The Tale of the Toothy Pike

On the night before St. John’s Day, a small pike with astonishingly large teeth appeared in the Sheksna River. Bream, perch, and ruffe swam over to look at her,…

On the night before St. John’s Day, a small pike with astonishingly large teeth appeared in the Sheksna River. Bream, perch, and ruffe swam over to look at her, while the ferryman laughed from the bank: “What a toothy pike!” Her teeth gleamed, but she herself was curious. The pike grew by the hour rather than by the day, and soon she was the most noticeable fish in the river.

The pike loved to race among the reeds and was always the first to seize all the food carried by the current. The little fish were startled by her swift turns and hid beneath the submerged branches. The pike thought that everyone admired her agility. No one was hurt, but the Sheksna became unusually quiet. Then the fish gathered for a council by the old green backwater.

Ersh Ershovich the ruffe suggested that they should not quarrel, but move for a while to the quiet rivers Sizma, Konoma, and Slavenka. The bream marked the way with bubbles, the perch led the fry, and the ruffe brought up the rear. It was a long journey, but everyone stayed together. When the great shoal had gone, the pike was left alone and, for the first time, heard how empty the water sounded.

An old fisherman noticed that the fish had disappeared. Instead of fishing, he lowered a marked wooden pole into the river to check the depth and current. Together with the ferryman, he used reeds to mark off areas for eating, playing, and resting quietly. The pike swam closer. She admitted that she had not meant to drive anyone away and agreed to share the food and swim more slowly near the fry.

Ersh Ershovich led the fish back to the Sheksna. The pike met each shoal at the reed gates and showed them the safe passages. Soon bream, perch, and ruffe once again filled the river with silvery splashes. The toothy pike began guarding the quiet backwater so that the current would not carry the eggs away. That was how the shared rules helped everyone in the river live together peacefully again.