Kuzma and the Fox
Once upon a time, there was a farmer who lived with his wife, and they had a son named Kuzma. The boy was good-natured, but he was terribly lazy and refused to work. One day, the farmer's wife said:"We don't need such a lazybones. Let him go and try his luck elsewhere."
The farmer agreed and took Kuzma into the forest. He built him a hut and gave him an old horse, five chickens, and a foolish rooster.
And so Kuzma lived there, spending his days in idleness. One day, a fox, drawn by the smell of the chickens, approached the hut. When Kuzma went out hunting, the fox sneaked into the hut and stole one of the chickens. Upon returning, Kuzma was very surprised: what kind of thief had visited his home? The next day, he went hunting again and on the way met the fox. Smirking slyly, the fox asked:
"How's the hunting going?"
"Great," replied Kuzma.
"Good luck," the fox smirked and then quickly ran to the hut and stole another chicken. When Kuzma returned home and found another chicken missing, he was very upset. "Could it be the fox's doing?" he wondered.
The next day, before leaving, he locked all the windows and doors. On his way, he met the fox again. The sly fox once more asked how the hunting was going and, wishing Kuzma luck, dashed off to the hut. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get inside—the windows and doors were tightly shut. Suddenly, he noticed the chimney on the roof and decided to enter the house through it.
Meanwhile, Kuzma hadn't gone hunting but had hidden in the bushes and saw everything.
"Now I'll catch you, you nasty thief!" Kuzma shouted. "I'll teach you a lesson!"
"Oh, please, kind Kuzma, don't kill me," the fox pleaded in a pitiful voice. "Now you won't have to work. All you need to do is pay me in advance for my services. Roast the fattest chicken in fresh butter for me."
Kuzma, after some thought, decided to take the risk. He roasted the chicken and fed the fox until he was full. After eating, the fox said:
"Beyond this forest lies the kingdom of King Thunderbolt and Queen Lightning. They have a daughter—a beauty among beauties. She is kind, wealthy, and will soon become your wife."
"What? The princess will marry me?!" Kuzma laughed.
"You'll see!" said the fox. "I gave you my word, and I'll keep it."
And the fox ran straight to the royal palace. Entering the throne room, the fox bowed politely and said:
"Greetings, Your Majesty King Thunderbolt and Queen Lightning."
"Hello, little fox," replied the king. "What do you want?"
"I have come to propose a marriage. You have a beautiful daughter, and I have an excellent suitor for her."
"But why hasn't he come himself? Is something wrong?" asked the king, surprised by the fox's politeness.
"He cannot leave his domain at the moment," replied the fox. "He rules over all the wild beasts and must keep an eye on them."
"A strange occupation for my future son-in-law," said the king. "Let him send me forty times forty wolves. Then, perhaps, I will agree to give my daughter to him in marriage."
The fox ran deep into the forest. There he began to sing a cheerful song about how well he had eaten that day.
Hearing the song, a wolf approached the fox and asked where he had managed to feast so well.
"I was at a royal banquet for animals," said the fox. "Why didn't you come? I've never seen such delicious food or so many animals gathered in one place."
"How I love feasts," the wolf said dreamily. "Take me with you next time."
"Alright," said the fox. "But the royal chef won't cook dinner for just one. He usually prepares meals for an entire pack. Bring me forty times forty wolves tomorrow at noon, and we'll all go to the palace together. We'll have a great time."
The next day, a huge pack of wolves gathered in the forest at the appointed place. The fox led them to the palace, lining them up in rows of forty.
"Your Doubting Majesty," he said. "Here is what you asked for. Count them. Your future son-in-law sends them as a sign of his respect."
"Thank you," said the flattered king. "Take them to the barnyard. I see that my future son-in-law has excellent beasts. Why doesn't he send me the same number of bears as a gift?"
The fox ran back to Kuzma and said:
"I'm hungry. For my plans to succeed, I must look well-fed. Please, roast me another chicken for dinner."
After eating, the fox ran into the royal forest. He sprawled under a tree and began to sing loudly about how well he had eaten that day. His song was heard by a bear, who approached to ask where he had been.
"You're so plump; it's clear you've eaten well," said the bear. "Where did you manage that?"
"I've just returned from a royal banquet for animals," said the fox, licking his paws. "What a pity, I couldn't eat another bite. And the banquet is still going on."
"Wow!" said the bear dreamily. "Can bears come to the banquet?"
"If you're with me, of course," said the fox. "But the thing is, the royal chef only cooks for an entire pack. Let's meet tomorrow. Bring forty times forty bears, and I'll take you all to the palace."
The next day, exactly one thousand six hundred bears waited for the fox in the clearing. The fox led them to the palace, lining them up in rows of forty. Entering the throne room, the fox bowed to the king and said:
"Your Majesty, the bears have arrived."
"Excellent," said the king and ordered the servants to take the animals to the barnyard. "Now, I want forty times forty minks, and then I'll announce the wedding immediately."
The fox raced back to Kuzma.
"Feed me once more," he requested. "I must look well-fed for our plans to succeed."
Kuzma roasted the last chicken and the foolish rooster for him. The fox, after eating, ran back into the royal forest. He sprawled under a tree and began to sing again about how well he had eaten that day. Soon, a mink appeared and asked where he had managed to feast.
"Today at the royal banquet for animals. There were many dishes made of trout," said the fox.
"Why wasn't I invited?" the mink wondered.
"I don't know," replied the fox, "but tomorrow there will be another banquet to celebrate the royal daughter's wedding. If you want, I'll take you to the palace. But to make it more fun, bring forty times forty minks with you."
The next day, as the king stepped out of the palace, he saw forty times forty minks marching to the barnyard. He said to the fox:
"Tomorrow, the engagement of my daughter to your master will be officially announced. Tell him that I invite him to lunch on this occasion."
The next day, the fox appeared before the king and said with a concerned look:
"My master deeply apologizes for not being able to attend today."
"Why?" asked the king.
"He wanted to present half of his gold as a gift, but he couldn't find containers large enough to weigh it. If you could lend him your huge baskets for weighing, things would go faster."
"Baskets?" the king marveled. "Alright, take them."
He was delighted to have a son-in-law who measured gold in baskets. The next day, the fox ran back to the palace and said:
"Your Majesty, your future son-in-law will arrive today. He decided to bring all his gold, and you may take as much as you desire."
The king clapped his hands joyfully. The fox ran to Kuzma's hut.
"It's done!" he shouted from the doorway. "Today, you must marry the daughter of King Thunderbolt and Queen Lightning. Get ready; we're leaving now."
"Are you sure you're not out of your mind?" asked Kuzma. "How can I go to the king? I don't even have decent clothes!"
"Don't worry about that," said the fox. "Saddle your old nag and take a saw with you. Leave the rest to me."
Kuzma obeyed the fox. He mounted his old horse and followed the fox. When they reached the bridge over the river, the fox said to Kuzma:
"See those pillars holding the bridge? Go and saw them."
Kuzma did as he was told, and the weakened bridge collapsed into the river.
"Now," said the fox, "take off your clothes. Send your horse home and drown your rags in the river. Stand in the water until your skin turns blue. Then climb onto that log floating downstream and wait for me. This is the last work of your life; I promise you that."
Kuzma scratched his head in confusion but did everything exactly as instructed.
The fox rushed to the palace, shouting loudly:
"Help!!! Help!!! Your Gracious Majesty! Help! What a terrible tragedy! All is lost; he is dying!"
"What happened?" cried the king.
"You know the bridge over the river, near your palace? It collapsed! It couldn't bear the weight of the enormous amount of gold your future son-in-law was bringing you. My master fell into the water. The gold, horses, servants—all drowned," the fox lamented.
The king was horrified by what had happened and deeply ashamed of his old bridge. He sent servants with dry clothes for his future son-in-law.
The servants found Kuzma, barely alive from the cold. They rubbed him with fragrant ointments and dressed him in royal garments.
When the king saw Kuzma—handsome and stately in luxurious clothes—he hugged him tightly. He promised to build a new bridge immediately and asked for forgiveness for causing such misfortune. Kuzma graciously forgave him.
The bells rang, fireworks lit up the sky, and Kuzma married the king's daughter, living happily ever after. He took the fox with him to the palace and fed him roasted chickens in fresh butter for the rest of his days.
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