The old man and the old woman had no children. They lived a century, but did not have children. So they made a little block, wrapped it in a swaddle, and began to rock it and lull it to sleep: -? Go to sleep, go to sleep, child Tereshechka, -
??All the swallows are sleeping,??And the killer whales are sleeping,??And the martens are sleeping,??And the foxes are sleeping,??Our Tereshechka??They are telling us to sleep!
They rocked him like that, rocked him and rocked him to sleep, and instead of the block, his son Tereshechka began to grow - a real berry. The boy grew and grew, and came to his senses. The old man made him a shuttle, painted it white, and the merry people painted it red. So Tereshechka sat in the shuttle and said:
—?Shuttle, shuttle, sail farther.Shuttle, shuttle, sail farther.
The shuttle sailed far, far away. Tereshechka began to catch fish, and his mother began to bring him milk and cottage cheese. He came to the shore and called:
-? Tereshechka, my son, swim, swim to the shore, I brought you something to eat and drink.
Tereshechka will hear her mother’s voice from afar and will swim to the shore. The mother will take the fish, feed him, give Tereshechka something to drink, change his shirt and belt, and let him go fishing again. The witch found out about this. She came to the shore and called in a terrible voice:
-? Tereshechka, my son, swim, swim to the shore, I brought you something to eat and drink.
Tereshechka recognized that it was not his mother’s voice and said:
—?Shuttle, shuttle, sail far away. It’s not my mother calling me.
Then the witch ran to the forge and ordered the blacksmith to reforge her throat so that her voice would become like Tereshechka’s mother. The blacksmith reforged her throat. The witch again came to the bank and sang in a voice exactly like her dear mother:
-? Tereshechka, my son, swim, swim to the shore, I brought you something to eat and drink.
Tereshechka identified himself and swam to the shore. The witch grabbed him, put him in a sack and ran. She brought him to the hut on chicken legs and told her daughter Alyonka to light the stove hotter and fry Tereshechka. And she again went to get some money. So Alyonka lit the stove hot and hot and said to Tereshka: -? Lie down on the shovel. He sat down on the shovel, spread out his arms and legs and couldn’t fit into stove. And she said to him: —? Wrong to lie down. —? Yes, I don’t know how - show me how... —? And as cats sleep, as dogs sleep, so do you lie down. —? And you lie down yourself and teach me. Alyonka sat down on the shovel, and Tereshechka pushed her into the stove and closed it with the flap. And he himself left the hut and climbed onto a tall oak tree. A witch came running, opened the stove, pulled out her daughter Alenka, ate it, gnawed the bones. Then she went out into the yard and began to roll and roll around on the grass. She rolls around and rolls around and says: -? I’ll roll around, I’ll roll around, having eaten Tereshechka’s meat. And Tereshechka gave her from the oak tree. replies: —?Roll around, lie around, having eaten Alenka’s meat! And the witch: —? Aren’t those the leaves making noise? And she herself — again: —? I’ll roll around, lie around, having eaten Tereshechka’s meat. And Tereshechka is all hers: —? Roll around, have eaten Alenka’s meat! The witch looked and saw him on a tall oak tree. She rushed to gnaw the oak. She gnawed and gnawed - she broke out two front teeth, ran to the forge: -? Blacksmith, blacksmith! Forge me two iron teeth. The blacksmith forged two teeth for her. The witch returned and began to gnaw the oak again. She chewed and chewed and broke two lower teeth. She ran to the blacksmith: “Blacksmith, blacksmith!” Forge me two more iron teeth. The blacksmith forged two more teeth for her. The witch returned and began gnawing the oak again. It gnaws - only splinters fly. And the oak is already cracking and staggering. What to do here? Tereshechka sees geese and swans flying. He asks them:
-?My geese, little swans! Take me on your wings, Take me to my father, to my mother!
And the geese-swans answer: -? Ha-ha, they are still flying after us - they are hungrier than us, they will take you. And the witch will gnaw and gnaw, look at Tereshechka, lick her lips - and again they will get to work... Another herd flies. Tereshechka asks...
-?My geese, little swans! Take me on your wings, Take me to my father, to my mother!
And the geese-swans answer: -? Ha-ha, a pinched gosling is flying after us, he will pick you up and carry you. But the witch already has little left. An oak tree is about to fall. A pinched gosling is flying. Tereshechka asks him: “You’re my goose-swan!” Take me, put me on your wings, take me to your father, to your mother. The pinched gosling took pity, put Tereshechka on his wings, perked up and flew, carried him home. They flew to the hut and sat on the grass. And the old woman baked pancakes - to remember Tereshechka - and said: -? This is for you, old man, damn it, and this is for me Damn. And Tereshechka under the window: —? And damn me?
The old woman heard and said: -? Look, old man, who is asking for a pancake there? The old man came out, saw Tereshechka, brought him to the old woman - a hug began! And the pinched gosling was fattened, watered, released into the wild, and from then on he began to flap his wings widely, fly in front of the herd and remember Tereshechka.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru