A Very Old Russian Fable: The Snake on the Road

Moral: How Greed Feeds the Reptile

Once upon a time there lived two hunters who made plans to go hunting together. They decided to go into an unfamiliar dense forest following a narrow dirt path seldom followed by anyone. However, they saw an old grandfather with a long beard sitting on a stump. He said to them kindly,

“Don’t go further on this path, hunters.”

“Why’s that, grandfather?”

“Here, my friends, on the end of this path there lives a giant, terrible snake that doesn’t allow anyone to pass by. No one has returned going further.”

“Thank you, grandfather, for preventing our deaths.”

They started to turn back but then stopped, looked at each other with second thoughts.

“Why should we be afraid? We have guns, more than one. Can’t we just kill the snake?”

“Can’t be more powerful than a gun,” agreed the other.

So they walked on until they saw a remarkable huge pile of money right in front of them, all coins and bills, with a jewel or two.

They jumped for joy, laughing and hugging each other for such good luck to be such good friends.