In a small village there lived an old man and an old woman. And since the village was very small, no one else lived there besides them. The old man went fishing every day, the sea was nearby, and the old woman grew vegetables in the garden and prepared various delicious dishes for the old man.
The old man and old woman also kept chickens, which laid eggs for them every day. The old woman loved her chickens very much. For them, she asked the old man to build a beautiful chicken coop, and in the cold months she laid straw for them so they wouldn't be cold.
The old woman and old man lived in perfect harmony, they loved each other very much and always took care of each other. They did everything together—weeding the beds, cleaning the chicken coop, and tidying the house. And the old man called the old woman Kindness, because she truly was very kind, caring, and generous. When a family in the neighboring village had no money at all, the old woman would come to their home and bring various treats for the children, even though going to the neighboring village was very far, more than three hours at a calm pace.
And then one fine evening, when it was time to go to the barn for eggs, the old man heard the old woman's cry:
Old man, old man, come here quickly! There's something in the barn!!!
The old man got scared—what could be there! What if a fox had snuck into the barn and eaten all the chickens!
Jumping up from his chair, the old man rushed to the old woman in the barn. Entering there, he couldn't believe his eyes. In a secluded spot, on golden straw, lay an egg, but not an ordinary one—it was made of gold.
Can this be real? Can chickens lay eggs of pure gold? Well, old woman, you've outdone yourself! Where did you get this egg?
The old man exclaimed with a questioning look.
Where, where—the chicken laid it! I just came in, and here it is! Old man, are we now the richest in the whole world?
The old woman shouted, still not believing her eyes.
Well, I don't know, but this egg will be enough for us to live well and not have to work in the garden anymore. But actually, I think we should hide it away, let it lie there just in case, you never know what might happen.
The old man rejoiced.
And so they did. They made a small box from wooden planks, the old man attached a sturdy lock, and they put the golden egg inside. They went to bed.
Morning came, and the old man got up early as usual to go fishing. Taking his fishing rods and bait, he stepped outside and saw the old woman hammering huge logs into the ground.
What are you doing, old woman? Why are you burying these logs in the ground? The sun is just rising, and you're already up to something.
I'm building a fence so that no one can come to us and ask us for anything. There's no need to give away our goods to everyone, now I won't give anything to anyone ever and won't treat anyone to anything. And you, old man, don't take anything from the refrigerator now, and I won't feed you anymore either.
The old woman muttered under her breath.
Have you completely lost your mind? What are you doing? We've lived side by side for so many years! I'll go fishing now, catch some fish, we'll cook it in the evening and celebrate our golden egg.
No, old man, you go fishing, and then bring me the fish, I'll eat it myself.
The old man couldn't believe his ears. Coming home in the evening with his catch, everything happened just as she said. The old woman took the fish and left the old man hungry. After they got this egg, the old woman went crazy, became greedy and mean. Days passed like this, the old man ate nothing at all, and the old woman kept everything for herself.
And then the old man gathered all his belongings, tied them in a bundle, and set off wherever his eyes led him. He wandered through the forest, found some berries and ate them, sometimes went fishing and cooked fish over a fire. The old man spent nights in a hut he built himself from branches and leaves.
A week passed, the old woman had accumulated so much stuff that it wouldn't all fit in the house. She does everything in the garden herself, cleans the house herself, even has to go fishing for tasty fish herself.
And then she thought:
Alone, somehow, I can't manage all this. And in the evenings it's boring and sad, I can't go to the forest alone anymore, it's scary. What do I need this egg for? What should I do with it? But my old man is wandering alone through the forest, not eating anything, freezing. And he always treated me well and helped me, took care of me.
The old woman grabbed her jacket and set off to search for the old man. She wanders through the forest, and suddenly sees a light in the distance, someone has lit a fire. She came closer, looks—the old man is sitting there, sad.
Old man, my beloved! Finally I found you! Let's go home, I've cooked so many delicious things, I'll warm you up, feed you. We'll live like before, help each other and take care of each other.
But what about the golden egg? After it appeared, you became so greedy and mean.
The old man asked.
No, dear old man, I understand everything now. I don't need any wealth, any golden egg. I miss you so much, I'm so sad in the evenings, I want to talk and laugh with you. And I have no one to cook delicious dishes for. Come back home, my dear!
The old woman pleaded.
After a few days, everything was back to normal, laughter sounded in the house again, the old man and old woman worked together in the garden, and the old woman even started going fishing with the old man.
Fairy tales are written so that people understand that sometimes happiness is not in wealth. The main thing is to have loved ones nearby, and everything else is nonsense.
