A poor peasant woman and her daughter lived in the same village. And near their house there was a vegetable garden in which lettuce, tomatoes, parsley, and dill grew. But most of all, the daughter of a poor peasant woman loved to feast on parsley. Every morning I climbed into the garden, picked an apron full of parsley and then ate it all at lunch.
And in our parts parsley is called prezzemolo; That’s why the girl was nicknamed Prezzemolina the Parsley in the village. Prezzemolina did not know, did not know that the owner of the garden was an evil witch. And the witch soon noticed that someone was picking parsley in her garden. One day the witch hid in the bushes and began to wait.
Prezzemolina, as usual, came to the garden for parsley. Suddenly, the witch, faster than lightning, jumped out from behind the bushes and tightly grabbed the girl by the elbow with her hooked fingers.
- Yeah, thief, got caught! Now I will pay you for everything at once.
In vain Prezzemolina, almost alive with fear, asked the old woman for forgiveness and promised never to come even close to the garden again. The witch dragged Prezzemolina into her house and threw her on a bare bench.
Prezzemolina became the witch's servant. But no matter how much the witch tormented her with backbreaking work, Prezzemolina became more and more beautiful every year.
The witch completely lost her appetite from envy and anger.
One day the witch calls Prezzemolina and tells her:
“Here’s a basket for you, go to the well and fill it with water.” If you don't follow my orders, I will kill you.
Prezzemolina went to the well, lowered the basket once, twice, and realized that she was only wasting time: all the water was pouring out of the leaky basket.
The girl leaned against the well and cried bitterly. Suddenly she hears someone quietly calling her:
- Prezzemolina, Prezzemolina, why are you crying?
She turned around and saw: a handsome young man standing in front of her and smiling welcomingly.
-Who are you and how do you know my name?
“I am the grandson of a witch, and my name is Benciabel.” Grandmother wants to destroy you, but I will save you, Prezzemolina. Kiss me and I'll fill your basket.
- No, I won’t kiss you, because you are the grandson of a witch.
“Well, I’ll fill your basket anyway.”
Prezzemolina returned home and brought the witch a basket of water. The witch turned white with anger and said to the girl:
– Admit it, did Benciabel help you?
“No,” Prezzemolina replied.
- Well, okay, let's see who can defeat whom.
In the morning the witch calls Prezzemolina and tells her:
- Take this bag of grain. I’ll go out for a walk for about ten minutes, and when I return, the bread will be ready. If you don't bake it, know that I will kill you.
The witch locked poor Prezzemolina and went for a walk. Prezzemolina set to work, but she saw that she would not have time to crush a bag of grain and bake bread in such a short time. Prezzemolina sat down on the sack and cried out loud. Then Benciabel approached Prezzemolina and said to her affectionately:
“Don’t cry, Prezzemolina, I will save you this time too, just kiss me.”
- No, I won’t kiss you, because you are the grandson of a witch.
But Benciabel again helped Prezzemolina. When the witch returned, the bread was already on the table.
-Have you seen Benciabel? Did he bake the bread? – the witch asks the girl.
“No,” Prezzemolina replies.
- Well, okay, let's see who can defeat whom.
The next day the witch calls Prezzemolina and tells her:
- Go to my sister, she lives beyond that forest. Take my box from her and bring it to me.
The witch had previously agreed with her sister that as soon as Prezzemolina came to her, she would kill her.
The girl set off on the road, not knowing, not knowing that certain death awaited her.
On the way she meets Benciabel.
-Where are you going, Prezzemolina? – asks Benciabel.
– To get the box to my mistress’s sister.
- Ah! Poor Prezzemolina, your mistress sends you to your death, and you suspect nothing. Kiss me and I will save you.
- No, because you are the grandson of a witch.
- I will save you anyway, because I love you more than life itself. Here's a bottle of olive oil, a piece of bread, a rope and a broom. When you come to the witch's house, lubricate the door hinges with this oil, and throw this piece of bread to the guard dog. Then you will see a poor woman getting water from a well, tying her braids to a bucket. Give her this rope. In the kitchen you will see another woman cleaning the stove from ash with her tongue. Give her this broom. The box is lying on the closet, take it and immediately run out of the house.
If you listen to me, you will stay alive.
Prezzemolina did everything as Benciabel told her. When she came to the witch's house, she saw a box on the closet, grabbed it and rushed away as fast as she could. The witch's sister noticed Prezzemolina running, jumped to the window and shouted:
- Hey, you, there, in the kitchen! Kill this thief quickly!
- No, she gave me a broom, and you made me clean the stove with my tongue.
- Hey, you there, by the well, quickly throw this thief into the water!
- No, she gave me a rope, and you forced me to get water with scythes.
- Dog, tear it apart!
- No, she gave me bread, but you never fed me, and I was dying of hunger.
- Door, slam!
- I won’t! This girl lubricated my hinges, and without her they were completely rusty.
This is how Prezzemolina was saved.
Prezzemolina ran, ran, looked: in front of her was an unfamiliar village, and around – not a soul. She sat down on the grass to catch her breath, to rest. And then her curiosity began to figure out what was inside the box? Prezzemolina opened the box, a song flew out and disappeared into the air. Prezzemolina began to cry.
At that same moment Benciabel ran up, caught the song and put it back in the box.
Only this time the girl did not agree to kiss Benciabel.
The next day Prezzemolina came to her mistress, an old witch, and brought her a box. When the witch saw Prezzemolina, alive and beautiful, she almost burst from frustration.
“Didn’t you meet Benciabel on the way?” – she asked.
“No,” Prezzemolina replied.
“Well, okay,” says the witch, “we’ll see who can defeat whom.”
Listen now. I have three roosters in the chicken coop: red, black and white. Tonight, when one of the roosters crows, you will tell me which one was crowing.
If you make a mistake, I will swallow you like a piece of bread.
But I must tell you that Benciabel’s room was next to Prezzemolina’s room, and Benciabel heard everything.
Midnight came, and one of the roosters crowed his cuckoo. The witch immediately asks Prezzemolina:
- Well, which rooster was crowing?
Prezzemolina, of course, does not know what to answer; she trembled with fear and quietly, so that the witch would not hear, said:
- Benciabel, Benciabel, tell me which rooster was crowing?
- Kiss me and I'll tell you.
- No.
“Still, I’ll tell you: the red rooster sang.”
The witch, seeing that the girl was slow to answer, approached her and shouted:
- Answer me, or I’ll kill you!
Prezzemolina responds:
- The red rooster sang.
The witch only gritted her teeth in anger.
A little later the rooster crowed again.
- Well, now what rooster was crowing? - asks the witch.
Again Benciabel helped the girl, and she answered:
“And now the black rooster was crowing.”
An hour later the rooster crowed again, and the witch immediately went to Prezzemolina with the question:
- Well, which rooster was crowing just now?
“White,” Prezzemolina answered joyfully.
The evil witch slammed the door in frustration so hard that it cracked. The witch rushed to look for Benciabel in order to settle accounts with him for everything.
Benciabel hid behind the well. The witch saw him and wanted to grab him, but she tripped and fell into the well. And Prezzemolina married her savior. And they lived in love and happiness for many, many years.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru