Once upon a time there lived a little brother and sister who had neither father nor mother.
The boy's name was Polen, and the girl's name was Polina. They were never separated and were very friendly. Paulin always shared everything he had with Polina, and Polina also shared everything she had with her brother. They lived completely alone, and so they grew up together in the house that their father left them.
And then one day, when they had already grown up, Polina said:
“Brother, it’s time for you to get married.”
- Why, sister? Why bring into the house a woman we don’t know? What if she brings discord and turmoil to our home? Let our pot boil peacefully on our little hearth.
“Don’t say that, brother, don’t listen to stupid speeches about how it’s hard to find a good woman - just look at me.” Listen to me and get married, I will love your wife just as much as I love you, and when you need to go away, I will not be at home alone - we will wait for you together. It’s not good when a young girl like me doesn’t have a woman around her. Get married, Polen.
Paulin did not argue - he found a girl and married her.
This girl's name was Lida, and she was angry and hateful. She immediately became jealous of her husband for Polina. (Why does my husband love her? - Lida thought. - Who is his wife, she or me? Who will become the mother of his children, she or me? Just think - a sister! I also have a sister - so what?) One evening, returning home, Polen kissed Polina first, not Lida.
There are no words to describe the anger of the young wife, but she did not show it and remained silent. As usual, the three of them had dinner and went to bed. Polen immediately fell asleep, and Polina also fell asleep, but Lida couldn’t sleep out of anger and tossed and turned from side to side all night.
At dawn, as soon as the rooster crowed, Lida jumped out of bed and ran to her godmother. Lida's godmother was an evil old woman, so evil that people called her only Evil, because her tongue was like a poisonous sting.
When the old woman was planning some bad deed, she became worse than a mad dog.
Lida told the old woman about her grievance, and her godmother immediately gave her evil advice on how to quarrel between Polen and Polina. Returning home, Lida got down to business. No matter what dirty tricks and tales she came up with, she could not denigrate Polina, and Paulin still loved his sister. Lida’s soul was seething with rage, and the woman kept repeating to herself: (I’ll achieve my goal anyway!) Polen had an extraordinary dog, whose name was Khvataika - neither the deer, nor the wild boar, nor other animals, when she chased them, could not get away from her.
If Paulen had been offered two hundred piastres, he wouldn’t have sold it even then. Hvataika loved Polina very much and ate only from her hands, and when someone else tried to feed the dog, she walked away without touching the food.
And then one day, when Polina was preparing food for the dog, someone called her, and she went out into the yard, leaving a cup of food on the table. Lida saw this, instantly took out of her pocket a horn filled with white powder that Zlyuka had given her, mixed the powder with food and left. Returning to the room, Polina took a cup from the table, called Khvataika and gave her something to eat. The dog ate every last crumb and began to whine. Lida pretended to be angry:
- How tired of these animals in the house!
And she kicked the dog out of the room. Hvataika staggered across the yard like a drunk, went to a ditch with water and began to drink. She drank and drank, her stomach became swollen, and Khvataika died.
Paulin, who was returning home at that time, saw the dead body of the dog and called people. Polina went out into the yard and saw that poor Khvataika was lying dead by the ditch. Her legs gave way and she had to sit on the ground to avoid falling. Polen approached her and said:
- Oh, sister-sister, Khvataika ate only from your hands, and only you are to blame for her death!
What could Polina say in her defense? It was as if a heavy stone lay on her heart.
Lida had a cat, and during lunch Polina threw him a piece of meat. Lida immediately grabbed this piece and threw it into the yard with the words:
- Don't you dare! You know that your hand brings death to animals; Don't you dare feed my cat, I don't want her to die. When I want to kill her, then I’ll ask you to feed her!
Polina remained silent. Because Lida hated her so much, her life at home became worse and worse. But where could she go? She had no one except her brother, and she still remained in the house, although Paulin, after what happened with the dog, was no longer as kind and affectionate with her as before.
Nine months have passed since Paulin married Lida, and Lida gave birth to a boy - a beautiful boy. Polen and Polina were very happy, and Lida also pretended to be happy; however, in her soul she came out with anger, because the baby, asking for the breast, cried day and night and did not let her sleep. When teeth began to emerge and the baby cried incessantly, the mother began to reward him with spanks. And then one day Polina took him in her arms and began to play with him and amuse him, and the child fell silent.
Children, even very young ones, feel who loves them and who doesn’t. The boy is not yet six months old. elk, and he always, when he was in Lida’s arms, reached out to Polina. He finishes sucking and immediately starts crying and asks to be held by Polina. And as soon as Polina took it, he immediately fell silent and calmed down.
Lida couldn't find a place for herself because of jealousy. (How,” she said to herself, “does he, too, love Polina more than me, his mother? So this can’t happen, even if I lose the child!” One day the baby fell ill. The doctor examined him and said that the child needed to be weaned because the mother’s milk was not good - she was probably pregnant.
Polen took his son from Lida and gave it to Polina. Polina, like her own mother, began to take care of him, bathe him and feed him. Polina put the baby to bed with her in her wide bed. (If he needs anything at night, she decided, I will immediately hear him cry).
And Lida now hated Polina so much that she could no longer see her child, and the baby, when the mother bent over him, began to scream terribly
- Her eyes were so evil.
And then one night, when everyone in the house was fast asleep, Lida quietly crept up to Polina’s bed, grabbed the unfortunate baby by the neck and strangled him. Then, just as quietly returning to her room, she lay down and listened, but no one moved, everyone was fast asleep.
Early the next morning the rooster crowed and Polina got out of bed. I started to do some housework, made coffee - the child lay there and didn’t move. Polina
laughed: “What a sleepyhead you are, baby!”
The sun has risen - the baby lies and does not move.
- Hey, baby, the bell has already struck!
Polina went up to the bed, turned the baby over and, barely looking at him,
screamed:
- Oh God!
And she collapsed unconscious on the floor.
Polen heard a scream, and then the sound of a fall and, rushing to his sister’s room,
I saw: the poor boy’s eyes rolled under his forehead, and his body was all black. He felt the child and shouted:
- Oh God, Lida, Lida, our little one died!
Lida flew into the room like the wind, picked up the baby in her arms and, screaming, kicked the unconscious Polina. She told her husband:
“If this goes on, this scoundrel will kill everyone who lives in the house with her!”
Paulin seemed to have lost his mind. He grabbed Polina, threw her on her back, carried her into the forest and there chopped off her hands with an ax. Poor Polina, bleeding profusely, told him:
“Oh my brother, you cut off my hands, your sister, but soon you will have a bad time, and then you will remember me!”
Polen left, leaving her alone in the forest. Polina would have died that way, but suddenly she heard a rustling sound, and a beautiful little dog with long hair appeared from the thickets. The dog pulled Polina by the dress, as if calling for her, and Polina, gathering her last strength, followed her. They walked for a long time along the paths between the trees and finally came out of the forest and saw a beautiful palace. The dog barked and many servants ran out of the palace. The dog, as if calling them, barked again, and they ran up to it. Poor Polina was so weak from loss of blood that she could no longer stand on her feet and fell on the tray. Then the dog signaled to two servants to pick it up and carry it to the palace.
The palace to which Polina was taken belonged to the king. The king was not there at that time - he went to fight in another country; but always when he went away somewhere, be it to war or hunting, he left his little dog to take charge of the palace for him, and she alone knew what each of the servants should do in the absence of the owner.
And now the dog ordered the servants to take good care of Polina.
They put the girl in a beautiful room on a comfortable soft bed, and then they killed a chicken, cooked a strong broth for Polina, gave her good red wine, and began to make sure that nothing disturbed her peace. They did everything to ensure that she recovered quickly.
Less than two weeks had passed before Polina got to her feet, but instead of arms the poor girl now had stumps.
Then the king returned from the war. The dog began jumping around, licking him, and then took the owner to Polina’s room.
Polina was very pretty, and the king fell in love with her at first sight.
He said to the dog:
- Yes, Viceroy (that was the dog’s name), you did very well!
The dog wagged its tail and barked, showing how pleased it was with the praise.
Every day the king came to Polina and talked to her for a long time.
About a year passed, and the day came when the king had to go to war again. Before leaving the palace, he said to the Viceroy:
- Polina is due to give birth soon. When this happens, let them write to me how she feels and who she gave birth to, a boy or a girl. Take care of them and make sure that mother and child do not lack anything: after all, while I am gone, you will remain the owner.
The viceroy wagged his tail to show that he understood, and the king set off.
Two weeks passed, and Polina gave birth to two boys. As soon as she felt the contractions, she immediately sent for the midwife. A tiny night light was burning in the room, there was almost no light from it, but when the children were born, the room was bright
lit up: each of them had a star shining on their forehead. The midwife said:
“You don’t even need coconut oil with these kids—they’re like lamps themselves.”
The governor ordered to write a letter to the king and tell him about the birth of the boys. The letter was written, and the messenger carried it to the king. Halfway through the journey, he felt tired and, seeing a house, went into it to drink water and rest a little. And this house was the same one in which Zlyuka lived. She spoke to the messenger and found out what errand he was sent on. Then Zlyuka began to treat him and quietly slipped some kind of potion into his food. The messenger had not yet finished eating, but sleep had already overcome him, and he fell to the ground and fell asleep. Then Zlyuka pulled a letter out of his pocket, read it, quickly wrote another, forged the signature and put it in the place of the first.
Waking up, the messenger rubbed his eyes and looked at the sun:
- Mothers, how long I slept!
He grabbed his staff, thanked the old woman and ran on.
After reading the letter, the king was very sad because it said:
(Your Majesty, Polina gave birth to a monkey and a puppy. The mother and newborns are doing well. We are waiting for your orders).
The king replied: (A father must love his children, even if they are a monkey and a dog. Take good care of the newborns. When I return, then I will decide what to do. King).
Having given this letter to the same messenger, the king ordered him to return home as soon as possible.
The messenger set off on his way back. When he reached Zlyuka’s house, the old woman was already lying in wait for him by the road. She stopped the messenger and said:
“Hey, buddy, you, of course, are bringing home the king’s answer and are in a hurry, but still stop and take a little rest: my family just sent me a bottle of old rum, and it would be nice for the two of us to try it.”
Well, how could he resist such a temptation? The angry woman poured him a large glass, and as soon as the servant took a sip, the glass fell out of his hands, and he himself fell off the chair and fell asleep. Then Zlyuka took the letter out of his pocket, opened it and read it, and then took pen, ink and paper and wrote:
(Here is my order: take this terrible Pauline and throw her out along with the two bastards. However, since she has no hands to hold them, tie one to her back and the other to her stomach. I ordered, and you do it. King).
When he woke up, the servant thought that the rum had knocked him down, and he felt very ashamed. He took his staff and set off.
When the palace heard about the king's order, some were sad because Polina was very good and kind, while others were happy because they had envied her before. But whether they were happy or sad, they had to carry out the king’s orders.
The governor was indignant: he could not believe that his kind-hearted master could give such a cruel order. But he was a dog and could not speak, and only barked and barked; however, this time no one listened to him.
They pulled Polina out of bed, tied two babies to her, as was written in the letter, took her out onto the road and told her to leave. The manager did not want to leave Polina alone and went with her.
They walked, poor Polina cried, and the Viceroy was silent. Finally they found themselves in a dense forest. The governor walked ahead, showing the way. They went out to the bank of the stream, Polina became thirsty, and she knelt down to touch the water with her mouth, because she had no palms. She bent down to get water with her mouth, and the child, who was strapped to her back, fell off and fell into the stream. Polina instantly lowered her severed hands there, although there were no palms and there was nothing to grab the child with. And then a miracle happened! This water was not ordinary, but magical, and as soon as Polina plunged the stumps of her arms into it, new hands instantly grew on them. Polina pulled the baby out of the water, hugged him, cried and began to thank fate. The governor seemed to lose his head with joy - he jumped, barked, and began to roll on the ground.
They went on and three days later they came out of the forest into an open place. At the very edge they saw a dilapidated hut with a roof made of Indian spikenard. There was no one inside the shack. Here they remained. Polina put the hut in order, collected leaves and made a comfortable bed out of them for herself and the children, and another, small one, for the Viceroy. Then she lay down and fell asleep.
Early in the morning Polina woke up, sat up in bed and began to think out loud:
- What should I do? Where should I go? I have no family, no one to take care of me. It's better for me to stay here and live alone in this old hut:
no one will come here, no one will pursue me here, I will calmly raise my children, and the Viceroy and I will find a way not to die of hunger, right, Viceroy?
The viceroy barked in response and waved his tail, showing how happy he was.
Let us now return to the king. Having learned that Polina gave birth to a monkey and a puppy, the poor young king began to sunbathe and did not even want to return home.
It was so heavy in his heart that he fought for five or six years. Finally, when the mental pain subsided a little, he returned home. There the king first asked:
- Where are my children, where is Polina, where is the Viceroy?
People's mouths opened in surprise when they heard these questions. Fortunately, the king's letter was preserved in his desk drawer. They ran after him and gave him into his own hands. The king read it and now he had to gape in amazement.
“Call me the messenger who brought the letter,” he said. When the messenger found out that the king was calling him, his soul sank into his heels; but, although his legs gave way from fear, he still had to go.
The king began to question the messenger, and he told about everything that happened to him when he was carrying the letters. The king understood everything, and his anger was indescribable. He said only one word: (Unfortunate!) - and the messenger turned on the spot several times like a top and fell to the ground. The king lifted him by the hair, stood him up and said:
- Take me to this old witch! Well, go! When they arrived at Zlyuka’s house, the king placed guards around the house, and he and the messenger went inside. The angry one jumped straight up when she saw them. The king asked the messenger:
- She?
- She is, Your Majesty!
Then the king ordered him to tie the old woman's hands and feet and put her on the table.
After that, they went out into the courtyard, and the king ordered the house to be set on fire from four corners. The evil one taught her to scream, and suddenly, flashing brightly, she exploded and died - and let the wind scatter her ashes!
After the death of Zlyuka, the king sent messengers in all directions to look for Polina. They went, searched, asked, but never found it. They returned and told the king about this. The king became sad after listening to them and began to lose weight.
Two more years passed. One day the king was hunting in the forest, and his dogs suddenly picked up a deer. The king shot and wounded him, but the deer did not fall, but rushed off like the wind. He ran and ran, and the dogs, tired, eventually gave up the chase. Only the king still had the strength to pursue him. When the running deer saw that the king was falling behind, he stopped; then, seeing that the king was catching up with him again, he ran away again. Two days passed in this way, and the sun was already setting for the third time when they came out into the open. Now nothing blocked the deer’s path, and it seemed as if he had grown wings. The king looked, and the deer was already far, far away; you couldn’t catch him. The king tore his hat from his head, waved it and shouted with laughter:
- Hey, friend, you really can run!
The deer did not answer him and disappeared into the distance.
Left alone, the king looked around and saw that these places were unfamiliar to him, he had never been here before. The king thought that it would be good for him to find a house where he could stay for the night and where he could be fed a little - after two days of hunting he felt hungry. He walked, looking around, and suddenly saw a light in the distance. He moved towards the light and saw a small hut with a roof made of Indian spikenard. The door was closed and the king knocked on it. It began to be heard that someone was walking quietly in the hut, as if he was afraid that they would hear him. The king shouted:
- Open up if you have a good heart! I'm tired and hungry, help me - God will reward you for this!
The door opened and the king entered. There was no one in the hut except a young woman. It was already getting dark, and the king could not see her face, but it seemed to him that this face was familiar to him - it was similar to Polina’s face. (Ayo, poor Polina, he thought, where are you now?) The king asked the young woman for something to eat, and she gave him sweet potatoes, cassava and a piece of roasted hare.
Having put everything on a plate, she placed it on the table in front of the king. (Poor Polina, he thought, she had no hands to serve me!) The king ate and looked at the young woman, but she did not look at him, as if she was afraid of something. Both felt somehow uneasy. Suddenly the king heard a dog barking in the distance. (It can’t be! - he thought. - After all, this is the Viceroy, I recognize his voice!) The barking was approaching. The king listened: the dog was not alone, there were two boys with her who imitated her barking. The king rose and stood in the doorway.
Night had already fallen, and it was pitch black outside. But then the king began to rub his eyes, because he saw something that he had never seen before. On the forehead of each of the boys running towards the house with the dog, a star shone.
Both stars were so bright that it became as bright as day. The king looked as if spellbound at this miracle, and suddenly the dog, running with the children, sensed him. Squealing, she rushed towards the king and began to jump, trying to lick his face. Then, barking loudly, she began to wag her tail and begin to roll around on the floor and lick the king's feet. She barked until she became hoarse. King
exclaimed:
- So it’s you, Viceroy, you!
He took the dog in his arms, and they both cried - they were so happy!
Then, turning around, the king rushed to the young woman and hugged her:
- Polina, my Polina!
And he began to kiss her.
Even before the rooster crowed and dawn came, they left the ramshackle shack and began their journey back to the palace. Although the sun had not yet risen, they easily found their way - it was illuminated for them by the stars shining in the boys’ foreheads.
After three days of travel they arrived at the palace. Well, everyone there was happy!
The courtiers began to shout, laugh and sing.
Thanks to the living water, Polina’s hands now had fingers again, so she had something to put her wedding ring on. The king asked for her hand in marriage and then put the ring on her finger.
They arranged a luxurious feast, but when everyone was already sitting down at the table, a poor beggar entered the dining room and began to beg for alms. He walked with a limp, on crutches, his eyes were red from crying, and his mouth was crooked, like a fish that had fallen off a hook.
Polina looked at the beggar and threw herself on his neck:
- This is Paulin, my brother!
And Paulin (it really was him) told them about everything that had happened to him over the years. Lida got tired of living with him, and she tried to poison him. As a result, Paulin’s legs stopped walking and his face became distorted. But one day Lida had an argument with someone, she was hit on the head with a stick, and she immediately fell dead. Paulin ran away - he was afraid of what they would think of him.
- Aya, it was the stick that killed her! - he said. Polina said:
- Let's have lunch, brother! You will stay with us forever and you will not have to worry about anything.
And they began to feast.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru