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A RUSSIAN TALE

Once upon a time three men who didnt know each other met at a Russian tavern.

The first man was a fine artist, a woodcarver. The second one was a tailor who was

skilled in cutting and sewing clothes. The third one was a teacher, who had read a

lot of books and could write and read very well.

They ate, drank and talked the whole night. So, in the morning they decided to

travel together.

They had been walking for many days when they got to a steep mountain through a

deep forest. They could hear the wolves howling in the distance.

They were obviously afraid of meeting those dangerous animals on their way, so

they decided to climb a big tree and spent the night on its branches. So, thats what

they did.

They needed to be awake, because if they slept they could fall down from the tree

and be killed by the wolves. So they started to show each other their abilities: the

woodcarver started to carver from the tree the tailor decided to cut and sew some

clothes, and the teacher started to tell them some stories.

!hen the morning came, the teacher and the tailor got very surprised: the

woodcarver had carved a life"si#e woman from the tree.

Then, the tailor said:

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Ill sew beautiful clothes for her.

The teacher said:

Ill teach her to think, read and write.

So thats what they did. $fter finishing their work, the three of them said at the same

time:

She belongs to me.

So, they started to argue.

The woodcarver said:

I made her. I carved her from the tree. She is mine!

The tailor said:

%&ut if it werent for me, she wouldnt be so beautiful and attractive. 'ts sure she is

mine()

The teacher said:

And If it werent for me, she couldnt think, read and write. Theres no doubt that

she is mine!

$fter a long and hard discussion, they decided to ask a fourth person about the

matter. They would ask the first person they met on their way. That person would

decided to whom the woman belonged.

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So, some hours after they met an old woman that walked with difficulty. She

seemed to be about *+ years old. $fter listening to the arguments of the three men,

she said wisely:

h dont ou ask the woman" She can think now, so she can decide herself.

They didnt have other alternative but asking her.

$nd her answer surprised everyone:

I thank ou three for everthing ou did# for carving me from the three, for giving

me beautiful clothes and for teaching me to think, read and write.

$ut I dont want to belong to anone. I want to be free.

%et me go now and live m own life.

$nd thats the end of our story.