One widower had a daughter. And, as is usual with young girls, she often went to the neighbors, either just to sit or to do some work. The neighbor's daughter was her best friend. Our girl didn’t pay attention to the fact that people were saying that her friend’s mother was a witch. She was always friendly with her and treated her like her own daughter. And the widower’s daughter considered her almost a mother.
One day our girl comes to a get-together, her friends sit down at the spinning wheels, sit and spin. And the witch, as if by chance, looked at the girls and said:
“It would be nice for you, my children, to live in the same house and always sit next to each other!” You are already like two sisters! And you, neighbor,” she continued, “could whisper to your father that it would be a good idea to take an assistant into the house.” It would be good for the two of you. It couldn't be better!
The young neighbor did not answer, but thought to herself: “That’s right, that would be nice.”
She came home and said to her father:
- Why don’t you, father, get married? You will have a helper in your house, and for me, an orphan, a mother. I had my eye on a kind woman. Our neighbor, she is always kind to me!
“Oh, daughter,” the father replies, “people say about her that she is a witch.” What kind of mother is she to you?
– You never know what evil tongues say! Take her, father, as your wife. She persuaded her father and he married a neighbor.
And what came of it? The wedding hasn't even taken place yet, but the stepmother has already shown herself! She offended her daughter-in-law in such a way that it is impossible to convey. He gives me the most menial work, the poor thing doesn’t straighten his back all day until late at night. And he doesn't eat to his fill. He slurps rinses from the same bowl with the dog and chews cakes. Instead of a dress, he puts on his daughter's stepmother's cast-offs.
But the stepmother dresses up her daughter to perfection, treats her to butter cakes and fills her pockets with sweet treats.
It turned out that the daughter was no better than the mother. He’ll come up to the poor thing when she’s straining herself at work and boast:
- Look at the dress I'm wearing! And you're wearing nothing but rags. I have sweet cakes, but I won’t give them to you - screw you!
The poor orphan did not expect this from her best friend. She cries and bursts into tears, her heart aches with grief. He used to go to the well, and there he would cry to his heart’s content.
She was sitting by the well one day, and then her father was coming.
“You see, daughter,” he says, “I told you that no good would come from your stepmother.” There's nothing to do. Be patient until life changes for the better.
- How well you say it, father! So I waited for your kind word, but I didn’t hope,” my daughter answered. “I’ll somehow deal with my misfortune on my own, I’ll go around the world and look for a job.”
“Well, go ahead, maybe it will be better this way,” the father agreed. Our girl began to get ready for the trip. She asks her stepmother to take her home, as people are supposed to do. She shouted at her: what else do you want? Isn't the dress nice? Or you don’t have the hands to hurt yourself! She didn’t give anything, she just gave her dry crusts. The poor thing went wherever she looked. She walked and walked and reached a bridge across a stream.
- Hello, bridge! - speaks.
“And good health to you,” the bridge answers. -Where are you going?
- I'm going to look for work.
- Oh, turn me over on the other side! - asks the bridge. “For how many years people have been walking along me, all on one side, and no one would think of turning over to the other.” Help me, and I will serve you well!
The girl turned the bridge over and moved on. He walks, walks, and sees a mangy little dog.
- Hello, doggy! – the girl greeted.
“And good health to you,” the dog answers. -Where are you going?
- I'm looking for a job.
- Oh, comb me, my dear! No matter how many people passed by, no one took pity on me. I will repay you well! - the dog asks.
The girl brushed the dog and moved on. Soon he approaches the old pear tree.
- Hello, pear! - she says.
- And good health to you, beauty! Where are you heading?
– I’m going around the world to look for work.
- Oh, shake my fruits! You see, I can’t hold them back and no one will cut them off. I will serve you well! - asks the pear.
The traveler shook the ripe fruits and the tree immediately felt better. And she continued on her way. He goes, goes and comes to a green meadow. And there the bull is grazing.
- Hello, bull!
- Good health to you too, girl! How far are you going?
- I'm going to look for work.
- Get me out of this meadow! ... I have been grazing here since time immemorial, and no one will take me out. I will repay you well! - the bull asks her.
She led the bull out of the meadow and hurried on. Suitable for stove. And there an unquenchable fire burns.
- Hello, stove!
- And good health to you, girl! How far are you going?
- I'm looking for a service.
- Oh, get the heat out of me! It's been burning me for so many years, no one will remove it. I will repay you well!
There is a poker attached to the stove. Our traveler took a poker and scooped out the heat from the stove. And she moved on. She’s walking, in a hurry, she’s delayed.
She walks through dense forests and along abandoned roads. Not a soul around. Finally I got to the forest, and there was a lonely house there. She came in. There is no one in the house. Only the old woman is sitting. And that spitting image of Baba Yaga!
- Hello, hostess! - says our traveler.
- Good health to you too, girl. Why did you come here?
- I'm looking for a job. Maybe you can take me?
- Why not take it? I'll take it. The work is not difficult, all you have to do is sweep these eleven rooms. You'll get through it little by little. And over there, number twelve, don’t even dare look there with one eye!
“As you say, I’ll do it,” the girl answered, “and immediately, as soon as she took a break from the road, she got to work.”
And she began sweeping eleven rooms every day. And it doesn’t even occur to her to look at the twelfth. And yet it seemed strange to her that she couldn’t even glance at the twelfth! I thought and thought, what is it? I didn’t think so. And I finally decided to at least look through the crack.
Once Baba Yaga went to the city on her business. And that’s all our girl needs. She threw away the broom, went up to the door and opened it slightly: and there in the middle of the room were three large tubs.
“Oh,” she thinks, “what could be in these tubs?
She opened the doors wider, came closer and saw: in one there were ducats, in the other there was silver, and in the third there was gold. Then, as if someone had told her, she jumped into a tub of gold, plunged headlong into it, and became all golden.
- At least the memory will remain! - he says.
But she realized that she could no longer stay with Baba Yaga and ran as fast as she could.
Everything seems to be fine, but not very good!
Baba Yaga appears from the city. Eleven rooms have not been swept, and in the twelfth the door is wide open, there are golden footprints on the floor. Baba Yaga understood what was happening. She grabbed the iron combs, sat down on the spinning wheel and went after the girl!
It's about to catch up right next to the stove! But the stove missed the fugitive, and threw out all its heat on Baba Yaga. The spinning wheel burned to the ground, and Baba Yaga fell unconscious. And the golden girl has already run far away.
Baba Yaga ran after her, only her heels sparkled. Near the bull, the witch began to catch up with the girl. He'll grab it now. And she herself screams and showers him with abuse:
- Oh, you scoundrel, just wait, I’ll catch you and rip off the gilding with iron combs!
But the bull let the girl pass, and picked the woman up on its horns and drove her far away, out of sight from here.
And the beauty kept running forward, and near the pear tree Baba Yaga began to overtake her again. But the tree fell on the witch, almost crushing her to death. While the old woman was crawling out from under the pear tree, our fugitive had already run up to the dog.
- Oh, dear little dog, help me! - shouts.
And Baba Yaga is hot on his heels! By that time the dog had completely recovered. She became smart and healthy. She jumped out to meet Baba Yaga, tearing and biting.
Then the girl hurries. I ran across the bridge, only to look back on the other side. Baba Yaga followed her onto the bridge. Take the bridge and turn over. The evil witch fell into the water and sank up to her ears! He's drowning, blowing bubbles, but still throwing out threats:
- Lucky you, scoundrel! If I caught up, I would lose all my skin! Look at my iron combs!
But her threats and intimidation were in vain. Here, by the river, her power ended.
And our golden beauty is already approaching the house. The rooster saw her in his father’s yard and crowed:
- Kuka-river, crossed the river, goes home carrying her beauty high! light - ahead, shine - behind!
But the golden girl did not go into the house. I was afraid of my stepmother. And she went to the well, where she once shed tears. She sat there, sitting. Her stepmother’s daughter saw her and rushed to her mother:
- Mom, mom, ours is already back! Look at her - all pure gold!
- Why are you talking nonsense!
- I’m not talking! There she is, sitting by the well.
Stepmother - to the well. She pretended to be, flattered, and in a gentle voice calls you into the house. And she herself finds out where she was, what she did, why she’s all in gold.
The stepdaughter entered the house, and a radiance spread around her. The stepmother sucks up even more, praises him, praises him almost to the skies. And he shames and scolds his girl:
- Look, you're a klutz! Whoever walks around the world finds benefits and benefits. And you should just stay at home! If only you would walk away from home, maybe you too would be of no use!
- And what! - my daughter snorted, - and I’ll go! Why not go, just let him tell you where.
The stepdaughter explained everything to her. The stepmother gathered her daughter. Yes, but in a completely different way. She baked butter cakes for the trip and told her to put on a new dress. And she took me far beyond the gate. And she brought the bag herself!
The stepmother's daughter proudly walked into golden service. He walks and wanders and approaches that very bridge. Neither hello nor goodbye to him. I asked the bridge to turn it over to the other side, but she just snapped:
- Here's another! I'll start messing with you!
Suitable for the dog. And she asks her to comb her. She, they say, will repay good for good. But the girl answers:
“I’m going to get dirty with all sorts of rubbish.”
She didn’t even look at the pear. The bull passed by. He comes to the stove, and it is all engulfed in flames. He asks and begs to extinguish the fire in her, she supposedly will repay him with kindness. But the evil girl pretended not to see or hear anything.
She finally reached a hut in the forest. She came in. Baba Yaga is sitting at the table.
- Hello, hostess! – the girl greeted.
- Hello you too, girl! Where did you get this from? Where are you heading? - Baba Yaaga answers her.
- I came to your service to ask. Can you take it?
- Why not take it? I'll take it. You will sweep eleven of my rooms. Just know, don’t poke your nose into the twelfth! If you take even one peek, blame yourself!
- Okay, mistress. I'll do everything your way.
And made herself at home.
She swept and swept these eleven rooms. Tired of it. He can’t wait for Baba Yaga to leave the house. The witch finally left for the city. The stepmother's daughter is off to the twelfth room! She saw gold, climbed into the tub and bathed herself in gold from head to toe. And the dress and hair, at least squeeze it out. She jumped out of the barrel and rushed away.
Baba Yaga returned, and gold was scattered and scattered throughout all the rooms.
- Well, just wait, you scoundrel! - he shouts, - I’ll teach you a lesson!
She grabbed the iron combs and pulled the iron seven-league boots on her feet.
The girl runs up to the stove. And she will burst into flames like heat, half the gold will be gone. He runs up to the bull, who blocks the road with his horns. Then Baba Yaga overtook her and with her combs tore off the remaining gold from her! She left the girl, let's collect gold.
The girl rushed to the pear. But the pear fell on her, crushed her with branches, and she couldn’t get out. Baba Yaga caught up with her and almost pulled off her entire dress. Then the dog swooped in, tore the girl’s clothes, scratched her until she bled. The stepmother’s daughter was running along the bridge, she couldn’t feel her feet under her, then the bridge turned and she fell into the water.
The stepmother's daughter barely got out of the water. All tattered, limping on both legs. I dragged myself home.
The rooster saw her and crowed:
- Kuka-river, the river has passed! Clothes are in tatters, there are bruises on the face, there is nothing in front and not much behind!
The stepmother's daughter does not go home. He's afraid of his mother. She trudged to the well, sat and cried:
- Oh, I’m poor, miserable! How far you have come! How can I show myself to people now?
I heard my mother. He runs to the well, doesn’t expect anything bad:
- Oh, my dear daughter, you’ve finally returned! Why are you hiding from me? Come on, show yourself that you've served it!
He looks, and she’s all tattered and scratched.
- Oh, to lift you up and slap you! Where have you been, you scoundrel?
So she began to scold her daughter even more strongly. People jumped out of their houses to see what was happening. Since then, the stepmother couldn’t stand her girl. She knew that she, the unfortunate ugly thing, would now be a girl forever.
And soon a rich young gentleman came for our golden maiden. He wooed his father and married her. And they began to live and live and make good things!
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru