To Remain Human
In one village, there lived an extraordinarily beautiful mulatto girl, who had many admirers, and each of them sought her hand in marriage. But the girl was very modest and wise. One day, misfortune came to their village. A huge monster blocked the river with its body, the water of which was used by all the villagers for drinking and watering their crops.
Shortly after, due to the scorching sun, a famine began in the village.
The villagers decided to appease the monster by any means necessary. They began to offer one girl to it every day for food.
Upon seeing the girl, the monster would come out of the river for a while, and the people hurriedly tried to collect water. The whole village trembled with fear, worrying for their daughters.
Knowing of the people's suffering, the beauty promised to marry whoever could defeat the monster. Many tried, but not everyone managed to return home alive.
Yet among the young men, another brave lad appeared, distinguished by his accuracy and daring. He came to the river and saw that a girl was tied to a post on the shore, and the monster was approaching her. To the young man's surprise, the monster unleashed a column of fire and turned the girl into a golden statue. Enraged, the lad cut off the monster's head, and suddenly the water parted, revealing an entrance to an underground realm. Descending the steps, the young man saw an underwater castle. He began to open room after room, and all of them were filled with treasures and delicacies. Instantly, envy and greed sparkled in the young man's eyes. He firmly decided to himself:
- This wealth is now only mine, and I will kill anyone who dares to approach it.
As soon as he uttered these words, he himself transformed into a three-headed monster.
Thus, greed destroyed the brave lad.
