In ancient times, there was a pass over one mountain. It was called Three-Years. People were afraid of going there, but those who happened to be in that place, walked carefully and apprehensively. Those who stumbled and fell knew that they were given only three years to live.
Once, in hot weather, an old man was homing over that pass from the market. “The sun will set soon, – thinks the old man, – I must be home before dark. They got tired of waiting for me at home.” He hastened his steps and suddenly misstepped and fell. The old man is moaning in distress: “What a misfortune! It comes out that I have only three years to live!” He barely limped home, called his wife and children and said,
"I'll probably die soon! I was going over the Three-Years pass on my way home. I've stumbled and fell, " said the old man and swept. And from than moment he stopped eating and drinking. He was dangerous – neither healers nor medicines were good.
People from the village knew about that. There was a very quick child living in that village, Toltor by name. He came to see the old man and said,
“Gaffer, you have stumbled on the pass, haven't you? Don't be afraid, there is a very good cure for this ail.”
“What is it”, cried the old man.
“It is very simple: go to the pass and fall again”.
The old man got angry,
“You rascal! Do you want to finish me?”
“Listen to me, gaffer,” – the boy started to becalm him, – “They say, that if you fall once, you are given three years to live”.
“Right,” – bowed the old man.
“And if you fall two or three times? The more you fall, the more years you are given to live. Am I not right?”
“Perhaps you are right,” – the old man slapped on his forehead, jumped out of bed and ran to the pass.
He stumbled as if by chance and fell. Suddenly he heard a voice from behind a tree,
“Well done, gaffer! If you fall once, you will live three years, if you fall ten times, you will live thirty years and if you fall hundred times, you will live three hundred years!”
The old man was happy to hear that. He was sure that the Most High himself was talking to him and cried,
“Oh, yes, the Almighty God, do so that I live sixty years three thousand times!”
And he started wallowing on the ground. He turned over on one side and then on the other a hundred times or even more. Then he shook the dust from his clothes and burst out laughing,
“Now I will live as long as I want!”
– Delighted and cheerful, the old man came home. He did not know that the boy had run to the pass, hidden behind the tree and cried.
When the old man got home, he was absolutely healthy and began working in the field as eagerly as before.

Electronic text:Moshkov Library.