Once upon a time there lived a woman. She had three sons. Feeling that the time had come for her to die, she said to her eldest son, whose name was Zhemchuzhina:
“Pearl, you are the eldest and must replace your brothers’ father.” Here's six francs each for you. After my death you will leave home and get a job. Try to get all three of you in the same house.
Having paid their last debt to their mother, the three boys tied their belongings into a bundle and hit the road. They went to all the farms they met along the way and asked if they needed workers there. They were often told that one or two would be willingly hired, but no one had ever heard of a place where all three could be hired.
So they went very far and found themselves in a dense forest. The boys were already gripped by fear that night would overtake them there, but suddenly they saw a house in the distance between the trees. They quickened their pace, approached the house when it was already getting dark, and knocked. A woman opened the door for them.
- Do you need workers, auntie? - asked Pearl for all the brothers.
“You seem to be a good fellow, my friend,” the woman answered, “and I really need servants, but my husband eats everyone who enters our house.”
“Oh, madam, your husband won’t eat us, we’re too thin.” We are unfortunate orphans, without father and mother, and we almost never eat enough.
“There has never been such a case,” the woman answered, “that my husband did not eat a person who spent the night here.”
“Shelter us at least for this night,” said Zhemchuzhinka, “we don’t care who eats us, your husband or wild animals.”
- So be it, I have three daughters, I will put you with them. I think that the husband will not look for you in their bed.
She fed the boys, and when they went to bed, she told them to put on a cap. Soon the husband appeared and immediately asked:
- What's new in the house? I smell fresh meat.
- You are mistaken, my friend. You can smell the sheep from the barn.
- No, no, the smell I hear comes from the house; I need to see what it is there.
- So be it, I’ll tell you the truth. Three poor orphans came to us and asked to spend the night, and I put them to bed with our daughters.
- So I’ll eat one of them! - the cannibal shouted.
“Well, as you wish,” said the wife, “but if you absolutely want to eat one of them this evening, then be careful not to touch the one called the Pearl.” This is a very smart and nice boy.
“I heard about the Pearl, but he cannot escape the fate of all the others.”
Pearl, who was still awake, overheard this conversation. Quietly, without waking his daughters, he took off their crowns and put caps on them.
“Listen,” said the cannibal’s wife, “just make sure you don’t make a mistake.” The girls wear crowns, and the boys wear caps.
The ogre fumbled with his hands. He did not touch those who were wearing crowns, and killed his three daughters, on whom Zhemchuzhinka put caps.
“I’m finished with all three,” said the cannibal. “Let’s get the fire going, let’s roast one of them on a spit.”
“Just don’t bring poor Pearl here, he said he’s very thin.”
“I’ll touch it with my hand and choose the fattest one.” The ogre bent down and, when he brought the candle closer, he saw that he was holding his eldest daughter in his hands.
“Ah,” he shouted, “you told me about the Pearl.” It was he who played a cruel joke on me - he took the crowns off the girls! You cannot escape death, Pearl!
“As you wish,” Zhemchuzhinka answered humbly. “Only it would be smarter to feed us first.” After all, we are very thin, but you have fresh meat.
- So be it, you such a rogue, I’ll give you a week. Since I killed my daughters, I will have to eat them.
“Just feed us better, otherwise we won’t get fat.”
“Prepare them a good drink,” the cannibal ordered his wife.
The next day, the wife brought a trough with potatoes and bran.
“Madam,” said Zhemchuzhinka, “what you give us is, with your permission, only fit for pigs; we won’t get fat from it.”
- My husband ordered to give you this food.
- If so, rest assured that we will not gain any weight.
In the evening, lying in bed, the giant began to curse loudly, thinking that the boys had already fallen asleep.
- What a rogue this Zhemchuzhinka is! If he had known that I had boots that went seven miles an hour, he would probably have stolen them.
“Don’t talk so loud,” his wife warned him, “in case someone hears you.”
Pearl, who had not yet fallen asleep, pricked up his ears and thought: “This is good to know!”
- What a rogue this Zhemchuzhinka is! - the ogre said again. “If he knew that I have a moon in my pipe that shines seven miles in circumference, he would want to steal that from me too.”
Pearl listened in both ears.
- What a rogue this Zhemchuzhinka is! If he had known that I had a wand on my closet, by one command of which mountains grow out of the blue, new roads appear on land and sea, a wand that gives everything you want, he would try to steal it too.
“If I can get all this,” thought Zhemchuzhinka, “we will run away from here.”
The giant finally fell asleep. The pearl waited until he was snoring, then he quietly woke up the brothers and told them:
- Enough sleep for you, be on your guard.
The boys spent the night in a shack next to the big house. The pearl climbed up the pipe, climbed onto the roof and went down the pipe into the room where the cannibal was sleeping. He saw the moon in the pipe, but did not take it, reasoning that he would soon have to climb up again.
The pearl silently crept up to the bed, put on his boots, took a wand from the closet and, when he climbed up the pipe again, grabbed the moon, which now illuminated his path.
Entering the room where his brothers were waiting, he said:
“At the command of my wand, open the door and let us out.”
And all three left. But the brothers could not keep up with the Pearl, since they did not have magic boots.
“If the giant has another pair of boots,” thought Pearl, “then it will be easy for him to catch us.”
“Sit on my back,” he told the brothers. But with the burden, Zhemchuzhinka could not walk as quickly as he had walked before.
Waking up in the morning, the cannibal began to look for boots and did not find them. I looked at the closet - there were no sticks, I looked into the chimney - the moon was gone.
- What a rogue this Zhemchuzhinka is! - he exclaimed. - He stole everything from me!
“I told you,” the wife answered, “that you don’t need to talk so loudly.”
The ogre put on another pair of magic boots and rushed after the boys.
Meanwhile, Zhemchuzhinka walked without stopping, and ordered his brothers to keep an eye on everything that was happening around them.
“Look both ways,” he told them.
- Listen, we see a cloud of dust rising in the distance. It’s very close, it’s overtaking us.
“By the command of my wand,” said Pearl, “let steep mountains grow behind us.”
The cannibal had to go around the mountains. But still he walked faster than Zhemchuzhinka, who was carrying his brothers.
“I won’t leave you,” said Zhemchuzhinka, “after all, I promised this to our mother.” Just keep your eyes open, otherwise we will be lost.
The giant almost overtook them, but Pearl again turned to his wand for help, and on his orders, a river began to boil so deep that the ogre could not cross it.
Standing on the other bank, the giant kept shouting:
- Just give me back the wand, Pearl, I’ll give it to you.
boots and the moon for you!
- Pipes! Wait, uncle,” answered Zhemchuzhinka, “you won’t get the wand.” Everything will remain with me.
The brothers came to the big city, and Pearl said that they were now safe. He rented a room, and when the brothers asked how they would pay, Pearl replied that the wand would bring them food and money.
And they began to live richly, dress well and walked together, like noble gentlemen.
But the brothers were jealous of Pearl and, one night, grabbing a wand and boots, they ran away from home. Waking up in the morning, Pearl looked in vain for boots and a wand - he only had the moon left.
“I robbed the giant, now my brothers, in turn, robbed me! But they didn’t do it in vain,” he thought and set off on a search.
He decided that the brothers took the wand and boots in order to free the enchanted princess, about whom there was a lot of talk. On the way, he asked all the passers-by if they had met two boys, but no one saw them.
Among the people he questioned, he came across three thieves. The thieves, in turn, wanted to know his name.
“My name is Pearl,” he answered.
- That's it! You are a clever fellow, and we have long wanted to see you.
“I don’t mean much now,” answered Zhemchuzhinka. “I had a wand that gave me great power, but my wand disappeared!” I had boots that went seven miles an hour, but I don't have them anymore. All I have left is the moon, which on the darkest night shines seven miles in circumference.
- Come with us, Pearl. We have such a craft that we just need to see at night as during the day. You will earn a lot with us.
- What do you do?
— We collect the wallets that we manage to steal.
“This is a profitable trade,” answered Zhemchuzhinka, “until they catch you.” But that’s the rub!
He agreed to go with the thieves, helped them for a while and received his share of the spoils, because his moon came in very handy for them. She illuminated any place at their request, and there was complete darkness all around.
But Zhemchuzhinka did not stop thinking about the enchanted princess and one day said to his comrades:
“It would be good for us to go to the castle and free the princess, we can probably get a lot of gold there.”
- That’s right, don’t you know that the cannibal eats everyone who comes there?
- Still, I will go there, because I hope to find my brothers there. Before they left me, they often talked about this castle.
“Since you definitely want to go there,” said the thieves, “we will go with you.”
They came to the castle. All the doors were open, but they did not meet a soul anywhere. The rooms were decorated with gold and silver, and the thieves filled their pockets to capacity. The pearl did not take anything and only carefully examined each room
Having walked around the entire castle, he said to his comrades:
- Let's go to the garden, maybe we'll meet someone there.
Then they saw both Pearl brothers under the rose bush, and next to them the princess, from whom the spell had already been half removed.
- That's where you are, you rascals! - Pearl said to his brothers. - I've been looking for you for a long time.
“Don’t scold us, Pearl, the princess will soon be freed from the spell, and we will give her to you.”
The thieves had no reason to stay in the castle, and they left. The pearl gave them the moon as a farewell gift in gratitude for bringing him here.
He took the boots and the stick from his brothers, and they said to him:
- The most difficult thing will fall to your lot, Pearl. This night will decide everything, however, as you yourself understand, it will not be easy for you.
“It’s not a problem,” answered Zhemchuzhinka.
When night fell, three terrible monsters appeared and said:
- Oh, it’s you, Pearl! We haven't seen you yet.
“Of course,” answered Zhemchuzhinka, “there’s nothing surprising here!”
- What should we do with you?
- Do what you can, not what you want.
- We'll roast you on a spit.
“At least in a frying pan, if you like,” answered Zhemchuzhinka.
Out of envy, his brothers did not warn him about the horrors that awaited him, but still he was not at all afraid.
The monsters dragged the Pearl and began to beat him with all their might with their clubs. But Zhemchuzhinka did not feel anything, because he was holding a wand in his hands, with which he prudently repeated all the time:
“By the command of my wand, no one can hurt me.”
The monsters finally noticed that he was holding a wand.
“Don’t say anything to daddy, otherwise we’ll kill you!” - they shouted.
But at that very moment Zhemchuzhinka said:
“By the command of my wand, the princess will be freed, and you will be damned forever.”
At that very moment his wish was fulfilled, and he saw the princess, freed from enchantment and beautiful as day.
“You, Pearl, are my savior,” she said, “and I choose you as my husband.”
The pearl married the princess, and they celebrated such a noble wedding that along the entire road leading to the castle, tipsy guests lay on the stones and snored blissfully.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru