This story, which happened several years ago, was told by an inveterate fisherman named Yegor Epifantsev from the Nizhny Novgorod region. Once he went fishing in the company of his friend Constantine. The men fished from the boat and in the evening got a lot of "trophies". They decided to spend the night in a small abandoned village, in a house where there was a stove and some kind of bed. A full moon hung over the lake, and on the shore, friends noticed someone's burning fire. Approaching the fire, they saw a man, the same fisherman as themselves.
- Why didn't you reach the village? - Yegor asked the stranger.
“I don’t like to stay in deserted villages and abandoned houses, men,” the fisherman answered gloomily. - And once here I ran into a witch.
Epifantsev and his friend, after the stranger's story, did not return to the village and sat all night by the fire of their random friend.
And two weeks later, they again gathered at the same fishing place, but something interfered with Kostya at the last moment. Yegor decided not to change his plans.
By the bus, he reached the lake in the evening and was going to spend the night on the shore, like last time. The fisherman made a fire and, having dined on sandwiches, lay down on the spread quilted jacket. Soon Yegor dozed off.
And it was on the night of Ivan Kupala
… Through the slumber, he heard someone wandering nearby. Epifantsev opened his eyes: a young girl was standing in front of him.
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- Ugh, you frightened, girl! - Yegor gasped. - What are you doing here at night?
- I can't sleep, - she answered. - My husband left, I went swimming. Will you treat me to a tea, fisherwoman?
Yegor found a thermos and poured tea for the girl. Suddenly she suggested:
- Come to me! And don't be afraid, I won't pester you, I'm a married woman!..
Yegor did not want to get up and trudge somewhere in the darkness, but as if something unknown pushed him forward.
They did not have to walk for long, and very soon the girl brought Yegor to a large log house on the outskirts of the village.
Inside the hut there was a real Russian stove, in the middle of the room there was a table, and on it - boiled potatoes, lightly salted cucumbers and pickled mushrooms, okroshka, green onions!.. The young hostess invited the guest to the table, took out a bottle of vodka.
- And what about your husband? - Yegor grinned.
She laughed merrily.
- My husband is not buzzing! Nothing will move!
- Look you, - Yegor also became cheerful. - Well, what is your name?
- Call Agrippina.
And suddenly, frowning, she asked the man:
- Do you wear a pectoral cross?
“I’m an atheist,” he replied. - I don’t believe any priests.
“Right and right,” said Agrippina, delighted. - Well, let's drink to the meeting.
About half an hour later, a company of two guys and two girls burst into the hut. The guys were called Bogdan and Lesha, and the girls were Kiska and Muryskaya (so, in any case, they called Egor). With their arrival, the binge began. The youth danced and sang, vodka flowed like a river …
Then the guys invited Egor to walk along the lake. Pussy with Muryskaya wanted to follow them, but Agrippina looked at the whole four in such a way that the youth instantly calmed down and remained in the house. The merry booze continued. Finally Yegor was completely exhausted, and he fell asleep deeply.
In the morning after the night on Ivan Kupala
The man woke up from the fact that the sun was shining in his eyes: it was through a large hole in the roof that the sun's rays made their way. Birds sang loudly, grasshoppers chirped. It was noon time. Egor was lying in an abandoned rickety house …
For some reason, his mouth was clogged with earth, and his clothes turned out to be so dirty, as if Yegor had been pretty much taken out in a puddle the day before. Fish ridges and empty vodka bottles were strewn about.
Having decided that yesterday's company had played a trick on him, Epifantsev decided to find the jokers. Having met a random mushroom picker, he asked where he could find the young woman Agrippina. He frightenedly crossed himself and said that Agrippina lived several decades ago, was known as a witch and died young.
- Look, what is left of her hut, - the peasant nodded at the rickety black frame. - Did you meet her in any way? They say she likes to show off the visitors. I would walk from here as soon as possible, as they say, away from sin …
Yegor rushed like an arrow to the lake, fear urged him on and chilled his soul. The fishing rods that had been left the day before were lying by the water. The man grabbed his quilted jacket and began to look around in search of a cage. Suddenly there was a splash in the bushes. Glancing over there, Yegor saw a cage filled to the brim with selected fish.
… For a long time he did not tell anyone about what happened in the village by the lake. Well, who would believe that Yegor drank vodka at night with a long-dead witch? And then he found out that in those parts of the world they call mermaids Kiski and Muryski - they are derivatives of the words "beautiful" and "moorish". Well, Lesha and Bogdan are, respectively, Leshy and Bodun (field spirit).
And this incredible story happened, after all, on the night of Ivan Kupala - the most witching time, when a lot of evil spirits wander the earth, and it is better for a mere mortal to stay away from it …