A long time ago, an old man and his wife lived in the same village. They lived very poorly. They fed by heating the bathhouse for the villagers. The husband chopped wood, the wife heated water.
For many years they had no children, and then, to their joy, a beautiful daughter was born, to whom they gave the name Alakez.
One morning, when the husband and wife were heating the bathhouse, and the girl was lying alone in the cradle, a white genie entered their hut and said:
– Until this talisman is lost, the girl will not die!
He said so and tied a precious talisman book to the girl’s right arm, right next to her shoulder.
Following the first, the second genie entered and wished:
– The water in which the girl is bathed will turn into gold!
Following the second genie, the third entered and wished:
– This girl’s tears will turn into diamonds!
Following the third genie, the fourth entered and wished:
– The ground on which this girl’s feet step will be covered with flowers!
A woman started bathing her little girl in the evening, saw a talisman on her hand, gasped, and called her husband. But they were even more surprised: after bathing their little daughter, the water turned into pure gold!
The husband and wife guessed that they had given their daughter good white genies. Since then, they forgot to think about poverty and began to live in peace and contentment. They had chests full of gold. Alakez's tears fell like diamonds, and the ground where she walked was covered with scarlet flowers.
Time passed... Alakez grew up, and she was such a beauty that rumors about her reached the most distant countries. A young khan from a neighboring kingdom also heard about her and sent matchmakers to her parents. The old man and the old woman consulted, gave their consent... They collected their daughter as expected and sent her to the groom with a widow neighbor and her daughter.
And the widow was kind and flattering in words, but her heart was black and envious. She led Alakez into a dense forest and deprived her of her eyes. Then she took off her wedding dress, dressed her daughter in this dress and went with her to the young khan. So, without knowing anything, the khan married the widow’s daughter. Only once did he ask his wife:
- I heard that your tears roll like diamonds, and flowers bloom on the ground where you step... Why don’t I see these miracles?
- Ah! – exclaimed the newlywed. – Miracles don’t happen every day! Be patient, you'll see more...
And poor Alakez, whose eyes were taken out by an evil woman, walked, not knowing where, and her frequent tears fell like large diamonds, and the ground on which she walked was decorated with scarlet flowers... She wandered for a long time in the dense forest until the Russian old man saw her. He came to the forest to chop wood. His name was Ivan. The old man felt sorry for the blind girl.
“Come to us, beauty,” he said. - You will be our daughter.
Ivan brought the girl to him. She rested, ate, and then asked Ivan’s wife:
- Bathe me!
A woman bathed her and saw that the water had turned into pure gold. Ivan and his wife had a lot of joy. From that day on they lived richly and happily. And they loved the blind beauty like their own daughter, just as they looked after her for their own daughter.
Once I remembered Alakez my father and mother, burst into tears... Tears fell like pure diamonds. And she asked Ivan:
- Take these diamonds to the palace of the young khansha. She will like them and want to buy them. Sell, but don't take money! Say: “I will exchange gems only for a girl’s eyes.” And stand your ground until the Khan gives you my eyes.
Ivan did as Alaköz ordered... The Khansha bargained for a long time, but she still had to give Alaköz’s eyes for the diamonds.
And the girl began to see as before, and became more beautiful than before.
“Now, my second father, build a high tower on the seashore,” she asked Ivan. - When I die, you will bury me in it... Make the doors in the tower so that they open and close by themselves and so that every time they say: “Oh, poor thing, you didn’t know happiness!” Ivan built a high tower from the most expensive stone and made the doors just like the girl asked...
And by that time, rumors had reached the khansha about the beauty of Ivan’s adopted daughter. The Khansha sensed something bad for herself... Without hesitation, she sent her faithful servant to Ivan’s house and ordered to find out: does the beauty have a talisman book on her hand?
- If you have it, get it and bring it to me! - she ordered.
The servant found out that the girl had a talisman book on her hand, stole it and brought it to the young Khansha.
And the beautiful Alakez, as soon as the gift of gin was taken from her, immediately died...
Ivan and his wife cried and grieved for a long time. But what will you do? They carried the girl to the tower, as she asked, and laid her there. The doors of the tower began to open and close by themselves, and they began to say: “Oh, poor thing, you never knew happiness!” One day a young khan was passing by. I stopped at the foot of the tower and heard the doors saying: “Oh, poor thing, you didn’t know happiness, you didn’t know happiness!” Khan was very surprised. “Let me,” he thinks, “I’ll go in and see what kind of voice is heard in this tower.”
And along with the khan there was a servant boy, and in his hands he was holding a talisman book. Hansha was once sorting through her jewelry, dropped the talisman, and the boy secretly picked it up and now carried it with him everywhere.
The khan entered the tower and the boy with him. The khan sees a dead beauty lying there - there is no more beautiful woman in the world. And the boy leaned over her and in surprise dropped the talisman book, and it fell right onto Alakez’s hand. And as soon as the talisman touched her hand, the girl came to life.
-Where are you from, beauty? - exclaimed the amazed khan. - Whose are you? Come on, I'll take you to your house.
Khan took the girl to Ivan’s house. Ivan and his wife were happy and decided to celebrate with a rich treat. And the beautiful Alakez asks:
- If you are making a treat, call the khan and khansha and the khansha’s mother.
The guests have gathered. The feast is going on... The khan and khansha and the khansha’s mother have arrived. They sat them down in a place of honor... And then Alakez began to cry, and everyone saw how transparent diamonds, like tears, rolled out of her eyes.
-What are you crying about, daughter? – Ivan was alarmed.
- But listen, I’m not telling you a fairy tale, but a true story...
And Alakez told how her father and mother sent her to the groom, how an envious widow took out her eyes, how Ivan bought her eyes from the khansha...
The khan realized then that he had been deceived. He got angry, gave the order to tie the evil widow and her deceiver daughter to the tails of unbroken horses... And he himself married Alakez.
Alakez brought her father and mother, Ivan and his wife also settled nearby, and from then on she lived happily ever after.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru