Good and Evil Fairy Tale

Once upon a time, there were two people named Goodness and Badness. One day, while Badness was walking, a man on horseback caught up with him. They exchanged greetings and learned where each was going. The man was Goodness. Then Badness said:

— Goodness, let me ride on your horse with you,— he said. Goodness replied:

— In that case, you should get on the horse now, ride for a while, then get off, tie up the horse, and continue walking. After that, I will catch up, ride the horse for a bit, and tie it up on the roadside. This way, we can alternate riding to our destination. If we both ride at the same time, it will be difficult for the horse,— he said. Badness got on the horse and, forgetting about Goodness, rode away. Goodness, tired and exhausted, arrived at a hut in the evening. When he entered, there was no one inside. However, in the middle of the hut, there was a large pot hanging. “What kind of food is boiling here in the middle of nowhere? I’ll have a taste,” he thought, dipped a finger in, tasted it, and then went up to the roof of the hut to lie down. After a while, a wolf, a fox, and a lion came and entered the hut. As soon as the fox saw the food, he exclaimed:

 — Oh no, someone has eaten this food!— he cried out. The wolf and the lion then said:

— Who would eat it? Is this a place for a person to come?— they grumbled, and the fox stopped arguing. The three of them sat down to eat and began to chat. The lion, wolf, and fox each shared what they had seen and heard. The lion and the wolf asked the fox:

— Fox, what have you seen, heard, or known?— they asked. The fox then replied:

— I saw a place where there is a gold pot. In the middle of a bad winter camp next to a wealthy man’s winter home, there is a pot of gold lying just below the surface of the ground, which I guard every day,— he said. The wolf then stood up and said:

— I guard a large lamb among the sheep of that wealthy man every day. Because that wealthy man has a sick daughter, no matter what treatment is given, she does not recover, and no one knows how to heal her. But I know: the one who will heal her is the lamb. If the lamb is slaughtered and its lungs are fed to her, she will recover. Additionally, the wealthy man has announced: “Whoever heals my daughter will receive her in marriage.” However, no one has yet discovered the cure, and no one can find it,— he said. Then it was the lion’s turn to speak:

— I also go at night and eat one of that wealthy man's horses. That wealthy man can never catch me, and none of his horses can catch up to me. There is only one foal that can catch me: it is among the horses in a certain grove. Besides that foal, I can escape from all the others. And the wealthy man has announced: “Whoever brings me the lion that is eating my horses will receive a herd of my horses.”— They finished their conversation and fell asleep, then woke up at dawn and went their separate ways. Goodness had heard all their conversations and came to the wealthy man as a healer. When the wealthy man saw him, he thought, “This must be the healer,” and said:

 — Come upstairs!— he said. After Goodness sat down, the wealthy man said:

— Tell my daughter’s fortune!— Goodness replied, “Sure,” and looked at the girl:

— You have been torturing the child for nothing! Bring me that large lamb. Her illness lies in its lungs,— he said. The wealthy man immediately sent his shepherds to fetch the lamb. Goodness fed the girl the lungs of the lamb, and she recovered. After she was healed, he took her as his wife. After that, Goodness went back to the bad winter camp. When he dug in the middle of the pen, he found a pot of gold. He took it and went to the place the lion mentioned. When he arrived, the wealthy man was trying to catch a lion. After realizing this, Goodness asked the wealthy man:

— If I catch that lion for you, what will you give me?— The wealthy man replied:

— If you catch it, I will give you a herd of horses.— Goodness thought, “That’s fine,” and captured the foal from the grove, waiting to catch the lion. When the lion came and took the horse and ran away, Goodness chased after it on the foal, struck the lion down, took a herd of horses from the wealthy man, and returned home. After many months or years, one day Badness came along. When Goodness saw Badness, he looked like a beggar, as if he had lost everything. When he saw Goodness, he said:

 — Goodness! I have fallen into this state because I intended to do you harm. Now, make me human again. Where did you find all this wealth?— Goodness replied:

— Regardless, you are a human! Even though you did bad deeds, I will do good for you,— and he recounted his own experiences. Then he stood up and said:

— There is a house on that hill. Go there now. Inside, there is a pot of meat hanging. But from that meat, you should only dip one finger to taste it, then lie on the roof of the house. Then the fox, wolf, and lion will come. Just listen to their conversation. After they leave, if you act according to what you heard, you will also become like this,— he said. Badness replied, “Okay,” and went back to the previous hut. Just as Goodness had said, there was a pot full of meat hanging, and he couldn’t resist; he thought, “Let me eat a piece of this bone,” and ate some of the meat, even sipping the broth five or six times. He did this and then went up to lie on the roof. Soon, the fox, lion, and wolf entered the hut. As soon as the fox saw the food, he exclaimed:

— Oh no! This meat has no shin bone, no spine, no broth; someone has eaten it!— The lion and the wolf replied:

— Who would eat it? Is a person meant to come here?— they refused to believe it.

— No! There is a problem! Let me see if I can dream,— the fox said, lying down. After a little while, he got up again and said:

— Let’s go up on the roof of this hut; it seems like there is a problem up there,— he said. The wolf and lion agreed to this, and when the fox climbed to the roof, he found Badness lying there. They all pounced on Badness and devoured him. Thus, Goodness lived on his goodness and fulfilled his dreams, while Badness was devoured by dogs and wolves because of his wrongdoings.