LeSSoN 5

THE ISLAND OF ORADO (Traditional Russian Tale)


<< All That Glitters Is Not Gold >>


Before, to get rich overnight, people looked for treasures on desert islands. Today, one has to pick the right numbers on the lottery.


In Moscow lived Fédor Budonov, a rich old man who counted his gold coins every day. Meanwhile, his servant Boris had to be satisfied with hearing the jingle and obey his lord.


One day, Budonov heard talk about an island where there was an immensse mountain of gold, and since he never had enough, he sailed with his servant to that place. When he saw the mountain, Budonov's eyes shined in such a way that... Then he took out a strange little bottle and made Boris drink it. In just a few minutes, the boy fell asleep. The old man put him in a cow's skin and called several crows to carry him up to the top of the gold.


When Boris woke up, he saw he couldn't go down from there and had no alternativa but to obey his greedy master: he dug night and day to dig out the nuggets, which the old man kept in chests. There was no rest for Boris, until one night the mountain changed into a volcano: with a roar it threw the young man through the air, and after several turns he fell safely to the beach. But his master didn't have the same luck, and was petrified by the lava, along with his golden mountain. Fortunately, Boris fled with the treasure.


Wealth can enslave as much as proverty. So it will be better for us to look for alternatives that lead us to freedom.