IN a certain village there once lived a peasant who had three sons, of
whom two were sensible, but the third was a fool, and his name was
Emelyan. When the peasant had lived for a long time, and was grown very
old, he called his three sons to him, and said to them—
“My dear children, I feel that I have not very long to live, so I give
you the house and cattle, which you will divide, share and share alike,
among you. I also leave you, in money, a hundred roubles apiece.”
Soon after the old man died, and his sons, after they had buried him,
lived on happy and contented.
Some time after Emelyan’s brothers took it into their heads to remove
into the city, and carry on trade with the three hundred roubles which
their father had left them. So they said to Emelyan—
“Hark ye, fool! we are going to the city, and we will take your hundred
roubles with us, and if we prosper in trade we will buy you a red coat,
red boots, and a red cap. Do you, however, stay at home here, and when
your sisters-in-law desire you to do anything, do as they bid you.”
The fool, who had a great longing for a red coat, a red cap, and red
boots, answered at once that he would do whatever his sisters-in-law
told him. So his brothers went off to the city, and Emelyan stayed at
home.
One day, when the winter was come and the cold was great, his
sisters-in-law told him to go out and fetch in water, but Emelyan
remained lying on the stove, and said—
“Ay, and who, then, are you?”
“How now, fool!” said his sisters-in-law, “we are what you see. You know
how cold it is, and that it is a man’s business to go.”
“I am lazy,” replied he.
“How!” cried they. “You are lazy! You will want to eat, and how can we
cook if we have no water? Very well, then, we will tell our husbands not
to give him anything when they have bought the fine red coat and all for
him.”
The fool heard what they said, and, as he was very desirous to get the
red coat and cap, he saw that he must go. So he got down from by the
stove, and began to put on his shoes and stockings, and to dress
himself. When he was ready he took the buckets and the axe, and went
down to the river, which ran near their village. When he arrived there,
he cut an enormous hole in the ice. He then drew water in the buckets,
and, setting them on the ice, he stood by the hole, looking into the
water. As he looked he saw a large pike swimming about in the open
water. Fool as Emelyan was he felt a wish to catch this pike. So he
stole on softly and cautiously to the edge of the hole, and, making a
sudden grasp at the pike, he caught him, and pulled him out of the
water. Putting him in his bosom, he was hurrying home, when the pike
cried out—
“Ho, fool! why have you caught me?”
“To take you home,” answered he, “to get my sisters-in-law to cook you.”
“Ho, fool!” said the pike; “do not take me home, but let me go again
into the water, and I will make a rich man of you.”
Emelyan, however, would not consent, and was going on homewards. When
the pike clearly saw that the fool was not inclined to let him go, he
said—
“Hark ye, fool! let me go, and I will do for you everything you do not
like to do for yourself. You will only have to wish, and it will be
done.”
When the fool heard that he rejoiced very much, for, as he was
uncommonly lazy, he thought to himself—
“If the pike does everything that I have no mind to do, all will be done
without my having any occasion to work.”