieving on the golden sands, and mothers, as you know, toiled around the house. The guys had nothing to be proud of each other.

One thing they didn't agree on. Lanko considered his nickname to be an insult, but Lake thought it was flattering that he was so affectionately called – Cap. More than once I asked my mother:

- Mama, you should sew me a new hat! Do you hear, people call me Cap, but I have a malachai, and he’s old.

This did not interfere with children's friendship. Leiko was the first to get into a fight if anyone called Lanka Pujan.

– What is he like to you Puzhanko? Who were you afraid of?

So the boys grew up side by side. Quarrels, of course, happened, but not for long. They won’t have time to blink, they’ll be together again.

And then the guys were on equal terms, since both of them were the last to grow up in their families. Take it easy on someone like that. Don't hang around with little ones. From snow to snow they will come running home just to eat and sleep. You never know at that time the kids had all sorts of things to do: play grandmas, gorodki, ball, go fishing, swim, run for berries, run for mushrooms, climb all the hills, jump over stumps on one leg. If they sneak out of the house in the morning - look for them! Only they didn’t search hard for these guys. As soon as they came running home in the evening, they grumbled at them:

- He’s here, our staggering! Feed him!

In winter it was different. Winter, it is known, will tuck the tail of every beast and will not bypass people. Winter drove Lanka and Lake into the huts. You see, the clothes are weak, the shoes are thin - you won’t run far in them.

It was just enough warmth to run from hut to hut.

So as not to get in the way of the big one, they will both huddle on the floor and sit there. It's more fun with two people. When they play, when they remember about summer, when they just listen to what the big ones are talking about.

One day they were sitting like this, and Leykova’s sister Maryushka’s girlfriends came running. The time for the New Year was moving forward, and according to the maiden ritual at that time, they told fortunes about the grooms. The girls started such a fortune-telling. The guys are curious to see if you can approach it. They don’t let me get close, but Maryushka, in her own way, slapped me on the back of the head:

- Go to your place!

You see, this Maryushka, she was one of the angry ones. For many years there have been brides, but there have been no grooms. The girl seems to be quite good, but a little short. The flaw seems to be small, but the guys still rejected her because of this. Well, she was angry.

The guys are huddled on the floor, puffing and keeping quiet, but the girls are having fun. Ash is sown, flour is rolled out on the tabletop, coals are thrown over, and splashed in water. They're all dirty, they're laughing squealing at each other, but Maryushka is not having fun. She apparently gave up on any kind of divination, she says:

- This is nothing. Just fun.

One girlfriend to this and say:

- It’s scary to cast a kind spell.

- But as? - asks Maryushka.

A friend said:

“I heard from my grandmother that the most correct fortune telling would be like this.” In the evening, when everyone has fallen asleep, you need to hang your comb on a thread on the povets, and the next day, when no one has woken up, take off this comb - then you will see everything.

Everyone is curious - how? And the girl explains:

“If there is hair in the comb, you will get married that year.” If there is no hair, your destiny is gone. And you can guess what kind of hair your husband will have.

Lanko and Lake noticed this conversation and then realized that Maryushka would certainly begin to cast spells like that. And both are offended by her for slapping her on the head. The guys agreed:

- Wait! We will remember you!

Lanko didn’t go home to spend the night that evening; he stayed in Lake’s quarters. They lie there as if they are snoring, and they poke each other’s sides with their little fists: watch out, don’t fall asleep!

As the big ones all fell asleep, the guys heard - Maryushka went out into the senki. The guys followed her and saw how she climbed into the poveti and in what place she was fiddling around there. They quickly saw the hut. Maryushka came running after them. Trembling, chattering his teeth. She's either cold or afraid. Then she lay down, shivered a little and, as soon as she could hear it, she fell asleep. That's what the guys need. They got off the bed, dressed as they had to, and quietly left the hut. What to do, they have already agreed on this.

Lake, you see, had a gelding, either roan or brown, his name was Golubko. The guys came up with the idea of combing this gelding with Maryushka's comb. It’s scary at night in the Povets, only the guys are brave in front of each other. They found a comb in the Povets, combed the wool from Dove and hung the comb in its place. After that, they snuck into the hut and fell soundly asleep. We woke up late. Of the big ones, Leik’s mother was the only one in the hut, standing by the stove.

While the guys were sleeping, this is what happened. Maryushka got up earlier than everyone else in the morning and took out her comb. He sees a lot of hair. I was delighted that the groom would be curly-haired. I ran to my friends to show off. They look - something is not quite right. They marvel at how wonderful the hair is. No guy I know has ever seen anything like this. Then one saw in the comb the strength of a horse's tail. Girlfriends, let’s laugh at Maryushka.

“You,” they say, “turned out to be Golubko as your fiancé.”

This is a big insult to Maryushka, she quarreled with her friends, and they just laugh. They announced her nickname: Golubkov’s bride.

Maryushka ran home and complained to her mother - this is what a misfortune happened, and the guys remembered yesterday’s slaps on the head and teased them from the floor:

- Golubkov's bride, Golubkov's bride!

Maryushka burst into tears at this point, and the mother realized whose hands it was and shouted at the children:

– What have you, shameless people, done! Without that, our grooms are passing around the girl, but you made her laugh.

The guys realized that something had gone wrong, let’s get over it:

- You came up with this!

- No you!

From these altercations, Maryushka also realized that the guys had set up such a thing for her, and shouts to them:

- May you see the blue snake yourself!

Here again the mother attacked Maryushka:

- Shut up, fool! Is it possible to say such a thing? You'll bring disaster to the whole house!

Maryushka, in response to this, says:

- What do I care about that! I wouldn’t look at the white light!

She slammed the door, ran out into the fence and started chasing Dove around with a snow shovel, as if he had done something wrong. The mother came out, first disciplined the girl, then she took her into the hut and began to persuade her. The guys see that there is no time for them here, they are drawn to Lank. They huddled there on the floor and sat quietly. They feel sorry for Maryushka, but how can you help them now? And the blue snake got stuck in the heads. They ask one another in a whisper:

– Leiko, have you heard about the blue snake?

- No and you?

- I haven’t heard either.

They whispered and whispered and decided to ask the big ones when things would calm down a little. And so they did. How Maryushka’s offense was forgotten, guys, let’s find out about the blue snake. Whoever they ask, they brush it off: I don’t know, and they even threaten:

- I’ll take this rod and dare them both! Forget asking about this!

This made the guys even more curious: what kind of snake is this that you can’t even ask about?

We finally found a case. On holiday business at Lank's, my father came home quite drunk and sat down near the hut on the rubble. And the guys knew that at such a time he was very eager to talk. Lanko rolled up:

- Dad, have you seen the blue snake?

The father, although he was very drunk, even recoiled, sobered up and cast a spell.

- Chur, chur, chur! Don't listen, our little hut! The word is not said here!

He warned the guys so that their friends wouldn’t say such things, but after drinking, he still wanted to talk. He sat there, was silent, and then said:

- Let's go to the shore. It’s more free to say anything there.

They came to the bank, Lankov’s father lit a pipe, looked around in all directions and said:

“So be it, I’ll tell you, otherwise you’ll cause more trouble with your conversations.” Listen!

There is a small blue snake in our area. She is no more than a quarter tall and so light, as if she had no weight at all. Walking on the grass, not a single blade of grass will bend. This snake does not crawl like others, but curls up in a ring, sticks out its head, and rests with its tail and jumps, and so briskly that you cannot catch up with it. When she runs like this, a golden stream falls to the right of her, and a very black stream to the left.

For one, seeing a blue snake is pure happiness: surely there will be gold on horseback where the golden stream passed. And a lot of it.

It lies on top in large pieces. Only it also has a supply. If you grab a little too much, and throw away even a drop, everything will turn into a simple stone. You won’t come a second time either, so you’ll immediately forget the place.

Well, when the snake appears to two or three or a whole team, then it’s a total disaster. Everyone will quarrel and become such haters of each other that it will come to murder. My father went to hard labor because of this blue snake. One day the gang was sitting and talking, and she showed herself. This is where they got confused. Two were killed in a fight, the other five were taken to hard labor. And there was no gold. That’s why they don’t talk about the blue snake: they’re afraid it might show up in front of two or three. And she can appear everywhere: in the forest and in the field, in the hut and on the street. Moreover, they say that the blue snake sometimes pretends to be a person, but you can still recognize it. As it goes, it leaves no traces even on the finest sand. The grass doesn’t bend under it either. This is the first sign, and the second is this: a golden stream runs from the right sleeve, black dust pours from the left.

Father Lankov said something like this and punishes the boys:

- Look, don’t tell anyone about this, and don’t even mention the blue snake at all. When you happen to be alone and there are no people around you, then at least scream.

– What’s her name? - the guys ask.

“I don’t know that,” he answers. And if I knew, I wouldn’t say it either, because it’s a dangerous business.

That's where the conversation ended. Lankov’s father once again strictly ordered the boys to keep quiet and not even mention the blue snake together.

The guys were on guard at first, one reminded the other:

- Look, don’t talk about this thing and don’t think about it like you did with me. You need to do it alone.

But what to do when Leiko and Lank are always together and the blue snake doesn’t make either of them crazy? Time has moved on to warmer weather. Streams ran. The first spring fun is to tinker around with living water: launch boats, build dams, turn chalkels with water. The street where the guys lived went down steeply to the pond. The spring streams here soon ran away, but the guys didn’t get enough of this game. What to do? They each took a shovel and ran behind the plant. There, they say, there will be streams running out of the forest for a long time, you can play on any one. And so it was. The guys chose a suitable place and let’s build a dam, and they argued who could do it better. We decided to actually test it: make a dam for everyone alone. So they dispersed along the stream. Leiko is lower, Lanko is higher steps, maybe fifty. At first they called to each other:

- Look at me!

- And I have! At least build a factory!

Well, it's still work. Both are busy, keeping quiet, trying to figure out how best to do it.

Lake had a habit of repeating something while working. He chooses different words to make it come out:

Hey, hey,

Blue snake!

Show up, show yourself!

Spin the wheel!

As soon as he sang, he saw a blue wheel rolling towards him from the hill. It is so light that dry blades of grass do not bend under it. As it rolled closer, Leiko saw: it was a snake curled up in a ring, its head pointed forward and on its tail, and it was jumping up. From the snake, golden sparks fly in one direction, and black streams splash in the other. Leiko looks at this, and Lanko shouts to him:

- Leiko, look, there she is - a blue snake!

It turned out that Lanko saw the same thing, only the snake was rising towards him from under the hill. As Lanko screamed, the blue snake got lost somewhere. The guys came running, telling each other, bragging:

- I even saw the eyes!

- And I saw the tail. She will bump into them and jump up.

– Do you think I didn’t see? He leaned out of the ring a little.

Leiko, as he was still more lively, ran to his pond for a shovel.

“Now,” he shouts, “we’ll get gold!”

He came running with a shovel and just wanted to dig up the ground from the side where the golden stream had passed, when Lanko ran into him:

- What are you doing? You'll ruin yourself! Here, lo and behold, black trouble is scattered!

I ran up to Lake and started pushing him away. He screams and resists. Well, the guys got into a fight. It’s easier for Lanka to go down the hill, so he pushed Lake away, and he shouted:

- I won’t allow anyone to rummage in that place! You'll ruin yourself. It needs to be on the other side.

Here again Leiko pounced:

- This will never happen! You'll die there. I myself saw black dust falling in that direction.

So they fought. One warns the other, but they themselves give blows. They fought until they roared. Then they began to figure it out, and they realized what the problem was: they saw the snake from different sides, which is why the right and left do not converge. The guys marveled:

- How she turned our heads! She appeared towards both of them. She laughed at us, brought us to a fight, but we couldn’t get anywhere. Next time, don’t be angry, we won’t call you. We can, but we won’t call!

They decided so, but they themselves only think about it, to look at the blue snake again. Everyone had one thing on their mind: should they try it alone? Well, it’s scary, and it’s somehow awkward in front of your friend. For two weeks, or even more, they still didn’t talk about the blue snake. Leiko began:

- What if we call the blue snake again? Just to look from one side.

- And not to fight, but first to figure out if there is some kind of deception here!

They came to an agreement, grabbed a piece of bread and a shoulder blade from the house and went to the old place. Spring that year was friendly. Last year's rags were all covered with green grass. The spring streams have long since dried up. A lot of flowers appeared. The guys came to their old dams, stopped at Leikina and began to chant:

Hey, hey,

Blue snake!

Show up, show yourself!

Spin the wheel!

They stand, of course, shoulder to shoulder, as agreed. Both barefoot in warm weather. Before they had time to finish the chorus, a blue snake appeared from the Lankova dam. It quickly hops along the young grass. To the right of it is a thick cloud of golden sparks, to the left is an equally thick cloud of black dust. The snake rolls straight towards the guys. They were about to run away, but Leiko realized, grabbed Lanka by the belt, put it in front of him and whispered:

– It’s no good to stay on the black side!

The snake still outwitted them - it rolled between the guys' legs. Each one of their trouser legs turned out to be gilded, the other was smeared with tar. The guys didn’t notice this, they were watching what would happen next. The blue snake rolled to a large stump and then disappeared somewhere. They ran up and saw: the stump on one side had become golden, and on the other it was black and black and also hard as stone. Near the stump there is a path of stones, yellow ones to the right, black ones to the left.

The guys, of course, did not know the weight of gold stones.

Lanko rashly grabbed one and felt - oh, it’s hard, he couldn’t carry it, but he was afraid to throw it away. He remembers what his father said: if you drop even a drop, it will all turn into a simple stone. He shouts to Lake:

– Choose less, less! This one is heavy!

Leiko obeyed and took a smaller one, but it also seemed heavy. Then he realized that Lank couldn’t handle the stone at all, and said:

- Stop it, otherwise you’ll get hurt!

Lanko answers:

“If I throw it, everything will turn into a simple stone.”

- Stop it, I say! – Leiko shouts, and Lanko insists: it’s impossible. Well, it ended in a fight again. They fought, cried, came up to look at the stump and the stone path again, but there was nothing. A stump is just a stump, but there are no stones, neither gold nor simple, at all. The guys judge:

- This snake is one deception. We will never think about her again.

They came home and they got it in their pants.

The mothers thrashed both of them, and they themselves marveled:

- Somehow it will help them to get dirty in one way! One pant leg is covered in clay, the other is covered in tar! You also need to be smart!

After that, the guys were completely angry with the blue snake:

- Let's not talk about her!

And they kept their word firmly. Not once since then have they had a conversation about the blue snake. They even stopped going to the place where they saw her.

Once the guys went to pick berries. They collected a full basket, went out to the mowing area and sat down to rest. They sit in the thick grass, talking about who has more and who has the largest berries. Neither one nor the other even thought about the blue snake. They just see a woman walking straight towards them across the mowing lawn. The guys didn’t take this into account at first. You never know how many women are in the forest at this time: some to pick berries, some to mow. One thing seemed unusual to them: it walked as if it were swimming, very easily. She began to approach closer, the guys saw that not a single flower, not a single blade of grass would bend under her. And then they noticed that on the right side of her there was a golden cloud swaying, and on the left side there was a black one. The guys agreed:

- Let's turn away. Let's not watch! Otherwise it will lead to a fight again.

And so they did. They turned their backs to the woman, sat and closed their eyes. Suddenly they were lifted. They opened their eyes and saw that they were sitting in the same place, only the trampled grass had risen, and all around were two wide hoops, one gold, the other black stone. Apparently, the woman walked around them and poured them out of her sleeves. The guys started to run, but the golden hoop wouldn’t let them in: as soon as they stepped over, it would rise, and it wouldn’t let them dive either. The woman laughs:

- No one will leave my circles if I don’t remove them myself.

Here Leiko and Lank prayed:

- Auntie, we didn’t call you.

“And I,” he answers, “came myself to look at the hunters to get gold without work.”

The guys ask:

- Let go, aunty, we won’t do it again.

We already fought twice because of you!

“Not every fight,” he says, “is submissive to a person; for others, you can be rewarded.” You fought well. Not out of self-interest or greed, but they protected each other. No wonder she fenced you off from black misfortune with a golden hoop. I want to try it again.

She poured gold sand from her right sleeve, black dust from her left, mixed it in her palm, and she had a tile of black and gold stone. The woman traced this tile with her fingernail, and it broke into two even halves. The woman handed the halves to the guys and said:

“If someone thinks something good for someone else, that person’s tile will become golden; if it’s a trifle, it will turn out to be a waste pebble.”

The boys had long had it on their conscience that they had seriously offended Maryushka. At least from that time on she didn’t say anything to them, but the guys saw that she had become completely sad. Now the guys remembered this, and everyone wished:

“If only the nickname Golubkov’s bride would be quickly forgotten and Maryushka would get married!”

They wished it so, and both of their tiles became gold. The woman smiled.

- Well thought. Here's your reward for this.

And he hands them each a small leather wallet with a belt.

“Here,” he says, “is golden sand.” If the big ones start asking where they got it, say directly: “The blue snake gave it, but didn’t tell me to go after it anymore.” They won’t dare to find out further.

The woman placed the hoops on its edge, leaned on the gold with her right hand, on the black with her left, and rolled across the mowing lawn. The guys looked - it was not a woman, but a blue snake, and the hoops turned to dust. The right one is gold, the left one is black.

The guys stood there, hid their gold tiles and wallets in their pockets and went home. Only Lanko said:

- Still, she gave us some golden sand.

Leiko says to this:

“They obviously deserve so much.”

Dear Leiko senses that his pocket has become very heavy. He barely pulled out his wallet - he had grown so big. Asks Lanka:

– Has your wallet grown too?

“No,” he answers, “the same as it was.”

Lake felt awkward in front of his friend that they didn’t have the same amount of sand, so he said:

- Let me give you some.

“Well,” he answers, “sleep it off, if you don’t mind.”

The guys sat down near the road, untied their wallets, wanted to level it, but it didn’t work out. Leiko will take a handful of golden sand from his wallet, and it will turn into black dust. Lanko then says:

“Maybe it’s all a hoax again.”

I took a pinch from my wallet. The sand is like sand, real gold. I poured a pinch of Leica into my wallet, but there was no change.

Then Lanko realized: the blue snake deprived him because he was greedy for free gifts. I told Lake about this, and the wallet began to arrive before my eyes. They both came home with full wallets, gave their sand and gold tiles to the family and told how the blue snake had ordered.

Everyone, of course, is happy, but Lake has more news in the house: matchmakers from another village have come to Maryushka. Maryushka runs around cheerfully, and her mouth is in perfect repair. Out of joy, or what? The groom is probably a bit shaggy-haired, but the guy is cheerful and affectionate towards the boys. We quickly became friends with him.

From then on, the guys never called the blue snake. They understood that she herself would give you a reward if you deserved it, and both were successful in their affairs. Apparently, the snake remembered them and separated its black hoop from them with a gold one.

Two boys grew up in our factory, in close proximity: Lanko Puzhanko and Leiko Shapochka.

One thing they didn't agree on. Lanko considered his nickname to be an insult, but Lake thought it was flattering that he was so affectionately called - Cap. I asked my mother more than once

Mama, you should sew me a new hat! Do you hear, people call me Cap, but I have a malachai, and that one is old.

This did not interfere with children's friendship. Leiko was the first to get into a fight if anyone called Lanka Puzhank.

What kind of Puzhanko is he to you? Who was scared?

So the boys grew up side by side. Quarrels, of course, did happen, but not for long. They won’t have time to blink, together again

You never know at that time the kids had all sorts of things to do: play grandma, gorodki, ball, go fishing, swim, run for berries, run for mushrooms, climb all the hills, jump over stumps on one leg. If they sneak out of the house in the morning - look for them! Only they didn’t search hard for these guys. As soon as they came running home in the evening, they grumbled at them:

Our stagger has arrived! Feed him!

In winter it was different. Winter, it is known, will tuck its tail between its legs and will not bypass people. Winter drove Lanka and Lake into the huts. You see, the clothes are weak, the shoes are thin - you won’t run far in them. It was just enough warmth to run from hut to hut.

So as not to get in the way of the big one, they will both huddle together on the floor and sit there. It’s still more fun for the two of them. When they play, when they remember about summer, when they just listen to what the big ones are talking about.

One day they were sitting like this, and Leykova’s sister Maryushka’s girlfriends came running. The time for the New Year was moving forward, and according to the maiden ritual at that time, they told fortunes about the grooms. The girls started such a fortune-telling. The guys are curious to see if you can approach it. They didn’t let me get close, but Maryushka, in her own way, still slapped me on the head.

Go to your place!

The guys are huddled on the floor, puffing and keeping quiet, but the girls are having fun. Ash is sown, flour is rolled out on the tabletop, coals are thrown over, and splashed in water. Everyone is smeared, laughing shriekingly at one another, only Maryushka is not happy. She, apparently, has given up on any kind of divination, and says: “This is a trifle.” Just fun.

One girlfriend to this and say:

It’s scary to cast a spell in a kind way.

But as? - asks Maryushka.

A friend said:

I heard from my grandmother that the most correct fortune telling would be like this. In the evening, when everyone is asleep, you need to hang your comb on a thread on the povets, and the next day, when no one has woken up, take off this comb - then you will see everything.

Everyone is curious - how? And the girl explains:

If there is hair in the comb, you will get married that year. If you don't have a hair, your destiny doesn't exist. And you can guess what kind of hair your husband will have.

Lanko and Lake noticed this conversation and then realized that Maryushka would certainly begin to cast spells like that. And both are offended by her for slapping her on the head. The guys agreed:

Wait! We will remember you!

As the big ones all fell asleep, the guys heard - Maryushka went out into the senki. The guys followed her and saw how she climbed into the poveti and in what place she was fiddling around there. They quickly saw the hut. Maryushka came running after them. Trembling, chattering his teeth. She's either cold or afraid. Then she lay down, shivered a little and, as soon as she heard it, she fell asleep. That's what the guys need. They got off the bed, dressed as they had to, and quietly left the hut. What to do, they have already agreed on this.

Lake, you see, had a gelding, either roan or brown, his name was Golubko. The guys came up with the idea of combing this gelding with Maryushka's comb. It’s scary at night in the Povets, only the guys are brave in front of each other. They found a comb in the Povets, combed the wool from Dove and hung the comb in its place. After that, they snuck into the hut and fell soundly asleep. We woke up late. Of the big ones, Leykov’s mother was the only one in the hut, standing by the stove.

You, they say, turned out to have Golubko as your fiancé.

This is a great insult to Maryushka, she quarreled with her friends, and you know, they laugh. They announced her nickname: Golubkov’s bride.

Maryushka ran home and complained to her mother - this is what a misfortune happened, and the guys remembered yesterday’s slaps on the head and teased them from the floor:

Golubkov's bride, Golubkov's bride! Maryushka burst into tears at this point, and the mother realized whose hands it was and shouted at the children:

What have you shameless people done! Without that, our grooms are passing around the girl, but you made her laugh.

The guys understood - it didn’t turn out well at all, let’s repent:

You came up with this!

No you!

From these altercations, Maryushka also realized that the guys had set up such a thing for her, and shouts to them:

May you see the blue snake yourself!

Here again the mother attacked Maryushka:

Shut up, you fool! Is it possible to say such a thing? You'll bring disaster to the whole house!

Maryushka, in response to this, says:

What do I care about that! I wouldn’t look at the white light!

Leiko, have you heard about the blue snake?

No and you?

I haven't heard of it either.

I’ll take this rod and take them both away! Forget asking about this!

This made the guys even more curious: what kind of snake is this that you can’t even ask about?

Dad, have you seen the blue snake?

The father, although he was very drunk, even recoiled, sobered up and made a spell:

Chur, chur, chur! Don't listen, our little hut! The word is not said here!

He warned the guys so that their friends wouldn’t say such things, but after drinking, he wanted to talk. He sat there, was silent, and then said:

Let's go to the shore. It’s more free to say anything there.

They came to the bank, Lankov’s father lit a pipe, looked around in all directions and said:

So be it, I’ll tell you, otherwise you’ll cause more trouble with your conversations. Listen!

There is a small blue snake in our area. She is no more than a quarter tall, and so light, as if she had no weight at all. Walking on the grass, not a single blade of grass will bend. This snake does not crawl like others, but curls up in a ring, sticks out its head, and rests with its tail and jumps, and so briskly that you cannot catch up with it. When she runs like this, a golden stream falls to the right of her, and a very black stream to the left.

Seeing a blue snake is pure happiness for one: surely there will be gold on horseback where the golden stream passed. And a lot of it. It lies on top in large pieces. Only it also has a supply. If you grab a little extra and throw away even a drop, everything will turn into a simple stone. You won’t come a second time either, so you’ll immediately forget the place.

Well, when a snake appears to two or three or a whole gang, then it’s a total disaster. Everyone will quarrel and become such haters of each other that it will come to murder. My father went to hard labor because of this blue snake. One day the gang was sitting and talking, and she showed herself. This is where they got confused. Two were killed in a fight, the other five were taken to hard labor. And there was no gold. That’s why they don’t talk about the blue snake: they’re afraid it might show up in front of two or three. oskazkah.ru - website And she can appear everywhere: in the forest and in the field, in the hut and on the street. Moreover, they say that the blue snake sometimes pretends to be a person, but you can still recognize it. As it goes, it leaves no traces even on the finest sand. The grass doesn’t bend under it either. This is the first sign, and the second is this: a golden stream runs from the right sleeve, black dust pours from the left.

Father Lankov said something like this and punishes the boys:

Look, don’t tell anyone about this and don’t even mention the blue snake together. When you happen to be alone and there are no people around you, then at least scream.

What's her name? - the guys ask.

“I don’t know that,” he answers. And if I knew, I wouldn’t say it either, because it’s a dangerous business.

That's where the conversation ended. Lankov’s father once again strictly ordered the boys to keep quiet and not even mention the blue snake together.

The guys were on guard at first, one reminded the other:

Look, don’t talk about this thing and don’t think about it like you did with me. You need to do it alone.

But what to do when Leiko and Lank are always together and the blue snake doesn’t go crazy with either one? Time has moved on to warmer weather. Streams ran. The first spring fun is to tinker around with living water: launch boats, build dams, turn chalks with water. The street where the guys lived went down steeply to the pond. The spring streams here soon ran away, but the guys didn’t get enough of this game. What to do? They each took a shovel and ran behind the plant. There, they say, there will be streams running out of the forest for a long time, you can play on any one. And so it was. The guys chose a suitable place and let’s build a dam, and they argued who could do it better. We decided to actually test it: make a dam for everyone alone. So they dispersed along the stream. Leiko is lower, Lanko is higher steps, maybe fifty. At first they called to each other:

Look at me!

And I have! At least build a factory!

Well, it's still work. Both are busy, keeping quiet, trying to figure out how best to do it. Lake had a habit of repeating something while working. He chooses different words to make it come out:

Hey, hey,

Show up, show yourself!

Spin the wheel!

As soon as he sang, he saw a blue wheel rolling towards him from the hill. It is so light that even dry blades of grass do not bend under it. As it rolled closer, Leiko saw: it was a snake curled up in a ring, its head pointed forward and on its tail, and it was jumping up. From the snake, golden sparks fly in one direction, and black streams splash in the other. Leiko looks at this, and Lanko shouts to him:

Leiko, look, there she is - a blue snake! It turned out that Lanko saw the same thing, only the snake was rising towards him from under the hill. As Lanko screamed, the blue snake got lost somewhere. The guys came running, telling each other, bragging:

I even saw the eyes!

And I saw the tail. She will rest against them and jump up.

Do you think I didn't see? He leaned out of the ring a little.

Leiko, as he was still more lively, ran up to his pond for a shovel.

Now,” he shouts, “we’ll get gold!” He came running with a shovel and just wanted to dig up the ground from the side where the golden stream had passed, when Lanko ran into him:

What are you doing! You'll ruin yourself! Here, lo and behold, black trouble is scattered!

I ran up to Lake and started pushing him away. He screams and resists. Well, the guys got angry. It’s easier for Lanka to go down the hill, so he pushed Lake away, and he shouted:

I won’t allow anyone to rummage in that place! You'll ruin yourself. It needs to be on the other side.

Here again Leiko pounced:

This will never happen! You'll die there. I myself saw black dust falling in that direction.

How she turned our heads! She appeared towards both of them. She laughed at us, brought us to a fight, but we couldn’t get anywhere. Next time, don’t be angry, we won’t call you. We can, but we won’t call you!

And so as not to fight, but first to figure out whether there is some kind of deception here!

Hey, hey,

Show up, show yourself!

Spin the wheel!

It's no good to stay on the black side! The snake nevertheless outwitted them - it rolled between the guys' legs. Each of them had one trouser leg that was gilded, the other was smeared with tar. The guys didn’t notice this, they were watching what would happen next. The blue snake rolled to a large stump and then disappeared somewhere. They ran up and saw: the stump on one side had become golden, and on the other it was black and also hard as stone. Near the stump there is a path of stones: yellow to the right, black to the left.

The guys, of course, did not know the weight of gold stones. Lanko rashly grabbed one and sensed - oh, it’s hard, he can’t carry it, but he’s afraid to throw it away. He remembers what his father said: if you drop even a drop, it will all turn into a simple stone. He shouts to Lake:

Choose less, less! This one is heavy! Leiko obeyed and took a smaller one, but it also seemed heavy. Then he realized that Lank couldn’t handle the stone at all, and said:

Stop it, or you'll get hurt!

Lanko answers:

If I throw it, everything will turn into a simple stone.

Stop it, I say! - Leiko shouts, and Lanko insists: it’s impossible.

Well, it ended in a fight again. They fought, cried, came up again to look at the stump and the stone path, but there was nothing. A stump is just a stump, but there are no stones, neither gold nor simple, at all. The guys judge:

This snake is one deception. We will never think about her again.

They came home and they got it in their pants. The mothers thrashed both of them, and they themselves marveled:

Somehow it will help them to get dirty in the same way! One pant leg is in clay, the other is in tar! You also need to be smart!

After that, the guys were completely angry with the blue snake:

Let's not talk about her!

And they kept their word firmly! Not once since then have they had a conversation about the blue snake. They even stopped going to the place where she was seen.

Once the guys went to pick berries. They collected a full basket, went out to the mowing area and sat down to rest. They sit in the thick grass, talking about who has more and who has the largest berries. Neither one nor the other even thought about the blue snake. They just see a woman walking straight towards them across the mowing lawn. The guys didn’t take this into account at first. You never know how many women are in the forest at this time: some to pick berries, some to mow. One thing seemed unusual to them: it walked as if it were swimming, very easily. She began to approach closer, the guys saw that not a single flower, not a single blade of grass would bend under her. And then they noticed that on the right side of her a golden cloud was swaying, and on the left - a black one. The guys agreed:

Let's turn away. Let's not watch! Otherwise it will lead to a fight again.

No one will leave my circles unless I remove them myself.

Here Leiko and Lank prayed:

Auntie, we didn’t call you.

“And I,” he answers, “came myself to look at the hunters to get gold without work.”

The guys ask:

Let go, aunty, we won't do it anymore. We already fought twice because of you!

Not every fight, he says, is submissive to a person; for others, you can reward it. You fought well. Not out of self-interest or greed, but they protected each other. No wonder she fenced you off from black misfortune with a golden hoop. I want to try it again.

She poured gold sand from her right sleeve, black dust from her left, mixed it in her palm, and she had a slab of black and gold stone. The woman traced this tile with her fingernail, and it broke into two even halves. The woman handed the halves to the guys and said:

If someone thinks something good for someone else, that person’s tile will become golden; if it’s a trifle, it will turn out to be a waste stone.

If only the nickname Golubkov’s bride would be quickly forgotten and Maryushka would get married!

They wished it so, and both of their tiles became gold. The woman smiled:

Well thought. Here's your reward for this.

And he hands them each a small leather wallet with a belt.

Here, he says, is golden sand. If the big ones start asking where they got it, say directly: “The blue snake gave it, but didn’t tell me to go after it anymore.” They won’t dare to find out further.

The guys stood there, hid their gold tiles and wallets in their pockets and went home. Only Lanko said:

Still, she gave us some golden sand.

Leiko says to this:

Apparently they deserve so much.

Dear Leiko senses that his pocket has become very heavy. He barely pulled out his wallet - he had grown so big. Asks Lanka:

Has your wallet grown too?

No,” he answers, “the same as it was.”

Lake felt awkward in front of his friend that they didn’t have the same amount of sand, so he said:

Let me give you some.

Well, - he answers, - sleep it off, if you don’t mind. The guys sat down near the road, untied their wallets, wanted to level it, but it didn’t work out. Leiko will take a handful of golden sand from his wallet, and it will turn into black dust. Lanko then says:

Maybe it's all a hoax again.

He took a whisper from his wallet. The sand is like sand, real gold. I poured a pinch of Leica into my wallet, but there was no change. Then Lanko realized: the blue snake deprived him because he was greedy for free gifts. I told Lake about this, and the wallet began to arrive before my eyes. They both came home with full wallets, gave their sand and gold tiles to the family and told how the blue snake had ordered.

Everyone, of course, is happy, but Lake has some more news in the house: matchmakers from another village have come to Maryushka. Maryushka runs around cheerfully, and her mouth is in perfect repair. Out of joy, perhaps? The groom must have some kind of spiky hair, but the guy is cheerful and affectionate towards the guys. We quickly became friends with him.

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A tale about two boys, Lanko and Leiko, who were friends since childhood and one day met a blue snake. It turned out that this is a special creature that brings wealth and luck - gold dust, and bad luck and discord - black dust. Having touched the black dust, they actually had a fight, but in a kind way, trying to protect each other. For this, the blue snake rewarded them with bags of golden sand, but Lanko became greedy, and therefore he had less sand. But when he admitted it, his little bag began to fill up.

The story teaches that you should not chase easy prey and be greedy; for honest friendship and honest work, wealth and luck will find you themselves.

Read the summary of Bazhov's Blue Snake

Once upon a time there were two friends, Leika Shapochka and Lanko Puzhanko. One day they decided to play a joke on Leiko’s sister, Maryushka, offended because she did not let them see the fortune-telling. She was telling fortunes about the groom - she should have hung the comb on the povets overnight and looked at it in the morning. If a hair is tangled in it, it means that you will get married soon, and whatever color of hair the groom will have. The boys got up at night, found a comb and combed their horse - Golubko. In the morning Maryushka saw that there was a lot of hair in the comb, she was delighted and ran to show her friends. And they guessed that it was horsehair and nicknamed Maryushka “Golubkov’s Bride.” She was very upset and shouted to the boys: “May you dream of a blue snake!” It became very interesting for everyone, what kind of blue snake is this? No one is asked, no one speaks, only Father Lanko told.

It turned out that the blue snake is such a magical creature. She does not crawl, but curls up into a ring and jumps on her tail. To the right of her a golden stream pours down, and to the left a black one. Where the gold one fell, there will surely be gold. Only if you take a lot of it, and throw even a drop along the road, then it will all turn into stone.

If two or three are in trouble, they immediately begin to quarrel, leading to murder. Therefore, you need to talk about it only when alone, and when together it’s better not to remember.

One day the boys were building dams on a stream - one higher, the other lower downstream. Suddenly they see: a snake. She went down the hill to one boy, and went up the hill to another.

They wanted to get gold, but they fought - they didn’t let each other in, they convinced each other that black trouble was scattered there. Later they realized that they saw the snake from different sides and that’s why they got confused. She spun them around.

A little later they decided to call her again, but this time they would definitely look in one direction. They stood in front of each other, only the snake outwitted them anyway - it rolled between their legs. They ran after her and looked - the stump was golden on one side, black on the other, and the stones nearby were golden and black. Lanko grabbed the stone, but didn’t know that gold was so heavy, he felt it couldn’t be carried. And he’s afraid to give up - because if you give up even a little, then everything will become an empty stone. Leiko took a smaller stone, but it was also heavy. He realized that Lanko was a stone too heavy to lift and began shouting to him: “Give it up, you’ll break yourself!”, but Leiko remained stubborn. As a result, the boys got into a fight and returned to look at the stump - and it was already normal again.

We decided not to remember anything more about the blue snake. One day we went into the forest to pick berries, already picked a lot and sat down to rest. Suddenly they see a woman walking, and on one side of her there is a golden cloud, and on the other, a black cloud is swaying. The boys closed their eyes and turned their backs to her so as not to fight again, but only when they opened their eyes did they realize that they were sitting in two rings - gold and black, and there was no way to get out.

The snake said that he wanted to test them again, because they fought well, trying to protect their friend. She mixed black and gold dust in her palm and told her to wish for something. If there is a good desire, then the tile will become gold, and if there is a bad desire, then it will be a simple pebble. The boys wished that Maryushka’s nickname “Golubkov’s Bride” would be quickly forgotten, and that she would get married and their tiles would become gold. As a reward, the snake gave them two bags of golden sand.

When they walked back, Lanko said that the snake of sand didn’t give them enough. And later the boys noticed that Leiko’s pouch was getting heavier, but Lanko’s was still the same. Leiko wanted to give it to a friend, but it didn’t work out. Lanko realized that this was a punishment for being greedy, he told his friend about it, and immediately the sand in his bag began to increase. Both came home with full wallets and gave them to their parents. And here is a new joy - the groom has come to Maryushka.

The boys never called the snake again; they realized that it would reward itself for kindness. And they were always successful in business, because, apparently, she remembered them and separated black misfortune with a golden hoop.

Picture or drawing Blue snake

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Two boys grew up in our factory, in close proximity: Lanko Puzhanko and Leiko Shapochka.

One thing they didn't agree on. Lanko considered his nickname to be an insult, but Lake thought it was flattering that he was so affectionately called - Cap. I asked my mother more than once

Mama, you should sew me a new hat! Do you hear, people call me Cap, but I have a malachai, and that one is old.

This did not interfere with children's friendship. Leiko was the first to get into a fight if anyone called Lanka Puzhank.

What kind of Puzhanko is he to you? Who was scared?

So the boys grew up side by side. Quarrels, of course, did happen, but not for long. They won’t have time to blink, together again

Our stagger has arrived! Feed him!

One day I was sitting like this, and my friends ran up to Leykova’s sister Maryushka. The time for the New Year was moving forward, and according to the maiden ritual at that time, they told fortunes about the grooms. The girls started such a fortune-telling. The guys are curious to see if you can approach it. They didn’t let me get close, but Maryushka, in her own way, still slapped me on the head.

Go to your place!

The guys are huddled on the floor, puffing and keeping quiet, but the girls are having fun. Ash is sown, flour is rolled out on the tabletop, coals are thrown over, and splashed in water. Everyone is smeared, laughing shriekingly at one another, only Maryushka is not happy. She, apparently, has given up on any kind of divination, and says: “This is a trifle.” Just fun.

One girlfriend to this and say:

It’s scary to cast a spell in a kind way.

But as? - asks Maryushka.

A friend said:

Everyone is curious - how? And the girl explains:

If there is hair in the comb, you will get married that year. If you don't have a hair, your destiny doesn't exist. And you can guess what kind of hair your husband will have.

Lanko and Lake noticed this conversation and then realized that Maryushka would certainly begin to cast spells like that. And both are offended by her for slapping her on the head. The guys agreed:

Wait! We will remember you!

As the big ones all fell asleep, the guys heard - Maryushka went out into the senki. The guys followed her and saw how she climbed into the poveti and in what place she was fiddling around there. They quickly saw the hut. Maryushka came running after them. Trembling, chattering his teeth. She's either cold or afraid. Then she lay down, shivered a little and, as soon as she heard it, she fell asleep. That's what the guys need. They got off the bed, dressed as they had to, and quietly left the hut. What to do, they have already agreed on this.

Lake, you see, had a gelding, either roan or brown, his name was Golubko. The guys came up with the idea of combing this gelding with Maryushka's comb. It’s scary at night in the Povets, only the guys are brave in front of each other. They found a comb in the Povets, combed the wool from Dove and hung the comb in its place. After that, they snuck into the hut and fell soundly asleep. We woke up late. Of the big ones, Leykov’s mother was the only one in the hut, standing by the stove.

You, they say, turned out to have Golubko as your fiancé.

This is a great insult to Maryushka, she quarreled with her friends, and you know, they laugh. They announced her nickname: Golubkov’s bride.

Maryushka ran home and complained to her mother - this is what a misfortune happened, and the guys remembered yesterday’s slaps on the head and teased them from the floor:

Golubkov's bride, Golubkov's bride! Maryushka burst into tears at this point, and the mother realized whose hands it was and shouted at the children:

What have you shameless people done! Without that, our grooms are passing around the girl, but you made her laugh.

The guys understood - it didn’t turn out well at all, let’s repent:

You came up with this!

From these altercations, Maryushka also realized that the guys had set up such a thing for her, and shouts to them:

May you see the blue snake yourself!

Here again the mother attacked Maryushka:

Shut up, you fool! Is it possible to say such a thing? You'll bring disaster to the whole house!

Maryushka, in response to this, says:

What do I care about that! I wouldn’t look at the white light!

Leiko, have you heard about the blue snake?

No and you?

I haven't heard of it either.

I’ll take this rod and take them both away! Forget asking about this!

This made the guys even more curious: what kind of snake is this that you can’t even ask about?

Dad, have you seen the blue snake?

The father, although he was very drunk, even recoiled, sobered up and made a spell:

Chur, chur, chur! Don't listen, our little hut! The word is not said here!

He warned the guys so that their friends wouldn’t say such things, but after drinking, he wanted to talk. He sat there, was silent, and then said:

Let's go to the shore. It’s more free to say anything there.

They came to the bank, Lankov’s father lit a pipe, looked around in all directions and said:

So be it, I’ll tell you, otherwise you’ll cause more trouble with your conversations. Listen!

Well, when a snake appears to two or three or a whole gang, then it’s a total disaster. Everyone will quarrel and become such haters of each other that it will come to murder. My father went to hard labor because of this blue snake. One day the gang was sitting and talking, and she showed herself. This is where they got confused. Two were killed in a fight, the other five were taken to hard labor. And there was no gold. That’s why they don’t talk about the blue snake: they’re afraid it might show up in front of two or three. And she can appear everywhere: in the forest and in the field, in the hut and on the street. Moreover, they say that the blue snake sometimes pretends to be a person, but you can still recognize it. As it goes, it leaves no traces even on the finest sand. The grass doesn’t bend under it either. This is the first sign, and the second is this: a golden stream runs from the right sleeve, black dust pours from the left.

Father Lankov said something like this and punishes the boys:

Look, don’t tell anyone about this and don’t even mention the blue snake together. When you happen to be alone and there are no people around you, then at least scream.

What's her name? - the guys ask.

“I don’t know that,” he answers. And if I knew, I wouldn’t say it either, because it’s a dangerous business.

That's where the conversation ended. Lankov’s father once again strictly ordered the boys to keep quiet and not even mention the blue snake together.

The guys were on guard at first, one reminded the other:

Look, don’t talk about this thing and don’t think about it like you did with me. You need to do it alone.

Look at me!

And I have! At least build a factory!

Well, it's still work. Both are busy, keeping quiet, trying to figure out how best to do it. Lake had a habit of repeating something while working. He chooses different words to make it come out:

Hey, hey,

Blue snake!

Show up, show yourself!

Spin the wheel!

I even saw the eyes!

And I saw the tail. She will rest against them and jump up.

Do you think I didn't see? He leaned out of the ring a little.

Leiko, as he was still more lively, ran up to his pond for a shovel.

Now,” he shouts, “we’ll get gold!” He came running with a shovel and just wanted to dig up the ground from the side where the golden stream had passed, when Lanko ran into him:

What are you doing! You'll ruin yourself! Here, lo and behold, black trouble is scattered!

I ran up to Lake and started pushing him away. He screams and resists. Well, the guys got angry. It’s easier for Lanka to go down the hill, so he pushed Lake away, and he shouted:

I won’t allow anyone to rummage in that place! You'll ruin yourself. It needs to be on the other side.

Here again Leiko pounced:

This will never happen! You'll die there. I myself saw black dust falling in that direction.

And so as not to fight, but first to figure out whether there is some kind of deception here!

Hey, hey,

Blue snake!

Show up, show yourself!

Spin the wheel!

Choose less, less! This one is heavy! Leiko obeyed and took a smaller one, but it also seemed heavy. Then he realized that Lank couldn’t handle the stone at all, and said:

Stop it, or you'll get hurt!

Lanko answers:

If I throw it, everything will turn into a simple stone.

Stop it, I say! - Leiko shouts, and Lanko insists: it’s impossible.

This snake is one deception. We will never think about her again.

They came home and they got it in their pants. The mothers thrashed both of them, and they themselves marveled:

Somehow it will help them to get dirty in the same way! One pant leg is in clay, the other is in tar! You also need to be smart!

After that, the guys were completely angry with the blue snake:

Let's not talk about her!

And they kept their word firmly! Not once since then have they had a conversation about the blue snake. They even stopped going to the place where she was seen.

Once the guys went to pick berries. They collected a full basket, went out to the mowing area and sat down to rest. They sit in the thick grass, talking about who has more and who has the largest berries. Neither one nor the other even thought about the blue snake. They just see a woman walking straight towards them across the mowing lawn. The guys didn’t take this into account at first. You never know how many women are in the forest at this time: some to pick berries, some to mow. One thing seemed unusual to them: it walked as if it were swimming, very easily. She began to approach closer, the guys saw that not a single flower, not a single blade of grass would bend under her. And then they noticed that on the right side of her a golden cloud was swaying, and on the left - a black one. The guys agreed:

Let's turn away. Let's not watch! Otherwise it will lead to a fight again.

No one will leave my circles unless I remove them myself.

Here Leiko and Lank prayed:

Auntie, we didn’t call you.

“And I,” he answers, “came myself to look at the hunters to get gold without work.”

The guys ask:

Let go, aunty, we won't do it anymore. We already fought twice because of you!

If someone thinks something good for someone else, that person’s tile will become golden; if it’s a trifle, it will turn out to be a waste stone.

If only the nickname Golubkov’s bride would be quickly forgotten and Maryushka would get married!

They wished it so, and both of their tiles became gold. The woman smiled:

Well thought. Here's your reward for this.

And he hands them each a small leather wallet with a belt.

The guys stood there, hid their gold tiles and wallets in their pockets and went home. Only Lanko said:

Still, she gave us some golden sand.

Leiko says to this:

Apparently they deserve so much.

Dear Leiko senses that his pocket has become very heavy. He barely pulled out his wallet - he had grown so big. Asks Lanka:

Has your wallet grown too?

No,” he answers, “the same as it was.”

Lake felt awkward in front of his friend that they didn’t have the same amount of sand, so he said:

Let me give you some.

Maybe it's all a hoax again.

Page 1 of 5

Two boys grew up in our factory, in close proximity: Lanko Puzhanko and Leiko Shapochka. I can’t say who came up with such nicknames for them and why. These guys lived amicably among themselves. We got close to matching. The same intelligence, the same strength, the same height and years.

And there was no big difference in life. Lank's father was a miner, Lake's was grieving on the golden sands, and mothers, as you know, toiled around the house. The guys had nothing to be proud of each other. One thing they didn't agree on. Lanko considered his nickname to be an insult, but Lake thought it was flattering that he was so affectionately called - Cap. I asked my mother more than once. - Mama, you should sew me a new hat! Do you hear, people call me Cap, but I have a malachai, and that one is old. This did not interfere with children's friendship. Leiko was the first to get into a fight if anyone called Lanka Puzhank. - What is he like to you Puzhanko? Who were you afraid of? So the boys grew up side by side. Quarrels, of course, happened, but not for long. They won’t have time to blink, they’ll be together again. And then the guys were on equal terms, since both of them were the last to grow up in their families. Take it easy on someone like that. Don't hang around with little ones. From snow to snow they will come running home just to eat and sleep. You never know at that time the kids had all sorts of things to do: play grandma, gorodki, ball, go fishing, swim, run for berries, run for mushrooms, climb all the hills, jump over stumps on one leg.

If they sneak out of the house in the morning - look for them! Only they didn’t search hard for these guys. As soon as they ran home in the evening, they grumbled at them: “He’s here, our staggering!” Feed him! In winter it was different. Winter, it is known, will tuck its tail between its legs and will not bypass people. Winter drove Lanka and Lake into the huts. You see, the clothes are weak, the shoes are thin - you won’t run far in them. It was just enough warmth to run from hut to hut. So as not to get in the way of the big one, they will both huddle on the floor and sit there.

It's more fun with two people. When they play, when they remember about summer, when they just listen to what the big ones are talking about. One day they were sitting like this, and their girlfriends came running to the lake’s sister Maryushka. Time was moving towards the New Year, and according to the maiden ritual at that time, they told fortunes about the grooms.

The girls started such a fortune-telling. The guys are curious to see if you can approach it. They didn’t let me get close, but Maryushka, in her own way, still slapped me on the head. - Go to your place! You see, this Maryushka was one of the angry ones. For many years there have been brides, but there have been no grooms. The girl seems to be quite good, but a little short. The flaw seems to be small, but the guys still rejected her because of this. Well, she was angry. The guys are huddled on the floor, puffing and keeping quiet, but the girls are having fun. Ash is sown, flour is rolled out on the tabletop, coals are thrown over, and splashed in water. They're all dirty, they're laughing squealing at each other, but Maryushka is not having fun.

She, apparently, has given up on any kind of divination, and says: “This is a trifle.” Just fun. One friend says to this: “It’s scary to cast a kind spell.” - But as? - asks Maryushka. A friend said: “I heard from my grandmother that the most correct fortune telling would be like this.” In the evening, when everyone is asleep, you need to hang your comb on a string on the povets, and the next day, when no one has woken up, take off this comb - then you will see everything. Everyone is curious - how? And the girl explains: “If there is hair in the comb, you will get married that year.” If you don't have a hair, your destiny doesn't exist. And you can guess what kind of hair your husband will have.

Lanko and Lake noticed this conversation and then realized that Maryushka would certainly begin to cast spells like that. And both are offended by her for slapping her on the head. The guys agreed: - Wait! We will remember you! Lanko didn’t go home to spend the night that evening; he stayed in Lake’s quarters. They lie there as if they are snoring, and they poke each other’s sides with their little fists: watch out, don’t fall asleep! As the big ones all fell asleep, the guys heard - Maryushka went out into the senki.

The guys followed her and saw how she climbed into the poveti and in what place she was fiddling around there. They quickly saw the hut. Maryushka came running after them. Trembling, chattering his teeth. She's either cold or afraid. Then she lay down, shivered a little and, as soon as she heard it, she fell asleep. That's what the guys need. They got off the bed, dressed as they had to, and quietly left the hut. What to do, they have already agreed on this.

Blue snake. Tales (P

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