Dreamer

Once upon a time there lived an old woman in a village. She had no cattle. Only one hen ran in the yard. The hen laid eggs — every day one by one. The woman put the eggs into a basket.

The woman had a son. He was so lazy! He only lay on his mattress and slept. He would not get up even if it started hailing!

One day the woman said to her lazy son, «I am old. It is hard for me to work, to earn my bread. It is time for you to think how you will make a living. All men are doing something: they grow cotton, plant gardens, do handicrafts, or trade. You can't do anything. You have no profession. Start selling eggs. You may earn some coins,» said the woman and gave a basket with eggs to her son.

The son had to go to the market to sell the eggs.

Не walked and walked, and then he became tired. He lay down in the shade of a big plane tree and put the basket with eggs at his feet.

He closed his eyes and started dreaming, «There are at least fifty eggs in this basket. I will sell the eggs and buy a cock and a pair of hens. The hens will lay a hundred eggs. A hundred chickens will be hatched. The chickens will grow into hens. Those hens will also lay eggs. There will be at least five thousand eggs. Five thousand chickens will be hatched out. The chickens will grow and become hens! Five thousand hens! I will sell the hens and buy sheep. One thousand sheep! After some time the sheep will give birth to lambs. The lambs will grow up and become sheep! I will have a big flock of sheep! These sheep will have lambs, and the lambs will grow up. I will be the owner of several flocks of sheep! J will sell half of the sheep and build a palace as that of the king for that money! After that I will marry the king's daughter! When the king sees my wealth, he will give me his prettiest daughter for my wife. [They say that the king's prettiest daughter is very shrewd. I will marry her, take her down a peg, and make her obey me. If she disobeys, I will stamp my feet. This way!..»

At that moment the foot of the lazy man kicked something abruptly. He opened his eyes and what did he see then? The basket with eggs flew in the air and landed on the road; the eggs rolled out and broke! Not a single egg was left unbroken!