A story in Gogol's enchanted place. Retelling of the story "The Enchanted Place" by Gogol N.V.

Gogol's story "The Enchanted Place" is included in the cycle of his whole work "Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka". The story tells about the life story of a grandfather who fell into very mysterious circumstances. A man (being already at an advanced age) finds himself in an "enchanted place". It all happens by a strange coincidence. The story is told on behalf of the deacon Foma. Many years have passed since the incident.

This story by Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol teaches us not to trust what is inaccessible to our consciousness, not to perform any actions that have an incomprehensible origin. A simple Russian peasant wanted to understand what happened to him on an ordinary summer evening, but he did not take into account the nature of all these actions and events. Such mysterious and completely incomprehensible events should be treated with great caution. Don't take too much interest in something you don't fully understand.

Read the summary of Gogol's Enchanted Place

The main narrator of this work is the clerk Foma. He, along with the readers in his story, goes to the distant past, where amazing things happened to his close relative, the nature of which Foma, even after such a long period of time, was unable to explain.

Once, when Thomas was still a child, a very strange and at the same time interesting story happened. His father went to work with his son, so they lived for some time with their mother, grandfather and brothers. His grandfather was a peculiar person, he was significantly different from others, apparently, that is why such a story happened to him.

Grandfather in his free time to guard the tower. This business is very profitable, does not take much effort, you can always entertain yourself with conversations with passers-by and buyers. And so it happened one evening. One day, while talking with customers, Thomas's grandfather started dancing. Apparently, among the passing people there were many of his acquaintances and comrades. Moreover, the grandfather also forced his grandchildren to participate in this masquerade.

Having got the taste, the grandfather continued to actively move his legs, but suddenly he realized that he could not move on. Suddenly, he was in a completely different place. Those who took part in the conversation and the grandchildren disappeared in some incomprehensible way. Grandfather panicked, the place was completely unfamiliar to him before. He heard some incomprehensible laughter, walked past the old cemetery, saw terrifying pictures. Late at night he returned home.

The next day, he took it upon himself to figure out where this place was and figure out what was wrong here.

He took a shovel with him and went to explore the place to deal with that incomprehensible case. In view of the fact that it suddenly began to rain, the grandfather decided to leave his venture and resume the search the next day.

The next day, in the late afternoon, he goes to dig a vegetable garden to dig up the beds. In the course of work, getting angry, he hits the ground with force with a spade. Suddenly, he again finds himself in that same unfortunate field. He was close to the grave. It had a stone on it. He decided to light a cigarette, but heard some suspicious sounds, as if someone sneezed near his head. Again grandfather saw terrible pictures. Animals spoke before him, a ram's head, terrible things happened that defied explanation. Grandpa was really scared. He wanted to run, but his legs would not obey him. Grandfather threw away the cauldron, and suddenly everything became the way it was before this incident. He, no longer tormenting himself with explanations and conjectures of the reason for what happened to him, rushed to run.

By that time, relatives and friends had already begun to sound the alarm, because they could not find their grandfather. They wondered how a person could have disappeared, who the day before was absolutely healthy and in a good mood. But a very strange thing happened here too. After dinner, when our storyteller's mother went to take out the trash can, she found our hero in a barrel. The children, thinking that the barrel was empty, played with it and fooled around. When the mother wanted to pour the trash can into the barrel and found her grandfather there, she could not recover for a long time after what had happened. After all this, the grandfather began to cautiously walk past a strange place, after some time he fenced it off so that no one would get into the same strange and incomprehensible story

Picture or drawing Enchanted place

Other retellings for the reader's diary

• Summary of Bulychev's Million Adventures

  One spring morning, children gathered in a small laboratory, who, after school, took care of animals and plants every day.

  During the war, the girl Lucy ended up in an orphanage, where she turned out to be the youngest pupil. In the bedroom there was an aquarium with amazing fish. The children loved to watch the inhabitants of the aquarium in their free time.

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Nikolay Gogol
enchanted place
The true story told by the deacon of the *** church

By God, I'm tired of talking! What do you think? Really, it’s boring: tell, and tell, and you can’t get rid of it! Well, if you please, I'll tell you, only, she-she, for the last time. Yes, you were talking about the fact that a person can cope, as they say, with an unclean spirit. It is, of course, that is, if you think carefully, there are all sorts of cases in the world ... However, do not say this. If the devilish force wants to fool him, then he will faint; oh god, it sucks! If you please, see: there were four of us all with my father. I was still an idiot then. I was only eleven years old; so no, not eleven: I remember how now, when I once ran on all fours and began to bark like a dog, my father shouted at me, shaking his head: “Hey, Foma, Foma! it's time to marry you, and you're fooling like a young hinny! Grandfather was still alive then and on his feet - let him easily hiccup in the next world - quite strong. It used to be tempting...

So what is there to tell? One of them scoops coal out of the stove for an hour for his pipe, the other for some reason ran after the comoros. What, in fact! .. It would be welcome involuntarily, otherwise they themselves asked for it. Listen so listen!

At the beginning of spring, Batko took tobacco to the Crimea for sale. I just don't remember whether he equipped two or three wagons. Tobacco was then in the price. He took with him a three-year-old brother - to teach him to chum in advance. We are left: grandfather, mother, me, yes brother, yes even brother. Grandfather sowed a chestnut on the very road and went to live in a hut; he took us with him to drive sparrows and magpies from the chestnut tree. We couldn't say it was bad. It used to be that you eat so many cucumbers, melons, turnips, tsibuli, peas a day that in your stomach, by God, as if roosters are crowing. Well, it's also profitable. Passers-by jostle along the road, everyone wants to eat a watermelon or a melon. Yes, from the surrounding farms, it happened, they would put on the exchange of chickens, eggs, turkeys. Life was good.

But most of all, grandfather liked the fact that fifty carts would pass every day. The people, you know, are experienced: they will go to tell - just hang your ears! And grandfather is like a hungry dumplings. Sometimes, it happened, there would be a meeting with old acquaintances - everyone already knew grandfather - you can judge for yourself what happens when old things are collected: containers, containers, then and then, then, such and such, it was ... well, they will spill! remember God knows when.

Once - well, really, as if now it happened - the sun began to set; grandfather walked along the chestnut tree and removed the leaves from the kavuns with which he covered them during the day so that they would not bake in the sun.

- Look, Ostap! - I say to my brother, - there the Chumaks are coming!

- Where are the bugs? - said the grandfather, putting the badge on a large melon so that the lads would not eat it in case.

There were exactly six carts along the road. A chumak walked ahead, already with a gray mustache. Before reaching steps - how to tell you - ten, he stopped.

- Hello, Maxim! Here God has brought where to meet!

Grandpa narrowed his eyes.

- AND! great, great! where does God come from? And Sore is here? great, great brother! What a devil! Yes, everything is here: and Krutotryshchenko! and Pecheritsya and Kovelek! and Stetsko! great! Ah, ha, ha! go, go! .. - And they went to kiss.

The oxen were unharnessed and allowed to graze on the grass. The carts were left on the road; and they all sat down in a circle in front of the hut and lit their cradles. But where are the cradles already here? for tales and for razdobar it is unlikely that they got one each. After an afternoon snack, the grandfather began to regale the guests with melons. So each one, taking a melon each, peeled it cleanly with a knife (the kalachi were all grated, lowed a lot, they already knew how to eat in the world; perhaps they are ready to sit down at the master’s table even now), peeling it well, pierced a hole with each finger, drank from her jelly, began to cut into pieces and put in his mouth.

- What are you, lads, - said the grandfather, - open their mouths? dance, dog children! Where, Ostap, is your sopilka? Well, goat! Thomas, get on your sides! well! like this! gay, goop!

I was then small mobile. Cursed old age! now I will not go like this; instead of all the frills, the legs only stumble. Grandfather looked at us for a long time, sitting with the chumaks. I notice that his legs will not stand still: as if something is pulling them.

“Look, Foma,” said Ostap, “if the old bastard doesn’t go dancing!”

What do you think? he did not have time to say - the old man could not stand it! I wanted, you know, to brag to the Chumaks.

“Look, damn kids! is that how they dance? That's how they dance! he said, rising to his feet, holding out his hands and striking with his heels.

Well, there is nothing to say, he danced like that, even with the hetman. We stepped aside, and the horseradish went to twist his feet all over the smooth place, which was near the cucumber bed. I had just reached, however, halfway through and wanted to roam and throw some of my own thing with my feet into the whirlwind - my legs would not rise, and nothing more! What an abyss! Accelerated again, reached the middle - does not take! whatever you want to do: he doesn’t take it, and he doesn’t take it! legs like wooden steel! “Look, devilish place! you see, satanic obsession! Herod, the enemy of the human race, will get involved!”

Well, how to make fear in front of the Chumaks? He set off again and began scratching fractionally, finely, lovingly to look; to the middle - no! does not dance, and it's full!

“Ah, slander’s Satan!” so that you choke on a rotten melon! so that he dies still small, dog son! what a shame he has done in his old age! ..

In fact, someone behind me laughed. He looked around: no chestnut, no chumaks, nothing; behind, in front, on the sides - a smooth field.

- E! sss... here you go!

He began to squint his eyes - the place, it seemed, was not entirely unfamiliar: there was a forest on the side, some kind of pole was sticking out from behind the forest and could be seen far away in the sky. What an abyss! Yes, this is the dovecote that the priest has in the garden! On the other side, too, something is turning gray; peered: a threshing floor of the volost clerk. That's where the evil spirit dragged! Pokolesivshis around, he stumbled upon the path. There was no month; a white spot flickered instead of him through the cloud. "There will be a big wind tomorrow!" grandfather thought. Look, a candle flared up on the grave aside from the path.

- Vish! - the grandfather stood and leaned on his hips with his hands, and looks: the candle went out; in the distance, and a little further away, another lit up. - Treasure! shouted the grandfather. - I put God knows what, if not a treasure! - and he was already spitting into his hands to dig, but he realized that he did not have a spade or a shovel with him. - Oh, sorry! well, who knows, maybe you just need to raise the turf, and it lies there, my dear! Nothing to do, appoint at least a place not to forget after!

Here, pulling a broken, visible by a whirlwind, decent branch of a tree, he piled it on the grave where the candle was burning, and went along the path. The young oak forest began to thin out; wattle flickered. "Well, like this! didn't I say, - thought the grandfather, - that this is a priest's levada? Here is his wattle! now there is not even a verst to the chestnut.

Late, however, he came home and did not want to eat dumplings. Waking up brother Ostap, he only asked how long ago the Chumaks had left, and wrapped himself in a sheepskin coat. And when he began to ask:

- And where the hell are you going, grandfather, today?

“Don't ask,” he said, wrapping himself even tighter, “don't ask, Ostap; you won't sit down! - And he snored so that the sparrows that had climbed onto the tower rose from fright into the air. But where did he sleep? Nothing to say, it was a cunning beast, God grant him the kingdom of heaven! - always knew how to get away. Sometimes he will sing a song that will make you bite your lips.

The next day, as soon as it began to get dark in the field, the grandfather put on a scroll, girded himself, took a spade and a shovel under his arm, put a hat on his head, drank kuhol sirovets, wiped his lips with his coat and went straight to the priest's garden. Now the wattle fence and the low oak forest have passed. A path winds through the trees and out into the field. Say it's the one. He also went out onto the field - the place is exactly the same as yesterday: there is also a dovecote sticking out; but the threshing floor is not visible. “No, this is not the right place. That, therefore, is further away; must, apparently, turn to the threshing floor! He turned back, began to go the other way - you can see the threshing floor, but there is no dovecote! Again he turned closer to the dovecote - he hid in a threshing floor. In the field, as if on purpose, began to drizzle rain. He ran again to the threshing floor - the dovecote was gone; to the dovecote - the threshing floor is gone.

- And so that you, damned Satan, do not wait to see your children!

And the rain started, as if from a bucket.

So, throwing off his new boots and wrapping him in a hoodie so that they would not warp from the rain, he asked such a runner as if he were a gentleman's pacer. I climbed into the hut, soaked through, covered myself with a sheepskin coat and began to grumble something through my teeth and smack the devil with words that I had never heard before in my life. I confess that I would probably blush if this happened in the middle of the day.

The next day I woke up, I saw: my grandfather was already walking along the chestnut tree as if nothing had happened and covering watermelons with burdock. At dinner the old man got into a conversation again, began to frighten his younger brother that he would exchange him for chickens instead of watermelon; and having dined, he himself made a squeaker out of wood and began to play on it; and he gave us a melon to play with, coiled into three deaths, like a snake, which he called Turkish. Now I have never seen such melons anywhere. True, he got some seeds from afar.

In the evening, after evening, grandfather went with a spade to dig a new bed for late pumpkins. He began to pass by that enchanted place, could not bear it, so as not to grumble through his teeth: “Damned place!” - went up to the middle, where there was no dancing the day before yesterday, and struck in the hearts with a spade. Look, the same field is around him again: a dovecote sticks out on one side, and a threshing floor on the other. “Well, it’s good that you thought to take a spade with you. Out and the track! there is a grave! out and the branch is piled! there is a candle burning! No matter how you make a mistake."

Slowly he ran, raising the spade up, as if he wanted to treat them to a wild boar, wormed its way onto the chestnut tree, and stopped in front of the grave. The candle went out, on the grave lay a stone overgrown with grass. "This stone must be lifted!" - thought the grandfather and began to dig it from all sides. Great cursed stone! here, however, planting his feet firmly on the ground, he shoved him from the grave. "Gu!" - went through the valley. “There you and road! Now things will go faster."

Here the grandfather stopped, took out a horn, poured tobacco on his fist and was about to bring it to his nose, when suddenly over his head "sneeze!" - something sneezed so that the trees swayed and grandfather splashed all over his face.

- Turned away at least to the side when you want to sneeze! said the grandfather, rubbing his eyes. I looked around - no one was there. - No, he doesn’t like tobacco, apparently! he continued, putting the horn into his bosom and taking up the spade. “He’s a fool, and neither his grandfather nor his father ever sniffed such tobacco!”

He began to dig - the earth is soft, the spade goes away. Something sounded. Throwing out the earth, he saw a cauldron.

“Ah, my dear, there you are!” - shouted the grandfather, slipping a spade under him.

“Ah, my dear, there you are!” squeaked the bird's nose, pecking at the cauldron.

Grandfather stepped aside and released a spade.

“Ah, my dear, there you are!” bleated a ram's head from the top of the tree.

“Ah, my dear, there you are!” the bear roared, sticking its snout out from behind a tree.

The trembling took hold of the grandfather.

- Yes, it's scary to say a word! he muttered to himself.

- It's a terrible word to say! squeaked the bird's nose.

- It's scary to say a word! the sheep's head bleated.

- Say a word! the bear roared.

- Hm ... - said the grandfather and was frightened himself.

- Hm! - squeaked his nose.

- Hm! bleated the ram.

- Hum! the bear roared.

He turned with fear: my God, what a night! no stars, no moon; dips around; steep underfoot without a bottom; A mountain hung over his head and just about, it seems, just wants to break off on him! And it seems to grandfather that some mug is blinking because of her: wow! u! the nose is like fur in a forge; nostrils - at least pour a bucket of water into each! lips, by God, like two decks! red eyes rolled up, and also stuck out her tongue and teases!

- To hell with you! - said the grandfather, throwing the cauldron. - On you and your treasure! What a vile face! - and already started to run, but looked around and stood, seeing that everything was as before. - It only frightens the evil spirit!

He took up the boiler again - no, it's heavy! What to do? Do not leave here! Here, gathering all his strength, he grabbed it with his hands.

- Well, together, together! more more! - and pulled it out! - Wow! Now sniff some tobacco!

Got a horn; before, however, before he began to pour, he looked around carefully to see if there was anyone: it seems that there is not; but now it seems to him that the stump of the tree is puffing and pouting, ears are showing, red eyes are pouring; nostrils flared, nose wrinkled, and just like that, it's about to sneeze. “No, I don’t sniff tobacco,” thought the grandfather, hiding the horn, “Satan’s eyes will spit again.” I quickly grabbed the cauldron and let's run as far as the spirit could get; only he hears that something is behind him and scratches his legs with rods ... “Ai, ai, ai!” - shouted only the grandfather, hitting with all his might; and how he ran to the priest's garden, then he only took a breath.

"Where did the grandfather go?" - we thought, waiting for three hours. Already from the farm, mother came a long time ago and brought a pot of hot dumplings. No yes and no grandfather! They began to dine again. After the evening, the mother washed the pot and looked with her eyes where to pour the slop, because there were all ridges around, as she sees, the kitchen goes straight towards her. The sky was still dark. It's true, one of the boys, shaly, hid behind and pushes her.

- By the way, pour slop here! - she said and poured out hot slops.

- Ai! shouted in bass.

Look, grandfather. Well, who knows! By God, they thought that the barrel was climbing. I confess, although it is a little sinful, but, really, it seemed ridiculous when the grandfather's gray-haired head was all dipped in slop and hung with crusts from watermelons and melons.

"Look, damn woman!" - said the grandfather, wiping his head with his coat, - how you blew it! like a pig before Christmas! Well, lads, now you will have bagels! You will, dog children, walk in golden zhupans! Look, look here, what I brought you! - said the grandfather and opened the cauldron.

What do you think it was there? well, at least, after thinking, well, huh? gold? Here is something that is not gold: rubbish, squabbles ... it's a shame to say what it is. Grandfather spat, threw the cauldron and washed his hands afterwards.

And from that time on, grandfather cursed us to ever believe the devil.

- And do not think! - he often said to us, - everything that the enemy of the Lord Christ says, everything will lie, son of a dog! He doesn't even have a penny of truth!

And, it happened, as soon as the old man heard that it was restless in a different place:

- Well, guys, let's baptize! - shout to us. - So him! so it! good! - and starts laying crosses. And that accursed place where no one danced, he blocked it with a wattle fence, ordered to throw everything that was indecent, all the weeds and rubbish that he had raked out of the chestnut tree.

So this is how the evil spirit of a person fools! I know this land well: after that, the neighboring Cossacks hired it from the father under the tower. Glorious earth! and the harvest has always been marvelous; but there was never anything good in the enchanted place. They will sow it properly, but it will sprout such that it is impossible to make out: a watermelon is not a watermelon, a pumpkin is not a pumpkin, a cucumber is not a cucumber ... the devil knows what it is!

The true story told by the deacon of the *** church

By God, I'm tired of talking! What do you think? Really, it’s boring: tell, and tell, and you can’t get rid of it! Well, if you please, I'll tell you, only, she-she, for the last time. Yes, you spoke about the fact that a person can cope, as they say, with an unclean spirit. It is, of course, that is, if you think carefully, there are all sorts of cases in the world ... However, do not say this. If the devilish force wants to fool him, then he will faint; oh god, it sucks! If you please, see: there were four of us all with my father. I was still an idiot then. I was only eleven years old; so no, not eleven: I remember how now, when I once ran on all fours and began to bark like a dog, my father shouted at me, shaking his head: "Hey, Foma, Foma! It's time to marry you, and you are fooling like a young hinny!" Grandfather was still alive then and on his feet - let him easily stick in the next world - quite strong. Sometimes, he decides ... But why talk about that? One of them scoops coal out of the stove for an hour for his pipe, the other for some reason ran after the comoros. What, in fact! .. It would be welcome involuntarily, otherwise they themselves asked for it. Listen so listen! At the beginning of spring, Batko took tobacco to the Crimea for sale. I just don't remember whether he equipped two or three wagons. Tobacco was then in the price. He took with him a three-year-old brother - to teach him to chum in advance. We are left: grandfather, mother, me, yes brother, yes even brother. Grandfather sowed a chestnut on the very road and went to live in a hut; he took us with him to drive sparrows and magpies from the chestnut tree. We couldn't say it was bad. It used to be that you eat so many cucumbers, melons, turnips, tsibuli, peas a day that in your stomach, by God, as if roosters are crowing. Well, it's also profitable. Passers-by jostle along the road, everyone wants to eat a watermelon or a melon. Yes, from the surrounding farms, they used to bring chickens, eggs, turkeys for exchange. Life was good. But most of all, grandfather liked the fact that fifty carts would pass every day. The people, you know, are experienced: they will go to tell - just hang your ears! And grandfather is like a hungry dumplings. Sometimes, it happened, there would be a meeting with old acquaintances - everyone already knew grandfather - you can judge for yourself what happens when old things are collected: containers, containers, then and then, then, such and such it was. .. well, and spill! remember God knows when. Once - well, really, as if now it happened - the sun began to set; grandfather walked along the chestnut tree and removed the leaves from the kavuns with which he covered them during the day so that they would not bake in the sun - Look, Ostap! - I say to my brother, - there the Chumaks are coming! - Where are the dummies? - said the grandfather, putting the badge on the big melon; so that in case the lads do not eat it. There were exactly six carts along the road. A chumak walked ahead, already with a gray mustache. Before reaching steps - how to tell you - ten, he stopped. - Hello, Maxim! God brought me where to meet! Grandfather narrowed his eyes: - Ah! great, great! where does god come from? And Sore is here? great, great brother! What a devil! Yes, everything is here: and Krutotryshchenko! and Pecheritsya and Kovelek! and Stetsko! great! Ah, ha, ha! go, go! .. - And they went to kiss. The oxen were unharnessed and allowed to graze on the grass. The carts were left on the road; and they all sat down in a circle in front of the hut and lit their cradles. But where are the cradles already here? for tales and for razdobar hardly got one. After an afternoon snack, the grandfather began to regale the guests with melons. So each one, taking a melon, peeled it cleanly with a knife (the kalachi were all grated, poked a lot, they already knew how to eat in the world; perhaps they are ready to sit down at the master’s table at least now), peeling it thoroughly, pierced a hole with each finger, he drank jelly from it, began to cut it into pieces and put it in his mouth. - Why are you lads, - said the grandfather, - have your mouths open? dance, dog children! Where, Ostap, is your sopilka? Well, goat! Thomas, get on your sides! well! like this! gay, goop! I was then small mobile. Cursed old age! now I will not go like this; instead of all the frills, the legs only stumble. Grandfather looked at us for a long time, sitting with the chumaks. I notice that his legs will not stand still: as if something is pulling them. “Look, Foma,” said Ostap, “if the old bastard doesn’t go dancing!” What do you think? he did not have time to say - the old man could not stand it! I wanted, you know, to brag to the Chumaks. - Look, damn kids! is that how they dance? That's how they dance! he said, rising to his feet, stretching out his arms and kicking with his heels. Well, there is nothing to say, he danced like that, even with the hetman. We stepped aside, and the horseradish went to twist his feet all over the smooth place, which was near the cucumber bed. I had just reached, however, halfway and I wanted to roam and throw some kind of thing with my feet into the whirlwind - my legs do not rise, and that's all! What an abyss! Accelerated again, reached the middle - does not take! whatever you want to do: he doesn’t take it, and he doesn’t take it! legs like wooden steel! "Look, a devilish place! Look, a satanic obsession! Herod, the enemy of the human race, will get involved!" Well, how to make fear in front of the Chumaks? He set off again and began scratching fractionally, finely, lovingly to look; to the middle - no! does not dance, and it's full! - A, shelm's Satan! so that you choke on a rotten melon! so that he dies still small, dog son! what a shame he has done in his old age! .. And in fact, someone behind him laughed. He looked around: no chestnut, no chumaks, nothing; behind, in front, on the sides - a smooth field. - E! sss... here you go! He began to squint his eyes - the place, it seemed, was not entirely unfamiliar: there was a forest on the side, some kind of pole was sticking out from behind the forest and was seen far away in the sky. What an abyss! Yes, this is the dovecote that the priest has in the garden! On the other side, too, something is turning gray; peered: a threshing floor of the volost clerk. That's where the evil spirit dragged! Pokolesivshis around, he stumbled upon the path. There was no month; a white spot flickered instead of him through the cloud. "There will be a big wind tomorrow!" - thought the grandfather. Look, a candle flared up on the grave aside from the path. - Vish! - the grandfather stood and leaned on his hips with his hands, and looked: the candle went out; in the distance, and a little further away, another lit up. - Treasure! - shouted the grandfather. - I put God knows what, if not a treasure! - and he was already spitting into his hands in order to dig, but he realized that he did not have a spade or a shovel with him. - Oh, sorry! well, who knows, maybe you just need to raise the turf, and it lies there, my dear! Nothing to do, appoint at least a place not to forget after!

The true story told by the deacon of the *** church

By God, already tired of talking! What do you think? Really, it’s boring: tell, and tell, and you can’t get rid of it! Well, if you please, I'll tell you, only, she-she, for the last time. Yes, you were talking about the fact that a person can cope, as they say, with an unclean spirit. It is, of course, that is, if you think carefully, there are all sorts of cases in the world ... However, do not say this. If the devilish force wants to fool him, then he will faint; oh my god, it sucks! If you please, see: there were four of us all with my father. I was still an idiot then. I was only eleven years old; so no, not eleven: I remember how now, when I once ran on all fours and began to bark like a dog, my father shouted at me, shaking his head: “Hey, Foma, Foma! it's time to marry you, and you're fooling like a young hinny! Grandfather was still alive then and on his feet - let him easily hiccup in the next world - quite strong. Sometimes, he decides ... But why talk about that? One of them scoops coal out of the stove for an hour for his pipe, the other for some reason ran after the comoros. What, in fact! .. It would be good if you didn’t want to, otherwise you yourself asked for it. Listen, so listen! At the beginning of spring, Batko took tobacco to the Crimea for sale. I just don't remember whether he equipped two or three wagons. Tobacco was then in the price. He took his three-year-old brother with him to teach him to chum in advance. We are left: grandfather, mother, me, yes brother, yes even brother. Grandfather sowed a chestnut on the very road and went to live in a hut; he took us with him to drive sparrows and magpies from the chestnut tree. It was not bad for us. It used to be that you eat so many cucumbers, melons, turnips, tsybuli, peas in a day that in your stomach, by God, as if roosters are crowing. Well, it's also profitable. Passers-by jostle along the road, everyone wants to eat a watermelon or a melon. Yes, from the surrounding farms, it happened, they would put on the exchange of chickens, eggs, turkeys.

Life was good. But most of all, grandfather liked the fact that fifty carts would pass every day. The people, you know, are experienced: they will go to tell - just hang your ears! And grandfather is like a hungry dumplings. Sometimes, it happened, there would be a meeting with old acquaintances (everyone already knew everyone’s grandfather), you can judge for yourself what happens when junk gathers. Container, container, then, yes then, such and such, yes such and such was ... Well, they will spill! remember, God knows when. Once - well, really, as if now it happened - the sun began to set; grandfather walked along the chestnut tree and removed the leaves from the kavuns with which he covered them during the day so that they would not bake in the sun. "Look, Ostap!" I say to my brother: “the Chumaks are coming!” - "Where are the Chumaks?" said the grandfather, putting a badge on a large melon so that the lads would not eat it in case. There were exactly six wagons along the road. A chumak walked ahead, already with a gray mustache. Before reaching steps - how to tell you - ten, he stopped. "Hey, Maxim! God has given me a place to meet!” Grandfather narrowed his eyes: “Ah! great, great! where does god come from? And Sore is here? great, great brother! What a devil! Yes, everything is here: and Krutotryshchenko! and Pecheritsa! and Kovelek! and Stetsko! great! Ah, ha, ha! ho, ho! ..” and went to kiss! The oxen were unharnessed and allowed to graze on the grass. The carts were left on the road; and they all sat down in a circle in front of the hut and lit their cradles. But where are the cradles already here? for tales, but for razdobar it is unlikely that one got it. After an afternoon snack, the grandfather began to regale the guests with melons. So each one, taking a melon, cleaned it cleanly with a knife (the kalachi were all grated, bellowed a lot, they already knew how to eat in the world; perhaps they are ready to sit down at the panorama table, even now), having cleaned it thoroughly, pierced a hole with each finger, he drank jelly from it, began to cut it into pieces and put it in his mouth. “What are you, lads,” said the grandfather: “have your mouths gaped? dance, dog children! Where, Ostap, is your sopilka? Well, goat! Thomas, get on your sides! well! like this! Hey, gop! I was then small mobile. Cursed old age! now I will not go like this; instead of all the frills, the feet only stumble. Grandfather looked at us for a long time, sitting with the chumaks. I notice that his legs will not stand still: as if something is pulling them. “Look, Foma,” said Ostap, “if the old bastard doesn’t go dancing!” What do you think? he did not have time to say - the old man could not stand it! You know, I wanted to brag to the Chumaks. "Look, damn kids! is that how they dance? That's how they dance!" he said, rising to his feet, holding out his hands and striking with his heels. Well, there is nothing to say, he danced like that, even with the hetman. We stepped aside, and the horseradish went to twist his feet all over the smooth place, which was near the cucumber bed. However, he had only just reached halfway and wanted to take a walk and throw some of his own thing with his feet into the whirlwind - his legs did not rise, and nothing more! What an abyss! Accelerated again, reached the middle - does not take! whatever you want to do: he doesn’t take it, and he doesn’t take it! legs, like wooden, steel. “Look, devilish place! you see, satanic obsession! Herod, the enemy of the human race, will get involved!” Well, how to make fear in front of the Chumaks? He set off again and began scratching fractionally, finely, lovingly to look; to the middle - no! does not dance, and it's full!

"Ah, shelm's Satan! so that you choke on a rotten melon! so that he dies still small, dog son! what a shame he has done in his old age! .. ” And in fact, someone behind him laughed. He looked around: no chestnut, no chumaks, nothing; behind, in front, on the sides - a smooth field. "Eh! ssss... here you go!” He began to squint his eyes - the place, it seemed, was not entirely unfamiliar: there was a forest on the side, some kind of pole stuck out from behind the forest and was seen away - far in the sky. What an abyss: yes, this is the dovecote that the priest has in the garden! On the other side, too, something is turning gray; peered: a threshing floor of the volost clerk. Where did the evil spirit take you? Pokolesivshis around, he stumbled upon the path. There was no month; a white spot flickered instead of him through the cloud. "There will be a big wind tomorrow!" grandfather thought. Look, a candle flared up on the grave aside from the path. "Vish!" The grandfather stood and propped himself on his hips, and looked: the candle went out; in the distance, and a little further away, another lit up. "Treasure!" shouted the grandfather. "I put God knows what, if not a treasure!" and he was about to spit into his hands to dig, but he realized that he did not have a spade or a shovel with him. "Oh, sorry! well, who knows, maybe you just need to raise the turf, and it lies there, my dear! Nothing to do, at least appoint a place so as not to forget after! Here, pulling a broken, apparently, with a whirlwind, a decent branch of a tree, he piled it on the grave where the candle was burning, and went along the path. The young oak forest began to thin out; wattle flickered. "Well, like this! didn’t I say, ”thought the grandfather:“ what is this priest’s levada? Here is his wattle! now there is not even a verst to the chestnut. Late, however, he came home and did not want to eat dumplings. Waking up brother Ostap, he only asked how long ago the Chumaks had left, and wrapped himself in a sheepskin coat. And when he began to ask: “where the hell are you, grandfather, today?” “Don't ask,” he said, wrapping himself even tighter: “don't ask, Ostap; not that - you will turn gray! and snored so that the sparrows that had climbed up the tower rose from fright into the air. But where did he sleep? Nothing to say, she was a cunning beast - God grant him the kingdom of heaven! - always knew how to get away. Sometimes he will sing a song that will make you bite your lips.

The next day, as soon as it began to get dark in the field, the grandfather put on a scroll, girded himself, took a spade and a shovel under his arm, put a hat on his head, drank kuhol sirovets, wiped his lips with his coat, and went straight to the priest's garden. Now the wattle fence and the low oak forest have passed. A path winds through the trees and out into the field. Say it's the one. He also went out onto the field - the place is exactly the same as yesterday: there is a dovecote sticking out; but the threshing floor is not visible. “No, this is not the right place. That, therefore, is further away; must, apparently, turn to the threshing floor! He turned back, began to go the other way - the threshing floor is visible, but there is no dovecote! Again he turned closer to the dovecote - he hid in a threshing floor. In the field, as if on purpose, began to drizzle rain. He ran again to the threshing floor - the dovecote was gone; to the dovecote - the threshing floor is gone. “And so that you, damned Satan, do not wait to see your children!” And the rain started, as if from a bucket. So, throwing off his new boots and wrapping them in a hoodie so that they would not warp from the rain, he asked such a runner as if he were a gentleman's pacer. I climbed into the hut, soaked through, covered myself with a sheepskin coat and began to grumble something through my teeth and smack the devil with words that I had never heard from my birth. I confess that I would probably blush if this happened in the middle of the day. The next day I woke up, I saw: my grandfather was already walking along the chestnut tree, as if nothing had happened, and covering watermelons with burdock. At dinner the old man got into a conversation again, began to frighten his younger brother that he would exchange him for chickens instead of watermelon; and having dined, he himself made a squeaker out of wood and began to play on it; and gave us, for fun, a melon coiled into three deaths, like a snake, which he called Turkish. Now I have never seen such melons anywhere. True, he got some seeds from afar.

Gogol. Enchanted place. audiobook

In the evening, after evening, grandfather went with a spade to dig a new bed for late pumpkins. He began to pass by that enchanted place, could not bear it, so as not to grumble through his teeth: “damned place!” he went up to the middle, where he had not danced the day before yesterday, and struck in the hearts with a spade. Look, the same field is around him again: a dovecote sticks out on one side, and a threshing floor on the other. “Well, it’s good that you thought to take a spade with you. Out and the track! there is a grave! out and the branch is piled! there is a candle burning! No matter how you make a mistake." Slowly he ran, raising the spade up, as if he wanted to treat them to a wild boar, wormed its way onto the chestnut tree, and stopped in front of the grave. The candle went out; on the grave lay a stone overgrown with grass. "This stone must be lifted!" thought the grandfather and began to dig it from all sides. Great cursed stone! here, however, planting his feet firmly on the ground, he shoved him from the grave. "Gu!" went down the valley. “There you and road! Now things will go faster." Here the grandfather stopped, took out a horn, poured tobacco on his fist and was about to bring it to his nose, when suddenly over his head "sneeze!" something sneezed so that the trees swayed and grandfather splashed all over his face. “Turn away at least to the side when you want to sneeze!” said the grandfather, rubbing his eyes. I looked around - no one was there. “No, he doesn’t like, apparently, damn tobacco!” he went on, putting the horn in his bosom and taking up the spade. “He’s a fool, and neither his grandfather nor his father ever sniffed such tobacco!” He began to dig - the earth is soft, the spade goes away. Something sounded. Throwing out the earth, he saw a cauldron. “Ah, my dear, there you are!” exclaimed the grandfather, slipping a spade under him. “Ah, my dear, there you are!” squeaked the bird's nose, pecking at the cauldron. Grandfather stepped aside and released a spade. “Ah, my dear, there you are!” a ram's head bleated from the top of the tree. “Ah, my dear, there you are!” the bear roared, sticking its snout out from behind a tree. The trembling took hold of the grandfather. “Yes, it’s scary to say a word here!” he muttered to himself. “It’s scary to say a word here!” the bird's nose squeaked. "It's scary to say a word!" the sheep's head bleated. "Word to say!" roared the bear. "Hm ..." said the grandfather, and he himself was frightened. "Um!" squeaked his nose. "Um!" the sheep bleated. "Gum!" the bear roared. He turned with fear: my God, what a night! no stars, no moon; dips around; steep underfoot without a bottom; A mountain hung over his head and just about, it seems, just wants to break off on him! and it seems to grandfather that some mug is blinking because of her: wow! u! the nose is like fur in a forge; nostrils - at least pour a bucket of water into each! lips, by God, like two decks! red eyes rolled up, and also stuck out her tongue, and teasing! "Damn you!" said the grandfather, throwing the cauldron. “On you and your treasure! What a vile mug!" and he was about to start running, but he looked around and stopped, seeing that everything was as before. “It only frightens the evil spirit!” He took up the boiler again - no, it's heavy! What to do? Do not leave here! Here, having gathered all his strength, he grabbed it with his hands: “well, at once, at once! more more!" and pulled out! “Wow! Now sniff some tobacco!” Got a horn; before, however, before he began to pour, he looked around carefully to see if there was anyone: it seems that there is not; but now it seems to him that the stump of the tree is puffing and pouting, the ears are showing, the red eyes are filling up, the nostrils are flared, the nose is wrinkled, and, just like that, it is about to sneeze. “No, I don’t sniff tobacco!” thought the grandfather, hiding the horn: "Satan's eyes will spit again!" I quickly grabbed the cauldron and let's run as far as the spirit could get; all he hears is that something is behind him and scratching his legs with rods ... “Ai! ah, ah!" only the grandfather shouted, striking with all his might; and how he ran to the priest's garden, then he only took a breath.

Gogol "The Enchanted Place". Illustration

"Where did the grandfather go?" we thought, waiting for three hours. Already from the farm, mother came a long time ago and brought a pot of hot dumplings. No, yes and no grandfather! They began to dine again. After the supper, the mother washed the pot and looked with her eyes where to pour the slop, because there were ridges all around, as she sees, the kitchen goes straight towards her. The sky was still dark. It's true, one of the boys, shaly, hid behind and pushes her. “By the way, pour slop here!” said and poured hot slop. "Ai!" shouted in bass. Look, grandfather. Well, who knows! By God, they thought that the barrel was climbing. I confess, although it is a little sinful, but really, it seemed ridiculous when the grandfather's gray-haired head was all dipped in slop and hung with crusts from watermelons and melons. "Look, damn woman!" said the grandfather, wiping his head with his coat: Like a pig before Christmas! Well, lads, now you will have bagels! You will, dog children, walk in golden zhupans! Look, look here, what I brought you!” said the grandfather and opened the cauldron. What do you think it was there? Well, at least after some thought, huh? gold? here is something that is not gold: rubbish, squabbles ... ashamed to say what it is. Grandfather spat, threw the cauldron and washed his hands afterwards.

And from that time on, grandfather cursed us to ever believe the devil. "And don't think!" he often said to us: “Everything that the enemy of the Lord Christ says, everything will lie, son of a dog! He doesn’t have the truth for a penny!” And, it happened, as soon as the old man heard that it was not calm in another place: “come on, guys, let's baptize!” will shout to us: “so it! so it! good!" and starts laying crosses. And that accursed place where they didn’t dance, he blocked it with a wattle fence, ordered to throw everything that was indecent, all the weeds and rubbish that they raked out of the chestnut tree. So this is how the evil spirit of a person fools! I know this land well: after that, the neighboring Cossacks hired it from the father under the tower. Glorious earth! and the harvest has always been marvelous; but there was never anything good in the enchanted place. They will sow it properly, but it will sprout such that it is impossible to make out: a watermelon is not a watermelon, a pumpkin is not a pumpkin, a cucumber is not a cucumber ... the devil knows what it is!

People are said to be able to deal with an unclean spirit. You shouldn't say that. If the evil spirit wants to deceive, so be it.

The narrator was 11 years old. In total, the father had 4 children. Father went to the Crimea in early spring and brought tobacco for sale. He took his 3-year-old brother with him, and the narrator stayed at home with his mother and 2 brothers. Grandfather sowed a garden right by the road and went to live in a hut.

Grandfather liked the fact that about 50 carts passed by him a day, and everyone could tell him something.

Once, 6 wagons drove past Maxim's grandfather, they were grandfather's old comrades. They sat in a circle, ate and talked. Grandfather took the narrator and brother to play the pipe and dance. Unable to resist, the grandfather himself started dancing right on the path between the cucumber beds. It was here that something unclean happened: as soon as grandfather reached the middle of the path, his legs immediately stopped rising. He started again from the beginning of the track, danced to the middle and again his legs became stiff. It was some sort of haunted place. Grandfather immediately began to swear and called this place devilish.

Immediately behind the grandfather, someone laughed. Grandfather turned around, looks - but the place is unknown, around the field is unfamiliar. He took a closer look, and recognized the threshing floor of one volost clerk. That's where the unclean force brought the grandfather.

Then the grandfather decided to go out onto the road, and on the side of one of the graves he saw a flaring candle. Soon it went out and a second one lit up, a little further away. Grandfather thought that a treasure was hidden in this place. I thought to immediately dig it out, but I didn’t have a shovel with me. Then he decided to remember the place and come back here later. With these thoughts he walked home.

Toward evening the next day, grandfather took a shovel and a spade, and went to the place of the treasure. But, having reached the place, he was surprised - if there is a threshing floor, then there is no dovecote, but if a dovecote is visible, then there is no threshing floor. Suddenly a heavy downpour began, and grandfather wandered back home.

The next day, grandfather went through his garden to the enchanted place with a spade in his hands. Striking with a spade at the place where his legs were stiff, he immediately found himself on the field where he saw the candles. Only now he had a spade.

He reached the place indicated by the candles and began to dig. Soon he dug out the cauldron. While digging, grandfather talked to himself, and someone repeated his words several times. Grandfather thought that this was a devil who did not want to give the treasure. Then he left the treasure and ran to the house, and around - silence. Then he returned, took the bowler hat and ran as fast as he could. So he got to the priest's garden.

Mother waited until evening for grandfather. We've already had dinner, but you can't see him. Mother washed the pot and began to look for where to drain the slop. Suddenly she saw a kuhlya* floating through the air in the darkness. Mother took and poured hot slops into it. Immediately there was a loud cry of the grandfather. Grandfather told about the found treasure and hoped that now all the children would have bagels and bagels.

Hoping for gold, grandfather opened the bowler hat, and there was something that is even embarrassing to say.

After this incident, my grandfather lost confidence in the devil. And he often told his grandchildren that they would never believe the devil - he would definitely deceive. And if he heard somewhere, something unsettling was going on, he immediately began to be baptized and shouted to his grandchildren to be baptized.

That enchanted place on the path, where his legs became stiff, the grandfather protected with wattle, and dumped all the garbage and weeds there.

Kukhlya* - a vessel for transporting liquids over short distances.