It was in the sixties and seventies of the last century. One Yakut family living in the village did not produce livestock: either the cows remained barren (the Yakuts call this attack the word "kulunnaabyt"), or the calves were born dead (respectively, "torbostoobut"). But even if the calf was born alive, it turned out to be very weak and died within a week.
According to local beliefs, there could be two reasons for such a misfortune: either the spirits of cattle stopped patronizing the owners as punishment for any offense, or a so-called calf eater, torbuyakh abasyta, wound up in the stable. This is a petty evil spirit that is not able to harm a person directly, but harms the economy by feeding on the spirits of calves.
As we have already said, the events took place during the Soviet era with its materialistic ideology. Therefore, the couple decided that there was a rational explanation for everything and that the cattle had to be treated somehow. We were already going to send for a veterinarian, but one day the hostess, returning home, found her five-year-old son in the barn. Even without going there, the woman clearly heard from within two voices: her son and some other child. When she entered the barn, her baby was playing quietly, sitting on the ground, there were no strangers around.
The mother gave her son an interrogation, and he confessed that for some time now he had a friend - a shaggy, dirty boy, dressed in animal skins. He emerged from a dark corner of the barn and never left the premises, so the children only played inside the barn. At the same time, the boy constantly asked the master's son to bring him scraps from the table and not tell his parents anything, otherwise their communication would end.
Hearing this, the woman got scared and told everything to her husband, who went straight to the village shaman, of whom there were many in Yakutia at all times. The sorcerer confirmed that a calf eater lives in the barn, and gave advice on how to get rid of the evil spirit. One morning, a father handed his son a razor-sharp steel knife.
- Hide it under your pants and pretend you want to play with your buddy. And when he comes close to you, hit him with all your might with a blade in the stomach, - the man severely punished.
The boy, brought up in obedience to his parents, submitted to his father's will without any hesitation. He was given a whole plate of delicious food and sent to the barn. Putting his offering in the middle of the barn, the child sat down and began to play with toys. This time his shaggy friend did not dare to appear for a long time, but then nevertheless looked out of his corner and looked askance in disbelief at the treat.
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- How did your parents let you take all this? He asked doubtfully.
“They won't know, don't worry. Go and eat, then we'll play, - as if nothing had happened, the master's son answered and beckoned his friend with his hand.
The calf eater cautiously approached the plate and took a cake from it. Seizing the moment, the boy took out a knife from under his trouser leg and thrust it right up to the handle into the stomach of the spirit. The barn was filled with a deafening screech and the child passed out. After a while, his father revived him. The boy saw that he was lying on the ground, and the knife in his hand was stained with thick black blood. A half-eaten cake lay nearby.
The evil devourer did not appear in the barn anymore, and the master's cows from that time began to calve normally.