The Magic Pumpkin

Once upon a time, there lived two brothers. They did not live in poverty—their parents had left them a prosperous household.

The older brother was very lazy. He loved to eat well, dress finely, but hated to work. He married a woman who was just as lazy as he was. The younger brother, however, was hardworking. In spring, summer, and autumn, he worked in the fields all day, sowing, tending, and harvesting crops. In winter, when there was nothing to do in the fields, he went to the mountains to gather firewood.

But no matter how hard he worked, he could never please his older brother and his wife. They were very afraid that the younger brother would grow up and demand his share of the inheritance. So, while he was still young, they decided to simply drive him out of the house. And so they did.

With tears in his eyes, the younger brother left his home and wandered aimlessly.

Far from home, in the mountains, he saw a large clearing and thought,
"I know how to work the land. Why not settle here and plant this clearing?"

However, he had no tools to till the soil.

So, the younger brother went into the forest, broke off a young tree, and made a digging stick out of it. All day long, he diligently dug the ground with this stick. His hands were covered in bloody blisters, and he was exhausted, but the work progressed slowly.

Suddenly, the stick hit something hard. The younger brother thought it was a stone and wanted to throw it out of the field. But when he dug it out, he saw that it was not a stone but a pumpkin. An ordinary pumpkin.

Suddenly, the pumpkin opened, and out jumped a tiny old man dressed all in white. The younger brother was terrified, but the old man spoke kindly to him:
"Do not fear me, young man! You have dug up a magic pumpkin. If you are ever in great need of something, shake this pumpkin three times, say what you need, and I will fulfill your wish. But remember one thing: do not ask for what you do not truly need!"

Having said this, the old man disappeared back into the pumpkin, and the stunned younger brother stood frozen in place. Coming to his senses, he decided to test whether the white old man was telling the truth.

"What do I need most right now?" he thought. "I have nothing to till the soil with—so I need a hoe the most."

He took the pumpkin, shook it three times, and said,
"I really need a hoe."

As soon as he spoke these words, he saw a new, sturdy hoe lying at his feet. Overjoyed at having such a tool, the younger brother felt a surge of energy and immediately set to work. Soon, he had tilled a large plot of land, and after working hard, he felt very hungry. He decided to turn to the magic pumpkin again. Just as before, he shook it three times and said,
"I am very hungry. Please give me a couple of corn cakes and a cup of water."

No sooner had he spoken than a plate of hot corn cakes and a cup of fresh spring water appeared before him. He ate the cakes with great appetite, drank the cold water, and returned to work. He worked for a long time, and when evening came, he remembered that he had nowhere to sleep. So, he asked the pumpkin for a hut to spend the night in. And this wish, too, was granted.

And so, the younger brother stayed to live in the mountains. He worked diligently and soon had everything he needed for his household.

Meanwhile, the older brother, having driven out the younger one, continued to laze about and squander his parents' inheritance. In less than two years, he had nothing left of his wealth. Dark days came for him and his wife. He tried to work, but he knew nothing and had no desire to do anything. He was forced to beg for alms.

Wandering through villages and towns, he heard that his younger brother was living very prosperously somewhere in the mountains and decided to go to him. When he arrived, he saw his brother's small, cozy house surrounded by vast fields of wheat, corn, and rows of vegetables.

The younger brother was working in the field. When he saw his older brother, ragged, hungry, and barefoot, he could hardly believe his eyes. Feeling pity for him, he took him to his house, fed him, and gave him clothes.

The older brother asked the younger one,
"How did you manage to achieve all this?"

And the younger brother told him about the magic pumpkin.
"Let me borrow this magic pumpkin for a few days," the older brother begged.
"Alright. I have everything I need now, so I can give it to you," said the younger brother. "But remember, you can only ask for what you truly need."

The older brother grabbed the magic pumpkin and hurried home to share the news with his wife. At home, he told her about the magic pumpkin, and they wanted to test its power immediately.
"We are very hungry. Let's ask for the finest dishes first," the husband suggested.
"No, let's ask for silver instead. With silver, we can buy whatever we want," the wife replied.
"You're right!" the husband agreed.

They shook the magic pumpkin three times and said,
"Give us silver!"

As soon as they spoke these words, a piece of silver appeared before them. They were delighted: how easy it was to get silver! They asked again, and then again, many, many times.

Soon, there was so much silver in their house that they could barely move. Then they decided that gold was better than silver and began asking for gold. Quickly, gold filled the house, blocking the windows and doors. But the older brother and his wife kept asking the pumpkin, "Give us gold! Give us gold!"

Finally, the older brother shouted,
"Wife! How can we hide our wealth so that no one sees it and steals it?"

But as soon as he spoke these words, the gold and silver turned into piles of ordinary stones.

Enraged, the older brother grabbed the magic pumpkin and hurled it to the ground with all his might. The pumpkin shattered, and a huge tiger leaped out of it.

The older brother and his wife tried to run in terror, but there was nowhere to run—the doors and windows were blocked by the stones.

And the tiger tore the lazy and greedy couple to pieces.

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The Magic Pumpkin

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