They say Sivas has a treasure that you can’t take with you.Stepan didn’t know this at first. He just lived as usual—he was an observant and astute person.He was accustomed to seeing what he saw and translating it to his advantage: a bird was prey, a fish was a catch, salt was merchandise. A good location was an opportunity to earn money.Stepan didn’t consider himself greedy. He simply wanted to live better—to repair his home, to establish a household. And one day, such an opportunity came to him on its own.The old fisherman Miron returned from Arabatskaya Strelka carrying a sack of salt.
— From Sivash? Miron nodded. — Good? — Good. People always need salt. It’s like medicine for a person; it heals the mind and the body. — And there’s a lot of it? — Enough. — So, we can collect and sell it. Miron tightened the rope on the sack. — You can. But you have to be smart about it. Stepan smirked. — Salt is just salt. What can happen to it? — Sivash is vast. — Vast, — Miron agreed. — But vast doesn’t mean infinite.
The next day, he headed to Sivash. The journey to Arabatskaya Strelka felt longer than he expected. On one side, the Sea of Azov shimmered, and on the other lay Sivash—shallow, quiet, almost motionless.As Stepan got closer, the silence shattered. Birds rustled in the reeds. Stepan glanced at them and moved on. He was looking for salt.
He soon saw it. A white crust lay right by the water. In the sunlight, the crystals flashed so brightly that he had to squint.«This is wealth, ” Stepan said.At first, he hauled away one sack; soon, one cart was not enough. Stepan would arrive late in the day and leave only when the shore was already gray in the twilight. The salt was sold, and the money kept increasing.
One day, Savva appeared on the shore—a merchant who always found himself exactly where money could be made. «Did you gather all of this yourself?» «I did.» «And how much can you take in a day?» Stepan shrugged. «If you try hard enough—a lot.» Savva smiled. «Then you have to try hard.»
From that day on, they began working together. The more they took, the fewer white patches were left on the shore.
One morning, a massive flock flew over the Sivas River. The birds flew low, almost touching the water.Stepan remained standing with an empty bag in his hands. A small bird flew ahead. Something glinted on its leg—a ring. He had seen it before. The bird circled and landed far from the shore.Stepan still held the bag, but for the first time, he didn’t look at the ground searching for white crust of salt. In the evening, Stepan told Savva about the bird with the ring.
«So what?» he asked.
«I’ve seen her in these places before.»
«So what?»
«She returned.»
Savva looked at Sivash.
«So it’s a good spot.»
«For birds.»
«And for merchants.»
Work was going well. Stepan bought a new cart and began saving up for a house. He had almost stopped thinking about the bird with the ring.One day, a strong wind picked up. Ripples ran across the Sivas River, and the sky quickly clouded over.Stepan and Savva rushed toward the sacks.
«Hurry!» Savva shouted.
«It’s going to get wet!»The wind was already pushing the water toward the shore. One sack overturned. White crystals spilled out, mixing with the mud and water. Savva cursed, grabbed the sacks, and hauled them toward the carts.«The money is going to be lost!»
Stepan lifted one of the sacks and suddenly heard the birds again. Stepan looked toward where they usually gathered. Almost no ground was visible. Not long ago, he had thought there was so much space here that it would be enough for everyone. Now, between the water and the carts, there was only a narrow strip of shore.
«Clean up!» Savva shouted, waving his arms. «Don’t bother them, ” Stepan said. „They are distracting them from working.“ Stepan looked at the pigeons, then at the birds. „We are the ones bothering them, not the other way around.“ „What are you even talking about? Save the salt!“
The next day, he did not come to the shore. Savva waited until noon, then went to Stepan himself.
— What’s wrong, are you sick? — No. — Then let’s go. The salt won’t go into the bags by itself. — I won’t steal it anymore. Savva smirked, but almost immediately realized that he meant it. — Why is that? We just sorted things out. Stepan remained silent. — You came here for the salt yourself. I didn’t force you. Savva spread his hands. — So what has changed? — Before, I only saw salt here. Now, I see that it’s not the only thing here. — Oh, come on, just birds. They’ll fly somewhere else. What about the money? — There will be other money. Savva shook his head. — You don’t understand anything. — Maybe I never understood before.
From that day on, he started coming to Sivash differently. He no longer searched the shore for the white crust. Now, he noticed where the godwits fed and where the swans rested.
He learned to distinguish birds by their calls and their flight patterns. He knew when it was better not to approach the water so as not to disturb the flock. Sometimes he could sit by the shore for hours. And the longer he watched, the harder it was to believe that he once considered this place almost deserted.
One day, he met Miron there. The old man sat down beside him and stared at the water in silence for a while.
«So, did you find your treasure?» he finally asked.
«I did.»
«A lot?»
Stepan swept his gaze across Syshiv.
«Enough for everyone.»
Miron nodded and asked no more.
