Cherry Pretty lived in Zennor with her father and mother, brothers and sisters. Their hut was very small, and the piece of land was so rocky and inconvenient that, no matter how much they worked on it, it only produced a few potatoes and a little grain. They also had a goat, but the poor thing could barely find herbs to satisfy her hunger and gave milk - the cat cried.
They fed on fish and shellfish, which they collected on coastal rocks. And they ate bread only on major holidays.
Despite such poverty, all the children grew up strong and healthy. But the best of all was Cherry - nice, hard-working, fleet-footed. It used to be that they would start a race, and she would always come running first.
Cherry turned sixteen years old, and she began to feel sad. Other girls walk around dressed up, talk about how they had fun at a fair in a neighboring town, but Cherry has never been to a fair; and although her mother kept promising to sew her a new dress, there was always not enough money for it.
So Cherry decided to leave her parents’ home and take a job as someone’s servant. She said goodbye to her father and mother, tied her simple belongings into a bundle and, promising to find a place closer to home, set off wherever she looked.
She walked and walked, reached a fork in the road, sat down on a roadside stone and cried bitterly, she felt so lonely and sad. I was just about to return home, when suddenly, out of nowhere, a well-dressed gentleman appeared.
Cherry was very surprised: she didn’t even notice how this gentleman approached her. But she was even more surprised when he addressed her by name:
- Good morning, Cherry! Where are you heading?
“I’m looking for a maid’s position, sir.”
“That’s how we fortunately met, Cherry.” I just need an assistant at home, a diligent and neat girl. My wife died, and I left behind a little son. If you love children and know how to milk cows, the place is yours.
Cherry was very happy and agreed to go with the kind gentleman. She didn’t even remember that she promised her father and mother not to go far from their native places.
“Well then, let’s go, Cherry,” said the new owner, and they went. The road seemed completely unfamiliar to Cherry. The sides were full of fragrant flowers, weeping trees brought coolness, and in one place the path was crossed by a clear stream. The owner hugged her with one hand and carried her to the other side, so Cherry didn’t even get her feet wet. Gradually the path became narrower and darker, and Cherry realized that they were going down somewhere. At first Cherry was scared, but the owner took her hand, and she felt so good that she could follow him to the ends of the earth.
Finally they came to a high fence. The owner opened the gate and said affectionately:
- Come in, dear Cherry. This is where we live.
Cherry walked in and stopped in amazement. She didn’t even know that there were such beautiful gardens. Bright flowers were fragrant all around, fruits and berries were ripening on the branches, strange birds fluttered overhead, filling the air with cheerful singing. A little boy ran out to meet them.
- Dad! Dad! - shouts.
The boy was very small, but his face was like an unkind old man. An ugly old woman jumped out from somewhere and took him into the house.
Cherry was frightened again, but the owner calmed her down and said that it was his mother-in-law Prudence: as soon as Cherry got completely comfortable, the old hag would leave where she came from.
We entered the house, the rooms were so beautiful that Cherry felt a little relieved.
We sat down at the table for dinner, Cherry tasted all kinds of dishes and completely forgot about her fear. After dinner, Prudence took the girl upstairs to her grandson’s room, showed her the bed and told her not to open her eyes at night, otherwise she would seduce her at any moment. She forbade him to talk to his grandson, and in the morning she ordered him to get up early, take the boy to the spring, wash him with spring water and wipe his eyes with a potion from a crystal bottle that stands nearby on a large stone. Then she ordered to milk the cow and give the boy fresh milk. That's all the work.
“Just be careful,” added the old woman, “don’t touch your eyes with this potion, it will be bad for you.”
Cherry listened to the old woman and was amazed: apparently, all this was not without reason, there was some kind of secret hidden here. I wish I could penetrate it. Cherry tried to find out from the boy, but he frowned and promised to complain to the grandmother.
In the morning we went to the spring. The girl washed her owner’s son and rubbed her eyes with the potion, as ordered. Then she milked the cow and took the milk into the house.
We had breakfast, and Prudence again began her teachings: don’t leave the kitchen, don’t look into rooms, don’t open locked doors, in short, don’t stick your nose where you shouldn’t.
The next day, Robin, that was the owner’s name, sent for Cherry - let him go into the garden and help him. Cherry was happy - at least for a while she would get rid of the annoying old woman. They finished the work, the owner, pleased with her efforts, kissed the girl, and Cherry fell in love with him with all her heart.
A few days later, the old woman called Cherry and led her along a long dark corridor. They walked and walked and ran into a locked door. The old woman ordered the girl to take off her shoes, unlocked the door, opened the doors, and they entered a large hall, the floor of which seemed to be made of glass. Cherry looked around, and the hall was full of stone sculptures - ladies and gentlemen.
Cherry couldn't say a word out of fear. The old woman laughed hoarsely, gave the girl a small box and told her to rub it with all her might. Cherry began to rub, and the old woman stood next to her and ordered her to rub harder and harder. Cherry got tired and dropped the box on the floor. There was such a terrible, unearthly ringing that the poor girl lost consciousness.
The owner heard the noise and ran into the hall. He saw what was happening, became very angry with the old woman and ordered her to immediately get out of his house. Then he picked Cherry up, carried him into the kitchen, sprinkled water on her, and she immediately came to her senses.
The old woman disappeared somewhere, and although Cherry became the sovereign mistress of the house, this did not increase her happiness. Robin was always kind and welcoming, but the locked rooms gave her no peace. He locks himself in a hall with stone people, and from there comes cheerful laughter and loud voices. There was so much mystery in the house - Cherry was simply burning with curiosity.
Every morning she rubbed the owner’s son’s eyes with a potion from a crystal bottle. They began to shine wonderfully, and Cherry thought that the boy saw something invisible to her in the garden. One day, Cherry couldn’t stand it and splashed the potion in her eyes.
At that same moment, everything around flashed with a blinding light, my eyes seemed to be scorched by fire. Cherry got scared, bent over the spring to scoop up cold spring water and saw: tiny people running at the bottom, and among them was her equally tiny owner. Cherry raised her head and looked around: what is this? The whole garden is teeming with little elves: some are leaning out of the buds, others are swinging on the branches, others are running around the green lawns.
In the evening Robin returned home, tall and stately as usual. After dinner, he went into the hall to the stone people, and Cherry could swear that he heard beautiful music from there. She quietly approached the locked door and looked through the lock. Robin stood surrounded by beautiful ladies. One was dressed like a queen. The owner approached her and kissed her. Poor Cherry almost died from grief. She rushed to her room, fell on the bed and burst into tears.
The next day Robin called her again to the garden - there is always more than enough work in the garden. When Cherry approached the owner, he smiled and kissed her. Cherry couldn't control herself.
– Kiss your elves! - she shouted. Robin looked at her sadly.
“Dear Cherry,” he said, “why did you break the ban?” Why did you splash a magic potion in your eyes? Tomorrow you will leave my house forever and return to your father and mother.
In the morning he woke her up before light and told her to get ready. He gave her dresses and other gifts and gave her a lot of money.
Cherry tied up the things, and her heart was breaking.
We went out the gate. Robin carried her bundle in one hand and a lantern in the other. The way back seemed so long to Cherry. They walked along dark paths through a dense, dark forest and up and up. Finally the path led them to a level place, and Cherry recognized a familiar fork.
Robin was as sad as Cherry; kissed her goodbye; Cherry's eyes were filled with tears, and she did not notice how he left. He disappeared as quietly and mysteriously as he appeared here a year ago. Cherry sat for a long time on a roadside stone and cried. Then she got up and slowly, dejectedly, walked home to Zennor.
Her mother and father had been mourning her for a long time, thinking that her daughter was no longer alive. She told them her strange story, and at first they did not believe her. Then, of course, they believed it, but Cherry has changed a lot since then. Neighbors said she was mentally damaged. Every moonlit night she went out to the fork and wandered there for a long time, waiting for Robin, but he never came for her.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru