Is there any better sweet and delicious cherry than in Koz village? One couldn’t find anywhere such soft and juicy yellow pears! One couldn’t meet in Crimea the young man with the finer stature. The other places on the Earth didn’t know the type of girls, who could walk easily on the rocks and cliffs. Only girls from Koz village could do that.
The gray rock Eltigen looks at the children of the valley, admires them on a sunbeam. It listens to the voice of the elderly people, who are going to sit at the coffee shop, when the blue shadow run in the evening from the mountains to the village.
- It was better before. - It was better, - solid Muslyadin, ninety years old man, squatting next to the imam. – It was the rain, when necessary. It wasn’t – when it wasn’t necessary. The worm didn’t eat the leaf. Bees – yes, they were; goats – yes, they were. Everyone had the two pairs of buffaloes. It was good time before.
The Crimean Tatars from Koz village listen to Muslyadin and sigh. – It was better before.
The coming dusk erupted here and there, the lights of smokers and the whitish clouds of tobacco smoke veiled at concentrated and serious faces. – The water was much before, - says someone. - Ah? - Muslyadin didn’t hear him. – You say that there weren’t any holes in Delikly Kaya rock before. They weren’t, they weren’t. It was appeared later, when maiden's spring – Kyz Pynary was discovered. – Speak, - said the owner of the coffee shop, leaning over to the old man's ear. – People wanted to listen to him.
Muslyadin shifted back his hard astrakhan cap, in order to ease the lump, that has grown over the ear, like a watermelon on the melon field. The postman’s bell has started to ring through the road above the village located at Delikly Kaya rock. The bell fell silent, as if not to disturb Muslyadin, who wanted to run his story. – Well?
The locals listened to him for the several times and yet wanted to hear more. During this quiet summer evening, when the cool wind went to the ground and the numerous stars on the deep sky divert your thoughts from a hard day cares, one would like to hear only wonderful stories. Muslyadin was smoking slowly and with pauses, telling the stories, whom he had heard from his father and grandfather.
The listeners wondered. Muslyadin led them to some other world. The three gray rocks of Eltigen quietly revived in their imagination. It fancies that Delikly Kaya rock, located in the middle of them, has no longer the slit through and the three fabulous spirits still live in it. Every spirit sang it’s song. So people thought that it was a noise of the rock.
When it was sounding with hollow – people waited for the rain, when it groans appeared – everyone was looking for the storm. The spirits were warning people, because they love the village as in ancient times. Then people listened to their patrons’ voice and honored them.
Then spirits came to the people and loved them. That love grew the bliss of the spirit. It passed to the human heart. The people became kinder.
The postman’s bell was ringing at Delikly Kaya rock, tearing the audience from the world of dreams for the moment. The sound died somewhere in the forest.
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When you feel very good, you want everyone feel this too.
This is how the soul works. In past time, Koz village’s people didn’t not a beggar or the wanderer to pass without shelter and food. When the people went down into the garden, on the job, they were leaving someone to treat a passerby.
One day the all people gone for the work; The old women and little boys were left, including three girls, who hastened to sew a dowry to be ready for the month of weddings. The weather was hot in the village. The girls took a job and went into the forest to search for the cool air. Eltigen rock became silent. The spirits fled their rock, turned into beggars and approached to the girls. The girls saw blind, lame, hunchbacked persons and bowed them. – If you hungry, we’d feed you.
The girls stood up under the broad oak tree, untied their knots with roach fish, garlic, cakes and began to treat the poor persons. – Eat it.
They ate and thanked the girls. When they have finished, the knots were still full. - Eat well, - said the girl, and gave to the poor the yellow pears, left for themselves. The strangers smiled. – Allah is great in his creations. Let him fulfill your heart with joy.
The strangers asked girls, whether they had any secret desires. It could be fulfilled in a good moment. – Think about that.
The girls laughed among themselves, and one said: - I'd like to finish my dowry. – Your wish has come true, just come back home and see, - the humpbacked person smiled. - I would - laughed the other girl - like to grandmother not to grumble to me. – It’d be arranged too, - nodded lame person. - Well, what about you? - asked the third blind person. – What would you like? The third girl fell into thoughts. – You’d never do that. - Still. Tell me. And the girl said: - I would like to see the source in the mountain, running the cold spring water in the village. Let the traveler to forget the fatigue by drinking water. Let the locals to refresh in the source when it's hot and praise the grace of Allah. - Well, what would you like to have for yourself? – Asked the blind person. - And me, I do not need anything. I have everything. The blind person was surprised. The blue sky reflected in his open eyes. - Tell me your name. – Ferrah khanum, - said the girl. – It would happen as I wished, and your name will be remembered for a long time by the people.
The blind person has turned to Delikly Kaya rock, highly raised his staff and struck the cliff. Delikly Kaya rock has cracked with thunder and its boulders rained down. The dark cloud has enveloped the mountain. The cloud broke up. The people saw a pass-through slot in the rock and heard a rustled mountain stream falling from it. The first drops of the creek run to Ferrah khanum’s feet and washed them. The beggars have disappeared and the girls realized who they were.
The beggar’s word has come true. The people remembered Ferrah khanum for a long time. Her grave was fenced by a stone wall when she died. Sixty years ago Musyadin saw the ruins of the wall and read the Arabic inscription on the stone. - Do not cling to the world, it is not eternal, only God is alive and eternal.
Muslyadin has already finished his story, but none of the listeners didn’t want to go away from the world of fairy-tale life. Muslyadin rose and grunting, started to go home. - It's high time now. The imam rose too. – Delikly Kaya rock made noise. Maybe it would rain. - We need the rain, we have no water, - said the coffee shop owner. - We need it, we want it. – A group of Crimean Tatars rose and supported him. – We need Ferrah khanum again. - Smiled young teacher. But the older people strictly looked at him. - There was a lot of water when Ferrah khanum was alive. It is less water now. The people became worse. The girls became worse too. If these girls lose their mind, the maiden’s bath – Kyzlar hamamy will become dry too.