Chongurist

Once upon a time, there lived a king. He had a daughter more beautiful than the sun. Many dreamed of the beautiful princess. Many brave and noble young men asked for her hand in marriage, but the king refused them all.

"First, bring me the apple of immortality," the king would say to each, "and prove that you are worthy of the princess."

Many courageous heroes set out to find the magical tree, but none returned. Near the palace lived a poor young man. He was famous for his songs and his skill in playing the chonguri. The young man fell in love with the beautiful princess, dreamed of her day and night, and one day decided to try his luck. He came to the king and asked for the princess's hand in marriage.

The king did not turn away the poor chonguri player. He said to him, as he had said to all the others:

"Bring me the apple of immortality, and you shall have the princess as your wife."

The chonguri player took his chonguri and set off on his journey to find the apple of immortality.

Whether he walked a long time or a short time, he crossed nine mountains and saw a garden spread out on the slopes of a hill. The garden was surrounded by a stone wall, so high that even a bird could not fly over it! The chonguri player walked around the garden—from morning till evening—but found no entrance. He circled it a second time, then a third. As he walked, he played his chonguri and sang a tender song. The garden fell silent, the trees stopped rustling their leaves. The mountains and valleys listened to his song. Birds soaring in the sky landed on the trees to hear the chonguri player's song.

And suddenly, the stone wall parted, and a path into the garden opened before the chonguri player.

This was the very garden where the apple tree with the fruits of immortality grew. A terrible gvelveshapi guarded the magical apple tree. The monster could sense a human, let them into the garden, and then send the unfortunate soul into its fiery belly.

And now, the gvelveshapi sensed the man and parted the stone wall. The chonguri player walked through the garden, singing his sorrowful song. The gvelveshapi opened its enormous mouth, rushed at the man with a hoarse roar… and froze. The unfamiliar sounds of the chonguri struck it. The gentle song soothed the rage of the evil creature.

The chonguri player walked on and on, and the sweet sounds of his song filled the air.

Tears streamed from the gvelveshapi's eyes, and an unknown sadness overwhelmed it.

And suddenly, the strings of the chonguri snapped.

The young man fell silent. He stopped in front of the gvelveshapi, awaiting his fate.

But the gvelveshapi plucked an apple and handed it to the young man:

"Take the apple, do not fear. No one has ever spoken to me in the language of song before. Take this apple of immortality; it is yours. A man who can create such a wondrous song is immortal."

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