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Summary: The amazing informative fairy tale Gray Sheika, authored by Mamin-Sibiryak, tells about the difficult life of a kind duck in a flock of ducks. She enjoyed every new day. When the time came to say goodbye and fly away to those lands where it is warm and sunny, the little beautiful duck did not become upset, but only rejoiced at such changes in her life. She always dreamed of seeing something new and seeing the whole big and mysterious world, but then a great misfortune and incredible trouble happened. A sly red fox appeared from nowhere and attacked a small gray duck. I tried to eat it, but I couldn’t, I just hurt her very badly and crippled her too. The red-haired naughty girl comes to her every day and watches the gray poor, unhappy crippled duck. She is still waiting for the frost to come even more and completely freeze that small lake in which the poor fellow can still swim. And then came that cold and frosty day when the lake completely turned into ice. Mamin-Sibiryak in a fairy tale with bright colors, heartfeltly describes the mood and feelings of the unfortunate duck. Reading such lines, one involuntarily feels and is incredibly imbued with pity and immeasurable compassion for the poor fellow. She is very scared and lost, does not know what can and should be done next? But other inhabitants of the forest come to her rescue to help her, forest animals try to protect the duck from being eaten by the fox. With such a sincere friendship, all the animals instill confidence in the poor thing and give her strength and the desire not to give up. After all, everyone knows and understands that whoever is weak in spirit weakens with his whole body. You can read the fairy tale Gray Neck online for free on this page. You can listen to it in audio recording or watch a cartoon. Write your feedback and comments.

The text of the fairy tale Gray Neck

The first autumn cold, from which the grass turned yellow, led all the birds into great alarm. Everyone began to prepare for a long journey, and everyone had such a serious, anxious look. Yes, it is not easy to fly over a space of several thousand miles. How many poor birds will be exhausted on the road, how many will die from various accidents - in general, there was something to seriously think about.

A serious, large bird, like swans, geese and ducks, was getting ready for the journey with a dignified air, realizing all the difficulty of the upcoming feat; and the most noisy, fussing and bustling little birds, like sandpipers, phalaropes, dunlin, blackies, plovers. They had gathered in flocks for a long time and were carried from one bank to another over the shallows and marshes with such speed, as if someone had thrown a handful of peas. Little birds had such a big job.

- And where is this trifle in a hurry! - grumbled old Drake, who did not like to bother himself. - In due time we will all fly away. I don’t know what to worry about.

“You have always been a lazy person, so it’s unpleasant for you to look at other people's troubles,” explained his wife, the old Duck.

- Was I a lazy person? You're just not fair to me, and nothing else. Maybe I care more than anyone else, but I just don't show it. There is little sense in this if I run from morning to night along the shore, screaming, interfering with others, annoying everyone.

The duck was generally not entirely happy with her husband, and now she is finally angry:

- Look at the others, you lazybones! There are our neighbors, geese or swans - you would love to look at them. They live in perfect harmony. Probably a swan or a goose will not abandon their nest and are always ahead of the brood. Yes, yes ... And you don't even care about children. You only think about yourself to get a goiter. Lazy, in a word. It's even disgusting to look at you!

- Don't grumble, old woman! After all, I'm nothing but saying that you have such an unpleasant character. Each has its drawbacks. It is not my fault that the goose is a stupid bird and therefore nurses its brood. In general, my rule is not to interfere in other people's affairs. Well, why? Let everyone live in their own way.

Drake loved serious reasoning, and it somehow turned out that it was he, Drake, who was always right, always smart and always better than everyone else. The duck had long been accustomed to this, but now she was worried about a very special occasion.

- What kind of father are you? - she snapped at her husband. - Fathers take care of children, and you - even though the grass does not grow!

- Are you talking about Gray Sheik? What can I do if she can't fly? That's not my fault.

They called their crippled daughter Gray Neck, whose wing was broken in the spring, when the Fox crept up to the brood and grabbed the duckling. The old Duck boldly rushed at the enemy and fought off the duckling, but one wing was broken.

“It’s scary to even think of how we will leave Gray Neck here alone,” the Duck repeated with tears. - Everyone will fly away, and she will be left alone. Yes, all alone. We will fly south into the warmth, and she, poor thing, will freeze here. After all, she is our daughter, and how I love her, my Gray Neck! You know, old man, I'll stay with her to spend the winter here together.

- And what about the other children?

- Those are healthy, they can do without me.

Drake always tried to hush up the conversation when it came to Gray Neck. Of course, he also loved her, but why should he worry himself in vain? Well, it will stay, well, it will freeze - it's a pity, of course, but still nothing can be done about it. Finally, you need to think about other children as well. The wife is always worried, but you need to take things seriously. Drake felt sorry for his wife, but did not fully understand her maternal grief. It would have been better if then the Fox completely ate the Gray Neck, - after all, she must die in winter anyway.

- You will return in the spring, won't you? - asked the Gray Neck to the mother.

- Yes, yes, we will come back, my dear. And again we will all live together.

To comfort Gray Sheika, who was beginning to ponder, her mother told her several similar cases when the ducks stayed for the winter. She was personally acquainted with two such couples.

- Somehow, dear, you will break through, - the old Duck soothed. - At first you will get bored, and then you will get used to it. If you could be transferred to a warm spring, which does not freeze even in winter, it would be absolutely good. It's not far from here. However, what can I say in vain, all the same we will not transfer you there!

“I’ll think about you all the time. - I’ll think: where are you, what are you doing, are you having fun? It will all the same, as if I were with you.

The Old Duck needed to gather all his strength so as not to betray his despair. She tried to appear cheerful and cried quietly from everyone. Oh, how she felt sorry for the dear, poor Gray Sheika. Now she hardly noticed the other children and paid no attention to them, and it seemed to her that she did not even love them at all.

And how quickly time flew by. There were already a number of cold matinees, and birches turned yellow from frost and aspens turned red. The water in the river darkened, and the river itself seemed larger, because the banks were bare, - the coastal shoots were quickly losing foliage. The cold autumn wind cut off the withered leaves and carried them away. The sky was often covered with heavy autumn clouds, dropping fine autumn rain. In general, there was little good, and that day already rushed past the flock of migratory birds. The first to move were the wading birds, because the swamps had already begun to freeze. The waterfowl remained the longest. Gray Shayka was most upset by the flight of the cranes, because they were so pitifully kurlying, as if they were calling her with them. For the first time, her heart sank from some secret foreboding, and for a long time she watched the flock of cranes flying in the sky with her eyes.

“How good they must be,” thought Gray Neck.

Swans, geese and ducks also began to prepare for departure. Individual nests were combined into large flocks. The old and seasoned birds taught the young. Every morning these youths, with a cheerful cry, took long walks to strengthen their wings for a long flight. Clever leaders first taught individual parties, and then all together. How much there was a cry, youthful fun and joy. Gray Neck alone could not take part in these walks and admired them only from afar. What to do, I had to put up with my fate. But how she swam, how she dived! Water was everything to her.

- We must go ... it's time! - said the old leaders. - What are we waiting for here?

And time flew by, flew fast. The fateful day also came. The whole flock huddled in one living heap on the river. It was an early autumn morning, when the water was still covered with thick fog. The duck joint is out of three hundred pieces. Only the quacking of the chief leaders was audible. The Old Duck didn’t sleep all night — that was the last night she spent with Gray Neck.

- You keep yonder near the bank where the key runs into the river, - she advised. - There the water will not freeze the whole winter.

Gray Neck kept away from the doorframe, like a stranger. Yes, everyone was so busy with the general departure that no one paid attention to her. The old Duck's heart ached as he looked at poor Gray Neck. Several times she decided to herself that she would stay; but how will you stay when there are other children and you need to fly with the jamb?

- Well, touch! - loudly commanded the main leader, and the pack went up at once.

Gray Neck remained alone on the river and for a long time watched the fleeing school with her eyes. At first, all flew in one live heap, and then stretched out into a regular triangle and disappeared.

- Am I all alone? - thought Gray Neck, bursting into tears. - It would be better if the Fox ate me then.

The river, on which Gray Neck remained, rolled merrily in the mountains covered with dense forest. The place was deaf, and there was no housing around. In the morning, the water near the coast began to freeze, and in the afternoon the ice, thin as glass, melted.

- Will the whole river freeze? - thought Gray Neck with horror.

She was bored alone, and she kept thinking about her brothers and sisters who had flown away. Where are they now? Did you fly safely? Do they remember her? There was enough time to think about everything. She also recognized loneliness. The river was empty, and life lasted only in the forest, where hazel grouses were whistling, squirrels and hares were jumping.

Once out of boredom, Gray Neck climbed into the forest and was terribly frightened when the Hare flew head over heels from under the bush.

- Oh, how you scared me, stupid! - said the Hare, having calmed down a little. - The soul is gone ... And why are you hustling here? After all, the ducks have all flown away long ago.

- I can't fly: the Fox bit my wing when I was still very little.

- This Fox is for me! There is no worse than a beast. She has been getting to me for a long time. Watch out for her, especially when the river is covered with ice. Just grabs.

They met. The hare was as defenseless as the Gray Neck, and saved his life by constant flight.

- If I had wings, like a bird, I would not seem to be afraid of anyone in the world! Although you don't have wings, you can swim, otherwise you will take it and dive into the water, '' he said. - And I constantly tremble with fear. I have enemies all around me. In the summer you can still hide somewhere, and in the winter you can see everything.

Soon the first snow fell, and the river still did not succumb to the cold. Once the mountain river, which was seething during the day, calmed down, and the cold crept up to it quietly, tightly embraced the proud, rebellious beauty and as if covered her with mirrored glass. Gray Neck was in despair, because only the very middle of the river, where a wide ice hole had formed, was not frozen. There was no more than fifteen fathoms left to swim in. The chagrin of Gray Neck reached the last degree when the Fox appeared on the shore - it was the same Fox who broke her wing.

- Ah, old friend, hello! - Lisa said affectionately, stopping on the shore. - Haven't seen each other for a long time. Congratulations on the winter.

“Go away, please, I don’t want to talk to you at all,” said Gray Neck.

- This is for my kindness! You are good, there is nothing to say! However, they say a lot of unnecessary things about me. They themselves will do something, and then they will blame me. Bye see you!

When the Fox was gone, the Hare hobbled around and said:

- Beware, Gray Neck: she will come again.

And Gray Neck, too, began to be afraid, as the Hare was afraid. The poor woman could not even admire the miracles that were happening around her. The real winter has already come. The ground was covered with a snow-white carpet. Not a single dark spot remained. Even bare birches, willows and mountain ash were covered with hoarfrost, like silvery fluff. And eating became even more important. They stood covered with snow, as if they had put on an expensive warm fur coat. Yes, it was wonderful, it was good all around; and poor Gray Sheika knew only one thing, that this beauty was not for her, and trembled at the very thought that her wormwood was about to freeze and she would have nowhere to go. The fox really came a few days later, sat down on the shore and spoke again:

- I missed you, duck. Come out here; if you don't want to, I'll come to you myself. I'm not arrogant.

And the Fox began to crawl cautiously across the ice to the very clearing. Gray Neck's heart sank. But the Fox could not get close to the water itself, because the ice there was still very thin. She put her head on her front paws, licked her lips and said:

“What a stupid duck you are. Get out on the ice! By the way, goodbye! I'm in a hurry about my business.

The fox began to come every day - to see if the hole had frozen. The coming frosts did their job. Only one fathom-size window remained of the large hole. The ice was strong, and the Fox sat on the very edge. Poor Gray Sheika dived into the water with fear, and the Fox sat and angrily laughed at her:

- Nothing, dive, and I'll eat you anyway. Come out better yourself.

The hare saw from the shore what the Fox was doing, and was indignant with all his hare's heart:

- Oh, what a shameless Fox. What a wretched Gray Neck! The Fox will eat it.

In all likelihood, the Fox would have eaten the Gray Neck when the wormwood would have frozen completely, but it happened differently. The hare saw everything with his own slanting eyes.

It was in the morning. The hare jumped out of his den to feed and play with other hares. The frost was healthy, and the hares warmed themselves, beating their paws on paws. Although it's cold, it's still fun.

- Brothers, beware! Someone shouted.

Indeed, the danger was on the nose. At the edge of the forest stood a hunched-over old man hunter, who crept up on skis completely inaudibly and looked out for whom to shoot a hare.

- Eh, the old woman will have a warm fur coat, - he thought, choosing the largest hare.

He even took aim with a gun, but the hares noticed him and rushed into the forest like madmen.

- Ah, cunning people! - the old man got angry. - Here I have you. They do not understand, fools, that an old woman cannot be without a fur coat. She doesn’t feel cold. And you will not deceive Akintich, no matter how much you run. Akintich will be more cunning. And the old woman Akintichu wondered how she was punishing: "Look, old man, don't come without a fur coat!" And you jump.

The old man was exhausted in order, cursed the crafty hares and sat down on the bank of the river to rest.

- Eh, old woman, old woman, our fur coat ran away! He thought aloud. - Well, I'll rest and go to look for another one.

An old man sits, grieving, and here, lo and behold, the Fox is crawling along the river, crawling like a cat.

- That's a thing! - the old man was delighted. - The collar itself crawls to the old woman's fur coat. Apparently, she wanted to drink, or maybe she decided to catch fish.

The fox really crawled to the very clearing, in which Gray Neck was swimming, and lay down on the ice. The old man's eyes saw poorly and because of the fox they did not notice the ducks.

- We must shoot her so that the collar does not spoil, - the old man thought, aiming at the Fox. - And then this is how the old woman will scold if the collar is in the holes. You also need your own skill everywhere, and you can't kill without a tackle and a bug.

The old man took aim for a long time, choosing a place in the future collar. Finally a shot rang out. Through the smoke from the shot, the hunter saw how something was thrown on the ice - and rushed as fast as he could towards the hole; on the way he fell twice, and when he ran to the hole, he just threw up his hands - the collar was gone, and only a frightened Gray Neck was swimming in the hole.

- That's a thing! - gasped the old man, spreading his hands. - For the first time I see how the Fox turned into a duck. Well, the beast is cunning.

“Grandpa, Fox ran away,” Gray Neck explained.

- Did you run away? Here's a collar for your fur coat, old woman. What am I going to do now, huh? Well, the sin came out. And you, silly, why are you swimming here?

- And I, grandfather, could not fly away with the others. One of my wings is damaged.

- Oh, stupid, stupid. Why, you will freeze here or the Fox will eat you! Yes.

The old man thought, thought, shook his head and decided:

“And we’ll do this with you: I’ll take you to my granddaughters.” They will be delighted. And in the spring you will apply the testicles to the old woman and bring out the ducklings. Is that what I say? Here's something, stupid.

The old man took the Gray Neck out of the hole and put it in his bosom.

- And I won't say anything to the old woman, - he thought, heading home. - Let her fur coat with a collar walk together in the woods. The main thing: the granddaughters will be so happy.

The hares saw all this and laughed merrily. Nothing, the old woman will not freeze even without a fur coat on the stove.

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Dmitry Mamin-Sibiryak

Gray neck

The first autumn cold, from which the grass turned yellow, led all the birds into great alarm. Everyone began to prepare for a long journey, and everyone had such a serious, anxious look. Yes, it is not easy to fly over a space of several thousand miles ... How many poor birds will be exhausted on the road, how many will die from various accidents - in general, there was something to seriously think about.

A serious, large bird, like swans, geese and ducks, was getting ready for the journey with an air of importance, realizing all the difficulty of the upcoming feat; and the most noisy, fussing and bustling little birds, like sandpipers, phalaropes, dunlin, blackies, plovers. They had gathered in flocks for a long time and were carried from one bank to another over the shallows and marshes with such speed, as if someone had thrown a handful of peas. Little birds had such a big job ...

The forest stood dark and silent, because the main singers flew away without waiting for the cold.

- And where is this trifle in a hurry! - grumbled old Drake, who did not like to bother himself. “We’ll all fly away in due time… I don’t understand what to worry about.

- You have always been a lazy person, so it is unpleasant for you to look at other people's troubles, - explained his wife, the old Duck.

The duck was generally not entirely happy with her husband, and now she is completely angry.

- Look at the others, you lazybones! There are our neighbors, geese or swans - you would love to look at them. They live in perfect harmony ... I suppose a swan or a goose will not abandon their nest and are always ahead of the brood. Yes, yes ... And you don't care about children. You only think about yourself to get a goiter. Lazy, in a word ... It's even disgusting to look at you!

“Don’t grumble, old woman! .. After all, I’m saying nothing but that you have such an unpleasant character. Everyone has their own shortcomings ... It is not my fault that the goose is a stupid bird and therefore nurses its brood. In general, my rule is not to interfere in other people's affairs. What for? Let everyone live in their own way.

- What kind of father are you? - she snapped at her husband. - Fathers take care of children, and you - even though the grass does not grow! ..

- Are you talking about Gray Sheik? What can I do if she can't fly? It's not my fault ... They called their crippled daughter Gray Neck, whose wing was broken in the spring, when the Fox crept up to the brood and grabbed the duckling. The old Duck boldly rushed at the enemy and fought off the duckling; but one wing was broken.

“It's scary to even think of how we will leave Gray Neck here alone,” the Duck repeated with tears. - Everyone will fly away, and she will be left alone. Yes, all alone ... We will fly south, into the warmth, and she, poor thing, will freeze here ... After all, she is our daughter, and how I love her, my Gray Neck! You know, old man, I'll stay with her to spend the winter here together ...

- And what about the other children?

- Those are healthy, they can do without me.

Drake always tried to hush up the conversation when it came to Gray Neck. Of course, he also loved her, but why should he worry himself in vain? Well, it will stay, well, it will freeze - it's a pity, of course, but still nothing can be done about it. Finally, you need to think about other children as well. The wife is always worried, but you need to take things seriously. Drake felt sorry for his wife, but did not fully understand her maternal grief. It would have been better if the Fox had eaten Gray Neck altogether, because she must die in winter anyway.

- You will return in the spring, won't you? - asked the Gray Neck to the mother.

- Yes, yes, we will return, my dear ... And again we will all live together.

To comfort Gray Sheika, who was beginning to ponder, her mother told her several similar cases when the ducks stayed for the winter. She was personally acquainted with two such couples.

- Somehow, dear, you will break through, - the old Duck soothed. - At first you will get bored, and then you will get used to it. If you could be transferred to a warm spring, which does not freeze even in winter, it would be absolutely good. It is not far from here ... However, what can I say in vain, all the same we will not carry you there!

- I will think about you all the time ... - repeated poor Gray Neck. - I’ll think: where are you, what are you doing, are you having fun? It will be all the same, as if I am with you.

The Old Duck needed to gather all his strength so as not to betray his despair. She tried to appear cheerful and cried quietly from everyone. Oh, how she felt sorry for the dear, poor Gray Sheika ... Now she hardly noticed the other children and paid no attention to them, and it seemed to her that she did not even love them at all.

And how quickly time flew by ... There were already a number of cold matinees, and from the frost the birches turned yellow and the aspens turned red. The water in the river darkened, and the river itself seemed larger, because the banks were bare, - the coastal shoots were quickly losing foliage. The cold autumn wind cut off the withered leaves and carried them away. The sky was often covered with heavy autumn clouds, dropping fine autumn rain. In general, there was not enough good, and that day already rushed past the flock of migratory birds ... The wading birds were the first to move, because the swamps were already beginning to freeze. The waterfowl remained the longest. Gray Shayka was most upset by the flight of the cranes, because they were so pitifully kurlying, as if they were calling her with them. For the first time, her heart sank from some secret foreboding, and for a long time she watched the flock of cranes flying in the sky with her eyes.

How good it must be for them, Gray Neck thought.

Swans, geese and ducks also began to prepare for departure. Individual nests were combined into large flocks. The old and seasoned birds taught the young. Every morning these youths, with a cheerful cry, took long walks to strengthen their wings for a long flight. Clever leaders first taught individual parties, and then all together. There was so much shouting, youthful joy and joy ... Only Gray Neck could not take part in these walks and admired them only from afar. What to do, I had to put up with my fate. But how she swam, how she dived! Water was everything to her.

- We must go ... it's time! - said the old leaders. - What are we waiting for here?

And time flew by, flew fast ... The fateful day came. The whole flock huddled in one living heap on the river. It was an early autumn morning, when the water was still covered with thick fog. The duck joint is out of three hundred pieces. Only the quacking of the chief leaders was audible. The Old Duck didn’t sleep all night — that was the last night she spent with Gray Neck.

- You keep yonder near the bank where the key runs into the river, - she advised. - There the water will not freeze the whole winter ...

Gray Neck kept away from the doorframe, like a stranger ... Yes, everyone was so busy with the general flight that no one paid attention to her. The old Duck's heart ached as he looked at poor Gray Neck. Several times she decided to herself that she would stay; but how will you stay when there are other children and you need to fly with the jamb? ..

- Well, touch! - loudly commanded the main leader, and the pack went up at once. Gray Neck remained alone on the river and for a long time watched the fleeing school with her eyes. At first, all flew in one live heap, and then stretched out into a regular triangle and disappeared.

“Am I all alone? - thought Gray Neck, bursting into tears. - It would be better if the Fox ate me then ... "

"Will the whole river freeze?" - thought Gray Neck with horror.

- Oh, how you scared me, stupid! - said the Hare, having calmed down a little. - The soul is gone ... And why are you hustling here? After all, all the ducks flew away long ago ...

- I cannot fly: the Fox bit my wing when I was still very little ...

- This Fox is for me! .. There is no worse than a beast. She has been reaching me for a long time ... You should beware of her, especially when the river is covered with ice. Just grabs ...

They met. The hare was as defenseless as the Gray Neck, and saved his life by constant flight.

“If I had wings, like a bird, I would not, it seems, be afraid of anyone in the world! .. Although you don’t have wings, you can swim, otherwise you’ll take it and dive into the water,” he said. - And I am constantly trembling with fear ... I have enemies all around. In the summer you can still hide somewhere, and in the winter you can see everything.

Soon the first snow fell, and the river still did not succumb to the cold. Everything that froze at night was broken by the water. The fight went not to the stomach, but to death. The most dangerous were the clear, starry nights, when everything was quiet and there were no waves on the river. The river seemed to fall asleep, and the cold tried to freeze her sleepy. And so it happened. It was a quiet, quiet starry night. The dark forest stood quietly on the shore, like a guard of giants. The mountains seemed higher, as is the case at night. The high month bathed everything with its quivering sparkling light. The mountain river that was seething during the day calmed down, and the cold crept up to it quietly, quietly hugged the proud, rebellious beauty and as if covered her with mirrored glass. Gray Neck was in despair, because only the very middle of the river, where a wide ice hole had formed, was not frozen. There was no more than fifteen fathoms left to swim in. The chagrin of Gray Neck reached the last degree when the Fox appeared on the shore - it was the same Fox who broke her wing.

- Ah, old friend, hello! - Lisa said affectionately, stopping on the shore. - We haven't seen each other for a long time ... Congratulations on the winter.

“Go away, please, I don’t want to talk to you at all,” said Gray Neck.

- This is for my kindness! You are good, there is nothing to say! .. But by the way, they say a lot of unnecessary things about me. They themselves will do something, and then they will blame me ... Bye - goodbye!

When the Fox was gone, the Hare hobbled around and said:

- Beware, Gray Neck: she will come again. And Gray Neck, too, began to be afraid, as the Hare was afraid. The poor woman could not even admire the miracles that were happening around her. The real winter has come. The ground was covered with a snow-white carpet. Not a single dark spot remained. Even bare birches, alders, willows and mountain ash were covered with hoarfrost, like silvery fluff. And eating became even more important. They stood covered with snow, as if they had put on an expensive warm fur coat. Yes, it was wonderful, it was good all around; and poor Gray Sheika knew only one thing, that this beauty was not for her, and trembled at the very thought that her wormwood was about to freeze and she would have nowhere to go. The fox really came a few days later, sat down on the shore and spoke again:

- I missed you, duck ... Come out here; if you don't want to, I'll come to you myself. I'm not arrogant ...

- What are you stupid, duck ... Get out on the ice! By the way, goodbye! I'm in a hurry about my business ...

- Nothing, dive, and I'll eat you anyway ... Come out better yourself.

The hare saw from the shore what the Fox was doing, and was indignant with all his hare's heart:

- Oh, what a shameless Fox ... What an unfortunate Gray Neck! The Fox will eat it ...

In all likelihood, the Fox would have eaten the Gray Neck when the wormwood would have frozen completely, but it happened differently. The hare saw everything with his own slanting eyes.

- Brothers, beware! Someone shouted.

Indeed, the danger was on the nose. At the edge of the forest stood a hunched-over old man hunter, who crept up on skis completely inaudibly and looked out for whom to shoot a hare.

“Eh, the old woman will have a warm fur coat,” he thought, choosing the largest hare.

He even took aim with a gun, but the hares noticed him and rushed into the forest like madmen.

- Ah, cunning people! - the old man got angry. - Here I have you ... They do not understand, you stupid ones, that an old woman cannot be without a fur coat. She will not be cold ... And you will not deceive Akintich, no matter how much you run. Akintich will be more cunning ... And the old woman Akintichu wondered how she was punishing: "Look, old man, don't come without a fur coat!" And you jump ...

The old man set off to look for hares on the trail, but the hares scattered through the forest like peas. The old man was exhausted in order, cursed the crafty hares and sat down on the bank of the river to rest.

- Eh, old woman, old woman, our fur coat ran away! He thought aloud. - Well, I'll rest and go to look for another ...

An old man sits, grieving, and here, lo and behold, the Fox is crawling along the river, crawling like a cat.

- Ge, ge, that's the thing! - the old man was delighted. - To the old woman's fur coat, the collar itself crawls ... Apparently, she wanted to drink, or maybe she decided to catch fish ...

The fox really crawled to the very clearing, in which Gray Neck was swimming, and lay down on the ice. The old man's eyes saw poorly and because of the fox they did not notice the ducks.

“We must shoot her so as not to spoil the collar,” the old man thought, taking aim at Lisa. - And then this is how the old woman will scold if the collar is in the holes ... You also need your own skill everywhere, but without a tackle and a bug you can't kill.

- That's a thing! - gasped the old man, spreading his hands. - For the first time I see how the Fox turned into a duck. Well, the beast is cunning.

“Grandpa, Fox ran away,” Gray Neck explained.

- Did you run away? Here's to you, old woman, and a collar for a fur coat ... What am I going to do now, eh? Well, the sin came out ... And you, stupid, why are you swimming here?

- And I, grandfather, could not fly away with the others. I have one wing damaged ...

- Oh, stupid, stupid ... Why, you will freeze here, or the Fox will eat you! Yes…

The old man thought, thought, shook his head and decided:

“And we’ll do this with you: I’ll take you to my granddaughters.” Here they will be delighted ... And in the spring you will apply the testicles to the old woman and bring out the ducklings. Is that what I say? That's it, stupid ...

The old man took the Gray Neck out of the hole and put it in his bosom. “And I won't say anything to the old woman,” he thought, heading home. - Let her fur coat with a collar walk together in the woods. The main thing: the granddaughters will be so happy ... "

The hares saw all this and laughed merrily. Nothing, the old woman will not freeze even without a fur coat on the stove.

The first autumn cold, from which the grass turned yellow, led all the birds into great alarm. Everyone began to prepare for a long journey, and everyone had such a serious, anxious look. Yes, it is not easy to fly over a space of several thousand miles ... How many poor birds will be exhausted on the road, how many will die from various accidents - in general, there was something to seriously think about.

The forest stood dark and silent, because the main singers flew away without waiting for the cold.

And where is this trifle in a hurry! - grumbled old Drake, who did not like to bother himself. “We’ll all fly away in due time ... I don’t understand what to worry about.

You have always been a lazy person, which is why it is unpleasant for you to look at other people's troubles, - explained his wife, the old Duck.

Was I a bummer? You are just not fair to me, and nothing else. Maybe I care more than anyone else, but I just don't show it. There is little sense in this if I run from morning to night along the shore, screaming, interfering with others, annoying everyone.

The duck was generally not entirely happy with her husband, and now she is finally angry:

Look at the others, you bummer! There are our neighbors, geese or swans - you would love to look at them. They live in perfect harmony ... I suppose a swan or a goose will not abandon their nest and are always ahead of the brood. Yes, yes ... And you don't care about children. You only think about yourself to get a goiter. Lazy, in a word ... It's even disgusting to look at you!

What kind of father are you? - she snapped at her husband. - Fathers take care of children, and you - even though the grass does not grow! ..

Are you talking about Gray Sheik? What can I do if she can't fly? That's not my fault...

It’s scary to even think of how we will leave Gray Neck here alone, ”the Duck repeated with tears. - Everyone will fly away, and she will be left alone. Yes, all alone ... We will fly south, into the warmth, and she, poor thing, will freeze here ... After all, she is our daughter, and how I love her, my Gray Neck! You know, old man, I'll stay with her to spend the winter here together ...

What about the other children?

Those are healthy, they can do without me.

Drake always tried to hush up the conversation when it came to Gray Neck. Of course, he also loved her, but why should he worry himself in vain? Well, it will stay, well, it will freeze - it's a pity, of course, but still nothing can be done. Finally, you need to think about other children as well. The wife is always worried, but you need to take things seriously. Drake felt sorry for his wife, but did not fully understand her maternal grief. It would have been better if then the Fox completely ate the Gray Neck, - after all, she must die in winter anyway.

You will return in the spring, won't you? - asked the Gray Neck to the mother.

Yes, yes, we will return, my dear ... And again we will all live together.

To comfort Gray Sheika, who was beginning to ponder, her mother told her several similar cases when the ducks stayed for the winter. She was personally acquainted with two such couples.

Somehow, dear, you will break through, ”the old Duck soothed. - At first you will get bored, and then you will get used to it. If you could be transferred to a warm spring, which does not freeze even in winter, it would be absolutely good. It's not far from here ... However, what can I say in vain, all the same we will not carry you there!

I will think about you all the time ... - repeated poor Gray Neck. - I’ll think: where are you, what are you doing, are you having fun? All the same it will be, as if I am with you.

The Old Duck needed to gather all his strength so as not to betray his despair. She tried to appear cheerful and cried quietly from everyone. Oh, how she felt sorry for the dear, poor Gray Sheika ... Now she hardly noticed the other children and paid no attention to them, and it seemed to her that she did not even love them at all.

And how quickly the time flew ... There was already a whole series of cold matinees, and from the frost the birches turned yellow and the aspens turned red. The water in the river darkened, and the river itself seemed larger, because the banks were bare, - the coastal shoots were quickly losing foliage. The cold autumn wind cut off the withered leaves and carried them away. The sky was often covered with heavy autumn clouds, dropping fine autumn rain. In general, there was little good, and that day already rushed past the flock of migratory birds ... The wading birds were the first to move, because the swamps were already beginning to freeze. The waterfowl remained the longest. Gray Shayka was most upset by the flight of the cranes, because they were so pitifully kurlying, as if they were calling her with them. For the first time, her heart sank from some secret foreboding, and for a long time she watched the flock of cranes flying in the sky with her eyes.

How good it must be for them, thought Gray Neck.

Swans, geese and ducks also began to prepare for departure. Individual nests were combined into large flocks. The old and seasoned birds taught the young. Every morning these youths, with a cheerful cry, took long walks to strengthen their wings for a long flight. Clever leaders first taught individual parties, and then all together. There was so much shouting, youthful joy and joy ... One Gray Neck could not take part in these walks and admired them only from afar. What to do, I had to put up with my fate. But how she swam, how she dived! Water was everything to her.

We must go ... it's time! - said the old leaders. - What are we waiting for here?

And time flew by, flew fast ... The fateful day also came. The whole flock huddled in one living heap on the river. It was an early autumn morning, when the water was still covered with thick fog. The duck joint is out of three hundred pieces. Only the quacking of the chief leaders was audible. The Old Duck didn’t sleep all night — that was the last night she spent with Gray Neck.

You keep yonder near the bank where the key runs into the river, - she advised. - There the water will not freeze the whole winter ...

Well, touch! - loudly commanded the main leader, and the pack went up at once.

Am I all alone? - thought Gray Neck, bursting into tears. - It would be better if the Fox ate me then ...

Will the whole river freeze? - thought Gray Neck with horror.

Oh, how you scared me, silly! - said the Hare, having calmed down a little. - The soul is gone ... And why are you hustling here? After all, all the ducks flew away long ago ...

I can't fly: The fox bit my wing when I was still very little ...

This Fox is for me! .. There is no worse than a beast. She has been getting to me for a long time ... Look out for her, especially when the river is covered with ice. Just grabs ...

They met. The hare was as defenseless as the Gray Neck, and saved his life by constant flight.

If I had wings, like a bird, I would not, it seems, be afraid of anyone in the world! .. Even though you have no wings, you can swim, otherwise you will take it and dive into the water, ”he said. - And I constantly tremble with fear ... I have enemies all around. In the summer you can still hide somewhere, and in the winter you can see everything.

Soon the first snow fell, and the river still did not succumb to the cold. Everything that froze at night was broken by the water. The fight was not to the stomach, but to the death. The most dangerous were the clear, starry nights, when everything was quiet and there were no waves on the river. The river seemed to fall asleep, and the cold tried to freeze her sleepy. And so it happened. It was a quiet, quiet starry night. The dark forest stood quietly on the shore, like a guard of giants. The mountains seemed higher, as is the case at night. The high month bathed everything with its quivering sparkling light. The mountain river that was seething during the day calmed down, and the cold crept up to it quietly, quietly hugged the proud, rebellious beauty and as if covered her with mirrored glass. Gray Neck was in despair, because only the very middle of the river, where a wide open hole had formed, was not frozen. There was no more than fifteen fathoms left to swim in. The chagrin of Gray Neck reached the last degree when the Fox appeared on the shore - it was the same Fox who broke her wing.

And, old friend, hello! - Lisa said affectionately, stopping on the shore. - We haven't seen each other for a long time ... Congratulations on the winter.

Go away, please, I don't want to talk to you at all, - answered Gray Neck.

This is for my affection! You are good, there is nothing to say! .. But by the way, they say a lot of unnecessary things about me. They themselves will do something, and then they will blame me ... Bye - goodbye!

When the Fox was gone, the Hare hobbled around and said:

Beware, Gray Neck: she will come again.

And Gray Neck, too, began to be afraid, as the Hare was afraid. The poor woman could not even admire the miracles that were happening around her. The real winter has come. The ground was covered with a snow-white carpet. Not a single dark spot remained. Even bare birches, alders, willows and mountain ash were covered with hoarfrost, like silvery fluff. And eating became even more important. They stood covered with snow, as if they had put on an expensive warm fur coat. Yes, it was wonderful, it was good all around; and poor Gray Sheika knew only one thing, that this beauty was not for her, and trembled at the very thought that her wormwood was about to freeze and she would have nowhere to go. The fox really came a few days later, sat down on the shore and spoke again:

I missed you, duck ... Come out here; if you don't want to, I'll come to you myself. I'm not arrogant ...

What a stupid duck you are ... Get out on the ice! By the way, goodbye! I'm in a hurry about my business ...

Nothing, dive, and I'll eat you anyway ... Come out better yourself.

The hare saw from the shore what the Fox was doing, and was indignant with all his hare's heart:

Oh, what a shameless Fox ... What an unfortunate Gray Neck! The Fox will eat it ...

In all likelihood, the Fox would have eaten the Gray Neck when the wormwood would have frozen completely, but it happened differently. The hare saw everything with his own slanting eyes.

Brothers, beware! someone shouted.

Indeed, the danger was on the nose. At the edge of the forest stood a hunched-over old man hunter, who crept up on skis completely inaudibly and looked out for whom to shoot a hare.

Eh, the old woman will have a warm fur coat, - he thought, choosing the largest hare.

He even took aim with a gun, but the hares noticed him and rushed into the forest like madmen.

Ah, cunning people! - the old man got angry. - Here I have you ... They do not understand that, you stupid ones, that an old woman cannot be without a fur coat. She does not feel cold ... And you will not deceive Akintich, no matter how much you run. Akintich will be more cunning ... And the old woman Akintich, how she punished: Look, old man, don't come without a fur coat! And you jump ...

Eh, old woman, old woman, our fur coat ran away! he thought aloud. - Well, I'll rest and go to look for another ...

An old man sits, grieving, and here, lo and behold, the Fox is crawling along the river, crawling like a cat.

Ge, ge, that's the thing! - the old man was delighted. - The collar itself crawls to the old woman's fur coat ... Apparently, she wanted to drink, or maybe she decided to catch fish ...

The fox really crawled to the very clearing, in which Gray Neck was swimming, and lay down on the ice. The old man's eyes saw poorly and because of the fox they did not notice the ducks.

We must shoot her so as not to spoil the collar, - the old man thought, taking aim at the Fox. - And then this is how the old woman will scold if the collar is in the holes ... You also need your own skill everywhere, and you can't kill a bug without a tackle.

That's the thing! - gasped the old man, spreading his hands. - For the first time I see how the Fox turned into a duck. Well, the beast is cunning.

Grandpa, Fox ran away, ”Gray Neck explained.

Did you run away? Here's to you, old woman, and a collar for a fur coat ... What am I going to do now, eh? Well, the sin came out ... And you, stupid, why are you swimming here?

And I, grandfather, could not fly away with the others. I have one wing damaged ...

Oh, stupid, stupid ... Why, you will freeze here or the Fox will eat you! Yes...

The old man thought, thought, shook his head and decided:

And we’ll do this with you: I’ll take you to my granddaughters. They'll be delighted ... And in the spring you will apply the testicles to the old woman and bring out the ducklings. Is that what I say? That's it, stupid ...

The old man took the Gray Neck out of the hole and put it in his bosom. And I won't say anything to the old woman, - he thought, heading home. - Let her fur coat with a collar walk together in the woods. The main thing: the granddaughters will be so happy ...

The hares saw all this and laughed merrily. Nothing, the old woman will not freeze even without a fur coat on the stove.

The first autumn cold, from which the grass turned yellow, led all the birds into great alarm. Everyone began to prepare for a long journey and everyone looked so serious, worried. Yes, it is not easy to fly over a space of several thousand miles ... How many poor birds will be exhausted on the road, how many will die from various accidents - in general, there was something to seriously think about.

A serious, big bird - swans, geese and ducks gathered on the road with an important look, realizing all the difficulty of the upcoming feat, and most of all, little birds - sandpiper cakes, phaling cakes, dunlin's, blackies, plovers - were noisy, fussing and bustling. They had gathered in flocks for a long time and were carried from one bank to the other, over the shallows and marshes, with such speed, as if someone had thrown a handful of peas. The little birds had such a big job ... The forest stood dark and silent, because the main singers flew away without waiting for the cold.

- And where is this trifle in a hurry! - grumbled old Drake, who did not like to bother himself. “We’ll all fly away in due time ... I don’t understand what to worry about.

“You have always been a lazy person, so it’s unpleasant for you to look at other people's troubles,” explained his wife, the old Duck.

- Was I a lazy person? You are just not fair to me, and nothing else. Maybe I care more than anyone else, but I just don't show it. There is little sense in this if I run from morning to night along the shore, screaming, disturbing others, annoying everyone.

The duck was generally not entirely happy with her husband, and now she is finally angry:

- Don't grumble, old woman! .. After all, I don't say anything that you have such an unpleasant character. Everyone has their own shortcomings ... It is not my fault that the goose is a stupid bird and therefore nurses its brood. In general, my rule is not to interfere in other people's affairs. What for? Let everyone live their own way.

Drake loved serious reasoning, and it turned out somehow that it was he, Drake, who was always right, always smart and always the best. The duck had long been accustomed to this, but now she was worried about a very special occasion.

- What kind of father are you? - she snapped at her husband. - Fathers take care of children, but you don't want the grass to grow! ..

- Are you talking about Gray Sheik? What can I do if she can't fly? That's not my fault...

“It’s scary to even think of how we will leave Gray Neck here alone,” the Duck repeated with tears. - Everyone will fly away, and she will be left alone. Yes, all alone ... We will fly south, into the warmth, and she, poor thing, will freeze here ... After all, she is our daughter, and how I love her, my Gray Neck! You know, old man, I'll stay with her to spend the winter here together ...

- And what about the other children?

- Those are healthy, they can do without me.

Drake always tried to hush up the conversation when it came to Gray Neck. Of course, he also loved her, but why should he worry himself in vain? Well, it will stay, well, it will freeze - it's a pity, of course, but still nothing can be done. Finally, you need to think about other children as well. The wife is always worried, but you need to look at things simply. Drake felt sorry for his wife, but did not fully understand her maternal grief. It would have been better if then the Fox completely ate the Gray Neck, - after all, she must die in the winter anyway.

The old Duck, in view of the approaching separation, treated her crippled daughter with redoubled tenderness. Poor Gray Neck did not yet know what separation and loneliness were, and looked at the gathering of others on the road with the curiosity of a beginner. True, she sometimes felt jealous that her brothers and sisters were getting ready for the flight so cheerfully that they would again be somewhere, far, far away, where there is no winter.

- You will return in the spring, won't you? - asked the Gray Neck to the mother.

- Yes, yes, we will return, my dear ... And again we will all live together.

To comfort Gray Sheika, who was beginning to ponder, her mother told her several similar cases when the ducks stayed for the winter. She was personally acquainted with two such couples.

- Somehow, dear, you will interrupt, - the old Duck soothed. - At first you will get bored, and then you will get used to it. If you could be transferred to a warm spring, which does not freeze in winter, it would be absolutely good. It's not far from here ... However, what can I say in vain, all the same we will not carry you there!

- I will think about you all the time ... - repeated poor Gray Neck. - I’ll keep thinking: where are you, what are you doing, are you having fun ... It’s all the same, it’s as if I’m with you.

The Old Duck needed to gather all his strength so as not to betray his despair. She tried to seem cheerful and cried quietly from everyone. Oh, how she felt sorry for the dear, poor Gray Sheika! .. Now she almost did not notice other children and did not pay attention to them, and it seemed to her that she did not even love them at all.

And how quickly time flew by! There was already a whole series of cold matinees, birches turned yellow from frost and aspens turned red. The water in the river darkened, and the river itself seemed larger, because the banks were bare - the coastal shoots were quickly losing foliage. The cold autumn wind cut off the withered leaves and carried them away. The sky was often covered with heavy clouds, dropping fine autumn rain. In general, there was little good, and that day the flocks of migratory birds were already rushing past ...

The first to move were the wading birds, because the swamps were already beginning to freeze. The waterfowl remained the longest. Gray Neck was grieved most of all by the flight of the cranes, because they muttered so plaintively, as if they were calling her with them. For the first time, her heart sank from some secret foreboding, and for a long time she watched the flock of cranes flying in the sky with her eyes.

"How good it must be for them!" - thought Gray Neck.

Swans, geese and ducks also began to prepare for departure. Separate nests were combined into large flocks. The old and seasoned birds taught the young. Every morning, these young people, with a cheerful cry, took long walks to strengthen their wings for a distant flight. Clever leaders first taught individual parties, and then - all together. How much there was a cry, youthful fun and joy ...

Gray Neck alone could not take part in these walks and admired them only from afar. What to do, I had to put up with my fate. But how she swam, how she dived! Water was everything to her.

- We must go ... it's time! - said the old leaders. - What are we waiting for here?

And time flew by, flew fast ... The fateful day also came. The whole flock huddled in one living heap on the river. It was an early autumn morning, when the water was still covered with thick fog. The duck school is out of three hundred pieces. Only the quacking of the chief leaders was audible.

The Old Duck didn’t sleep all night — that was the last night she spent with Gray Neck.

- You keep yonder near the bank where the key runs into the river, - she advised. - There, the water will not freeze the whole winter ...

Gray Neck kept away from the jamb, like a stranger ...

Yes, everyone was so busy with the general departure that no one paid attention to her. The old Duck's heart ached for poor Gray Neck. Several times she decided to herself that she would stay; but how will you stay when there are other children and you need to fly with the jamb? ..

- Well, touch! - loudly commanded the main leader, and the pack went up at once.

“Am I all alone? - thought Gray Neck, bursting into tears. "It would have been better if the Fox ate me then ..."

The river, on which Gray Neck remained, rolled merrily in the mountains covered with dense forest. The place was deaf — and there was no housing around. In the morning, the water near the coast began to freeze, and in the daytime the ice, thin as glass, melted.

"Will the whole river freeze?" - thought Gray Neck with horror.

Once out of boredom, Gray Neck climbed into the forest and was terribly frightened when the Hare rolled out from under the bush head over heels.

- Oh, how you scared me, stupid! - said the Hare, having calmed down a little. - The soul is gone ... And why are you hustling here? After all, all the ducks flew away long ago ...

- I cannot fly: the Fox bit my wing when I was still very little.

- This Fox is for me! .. There is no worse than a beast. She has been reaching me for a long time ... You should beware of her, especially when the river is covered with ice. Just grabs ...

They met. The hare was as defenseless as the Gray Neck, and saved his life by constant flight.

“If I had wings, like a bird, I would not seem to be afraid of anyone in the world! .. Although you have no wings, you can swim, otherwise you’ll take it and dive into the water,” he said. - And I constantly tremble with fear ... I have enemies all around. In the summer you can still hide somewhere, but in the winter you can see everything.

And so it happened. It was a quiet, quiet, starry night. The dark forest stood quietly on the shore, like a guard of giants. The mountains seemed higher, as is the case at night. The high month bathed everything with its quivering, sparkling light. The mountain river, seething during the day, became quieter, and the cold crept up to it quietly, tightly embraced the proud, rebellious beauty and as if covered her with mirrored glass.

Gray Neck was in despair, because only the very middle of the river did not freeze, where a wide ice-hole formed. There was no more than fifteen fathoms left to swim in.

The chagrin of Gray Neck reached the last degree when the Fox appeared on the shore — it was the same Fox who broke her wing.

- Ah, old friend, hello! - Lisa said affectionately, stopping on the shore. - We haven't seen each other for a long time ... Congratulations on the winter.

“Go away, please, I don’t want to talk to you at all,” said Gray Neck.

When the Fox was gone, the Hare hobbled around and said:

- Beware, Gray Neck: she will come again.

Yes, it was wonderfully good all around! And poor Gray Neck knew only one thing, that this beauty was not for her, and trembled at the thought that her wormwood was about to freeze and she would have nowhere to go. The fox really came a few days later, sat down on the shore and spoke again:

- I missed you, duck ... Come out here, but if you don't want to, I'll come to you myself ... I'm not arrogant ...

- What a stupid duck you are ... Get out on the ice! By the way, goodbye! I'm in a hurry about my business ...

The fox began to come every day - to see if the hole had frozen. The coming frosts did their job. From the big hole there was only one window, a fathom in size. The ice was strong, and the Fox sat on the very edge. Poor Gray Sheika dived into the water with fear, and the Fox sat and laughed angrily at her:

- Nothing, dive, and I'll eat you anyway ... Come out better yourself.

The hare saw from the shore what the Fox was doing, and was indignant with all his hare's heart:

- Oh, what a shameless Fox! .. What an unfortunate Gray Neck! The Fox will eat it ...

In all likelihood, the Fox would have eaten the Gray Neck when the wormwood froze completely, but it happened differently. The hare saw everything with his own slanting eyes.

It was in the morning. The hare jumped out of its lair to feed and play with other hares. The frost was healthy, and the hares warmed themselves, beating paw on paw. Although it's cold, it's still fun.

- Brothers, beware! Someone shouted.

Indeed, the danger was on the nose. At the edge of the forest

there was a hunched-over old man hunter, who crept up on skis completely inaudibly and looked out for whom to shoot a hare.

"Eh, the old woman will have a warm fur coat!" - he thought, choosing the largest hare.

He even took aim with a gun, but the hares noticed him and rushed into the forest like madmen.

- Ah, cunning people! - the old man got angry. - Here I have you ... They do not understand that, you stupid ones, that an old woman cannot be without a fur coat. Do not freeze her ... And you will not deceive Akintich, no matter how much you run. Akintich will be more cunning ... And the old woman Akintichu wondered how she was punishing: "Look, old man, don't come without a fur coat!" And you - to run ...

- Eh, old woman, old woman, our fur coat ran away! He thought aloud. - Well, I'll rest and go to look for another one.

An old man sits, grieving, and here, lo and behold, a fox is crawling along the river, crawling like a cat.

- Ge, ge, that's the thing! - the old man was delighted. - The collar itself crawls to the old woman's fur coat ... Apparently, she wanted to drink, or maybe she decided to fish for fish.

The fox really crawled to the very clearing, in which Gray Neck was swimming, and lay down on the ice. The old man's eyes saw poorly and because of Lisa they did not notice the ducks.

“We must shoot her so as not to ruin the collar,” the old man thought, taking aim at Lisa. - And then this is how the old woman will scold if the collar is in the holes ... You also need your own skill everywhere, and without a tackle and a bug you can't kill.

The old man took aim for a long time, choosing a place in the future collar. Finally a shot rang out. Through the smoke from the shot, the hunter saw how something was thrown on the ice - and rushed as fast as he could towards the hole. On the way, he fell twice, and when he reached the hole, he only threw up his hands: the collar was gone, and only a frightened Gray Neck was swimming in the hole.

- That's a thing! - gasped the old man, spreading his hands. - For the first time I see how the Fox turned into a duck ... Well, the beast is cunning!

“Grandpa, Fox ran away,” Gray Neck explained.

- Did you run away? Here's to you, old woman, and a collar for a fur coat ... What am I going to do now, eh? Well, the sin came out ... And you, stupid, why are you swimming here?

- And I, grandfather, could not fly away with the others. I have one wing damaged ...

- Oh, stupid, stupid! .. Why, you will freeze here or the Fox will eat you ... Yes ...

The old man thought, thought, shook his head and decided:

“And we’ll do this with you: I’ll take you to my granddaughters.” They'll be delighted ... And in the spring you will apply the testicles to the old woman and bring out the ducklings. Is that what I say? That's it, stupid ...

The old man took the Gray Neck out of the hole and put it in his bosom.

“And I won't say anything to the old woman,” he thought, heading home. - Let her fur coat with a collar walk together in the forest. The main thing is that the granddaughters will be so happy ... "

The hares saw all this and laughed merrily. Nothing, the old woman will not freeze even without a fur coat on the stove.

Page 1 of 2

The first autumn cold, from which the grass turned yellow, led all the birds into great alarm. Everyone began to prepare for a long journey, and everyone had such a serious, anxious look. Yes, it is not easy to fly over a space of several thousand miles ... How many poor birds will be exhausted on the road, how many will die from various accidents - in general, there was something to seriously think about.

The forest stood dark and silent, because the main singers flew away without waiting for the cold.
- And where is this trifle in a hurry! - grumbled old Drake, who did not like to bother himself. “We’ll all fly away in due time… I don’t understand what to worry about.
- You have always been a lazy person, so it is unpleasant for you to look at other people's troubles, - explained his wife, the old Duck.
- Was I a lazy person? You are just not fair to me, and nothing else. Maybe I care more than anyone else, but I just don't show it. There is little sense in this if I run from morning to night along the shore, screaming, disturbing others, annoying everyone.

The duck was generally not entirely happy with her husband, and now she is finally angry:
- Look at the others, you lazybones! There are our neighbors, geese or swans - you would love to look at them. They live in perfect harmony ... I suppose a swan or a goose will not abandon their nest and are always ahead of the brood. Yes, yes ... And you don't care about children. You only think about yourself to get a goiter. Lazy, in a word ... It's even disgusting to look at you!

Don't grumble, old woman! .. After all, I'm not saying anything but that you have such an unpleasant character. Everyone has their own shortcomings ... It is not my fault that the goose is a stupid bird and therefore nurses its brood. In general, my rule is not to interfere in other people's affairs. What for? Let everyone live in their own way.
Drake loved serious reasoning, and it somehow turned out that it was he, Drake, who was always right, always smart and always better than everyone else. The duck had long been accustomed to this, but now she was worried about a very special occasion.
- What kind of father are you? - she snapped at her husband. - Fathers take care of children, and you - even though the grass does not grow! ..
- Are you talking about Gray Sheik? What can I do if she can't fly? That's not my fault…
They called their crippled daughter Gray Neck, whose wing was broken in the spring, when the Fox crept up to the brood and grabbed the duckling. The old Duck boldly rushed at the enemy and fought off the duckling; but one wing was broken.
“It’s scary to even think of how we will leave Gray Neck here alone,” the Duck repeated with tears. - Everyone will fly away, and she will be left alone. Yes, all alone ... We will fly south, into the warmth, and she, poor thing, will freeze here ... After all, she is our daughter, and how I love her, my Gray Neck! You know, old man, I'll stay with her to spend the winter here together ...
- And what about the other children?
- Those are healthy, they can do without me.
Drake always tried to hush up the conversation when it came to Gray Neck. Of course, he also loved her, but why should he worry himself in vain? Well, it will stay, well, it will freeze - it's a pity, of course, but still nothing can be done about it. Finally, you need to think about other children as well. The wife is always worried, but you need to take things seriously. Drake felt sorry for his wife, but did not fully understand her maternal grief. It would have been better if then the Fox completely ate the Gray Neck, - after all, she must die in winter anyway.
II

The old Duck, in view of the approaching separation, treated her crippled daughter with redoubled tenderness. The poor thing did not yet know what separation and loneliness were, and looked at the gathering of others on the road with the curiosity of a beginner. True, she sometimes felt jealous that her brothers and sisters were getting ready so cheerfully for departure that they would again be somewhere, far, far away, where there is no winter.
- You will return in the spring, won't you? - asked the Gray Neck to the mother.
- Yes, yes, we will return, my dear ... And again we will all live together.
To comfort Gray Sheika, who was beginning to ponder, her mother told her several similar cases when the ducks stayed for the winter. She was personally acquainted with two such couples.
- Somehow, dear, you will break through, - the old Duck soothed. - At first you will get bored, and then you will get used to it. If you could be transferred to a warm spring, which does not freeze even in winter, it would be absolutely good. It is not far from here ... However, what can I say in vain, all the same we will not carry you there!
- I will think about you all the time ... - repeated poor Gray Neck. - I’ll think: where are you, what are you doing, are you having fun? All the same it will be, as if I am with you.
The Old Duck needed to gather all his strength so as not to betray his despair. She tried to appear cheerful and cried quietly from everyone. Oh, how she felt sorry for the dear, poor Gray Sheika ... Now she hardly noticed the other children and paid no attention to them, and it seemed to her that she did not even love them at all.