Shabarsha

It was a summer with little rain, and the village mill had almost stopped. There was little flour left in the shared storehouse, so Shabarsha, a resourceful…

It was a summer with little rain, and the village mill had almost stopped. There was little flour left in the shared storehouse, so Shabarsha, a resourceful worker, went to the millpond to find a way to bring water back to the wheel. He cleared a narrow channel, checked the dam and noticed someone watching his work from among the reeds.

A little pond spirit in a red cap came out of the water. He explained that his family could direct underground streams, but liked to hold cheerful contests first. Shabarsha proposed a fair agreement: if the village team completed three tasks, the pond folk would help the mill, and the people would carefully clean the banks every year.

The first task was to move a heavy log that had fallen near the water. Shabarsha called a bear he knew, who often helped the foresters clear dead trees from the paths. The bear braced his paws, gently rolled the log towards the woodpile and snorted with satisfaction. The pond spirit admitted that together they could do more than alone, and treated their helper to sweet raspberries.

For the second task, a swift hare was the first to reach the old willow. The final challenge was to get a wooden hoop right around a cloud. Shabarsha laid the hoop on the still water and waited until the reflection of a white cloud drifted into the circle. The pond folk laughed and praised his patience: sometimes the right answer comes from observation, rather than strength or speed.

The pond elder kept the agreement. An underground stream filled the channel, the millwheel turned and the millstones ground grain again. The first sacks of flour were taken to the shared storehouse and divided equally among the families. In autumn, the people cleaned the bank, planted willows and held a celebration by the water. Shabarsha, the animals and the pond folk sat at one table, listening to the steady sound of the working mill.