Читать книгу Darya and the Rainbow Fish - Джан Амании - Страница 1

Once upon a time, somewhere between a deep blue sea and a dense green forest, there was a little village, and in that village lived a fisherman's family: the father's name was Kali, the mother was called Dilda, their son was Mansur and their daughter, Darya. Kali used to go fishing, and Mansur hunted, while Dilda and Darya would keep themselves busy bustling about the house. They were poor but lived happily, until one day something terrible happened – Dilda died.

All of a sudden Kali – who had always been kind and cheerful – became gloomy and unfriendly. He could only find solace at sea, and so each day he would leave at dawn and only return home at night.

And so a year passed. Then one evening after supper, Mansur began with difficulty: “Father, my sister and I want you to find a good wife.”

“Yes, father, we want to have a mother,“ Darya said, backing up her brother's words.

Day after day the children insisted, and finally they managed to persuade their father. He got married to the daughter of the village blacksmith.

“Happiness has returned to our family,” Mansur said to Darya.

But it was not so. The beautiful Beder was mean and grumpy.

“Blunderers! Lazybones! Spongers!” Was all Mansur and Darya heard from their stepmother.

Beder tormented them with hunger, but for their father's sake they put up with it. Mansur went hunting and brought his catch back home. Darya spent all day washing, cooking and cleaning. But for Beder, it was just not enough.

Each night, Darya went down to the sea and wept bitterly. One night she was sitting on the shore, with tears streaming from her eyes. Suddenly a dazzling light shone from the moon, and it became bright as day. As far as the horizon, the entire sea was filled with fish of all different colours. The fish were swimming really close to her, and Darya could hear the voice of the largest and most marvellously coloured one: “Your tears do not let us in peace. The sea is already salty enough. Why are you crying?”