In times long past there was one evil, despicable woman. She had two girls living with her: one was her own daughter, the other was her stepdaughter. The stepdaughter's name was Gulbika. The stepmother forced Gulbika to work day and night: spinning threads, pulling wool, washing clothes. No matter how much Gulbika worked, she could not please her stepmother. One day she didn’t like the threads that Gulbika spun. The stepmother got angry and threw the ball away. Gulbika cried bitterly and began to look for the ball. She searched for a long time, but he was nowhere to be found, and she went to look for him on the road.
She asked everyone she met:
“My little round ball rolled away, haven’t you seen it?”
“There was some kind of ball rolling in that direction—it was probably yours,” the people answered her.
The girl went further, and then she met a shepherd who was grazing cows.
“My little round ball has rolled away, haven’t you seen it?” she asked the shepherd.
- I saw it, daughter. Recently I rolled over there - it was probably yours,” answered the shepherd.
Gulbika went further and met a shepherd who was tending horses.
She asked him. He gave the same answer as the previous ones.
Weeping bitterly and wailing, she walked further than Gulbika.
“My little round little ball, where have you gone?” Will I find you soon? If I don't find it, how can I
will I return home? My stepmother will scold and beat me.
Gulbika walked and walked, but there was still no sign of the ball. She walked along the steppe, then along the river bank. I went through terrible ravines and forests.
Finally evening came. It became dark. There was no one around. Only the terrible howl of animals was heard in the forest.
Suddenly Gulbika saw a light ahead. It flickered slightly in the distance. While she was walking towards this light, the girl also had to go through deep ravines and dense thickets. She approached the light and saw a small hut. I looked out the window, and there was an old woman sitting there spinning wool. The girl timidly entered the hut.
“Hello, grandmother!” she greeted the old woman.
- Hello, daughter! Why did you come here? - asked the old woman.
“Grandma, a little round ball has rolled out of my head.” I went looking for him and ended up here. “If I don’t find the ball, my stepmother won’t let me into the house,” the girl answered.
“Okay, daughter, don’t worry in vain,” the old woman consoled her. “Stay with me for a few days, and then go home.”
“What am I going to do with you?” asked the girl.
“You will look after me, an old man, and cook dinner for me,” answered the old woman.
“Okay, grandma,” the girl agreed and stayed with the old woman.
The next morning the old woman told her:
- Daughter, there is millet in the barn. You beat it into flour and make pancakes the next day.
“How to start it, grandma?” asked the girl.
- Whatever you do, fine. “Pour water, add flour and shake,” said the old woman.
The girl pounded the millet finely and started making it, the dough was very good.
“Grandma, how to bake pancakes?” asked the girl.
“As you bake it, that’s fine: let them burn and warp, let them warp and burn,” answered the old woman.
Gulbika baked fluffy pancakes, spread them with butter and treated them to the old woman.
The next day the old woman said to the girl: “Daughter, I want to wash myself, I need to heat the bathhouse.”
“How to heat it, grandma?” asked the girl.
“As you heat it, that’s fine: put some wood in the stove and set it on fire,” answered the old woman.
The girl heated the bathhouse thoroughly and closed the pipe in time.
“Grandma, the bathhouse is ready, how can I get you there?” the girl asked.
“Hold him by the hand and push him in the neck,” answered the old woman.
The girl carefully lifted the old woman from her seat, took her by the arm, and quietly and carefully led her to the bathhouse.
“How can I soar you, grandma?” asked the gingerbread.
“Punch me until you stab me with the handle of a broom,” answered the old woman.
Gulbika steamed her not with the handle of a broom, but with its fragrant leaves, washed her thoroughly and took her to the hut.
“Well, daughter, give me some tea sometime, and then you can go home,” said the old woman.
Gulbika fed her to her fill and gave her sweet tea.
“Well, grandma, I’ll go home now,” the girl said after that.
- Okay, daughter, go, just go up to the attic first. There is one green chest there. “Take it for yourself and don’t open it until you enter your house,” said the old woman.
The girl said goodbye to her, took the chest and, rejoicing at the gift, went home. When she began to approach the yard, their little dog ran out of the gateway and yelped:
“Yap, yap, yap, auntie went to die, but she’s coming back alive and rich!”
Gulbika was surprised by the dog’s words and shouted:
“Go away, don’t say that!” and she caressed her.
The little dog did not listen and continued to bark:
“Yap, yap, yap, auntie went to die, but she’s coming back alive and rich!”
The stepmother heard the dog yelping and saw that her stepdaughter had returned home. She almost burst from envy and anger.
Gulbika entered the house, opened the chest and couldn’t believe her eyes: it was all full of gold and silver.
The stepmother saw this and decided: “Let my daughter get rich just like Gulbika.”
The mother took her own daughter's ball and threw it out the door. The ball rolled away. Her daughter began to look for her ball, but did not find it. Then she, although she was afraid, went out into the field and walked along the road. She, like her stepdaughter, came across shepherds, and she asked each one:
“My little round ball rolled away, haven’t you seen it?”
They answered her:
- We saw, we saw, he was rolling in that direction. The girl walked and walked and reached the same old woman. And
the girl also stayed with her. One day the old woman said to her:
- Daughter, you should bake me pancakes.
“How can you bake them, grandma?” the girl asked.
“As you bake, so be it: let them burn and warp, let them warp and burn,” said the old woman.
The girl baked it just like that. The pancakes were all burnt and warped.
The next day the old woman asked:
- Daughter, I want to wash myself, I need to heat the bathhouse.
“How to heat it?” asked the girl.
“As soon as you heat it, it’s fine: put straw in the stove until it’s set on fire, and when it’s all burned, add more,” said the old woman.
The girl flooded the bathhouse with straw, not firewood. Without waiting for the smoke and fumes to go away, she closed it.
Then he entered the hut to take the old woman to the bathhouse, and said:
- Grandma, the bathhouse is ready, how can I take you there?
“Okay, take me by the hand and push me in the neck,” said the old woman.
The girl did just that.
“Grandma, how can I steam you?” she asked in the bathhouse.
- As soon as you soar, that’s fine. “Take it and beat my back with the handle of the broom,” said the old woman.
The girl did just that. Then she both took her to the bathhouse and took the old woman home: she held her hand and pushed her on the neck.
When they returned home, the old woman said:
“Daughter, I wanted to drink after the bath.” Give me some tea and then go home.
The girl somehow gave the old woman some tea. After this she said:
“Grandma, isn’t it time for me to go home?”
- Go, daughter, but not empty-handed. There is one yellow chest in the attic, take it for yourself. “Just don’t open it until you enter hell,” said the old woman.
The girl took the yellow chest and went home. When she began to approach the yard, the little dog saw her, ran out of the gateway and yelped:
- Yip, yap, yap, aunty went to get rich, but she comes with nothing!
The stepmother heard the dog yapping, became very angry with it and even beat it.
The girl entered the house, broke the lock on her chest and opened it.
And what did they see? It was all full of snakes and frogs. The snakes crawled out of the chest with a hiss and began to sting them. The stepmother began to scream, but no one came to help. The little dog not only did not forget the insult for the beatings she received, but also gloated and cursed;
“You beat me, you offended Gulbika, so let the snakes sting you!”
She began to protect only Gulbika, who took pity and caressed her when her stepmother beat her.
The little dog grabbed all the snakes that crawled towards her stepdaughter and tore them into pieces.
Her stepmother and her daughter died from snake venom, but Gulbika and her little dog remained alive and forgot about their stepmother forever.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru