Komble

Once upon a time, or maybe not—there lived a man named Kombly. He had three sheep. He drove them into the forest and let them go. Then he sat down and began carving wooden spoons. People asked him:
— Why are you always carving spoons?
— ...

Kombly replied:
— I know this craft, and it will feed me!
He shouldered a large spoon and went on his way. He approached a wolf’s den and shouted at the wolf:
— Did you eat my flock?
— No, it wasn’t me.
— Open your mouth, I see meat stuck in your teeth!
The wolf said:
— Don’t kill me, Kombly, and I’ll give you good fortune.
— What kind of fortune?
— Do you see that flock of sheep over there with the shepherds? They have one golden sheep. I’ll snatch that sheep, they’ll all chase after me, and you can steal the entire flock.

The wolf grabbed the golden sheep, the shepherds chased after him, and all the sheep ended up with Kombly!
People asked Kombly:
— Kombly, you only had three sheep. How did they multiply so quickly?
— I let them into the forest, and that’s how they multiplied.

They believed him. Everyone bought three sheep, let them into the forest, and... that was the last they saw of them—the wolves ate them all. The people returned home and said:
— What should we do with Kombly?
— Let’s burn his house!

They burned it. But Kombly put out the fire, gathered a basket of coals, exchanged it for three rubles, placed the coins on top of the coals, shouldered the basket, and carried it away. He came to the treasury and said to the guard:
— I’ll spend the night here. Keep this basket of money safe for me.
— Alright.
He spent the night. In the morning, he demanded:
— Bring me my basket!
They brought it. Kombly looked and began shouting:
— My basket was full of money, but this one has coals! Give me a full basket of money, or I’ll go to the king and complain.

Everyone was frightened and filled a basket with money for Kombly. He brought it home, and people asked:
— You took coals and brought back money. Teach us how to do that.
— Burn your house, gather the coals, take them to the city, and exchange them.
They all burned their houses, took the coals, carried them to the city, and shouted:
— Coals for money! Coals for money! Who will exchange coals for money?

They returned with nothing. They came back and said:
— What should we do with Kombly? Let’s kill his wife.
They killed her. Kombly took his dead wife and left. He came to a man who had three daughters. Kombly leaned his wife against a tree, approached the house, and said:
— Let me spend the night here.
They let him in.
— Who’s that standing over there? — the hosts asked.
— That’s my wife. She’s clever and modest; she won’t come in on her own. Go and take her by the hands—she’ll come.

The daughters went and took her by the hands, but she fell over. The daughters ran to their father and said:
— She fell and died!
Kombly jumped up and began shouting:
— You killed her! Give me another wife, or I’ll go straight to the king and complain!
The hosts were terrified:
— Don’t go to the king! Here are three beauties—choose any one.
Kombly chose the most beautiful and took her home. Everyone was amazed:
— You took a dead wife and brought back a living one. Where did you get her?
— They exchange dead wives for living ones there.

Everyone went and killed their old wives, carried them, and shouted:
— We’ll exchange a dead wife for a living one! A dead wife for a living one!

No one responded. Who would give a living wife for a dead one? They dragged their dead wives home and said:
— What should we do with Kombly? Let’s kill him!
They came to Kombly, and he said:
— Wait, I’ll show you how to kill me.
Kombly went to the field, dug three holes, and said:
— You stand in the outer holes, and I’ll stand in the middle one. When I shout, swing your sabers and strike.

They all stood as Kombly instructed, holding their sabers. Kombly shouted and bent down, hiding in the hole, while the others swung their sabers and struck. They ended up killing each other. And Kombly remained alive and well.

Feast here, death there.
Flour here, chaff there.

↑ To the top

Komble

More fairy tales