Читать книгу: «The parable of good and bad deeds», страница 2

Mickey doesn't want to open his own shop.

Grandpa, having met Mickey, fed him rich borscht, gave him tea with a delicious dessert and listened attentively to what had happened.

– Ah, that's not good, – Grandpa said, – those snakes are promoting their affairs again. But don't worry, everything will be fine. We can't help Oscar right now, he'll figure it out on his own. We'll meet up later, have some tea together and talk about it. In the meantime, let's look at the prices from the factory on Sun Street.

– We can do that, but I don't want to open my own shop, – Mickey said, – I'm happy with my house and garden. I've saved up a lot of bricks from my work and deeds, and I sometimes give them to those in need to rebuild their homes after the rain. But that's not enough for Oscar. He has a huge house with so many holes, you can't count them all!

– That's your choice, Mickey, and I like it, – Grandpa said, putting the list aside, – selling bricks is also a very responsible job. There was a time when I sold things and had my own shop. Business was good. But time passes, and I moved away from it. I have enough now. Let's put these papers aside until we meet Oscar next time, – he said mysteriously.

– Yes, Grandpa, I have enough of them, and my little house of life doesn't crumble from the rain, – continued Mickey, – friends often come and ask me where I get such strong bricks and for what deeds and actions, they give them to me. And where? Just like everyone else – at the fair of life. Many are surprised that I always have extras – since they pay so few bricks for the deeds and actions that I advise them to do. And I don't know what to tell them, I just always have them and the rain doesn't wash them away and the hurricane doesn't carry them off. I tell them about the deeds I do, and then they come back and thank me for the advice. They say that now they also always have dry and warm houses, and there are still extra bricks left.

– Does Oscar listen to you? – asked Grandpa.

– He listens, but he doesn't do, he says yes – yes, but when he gets to the fair of deeds and actions, his mind is apparently clouded by temptation and greed. He forgets about my words and takes the deeds that give him more bricks…

– You're a good boy, Mickey, but everything will be alright with Oscar. We'll meet again and sit by the warm fireplace and chat, – Grandpa reassured him.

Mickey was happy to stay with his grandpa1 for a little longer and in a couple of days, he flew back home – he missed his deeds and actions – he was eager to fly to the fair and work hard.

Oscar opened a shop and new rains and a hurricane

Time passed. Oscar opened his shop at the fair and started selling goods and deeds to the right and left. He always had a line of customers and business was going well. He only sold goods and deeds from the factory in the cave, and goods from Sunny Street were rarely taken. Everyone wanted more bricks for their deeds and actions. Soon, he had finished building his huge life house, made the walls many times thicker, and fortunately, now he had plenty of bricks. In this, the old man turned out to be right, and Oscar was happy about it. He often invited guests and had fun in his big life house, not forgetting about Mickey.

Time passed again, and here came another hurricane, rain pouring, and lightning flashing. Mickey sat and drank tea by the fireplace when his frozen and wet friend Oscar flew to him again.

– That damned rain again! I can't be at home, there's such a howling and creaking like it's coming from hell! Half of the walls fell off from the rain! Well, never mind, now I'll rest and tomorrow I'll get back to work! My house will be even bigger and stronger! – and after resting until morning, warming up and gaining strength, Oscar flew back to build his life house again.

Time passed, and after every rain, Mickey would warm up and give his friend Oscar tea with jam. And once Oscar regained his strength, he would rush back to his shop to rebuild his home with the bricks that Mickey had given him. When the weather was dry, Oscar would host parties and gatherings in his big home, inviting friends and acquaintances to show off his grand house. But time flew by, and soon a strong hurricane and heavy rain swept through, leaving nothing of Oscar's home. Only a few old bricks remained, gifts from Mickey, and some bricks from the distant past.

As usual after such events, Oscar sat wet and angry in Mickey's little house, warming himself by the fireplace and crying, not knowing what to do, cursing the hurricane, rain, and everyone and everything around him.

– I'm tired, I can't do it anymore… I want more and more, but I have less and less. I'm alone in my crumbling castle, and no one wants to be with me in the cold and damp. And now I don't even have my home! Grandpa promised that the house would be strong and warm! What am I doing wrong? – said Oscar with indignation and surprise.

– But Grandpa warned us and wanted to tell us a lot, and you didn't listen and didn't go to him, – Mickey objected.

– What will he tell us? He's a thousand years old already! All his knowledge is outdated! Or do we not know everything about this life?! – Oscar asked sarcastically, – and how can I fly to him now? I'm ashamed that I didn't listen to him!

– Okay, don't worry, grandpa is always happy to see us. Let's fly to him tomorrow, – Mickey suggested, – he said he's waiting for us and has something to tell us and teach us. Everything will be fine, Oscar.

– What's fine about it? Everything's bad! – Oscar cried, grumbling about the rain a little more before falling asleep quietly by the warm fireplace.

An old story about grandpa and good and bad deeds.

In the morning, the friends flew to grandpa. He greeted them with joy as always and treated them to tea with delicious raspberry jam. Fortunately, there were enough rains and the garden was full of berries and fruits.

After listening to the kids, grandpa asked Oscar:

– What do you plan to do now?

– I don't know, – replied Oscar sadly, – I used to do things and make decisions on my own, but everything would fall apart. Now I sell things at the market, getting many more bricks, and everything falls apart again. And I keep endlessly repairing my broken house… My whole life will pass in endless fuss, and I won't even have time to sit with Mickey and drink tea with jam. These parties and social events are so fleeting, and all I get afterward is a headache. And the next morning after the rain, the dampness and dirt in the house are terrifying. When I become as old as you, Grandpa, and I don't have the strength to fly to the market of life to make decisions and do things, how will I repair the holes in my house? How will I restore it? Will I have to live in dampness and cold? And I won't have any friends, and I need their praise and respect so much! – Oscar burst into tears.

– Don't cry, Oscar, – his grandfather reassured him, – when I was young, I too only took on the tasks that gave me more bricks, without considering the meaning behind them.

– Well, that's what I do too, whether I do the tasks myself or sell them in the shop, – Oscar interrupted his grandfather, – I don't pay attention to the name or meaning of the task, they're all the same at the fair, and people buy or do them for bricks. I don't look at the purpose, I just look at how many bricks I'll get for it! For example, there's a task at the fair to «embroider a beautiful picture from fabric and give it to a friend for their birthday», which earns you 5 bricks. And there's another task to «steal a beautiful picture from someone you know and give it to a friend for their birthday», which earns you 50 bricks! What's the difference if the result is the same? In the second case, you don't even have to work hard or learn to sew, you just take and give! Simple and quick! – Oscar said with a smug look.

– Well, I remember, – Mickey chimed in, – the older kids used to tell us not to do such things!

– I don't know, I don't believe it, but why can't I do it? What's the big deal? Everyone else is doing it, why can't I do something that the older generation advised against? Nonsense, I know everything myself! – Oscar sharply replied.

– Yes, Oscar, your outrage is understandable and your questions are valid, – replied grandfather, – and of course, we will find answers to them together.

– Yes, grandfather, we will find them! And you also promised us to tell us many interesting and useful things last time, and we are ready, especially Oscar, to listen to you attentively, – Mickey said with a smile.

– No one listens more attentively than Oscar, – grumbled Oscar, settling comfortably with Mickey by the fireplace, and listened with interest to his grandfather's story:

– And in my youth, my children, – began grandfather, – I had the same problems as you, Oscar. The house was falling apart, friends were leaving because of the cold and dampness of my home. Even a huge and warm fireplace couldn't save us. And so, it went on for a long time. There were also calm dry times. I was happy with the drought, while others around me were sad – dust everywhere, which the rain wouldn't wash away, the grass wasn't green and the trees were drying up. But I was satisfied – my house was standing strong and welcoming guests. But one day, after a series of hurricanes and rains, my house crumbled and disappeared like sugar in a cup of tea… I couldn't take it, fell into complete despair and started looking for the reason. I remembered what the older generation taught me, looked at others and how they live, what deeds they do and how many bricks they get for them.

– Why does everyone have the same thing? – asked Oscar in surprise.

– Not everyone, – Mickey happily replied, – I'm doing just fine with my home!

– Yes, Mickey, you are different from many people, and you need to preserve your skill and pass it on to others, – grandfather replied emotionally.

– Mickey gives advice to many people, – Oscar said, – and he often tells me, «Don’t do this, it's better not to do that in the fair of life», but I rarely listen to him, and probably in vain.

– Yes, Oscar, it's good that you understand that, – grandfather said with a smile and took a sip of delicious tea. Settling comfortably in his armchair by the fireplace and covering himself with a warm blanket, he continued his story, – just like you, after the next rain, I flew to my beloved grandfather. I haven't seen him for a long time, and I was ashamed of it. And my shame only delayed my trip to him. But I gathered my strength and flew there. Grandfather was very, very happy, and after listening to me, he told me this ancient story: «Long, long ago, many years ago, in our little town, there was only one brick factory on Sunny Street. And everyone did things and made choices based on what that factory offered. Everything was fine, houses were built and didn't break down, only occasionally a brick would fall out, but even that was rare. Eternal homes, joy, and peace. The rains and storms didn't bother anyone, they only helped us live by washing the streets clean of dirt, and the roofs and walls of houses of dust. The grass was green, and the trees grew and bore fruit. There was plenty of time for work and play».

– What a wonderful time it was, – Oscar interrupted his grandfather, -What happened? Why are we struggling now? – he asked with interest.

– Yes, my dear children, someone is suffering, – said grandfather, taking another sip of his delicious tea, and continued the ancient story. «And everything was fine until they appeared – these snakes. They crawled out from somewhere underground and opened their own shop at the fair of deeds and actions, selling their bricks, but already for their own deeds and actions. They brought their bricks from this cave, where Oscar was. And they had their own list of deeds and actions, which was much longer. They paid a lot for the completion of their deeds and actions, so there was always a line to them. Then they stopped selling themselves and offered us to do it ourselves, for a huge reward of the same bricks. Time passed, and suddenly in our cozy town after every rain, ruined houses began to appear, and they became more and more. The houses were rebuilt again and again, but after the rains and hurricanes, everything collapsed again. Everyone tried to take as many bricks at the fair of life as possible and took any deeds and actions indiscriminately, just to quickly patch up the holes in their own houses. Time passed, and souls began to ponder what was the matter, as things seemed to be just things, and actions just actions. But soon they noticed that some actions gave solid bricks like stones, while others paid with bricks that crumbled after the rain. And if the bricks fell apart after the rain, then our ancestors started calling the actions and deeds for which they were received "bad" deeds. We are paid for them with bricks that seem normal and solid, but when the rain and bad weather comes, these bricks crumble and our life houses collapse. And as it turned out, only snakes from their damp caves pay us with such "bad" bricks. On Sunny Street, they make bricks as hard as stone, and they do not crumble from either the sun or the rain, and with time they become stronger and stronger. And the deeds and actions that they offer to do for bricks from Sunny Street came to be called "good" deeds. The life houses made of these bricks are warm and strong, and living and sleeping in them is a real pleasure. And so, they began to live from then on. Those who were wiser tried to do only "good" deeds at the fair of life, and although they received fewer bricks, they lived in warm and cozy houses. Those who were in a hurry and wanted to build their life house as quickly as possible took "bad" deeds, and having received many bricks for them, but bad ones, they lived and suffered in their huge, but leaky houses». That's the story I was told a long time ago, – said Grandpa, finishing his delicious tea.

– Clearly, snakes are to blame for everything! – said Oscar decisively, – they sell bad deals, and that's why houses collapse… So, we just won't take their bad deals, simple as that! – Oscar continued, – as for me, I take or sell bad deals and receive their rotten bricks from the snakes, and my house constantly crumbles. It's clear… it's clear, – Oscar mused.

– Grandpa, – Mickey interrupted Oscar, – so I always take and do only good deeds and actions at the fair of life?

– Yes, that's right, since your house of life is so strong and good, – Grandpa kindly answered.

– But I didn't even know about this and didn't think about it. Why does it work out like that? – Mickey asked in surprise.

– From childhood, our parents and elders teach us what we can do and what we cannot do. Yes, elders rarely explain why we cannot do this or that. Everyone is in a hurry, they also need to do things and build their house of life. And so, from year to year, we listen and listen. But a time comes when we fly away from our parents and start our own life. And that's when it becomes apparent who listened well to their parents and elders, and who let everything go in one ear and out the other, – Grandpa explained.

– They always taught me not to do this or that too, – Oscar chimed in, – well, why not? – he asked, – «You'll understand when you grow up», our parents usually answered. So, we grew up, and we can't even build a proper house of life! And there's still no understanding!

– Take only what you like! – Mickey suggested, – That's what I usually do.

– Yes, that's what I do too, – Oscar replied, – yesterday at the fair, I picked up one of my favorite things to do called «not picking up my toys and telling Mom I did, then running outside to play». I like doing things like that! But where is my home in life? Nowhere! It crumbles like sand after rain from these actions and deeds! – Oscar laughed.

– You're right, Oscar, – his grandfather replied, – It's hard to determine whether something is good or bad based solely on whether you like it or not. We too used to chase after things we liked in the past without considering their true value, and as a result – the porch collapses, the wall falls apart, and the unpleasant howling of the wind through the damp house…

– So, what should we do? – Oscar asked, – we could spend our whole lives living in a damp house, not understanding what's good or bad. What's good for one person may be bad for another! Grandma says, «have more jam», but Mom says, «no, you'll get a toothache»! One person says, «give me change», while another says, «let's talk about what happened, what the problem is, and forgive each other». As many people, as many opinions! I'm tired, my head hurts from all this moralizing! Let's go play in the field instead, the bright sun is shining, the birds are singing, let's relax and have some fun! – Oscar said.

Mickey and Oscar flew to Grandpa's garden to have fun and play, while guests arrived to visit Grandpa and they all started to have a fun evening together.