Introduction
Our entire life is an uninterrupted flow of deeds and actions. And by doing them, it’s as if we weave the tapestry of our lives with the threads of our deeds and actions… or as if we build the house of our lives with bricks of deeds and actions. And no one wants to shiver from drafts in their leaky house of life… Just like our heroes, the fairy souls Mickey and Oscar, live and construct their houses of life in a magical world. But sometimes storms and rain come, and Mickey’s house stands strong and intact, providing warmth to its owner, while for some reason, Oscar’s house crumbles and collapses like sand! And so, the time has come for Oscar to embark on an interesting and enlightening adventure to find the cause of his troubles and discover why houses of life crumble from the rain. How to distinguish good deeds from bad? What is the most important law in life? Why do good deeds receive such little payment? How to find a guiding principle for life and build a reliable and everlasting house of life?…
Mickey and Oscar
Once upon a time, in a fairy and magical world, there were two souls named Mickey and Oscar. They were friends, enjoyed life, grew and learned, worked and rested. Together, on the same street, they built their houses with beautiful gardens in a cozy and beautiful town, surrounded by a wonderful forest and a small but beautiful lake. Mickey was kind-hearted, cheerful, and responsive, always ready to help others in any way he could. Oscar, on the other hand, didn’t like to share or help much, and always seemed to be in a rush. But like Mickey, he often had fun and liked to play pranks. Mickey had a small but cozy house for living, which looked strong and beautiful. Around it was a well-tended, fruitful garden, where the friends often spent time in the shade, having fun and playing various games. Oscar, on the other hand, had a large but unimpressive house because he often had to rebuild and repair it after every bad weather. And Oscar often came to visit Mickey in his small but cozy kind house, to tell about the past day, drink tea with jam, play and have fun.
Oscar is building a veranda
One day, Oscar was returning home in the evening when he saw his friend tending to the flowers in the garden.
— Hello, Mickey! — said Oscar, — wait for me a little later today, let’s rest and talk.
— Of course, Oscar, I’m always happy to see you! — Mickey joyfully replied.
— I worked hard today at the fair of deeds and accomplishments and received a big cart of bricks as a reward. I’ll be building a veranda soon! — Oscar proudly announced.
— Great, my friend, I’ll be waiting for you, — answered Mickey.
Oscar flew off to unload his reward — bricks for his house. He wanted to expand it by building a big veranda and fixing the holes that appeared after the last rain. Carefully unloading everything, he fulfilled his promise and flew to Mickey’s house.
— So, how are things, Mickey? — asked Oscar, enjoying a delicious raspberry tea by the warm fireplace in Mickey’s house.
— Excellent, Oscar, I did some work at the fair today, took on my favorite task, and was rewarded with a couple of bricks for my house. I’m saving them up for a new addition, — Mickey said proudly.
— Come on! Just two bricks! — Oscar exclaimed in surprise, — I wouldn’t bother for just two. Today I started with a regular job and they gave me a few bricks. But then I switched to one I really enjoy and got a whole cartload of bricks!
— Well done, a whole cartload? I never got that much in a week! — Mickey replied with admiration, — But usually I don’t like the jobs and deeds that give you a lot of bricks right away. I don’t know why, I just don’t want to do them.
— Oh, come on, Mickey! Jobs are jobs, deeds are deeds, everyone does them at the fair of life. And you know, — Oscar whispered conspiratorially, — yesterday I saw some deeds on the list that could get you ten times as many bricks as I got today! But I’m afraid I might not be able to handle them and just waste my time.
— Yeah, there are those kinds of deeds sometimes, but never mind that. Let’s talk about what you’re planning to build, and I’ll tell you about my ideas for improving my house and garden later, — Mickey said.
And the friends continued their conversation about their planned constructions and their deeds and actions at the fair. Oscar bragged again about his accomplishments and, of course, the bricks he received for them, for his large life house. As they talked, they sipped tea and then flew off to play and have fun.
The Hurricane and the Rain in the Little Town
Soon after Oscar built the veranda, he invited Mickey over. They praised the new construction, enjoying tea with jam on it until late in the evening, telling each other stories and having fun.
A few days passed, and suddenly a hurricane with rain swept over their cozy little town. The wind was tossing and turning everything in its path. The rain poured down like from a bucket, washing away all the dirt and filth from the roofs and walls of the houses, cleaning the streets, and watering the trees in the garden with much-needed water.
It was scary to go outside, and everyone sat in their homes, taking shelter from the bad weather. But Mickey, happy and satisfied with the rain, sat by the warm fireplace and read books. Finally, the rain would water his trees and flowers in the garden, and it would wash away the dust and dirt from the streets.
Suddenly, in the midst of the rain, someone knocked on the door, and there stood Oscar, soaked and shivering.
— This damn rain again! — he angrily hissed, — why is it coming down? What for? The wind blows through the walls of my house, and water is dripping in the corners. The dampness is everywhere, and half of my house is flooded. I can’t even warm up by my huge fireplace! It’s the same thing every time!
— Let’s hurry and go to the sauna to warm up, — suggested Oscar, — I knew you would come, as usual, after such rain to warm up, and this time I was not mistaken. Then we’ll have some tea with raspberry jam by the fireplace, — and the friends went to warm up in the sauna.
— And I don’t understand, — mused Oscar, — you work and work like an ox, but the bricks crumble like sand after every rain.
— You can stay with me in warmth while we repair your house, — offered Mickey, — I’ll give you some of my bricks to patch up the holes in your house.
— But don’t you need them for your new addition? — Oscar asked in surprise.
— Yes, but I’m not in a rush, and you need them more now. Otherwise, where will you live? You’ll get sick in your little house with all those holes, — suggested Mickey.
— Okay, thank you, my best friend! — thanked Oscar, — but something needs to change! — Oscar almost shouted, — let’s think! I want a big, beautiful, and warm house to live in, and one that won’t fall apart!
— Okay, let’s fly to Grandpa’s tomorrow, — Mickey came up with a plan, — we need to visit him anyway, and he’ll be happy to see us. We’ll ask him for advice on what to do about this problem.
— Yes! We’re flying to grandpa’s tomorrow! — happily replied Oscar. And the friends spent a long time drinking hot tea with jam, listening to the rustle of the rain and the crackle of the fireplace, and having fun, they fell asleep in warmth and comfort.
Waking up in the morning, they inspected their properties. Mickey’s place was in order, a couple of bricks had fallen off the bathhouse, but overall, everything was good, clean, and tidy. The lawn was cheerfully green, the trees in the garden rustled with joy, everything was happy with the rain, except for Oscar! He had one trouble after another, the roof was tilted, the walls of the house were like a sieve, everything was damp and in ruins…
— Again, I have to rebuild everything!!! What did I do to deserve this! But I’ll manage, I’m strong! I’ll build thick, sturdy walls, a fortress! And no rain will wash it away! — exclaimed Oscar, — but I need a lot, a lot of bricks, — he couldn’t calm down on the way to grandpa’s.
Visiting Grandpa
Grandpa welcomed Mickey and Oscar with joy and love. He had two houses on a large plot of land with a fruit orchard. One small house stood near the forest next to the lake, and a little further away was his second, large guest house. This house had a large beautiful living room with a huge warm fireplace and many rooms for his numerous friends and relatives. For himself, Grandpa had his small, but cozy and warm house by the lake.
— Oh, my beloved children! — greeted Grandpa his dear guests, — I’ll give you food and drink now, so you’ll have plenty of energy! Tell me, while I prepare tea with jam.
— My dear Grandpa, we need urgent help! — pleaded Oscar and told him about the recent bad weather and his destroyed house, about his insatiable desire to make things happen and to build a big and beautiful house as soon as possible.
— Your desire to make things happen and take action is very commendable, — said Grandpa and continued, — and what do you enjoy doing most, my children, at the fair of life?
— I, you see, — began Mickey, — took on a challenge yesterday — «always tell the truth», as well as «smile at passersby and help them find their way».
— But what kind of challenges are those? — laughed Oscar, — they only give you a couple of bricks each. Yesterday, I took on the challenge of «misleading passersby and showing them the wrong way», and I immediately got 20 bricks!
— Oh, Oscar, — replied Mickey with regret, — how can you take on such challenges and do them at the fair? I don’t understand… I don’t like it.
— Oh, come on! It’s fun, and I’ll build my own house to live in faster! — Oscar laughed in response.
— Oh, my children, — Grandpa said kindly, pouring everyone tea, — I was young and hot-headed like you, and always in a rush, wanting to earn my bricks quickly at the fair of life, build my house, and show off to my friends! Oh, I suffered so much with it. Just a little rain or wind, and the walls crumbled like sand. I couldn’t sleep at night, it was so noisy from the cracks, as if someone was crying, and water dripped from the ceiling like someone’s tears. And in the morning, I would run again to the fair of challenges and deeds to earn my bricks and rebuild my house of life… I have a lot to tell you about, how to avoid my mistakes and failures. And most importantly, what I want to tell you now — of course, there is a way to earn a lot of bricks quickly at the fair of life, and at the same time, your house will always be strong and warm.
— Yes, grandpa, please tell us, don’t keep us waiting! We want to hear the secret as soon as possible! — exclaimed Oscar eagerly.
— Alright, my dear children, — continued grandpa, — tomorrow morning, go to Sun Street. There’s a magical factory there that produces bricks and distributes them to merchants at the fair of deeds and actions. The merchants will give you these bricks in exchange for completing various tasks and actions. They receive their share of the sold bricks. Come back to me afterwards, and we’ll continue our conversation. I’ll tell you many more interesting things about what you can and cannot do, my dear children.
— Wow, so it turns out that you don’t have to work yourself, but can sell deeds and actions to other souls at the fair of life and receive bricks for it? — asked Oscar with excitement and amazement.
— Yes, but there are many merchants and not many willing to work. There are also subtleties and wisdom to it. We’ll discuss it all tomorrow, — replied grandpa.
— Okay, grandpa! — said Oscar happily and enthusiastically. The rest of the evening, Mickey and Oscar relaxed and had fun with grandpa, telling each other stories and sipping tea with delicious jam made from berries from grandpa’s huge garden.
Friends visit a small factory and encounter a snake
Waking up early in the morning, the friends flew to the small factory on Sunny Street. There, they were greeted with kindness and smiles, and everyone told and showed them everything. They were given a list of tasks and deeds, as well as how many bricks were sold to the buyer and how many to the seller. After saying goodbye, the friends left the
factory, but suddenly a big and scary snake crawled out of the bushes and said to them:
— My dear and beloved children, did you like the factory? — he hissed.
— Yes, everything is good, — they replied, frightened.
— And did you like the prices? — the snake continued, circling and coiling around the friends.
— Yes, — said Mickey, but Oscar interrupted him:
— It’s not enough, not nearly enough! What’s the point of only giving two or three bricks for a deed, and the reward for the seller is nothing!
— You’re right, it’s nothing, — the satisfied snake slowly hissed, — but I know where they give much more bricks to the sellers, my dear children…
— Where? — Oscar eagerly and interestedly asked.
— I will show you and tell you everything, — the snake hissed, — Follow me, my children! — and they flew to another street with a scary name, Cave Street. There was a cave in the ground, and they had to go down somewhere far. Mickey was scared:
— It’s wet and cold down there! I’m afraid, and Grandpa didn’t tell us anything about this place, it’s some kind of bad!
— Don’t be afraid! Everything will be okay, — said Oscar, and together with the snake, they flew down into the cave.
Mickey, frightened, didn’t fly with them and instead waited outside, basking in the sun. As it turned out, they weren’t the only guests here. Many flew into the cave and flew out, and the stream of visitors was constant, unlike the factory on Sun Street. But it was somewhat gloomy, and there was no joy around.
Soon Oscar returned, cold but satisfied, with a huge bag of gifts, jars of preserves, and dried fruits sticking out of his pockets.
— Now this is what I call service! They fed us, watered us, and gave us stuff to take with us, and the prices are just amazing! — Oscar exclaimed, overcome with emotion, — hooray, I found what I was looking for! Listen to this, I’m reading it: «for the deed of ’not forgiving an offense», they give 100 bricks to the performer, and as a seller, I’ll get 50 bricks. I’m reading further — «for the deed of ’protest and impatience», 50 bricks, and I’ll get 25!
— 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.
— No one listens more attentively than Oscar, — grumbled Oscar, settling comfortably with Mickey by the fireplace, and listened with interest to his grandfather’s story: