How Vasil Defeated the Serpent

Whether it happened or not, whether it’s true or not—let’s listen to what the tale has to tell.

So here’s how it goes. A terrible, fearsome dragon flew into a certain land. It dug itself a deep lair in the forest near a mountain and lay down to rest.

No one remembers how long it rested, but when it rose, it immediately let out a loud cry for all to hear:

"Hey, people—men and women, old and young—bring me tribute every day: a cow, a sheep, or a pig! Whoever brings it will live, and whoever doesn’t, I’ll swallow them whole!"

The people were terrified and began bringing the dragon what it demanded.

They brought and brought, but soon they realized there was nothing left to bring. They had become completely impoverished. But the dragon was such that it couldn’t survive even a day without its tribute. So it began flying to the villages itself, grabbing people and dragging them back to its lair.

The people wandered about in despair, weeping, seeking salvation, but not knowing how to rid themselves of the cruel dragon.

Meanwhile, a man arrived in that land. His name was Vasily. Vasily saw the people walking around with their heads bowed, wringing their hands and wailing.

"What’s your trouble?" he asked. "Why are you crying?"

The people told him about their plight.

"Don’t worry," Vasily comforted them. "I’ll try to save you from this terrible scourge..."

He took a thick club and rode into the forest where the dragon lived.

The dragon saw him, bulged its green eyes, and asked:

"Why have you come here with that club?"

"To beat you!" Vasily replied.

"Well, well!" the dragon said in surprise. "You’d better leave while you still can. Otherwise, when I breathe, when I whistle, you won’t be able to stand on your feet—you’ll be blown three miles away!"

Vasily smirked and said:

"Don’t boast, you old scarecrow. I’ve seen worse than you! We’ll see who can whistle louder. Go on, whistle!"

The dragon whistled so hard that leaves fell from the trees, and Vasily fell to his knees. He got up and said:

"Ha, nonsense! Is that how you whistle? That’s a joke for chickens! Let me try, but you’d better cover your eyes, or they might pop out."

The dragon tied a cloth over its eyes, and Vasily approached and struck it on the head with his club so hard that sparks flew from its eyes.

"Are you really stronger than me?" the dragon asked. "Let’s try something else. Who can crush a stone faster?"

The dragon grabbed a stone weighing a hundred pounds, squeezed it with its claws, and raised a cloud of dust.

"That’s nothing special," Vasily laughed. "Here, squeeze it so hard that water comes out."

The dragon lifted the stone, squeezed it, but no water came out...

"Watch this," Vasily said. He secretly took a piece of cheese from his bag, squeezed it, and water sprayed in all directions.

The dragon was frightened: it saw that Vasily was truly stronger. It looked at Vasily’s club and said:

"Ask me for anything, and I’ll do it for you."

"I don’t need anything," Vasily replied. "I have plenty at home, more than you do."

"Oh, really?" the dragon said, disbelieving.

"If you don’t believe me, let’s go and see."

They got into a cart and rode off. Meanwhile, the dragon got hungry. It saw a herd of oxen at the edge of the forest and said to Vasily:

"Go catch an ox, and we’ll have a little snack."

Vasily went into the forest and began stripping bark from trees. The dragon waited and waited, and finally went to him:

"Why are you taking so long?"

"I’m stripping bark."

"What do you need bark for?"

"I want to twist some ropes and catch five oxen for dinner."

"Why do we need five oxen? One is enough."

The dragon grabbed an ox by the neck and dragged it to the cart.

"And you," it said to Vasily, "bring some firewood. We’ll roast the ox."

Vasily sat under an oak tree in the forest, smoking a cigarette.

The dragon waited and waited, and finally couldn’t take it anymore. It came to Vasily:

"Why are you taking so long?"

"Well, I want to bring about ten oak trees. I’m choosing the thickest ones."

"Why do we need ten oak trees? One is enough!"

The dragon tore out the thickest oak tree in one go.

It roasted the ox and invited Vasily to eat.

"Eat it yourself," Vasily refused. "I’ll have something at home. Why bother with one ox? That’s just one bite for me."

The dragon ate the ox, licked its lips, and they rode on.

As they approached Vasily’s home, his children saw him from afar and shouted with joy:

"Father’s coming! Father’s coming!"

The dragon didn’t hear clearly and asked:

"What are the children shouting?"

"Oh, they’re just happy I’m bringing you for their dinner. They’ve been hungry for a long time..."

The dragon was terrified, jumped out of the cart, and ran away. But it didn’t see the road and fell into a swamp. The swamp was so deep that there was no bottom. The dragon sank to the bottom and drowned.

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How Vasil Defeated the Serpent

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