Far, far away, somewhere beyond the Red Sea, lived a young gentleman. He began to come to his senses, and over the years he arrived and decided to go around the world to look for a bride, so that she would be both a housewife and good-looking. OK. I did it as I intended.
He set out on a journey, walked, searched, but somehow things didn’t work out. Everyone can't find a bride to their liking.
He finally arrives at the hut of a widow. She has three daughters of marriageable age. The two older ones, I forgot their names, are hardworking, like bees. But the youngest, her name was Gana, sits around and doesn’t want to work.
The young gentleman saw all this and was surprised: Gana was dozing behind the stove, and the sisters were spinning, only the spindles were flickering. He says to his mother:
“Tell me, mother, why don’t you make the one behind the stove sit at the spinning wheel?” After all, she’s not little anymore, she’s at work and time flies faster.
“Oh, young master,” the mother answers, “I would gladly give her a spinning wheel and put on the tow myself, but that’s the problem!” She is such a spinner that by morning she will spin not only our tow, but also all the sheaves from the roof into golden threads, and then she will start working on my gray braid. That's why I don't captivate her.
“Well, if that’s the case,” the groom rejoiced, “give me her as my wife!”
I have a good farm: flax, hemp, tow, and tow - a lot of everything. Let's get plenty of exercise!
The old woman did not think for long, and Hanka finally woke up from her slumber. A colorful scarf was brought from the groom's chest, a periwinkle was tucked into the ribbon on his hat, and the newlyweds were engaged that same evening. The girls at the get-together were envious of Ganka’s happiness, but then they calmed down, and they probably won’t stay too long with girls if such a lazy girl gets married.
The next day, the young son-in-law orders the carriage to be laid, sits the tear-stained young woman down, offers his hand to the mother-in-law, shouts to the sisters, “be healthy,” and quickly leaves that village.
It seems that everything is fine, but no, we still don’t know!
Our Hanka is sitting next to the groom, tear-stained and sad, as if the chickens had eaten all her bread. He tells her this and that, but Ganka remains silent, like a fish.
- Why are you sad? he asks. - Don't be afraid, you won't get bored with me. I will give you everything that your darling wants. And there will be enough flax and hemp and combs and tow to last you all winter! And sour apples for quick spinning!
Only our Ganka, the further she goes, the more and more sad she becomes.
By evening they were already in the castle. After dinner, the future hostess was taken to a large room. Here, bales of tow were piled from the floor to the ceiling.
“Here,” says the owner, “here’s a spinning wheel and a spindle, and a rosy apple, and here’s some peas so your mouth doesn’t get dry.” And you know - strands! By morning you’ll have re-spun everything into gold thread, and we’ll have a wedding right away. But if you fail to do this, I will order you to be executed without trial.
He said and left.
Ganka was left alone. He's afraid to even approach the spinning wheel. After all, she doesn’t even know how to twist a thread.
She stands and mournfully laments:
- Oh, I'm unhappy! I disgraced myself in front of the whole world! Why didn't my mother teach me how to spin and do other jobs like my sisters? I would stay at home! And now I’ll disappear for nothing, my poor little head!
Suddenly the walls parted and a little man stood in front of the frightened Ganka. He has a red cap on his head, an apron tied around his waist, and pushes a golden wheelbarrow in front of him.
- Why are your eyes teary? - he asks Ganka. - Or what happened?
- How can I, poor thing, not cry! - Ganka answers. “Just think, I was ordered to twist the entire tow into golden threads by morning!” And if I don’t carry out the order, I will be executed without trial. What should I do here, poor, among strangers!
“Well, it’s nothing,” the man answers, “don’t be afraid!” I will teach you how to spin gold threads. But you must promise me that in exactly a year you will come to this very place. And if you don’t guess my name, you’ll have to marry me. And I'll take you away in this car. And if you guess right, I'll leave you alone. Just know that you can’t hide from me anywhere. Even if you fly to heaven, I’ll find you and rip your head off. Well, do you agree?
To tell the truth, Ganka did not like this proposal too much. But what could she do? She says:
- I still have to disappear! Come what may! Agree!
The peasant heard it, ran around her with his golden wheelbarrow, sat down under the spinning wheel and muttered:
That's it, Gannochka, that's it, that's it! That's it, Gannochka, that's it, that's it! That's it, Gannochka, that's it, that's it!
Taught, taught and taught her how to spin gold threads.
And then, where he came from, he went there. The wall let him through and moved behind him.
Our, now truly golden spinner, sat down at the spinning wheel and began to spin. There are more and more golden threads, and less and less tow. I got everything done before morning and still had time to sleep.
In the morning the gentleman just got out of bed, immediately got dressed and went to look at the golden spinner.
I entered the room and was almost blinded by the brilliance. He can’t believe his eyes, is it really real gold? But when he was convinced, he hugged his bride and ordered the wedding to be prepared immediately.
They had a wedding and they lived together amicably and cheerfully. And if earlier the husband loved Gannochka for her golden yarn, now he began to love him a hundred times stronger: after all, she bore him a lovely son!
Well, what happened next? No matter how good the song is, it ends. The happiness of our young people also did not last forever. Day after day ran by, day after day, and before we knew it, the year had flown by.
Hour by hour, Ganka becomes sadder and sadder. His eyes are red from tears, he can’t find any room for himself. It's no joke, losing a good husband and a kind son at once! The poor husband knows nothing and consoles his wife as best he can.
But Ganka remained inconsolable. When she thinks that instead of a sweet husband she will have a shabby little man, she almost climbs onto the wall out of grief. In the end, I couldn’t stand it and told my husband everything. He turned white from fear, like a wall. And he ordered it to be announced throughout the area: whoever knows the name of a small peasant will receive a piece of gold the size of his head for the message.
- Oh, I wish I could grab such a piece of gold! - neighbor whispers to neighbor. They rushed to search, searched all the corners, but didn’t look into the mouse holes. Yes, look for a needle in a haystack! No one, not a single living soul, knows the short one, and cannot guess his name.
The last day has arrived. And I haven’t heard a word about the little man. Our Ganka does not dry her eyes. The poor man, so as not to see his wife’s suffering, threw the gun on his shoulder, took a pack of hounds and went hunting.
It was late in the evening. Suddenly lightning flashed in the sky. It was pouring like rain, a good owner would not kick the dog out of the house. The servants were huddled in all directions. And the owner was left in an unfamiliar forest, wet as a mouse, with one single servant.
Where can you shelter from a terrible storm? Where to dry off? The servant and master look around, maybe they’ll even see a shepherd’s hut nearby? Nothing anywhere.
They had lost all hope. Suddenly they see from a hole, under the stones, smoke pouring out in clouds.
“Go, my dear, and look,” the owner says to his servant, “where there is smoke, there are people.” Ask for shelter for the night.
The servant left, but soon returned:
“No,” he says, “there are no doors, no huts, no people.”
“Oh, you’re a clumsy person,” the owner got angry, “and you’re knocking out fractions with your teeth, I’ll go myself, and here you are, as punishment, getting wet and freezing.”
OK. The owner went and also returned with nothing. He only noticed that in one place smoke was curling from under the stone. He got completely angry and said to the servant:
“Even though the devil himself is sitting there, I have to find out where this smoke comes from!” He approaches the hole itself, squats down and looks inside. And he sees a kitchen deep underground. In that kitchen all kinds of dishes are boiled and steamed; there are two cutlery on the stone table. A man in a red cap is running around the table, pushing a golden car in front. He will run once and sing:
I taught the spinner to spin,
Now I can steal it.
Will start thinking and guessing
Call my name.
If he says it right, I won’t take it,
If he doesn’t guess right, I’ll take you as his wife!
They call me Martinko Klingach.
And again he rushes around the table as if he’s crazy and sings:
I cook and cook
And I make the bed,
When he says my name
I won't take you as a wife,
If he doesn’t guess right, I’ll take him away right away.
That's all the owner needs. He rushed as fast as he could to the servant. The thunderstorm gradually subsided, and the path led them to the house.
His wife met him tear-stained, unhappy, and not like herself. I thought I wouldn’t have time to say goodbye.
- Stop toiling around, little wife! - the husband exclaimed from the doorway. - I recognized the name! His name is Martinko Klingac.
And he told everything in order. Ganka cannot feel her feet under her with joy. She hugs and kisses her husband, and the cheerful woman goes into the very room where she spun on the first night. He sits down at the spinning wheel and twists the golden thread.
At midnight the wall opens up and a man in a red cap, just like a year ago, begins to run around it and yell at the top of his lungs:
If you say my name,
You are of no use to me
If you don’t guess, I’ll take you away right away!
Guess, guess, guess!
“I’ll try, maybe I’ll guess,” Ganka answers. - Your name is Martinko Klingach!
Before she had time to finish, the short man slammed his cap on the floor, grabbed onto his car, and where he came from, went there. The wall closed and Gannochka sighed with relief.
From that night she never spun gold again. Yes, she and her husband didn’t need it. They didn't need it anyway. They loved each other, and their son grew by leaps and bounds.
Whoever read it, well done, and our fairy tale is over.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru