– So many bricks? – Mickey was surprised, – for what? I don't like the sound of this business.
– What difference does it make what kind of business it is? I'm reading further, – and Oscar continued to read the list of deeds and actions from the cave, – for the deed of «disobeying adults» – 100 bricks, and I'll get 50! «Gloating over someone else's misfortune»– 150 bricks! «Deception for the sake of a joke» – 150 bricks! There's such a huge list here, many times larger than what they gave us on Sun Street!!! I haven't even seen many of these deeds and actions at our fair! This is a gold mine! That's it, now I'm going to open my own shop at the fair and sell these deeds, and I'll become rich and famous!
Mickey had nothing to say to his friend. He looked at the list of deeds and actions and felt sickened. For many of these deeds and actions, he hadn't even read or heard of them before. His head began to ache and he decided that he needed to leave this cave as soon as possible.
– How can you sell things like this? – Mickey asked on his way back, – I sometimes see similar things being sold at our fair, but I wouldn't even think of doing such deeds and actions, let alone receiving bricks for them!
– So what? It's not me who will be doing these deeds and actions. I just sold them and got my bricks for it. What's so bad about that?! – Oscar snatched the paper from him and said that he wouldn't be flying to grandpa's.
– But how can you not go? – objected Mickey, – Grandpa still had a lot of interesting and useful things to tell us. Selling deeds is a difficult and responsible business. You'll only get into more trouble without grandpa's wise advice, – Mickey disapproved.
– I already know everything! I know what to do! – Oscar said proudly and quickly flew to the fair to open his shop of deeds and actions, eager to start trading. Mickey sadly watched his friend go and shouted that he would be happy to wait for him at grandpa's before flying back.
Mickey doesn't want to open his own shop.
Grandpa, having met Mickey, fed him rich borscht, gave him tea with a delicious dessert and listened attentively to what had happened.
– Ah, that's not good, – Grandpa said, – those snakes are promoting their affairs again. But don't worry, everything will be fine. We can't help Oscar right now, he'll figure it out on his own. We'll meet up later, have some tea together and talk about it. In the meantime, let's look at the prices from the factory on Sun Street.
– We can do that, but I don't want to open my own shop, – Mickey said, – I'm happy with my house and garden. I've saved up a lot of bricks from my work and deeds, and I sometimes give them to those in need to rebuild their homes after the rain. But that's not enough for Oscar. He has a huge house with so many holes, you can't count them all!
– That's your choice, Mickey, and I like it, – Grandpa said, putting the list aside, – selling bricks is also a very responsible job. There was a time when I sold things and had my own shop. Business was good. But time passes, and I moved away from it. I have enough now. Let's put these papers aside until we meet Oscar next time, – he said mysteriously.
– Yes, Grandpa, I have enough of them, and my little house of life doesn't crumble from the rain, – continued Mickey, – friends often come and ask me where I get such strong bricks and for what deeds and actions, they give them to me. And where? Just like everyone else – at the fair of life. Many are surprised that I always have extras – since they pay so few bricks for the deeds and actions that I advise them to do. And I don't know what to tell them, I just always have them and the rain doesn't wash them away and the hurricane doesn't carry them off. I tell them about the deeds I do, and then they come back and thank me for the advice. They say that now they also always have dry and warm houses, and there are still extra bricks left.
– Does Oscar listen to you? – asked Grandpa.
– He listens, but he doesn't do, he says yes – yes, but when he gets to the fair of deeds and actions, his mind is apparently clouded by temptation and greed. He forgets about my words and takes the deeds that give him more bricks…
– You're a good boy, Mickey, but everything will be alright with Oscar. We'll meet again and sit by the warm fireplace and chat, – Grandpa reassured him.
Mickey was happy to stay with his grandpa1 for a little longer and in a couple of days, he flew back home – he missed his deeds and actions – he was eager to fly to the fair and work hard.
Oscar opened a shop and new rains and a hurricane
Time passed. Oscar opened his shop at the fair and started selling goods and deeds to the right and left. He always had a line of customers and business was going well. He only sold goods and deeds from the factory in the cave, and goods from Sunny Street were rarely taken. Everyone wanted more bricks for their deeds and actions. Soon, he had finished building his huge life house, made the walls many times thicker, and fortunately, now he had plenty of bricks. In this, the old man turned out to be right, and Oscar was happy about it. He often invited guests and had fun in his big life house, not forgetting about Mickey.
Time passed again, and here came another hurricane, rain pouring, and lightning flashing. Mickey sat and drank tea by the fireplace when his frozen and wet friend Oscar flew to him again.
– That damned rain again! I can't be at home, there's such a howling and creaking like it's coming from hell! Half of the walls fell off from the rain! Well, never mind, now I'll rest and tomorrow I'll get back to work! My house will be even bigger and stronger! – and after resting until morning, warming up and gaining strength, Oscar flew back to build his life house again.
Time passed, and after every rain, Mickey would warm up and give his friend Oscar tea with jam. And once Oscar regained his strength, he would rush back to his shop to rebuild his home with the bricks that Mickey had given him. When the weather was dry, Oscar would host parties and gatherings in his big home, inviting friends and acquaintances to show off his grand house. But time flew by, and soon a strong hurricane and heavy rain swept through, leaving nothing of Oscar's home. Only a few old bricks remained, gifts from Mickey, and some bricks from the distant past.
As usual after such events, Oscar sat wet and angry in Mickey's little house, warming himself by the fireplace and crying, not knowing what to do, cursing the hurricane, rain, and everyone and everything around him.
– I'm tired, I can't do it anymore… I want more and more, but I have less and less. I'm alone in my crumbling castle, and no one wants to be with me in the cold and damp. And now I don't even have my home! Grandpa promised that the house would be strong and warm! What am I doing wrong? – said Oscar with indignation and surprise.
– But Grandpa warned us and wanted to tell us a lot, and you didn't listen and didn't go to him, – Mickey objected.
– What will he tell us? He's a thousand years old already! All his knowledge is outdated! Or do we not know everything about this life?! – Oscar asked sarcastically, – and how can I fly to him now? I'm ashamed that I didn't listen to him!
– Okay, don't worry, grandpa is always happy to see us. Let's fly to him tomorrow, – Mickey suggested, – he said he's waiting for us and has something to tell us and teach us. Everything will be fine, Oscar.
– What's fine about it? Everything's bad! – Oscar cried, grumbling about the rain a little more before falling asleep quietly by the warm fireplace.
An old story about grandpa and good and bad deeds.
In the morning, the friends flew to grandpa. He greeted them with joy as always and treated them to tea with delicious raspberry jam. Fortunately, there were enough rains and the garden was full of berries and fruits.
After listening to the kids, grandpa asked Oscar:
– What do you plan to do now?
– I don't know, – replied Oscar sadly, – I used to do things and make decisions on my own, but everything would fall apart. Now I sell things at the market, getting many more bricks, and everything falls apart again. And I keep endlessly repairing my broken house… My whole life will pass in endless fuss, and I won't even have time to sit with Mickey and drink tea with jam. These parties and social events are so fleeting, and all I get afterward is a headache. And the next morning after the rain, the dampness and dirt in the house are terrifying. When I become as old as you, Grandpa, and I don't have the strength to fly to the market of life to make decisions and do things, how will I repair the holes in my house? How will I restore it? Will I have to live in dampness and cold? And I won't have any friends, and I need their praise and respect so much! – Oscar burst into tears.
– Don't cry, Oscar, – his grandfather reassured him, – when I was young, I too only took on the tasks that gave me more bricks, without considering the meaning behind them.
– Well, that's what I do too, whether I do the tasks myself or sell them in the shop, – Oscar interrupted his grandfather, – I don't pay attention to the name or meaning of the task, they're all the same at the fair, and people buy or do them for bricks. I don't look at the purpose, I just look at how many bricks I'll get for it! For example, there's a task at the fair to «embroider a beautiful picture from fabric and give it to a friend for their birthday», which earns you 5 bricks. And there's another task to «steal a beautiful picture from someone you know and give it to a friend for their birthday», which earns you 50 bricks! What's the difference if the result is the same? In the second case, you don't even have to work hard or learn to sew, you just take and give! Simple and quick! – Oscar said with a smug look.
– Well, I remember, – Mickey chimed in, – the older kids used to tell us not to do such things!
– I don't know, I don't believe it, but why can't I do it? What's the big deal? Everyone else is doing it, why can't I do something that the older generation advised against? Nonsense, I know everything myself! – Oscar sharply replied.
– Yes, Oscar, your outrage is understandable and your questions are valid, – replied grandfather, – and of course, we will find answers to them together.
– Yes, grandfather, we will find them! And you also promised us to tell us many interesting and useful things last time, and we are ready, especially Oscar, to listen to you attentively, – Mickey said with a smile.
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