p>Foxland
Alexey Rybalko
© Alexey Rybalko, 2019
ISBN 978-5-4496-6700-7
Created with Ridero smart publishing system
All rights are reserved by the
Law of Copyright and Allied Rights
of the Republic of Kazakhstan
g-mail: [email protected]
e-mail: [email protected]
Instagram: @etolislis
Astana 2019
In Place of a Foreword
Once Zhuangzi had a dream that he was a butterfly.
He was very upset in the morning. His friends were surprised by such state of the Master and asked him:
“What happened? We’ve never seen you so much upset”.
Zhuangzi responded:
“I’m puzzled, I’m at a loss, I can’t understand. At night I had a dream that I was a butterfly”.
One of his friends laughed and said:
“Nobody is ever worried about their dreams. When you wake up your dream disappears. Why are you worried about it?”
“The matter is not about it, – Zhuangzi replied. – I’m puzzled now: if Zhuangzi can be a butterfly in his dreams, maybe a butterfly probably has a dream that it’s Zhuangzi”.
From “Zhuangzi” Taoist treatise.
Prologue
Tusks of black cliffs and caves stupid grin
People among the mountains negligible
It creeps up, it clings to snow,
For fog and water fast flowing rivers.
…Cracked rock and the avalanche went down
And claimed it as a grain of sand
Ariya band, “Tusks of black cliffs”.
But wanted I to tell you not about that how dangerous is to climb mountains high…
Episode 1
The Great Discoverer
Once Fox saw a movie about treasure hunters. And it dawned on him that in fact it was not necessary to work to get rich: it’s enough to find more gold and sell it more expensively. And that’s all! Haha!
He decided to become a gold digger. But here’s the tough luck: where and how to find gold? Well, he put on a hat with wide brims and slots for the ears on his head and went to the Magpie. He knows, in fact, that she loves, a rogue, sparkling things, no doubt, and she can tell where to find a gold.
“Hey, do you hear me, Magpie, here is your golden ring on your finger. Tell me, where did you get it?”
“My husband gave it to me.”
“And the golden necklace?”
“I’ve exchanged with a Jackdaw for pearls. Do not bother me, I’m resting.”
“Listen, Magpie, here you have golden cufflinks on your wings, I want like these to myself too, how to get them?
“Why are you haunting me? Gold and gold…”
“I want to learn how to mine gold, so I ask, where do you get gold?”
“What is there to ask? Keep close to people … “she said, and flew away, displeased with the disturbed rest.
Fox has wandered to human settlements. He began to look narrowly. People are just like people. They are walking and walking, messing around. Well, yes, sometimes they do have some gold in the form of earrings, rings and other small things, but who will share? He even tried to ask for gold from people, but they even can not be approached. On the least occasion, they hound dogs, or they run for the gun.
Fox wandered into his native forest. He had thought and decided to ask the Mole. He burrows under the ground, no doubt, knows where and how to dig a gold.
“Tell me, Mole, do you see a lot of gold below the surface of the earth?”
“What kind of question is that? I even don’t see you, far from gold! I’m blind from the birth. And what do I need gold for? My business is the ground!!! I dug a tunnel – I found a worm! And I need nothing more.”
“Well, at least do you know someone, who could tell?
“How should I know? If my memory serves me, on the clumsy oak the Grey Crow lives. He lived a long life, flew everywhere. Ask him, and maybe, he’ll tell you something”.
Fox went to the most dense thicket of the forest to the clumsy ancient oak tree. The farther he walked into the thicket, the darker it was. There is forest’s darkness and dampness. There is a real horror! In the middle of the forest there was a stiff oak, the high one. Probably the highest oak in the world! At the very top of that oak the Grey Crow sat. He was as old as the oak tree.
“May the peace be with you, Grey Crow!”
“Caw!! What did you say?!
“Hello, Uncle Crow!” – Fox shouted even louder, so that a deaf crow could hear him.
“For what did you come to me, Redhead? And who are you? Squirrel or Groundhog? I became blind and old.”
“I’m a Fox!! With the question I came!!! I want to find gold! A lot of gold!!! Tell me where to look for it?”
“Are you a fool, or what? Why do you need a lot of gold? Well, I’ll tell you. Caw! Stand up in the open field and close, caw! your eyes, turn around yourself a hundred times. And then open your eyes and go in the direction you are straight looking at. Go further until you reach the edge of summer. And when you get there, stop and there will be a gold for you! Caw!”, shouted the Gray-haired Crow and fell into a sleepy forgetfulness.
Fox stood for a long time with an open mouth, trying to understand and comprehend what was said, but only understood nothing. That’s why he decided to do everything exactly as the Crow said. He circled in the field with his eyes closed, and went where his eyes were looking, without turning to the right or to the left.
Many days he kept going and nights. In the heat and in a thunderstorm he kept going. Fox came in one nice day to the top of the mountain and realized that he was tired. He sat down on a rock to rest, and became thoughtful and sad.
“He deceived me, apparently, damned raven! He took me for a fool! I went for a long time, but I did not see what I was looking for. Where is my gold?! I walked many days, it’s already end of the summer… Stop! – Here Fox dawned, – today is the last day of summer!!!”
