In one of the forests of the Moscow region in the early 80s, a gathering of amateur song lovers was held. After its completion, the duty group remained in the forest to eliminate the consequences of people being there: once again pour fires, bury garbage pits and, according to the established rules, present the remnants of food as a treat to forest dwellers.
Pieces of bread were supposed to be chopped onto branches, salt was poured onto hemp, and cereals were scattered under the trees.
The duty group was divided into several teams, each of which had to explore a certain area of the forest. Five friends received a plot bounded on one side by a swamp, the diameter of which was about one kilometer. Behind him was a field, and beyond the field was a half-empty village.
One girl, whose name was Galina, was accompanied everywhere by a dwarf poodle. The dog ran into the bushes and suddenly, barking and screeching, jumped out and jumped into the hands of the mistress. A moment later the red muzzle of a deer appeared from the bushes.
Not paying any attention to the people frozen either from surprise or from fear, the animal calmly walked by in the direction of the swamp. It seemed to everyone that there was something unreal in his appearance. Then everything was repeated and a black and white deer came out of the bushes one after another.
When the deer disappeared into the thickets, Galina realized what struck her in their appearance: all animals had a beard and straight horns, like a goat.
As soon as the girl had time to think about it, an old man with a white beard to the waist emerged from the same bushes. He was dressed in a very long cloak with a hood pulled down over his eyes, so that his face was not visible. The old man proceeded in the same direction as the goat-deer.
For some time, young people were in the grip of a stupor that seized them. Then, without saying a word, everyone ran through the thickets to the swamp. On its bank, there were footprints that went into the water. Young people tried to go where the footprints led, but immediately one of them fell into the icy water.
Promotional video:
Then it was assumed that the old man and the animals entered the water and walked along the perimeter of the swamp. The search began.
The young people reached the field, where they saw a fire, near which a man of about fifty was sitting. He was bald, beardless, and in his hands he held a bottle of a muddy liquid, probably with moonshine. Three goats grazed next to the man - white, red and black.
Returning to the camp, the young people told about what had happened to them. A few days later one young man decided that they had met his Master in the forest. The search resumed, but two trips came to nothing.
Local residents assured that there was no such person in the village. Until now, Galina scolds herself for passing by a miracle, because, according to legend, the owner of the forest appears to people only on special occasions and, if asked, fulfills any one desire.