There lived a man and a woman. They had a daughter and a little son. “Daughter,” the mother said, “we’ll go to work, take care of your brother.” Don't leave the yard, be smart - we'll buy you a handkerchief.
The father and mother left, and the daughter forgot what she was ordered to do: she sat her brother down on the grass under the window, and she ran outside for a walk. Geese-swans swooped in, picked up the boy, and carried him away on their wings.
The girl returned, looked - but her brother was gone! She gasped, rushed to look for him, back and forth - he was nowhere to be found! She called to him, burst into tears, lamented that bad things would happen from her father and mother, but her brother did not respond.
She ran out into an open field and only saw: geese-swans darted in the distance and disappeared behind the dark forest. Then she realized that they had taken away her brother: there had long been a bad reputation about geese-swans that they carried away small children.
The girl rushed to catch up with them. She ran and ran and saw that there was a stove. “Stove, stove, tell me, where did the swan geese fly?” The stove answers her: “Eat my rye pie, I’ll tell you.” “I’ll eat rye pie!” My father doesn’t even eat wheat... The stove didn’t tell her. The girl ran further - there was an apple tree. - Apple tree, apple tree, tell me, where did the geese and swans fly? - Eat my forest apple - I’ll tell you. - My father doesn’t even eat garden ones... The apple tree didn’t tell her. The girl ran further. A milk river flows on the banks of jelly. - Milk river, jelly banks, where have the swans gone? - Eat my simple jelly with milk - I’ll tell you. - My father doesn’t even eat cream... For a long time she ran through the fields and forests. The day was approaching evening, there was nothing to do - I had to go home. Suddenly he sees a hut standing on a chicken leg, with one window, turning around.
In the hut, the old Baba Yaga is spinning a tow. And my brother is sitting on the bench, playing with silver apples. The girl entered the hut: “Hello, grandmother!” “Hello, girl!” Why did you appear? “I walked through mosses and swamps, I got my dress wet, I came to warm up.” “Sit down while you spin the tow.” Baba Yaga gave her a spindle and left. The girl is spinning - suddenly a mouse runs out from under the stove and says to her: “Girl, girl, give me some porridge, I’ll tell you something nice.” The girl gave her some porridge, the mouse said to her: “Baba Yaga has gone to heat the bathhouse.” She will wash you, steam you, put you in an oven, fry you and eat you, and ride on your bones herself. The girl sits neither alive nor dead, crying, and the mouse tells her again: “Don’t wait, take your brother, run, and I’ll spin the tow for you.” The girl took her brother and ran. And Baba Yaga will come up to the window and ask: “Girl, are you spinning?” The mouse answers her: “I’m spinning, grandma... Baba Yaga heated the bathhouse and went after the girl.” And there is no one in the hut.
Baba Yaga shouted: “Geese-swans!” Fly in pursuit! The sister took her brother away!.. The sister and brother ran to the milk river. He sees geese-swans flying. - River, mother, hide me! - Eat my simple jelly. The girl ate and said thank you. The river covered her under the jelly bank. The swan geese did not see her, they flew past. The girl and her brother ran again. And the geese-swans returned to meet us, they are about to see. What to do? Trouble! There is an apple tree... - Apple tree, mother, hide me! - Eat my forest apple. The girl quickly ate it and said thank you. The apple tree obscured it with branches and covered it with leaves. The swan geese did not see it, they flew past. The girl ran again. He runs, he runs, he’s not far away. Then the geese-swans saw her, cackled - they swooped in, beat her with their wings, and look, they would tear her brother out of her hands. The girl ran to the stove: “Stove, mother, hide me!” “Eat my rye pie.” The girl quickly put the pie in her mouth, and she and her brother went into the stove, sat down in the stomata. The swan geese flew and flew, screamed and shouted, and flew away to Baba Yaga with nothing. The girl said thank you to the stove and ran home with her brother. here both father and mother came.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru