Українська / A2
Десять робітників
Одного разу я зайшов до Одарки. У неї вдома було дуже чисто. Діти були вмиті й чисто одягнені. Обід уже був готовий.
— Як ви все встигаєте? — спитав я.
— У мене є десять добрих робітників, — відповіла Одарка. — Вони мене слухають і роблять усе, що я кажу. І допомагають один одному.
— А хто ці робітники?
— Ось вони! — засміялася Одарка.
Вона поклала на стіл руки й показала свої десять пальців.
English summary · includes the ending
The narrator visits a woman called Odarka. Her home is clean and pleasant, her children are washed and dressed in clean clothes, and the meal has already been cooked. Seeing that everything is ready, the visitor asks how she manages to do all the work.
Odarka answers that she has ten good workers helping her. They obey her and do whatever she tells them. They also help one another, so she can get everything done. The visitor asks who these useful workers are.
Odarka laughs and puts her ten fingers on the table. These are the workers she means: her own fingers. Her answer turns the conversation about household work into a small riddle. She has been describing the work of her own hands as if she had a team of servants. The story ends as she shows the visitor what she means.
Adapted for Lejrbål from the credited source.
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