Once upon a time there lived two sisters. One day, one sister went to hire herself as a worker for a witch.
“Well,” said the witch, “stay with me.” I’ll go to the shop now, and you clean up the house, just don’t look into the stove.
The witch left, and the girl immediately went to the stove and looked into it. And in the stove hung a bag of gold. The girl took the gold and quickly ran away. She runs past a cow.
“Milk me, girl, I haven’t been milked for many years,” the cow asks.
“I have no time,” the girl answers. She runs past a sheep.
“Shorn me, girl, I haven’t been shorn for many years,” the sheep asks. “I have no time,” the girl answers.
She runs past the horse.
“Ride me, girl, I haven’t been ridden for many years,” the horse asks.
“I have no time,” the girl answers. She runs up to the mill.
“Grind on me, girl, otherwise they haven’t ground anything on me for many years,” the mill asks.
“I have no time,” the girl answers, and she enters the mill and goes to bed outside the door.
Meanwhile, the witch returns home and sees: no girl, no gold. The witch goes to the cow and asks:
My little cow, my little cow, where did my little girl go?
Mistress, lazy woman, cheat, thief,
Who stole everything I have?
“I was rushing past,” the cow mooed.
The witch goes to the sheep and asks:
My little lamb, my little sheep, where did my little girl go?
Mistress, lazy woman, cheat, thief,
Who stole everything I have?
“She ran to the shore,” the sheep bleats.
The witch goes to the horse and asks:
My horse, my horse
Where did my girl go?
Mistress, lazy woman, cheat, thief,
Who stole everything I have?
“Over there, down that hill, whinny,” neighs the horse.
The witch goes to the mill and asks:
Mill-mill, my friend,
Where did my girl go?
Mistress, lazy woman, cheat, thief,
Who stole everything I have?
“Look behind my door,” the mill answers.
The witch looked behind the door, and there was a girl sleeping there. The witch turned her into stone, and then took her gold and went home.
Soon the second sister comes to the witch and also hires herself as a worker.
“Well,” says the witch, “stay with me.” I’ll go to the shop now, and you take care of the housework, just don’t look into the stove.
The witch left, and the girl immediately went to the stove and looked into it. And in the stove there is a bag of gold. The girl took the gold and quickly ran away. She runs past a cow.
“Milk me, girl, I haven’t been milked for many years,” the cow asks.
The girl milked the cow. He runs further and sees a sheep standing there.
“Shorn me, girl, I haven’t been shorn for many years,” the sheep asks.
The girl sheared a sheep. He runs further and sees a horse standing there.
“Ride me, girl, I haven’t been ridden for many years,” the horse asks.
The girl rode a horse. He runs further and sees: there is a mill.
“Grind on me, girl, otherwise they haven’t ground anything on me for many years,” the mill asks.
The girl ground at the mill and went to bed outside the door.
Meanwhile, the witch returns home and sees: no girl, no gold. The witch goes to the cow and asks:
My little cow, my little cow,
Where did my girl go?
Mistress, lazy woman, cheat, thief,
Who stole everything I have?
“I don’t know,” the cow moos.
The witch goes to the sheep and asks:
My sheep, my sheep,
Where did my girl go?
Mistress, lazy woman, cheat, thief,
Who stole everything I have?
“I don’t know,” bleats the sheep.
The witch goes to the horse and asks:
My horse, my horse
Where did my girl go?
Mistress, lazy woman, cheat, thief,
Who stole everything I have?
- How should I know? - the horse neighs. The witch goes to the mill and asks:
Mill-mill, my friend,
Where did my girl go?
Mistress, lazy woman, cheat, thief,
Who stole everything I have?
“I’ve somehow gone completely deaf,” says the mill. “Come inside me and stand in the bucket, otherwise I can’t hear you well.”
The witch stood in the ladle and said:
Mill-mill, my friend,
Where did my girl go?
Mistress, lazy woman, cheat, thief,
Who stole everything I have?
Suddenly the mill began to grind and ground the witch into flour.
Then the girl woke up, turned the stone outside the door back to her sister, and they went to their home and lived happily ever after.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru