A Strange Lawsuit

Once upon a time, there were two brothers. One was poor, and the other was wealthy.

One day, the poor brother ran out of firewood, and he had nothing to keep his stove burning. His hut was freezing cold.

He went to the forest and chopped some wood, but he had no horse to carry it home.

I should go to my brother and ask for his horse, he thought.

He went to his brother, but the wealthy brother was not happy to see him.

Ill lend you my horse this time, he said, but dont overload it. And dont think you can keep coming back to ask for things. If I give today and tomorrow, soon Ill have nothing left

The poor brother took the horse home but soon realized he had forgotten to ask for a harness.

Going back is useless, he thought. My brother wont give me anything more.

So, he tied the sled to the horses tail as best as he could and headed into the forest.

On his way back, the sled got stuck at the base of a tree, but he didnt notice and whipped the horse.

The horse jumped forward, and its tail got torn off.

When the rich brother saw his horse had no tail, he became furious.

Youve ruined my horse he shouted. Dont think Ill let this go

And so, he filed a lawsuit against his brother.

Time passed, and the brothers received a summons to court.

They set off for the city. As they walked, the poor brother thought,

Ive never been to court, but Ive heard stories. The weak never win against the strong. The poor never get justice. Theyll surely find me guilty.

As they were crossing a bridge with no railing, the poor brother slipped and fell.

Right below the bridge, a merchant was crossing the frozen river on a sled, taking his elderly father to the doctor.

The poor brother fell directly onto the old man, killing him instantly, though he himself was unharmed.

The merchant grabbed him.

Youre coming with me to the judge he shouted.

And so, the three of them—the two brothers and the merchant—continued to the city.

The poor brother grew even more anxious, his face pale with fear.

Now theyll surely declare me guilty, he thought.

Suddenly, he spotted a large stone on the road. He picked it up, wrapped it in a cloth, and tucked it into his coat.

If the judge is unfair and declares me guilty, Ill kill him, he thought.

They arrived at court, where the poor brother now faced two charges. The judge began questioning them.

The poor brother kept looking at the judge, gripping the wrapped stone, and whispering to himself,

Do justice, do justice, do justice… but look, judge, at what I bring today

He repeated this once, then again, and a third time. The judge looked at him, growing uneasy.

Is this man trying to bribe me with gold he wondered.

He looked again and became greedy. Even if its silver, its still valuable, he thought.

So, he made his ruling:

He declared that the poor brother could keep the horse until its tail grew back.

Then, turning to the merchant, he said,

As punishment for your fathers death, you must do the same to this man. Stand under the bridge, and let him jump onto you just as he fell on your father.

And with that, the case was closed.

The wealthy brother said, Fine, Ill just buy my horse back from you.

No, no, said the poor man. Lets follow the judges ruling. Ill keep the horse until its tail grows back.

Ill give you thirty rubles for it, said the rich brother.

Alright, if thats what you want, the poor brother agreed.

The rich brother paid, and the matter was settled.

Then, the merchant began pleading.

Lets forget about this whole thing, he said. I forgive you. Whether I do or not, my father wont come back.

No, no, said the poor man. We must do as the judge ruled. Stand under the bridge so I can jump onto you.

I dont want to kill you. Lets settle this. Ill give you a hundred rubles, the merchant offered.

The poor man took the hundred rubles and was about to leave when the judge called him back.

Now, show me what you promised, he said.

The poor man took out the wrapped bundle, unwrapped it, and revealed the stone.

This is what I was carrying when I said, Do justice, do justice, do justice… but look, judge, at what I bring today If you had ruled against me, I would have killed you with it.

Good thing I made the right decision, thought the judge. Otherwise, I wouldnt be alive right now.

And as for the poor man, he left the court, singing loudly, and happily made his way home