One little girl's mother died. The father grieved and grieved and brought a new wife into the house. She was a widow and had her own daughter.
With the arrival of her stepmother, the orphan began a completely different life. Her stepmother forced her to do all the menial work around the house and hardly fed her: she would give her a piece of cold pasta with salt and a mug of water, and that was all the food - for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
The stepmother was surprised: the orphan worked from dawn to dusk, ate nothing, but grew and became prettier before our eyes. She did not know that before her death, the girl’s mother cut off her breast and gave it to her daughter with the words: “When there is nothing to eat, suck my breast and you will be satisfied.”
And the orphan often kissed her mother’s breast, and this gave her strength.
The stepmother decided to harass her stepdaughter and began to offend her even more. One day, when the girl finished all her chores late in the evening and wanted to sit down to rest, her stepmother began to scold her and left her without dinner.
The girl went to the chest where her mother’s breast lay, and just took it out when her stepmother crept up from behind. She tore out the girl’s breast, ran out into the yard and threw it into the river that flowed through their yard. And she dragged her stepdaughter into the house and locked her in a dark room. She kept her there for several days and then released her.
The orphan had only one thought - to find her mother's breast. She set off on her journey, walking along the bank of the river into which the evil stepmother threw her breast.
She was walking and saw a bird under a tree. Her wing was broken and she could not fly up the tree.
“Help me, little beauty, my wing is broken, put me back on the tree, someday I’ll be useful to you!”
“I’ll definitely plant it, just tell me, have you seen my mother’s breast, which was carried away by the waves of this river?”
- Don’t worry, you will definitely find her! - said the bird. The girl planted the bird on a tree and went her way. She walked and saw a huge bull - he was stuck in a swamp and could not get out of it.
“Didn’t you see, bull, my mother’s breast, which was carried away by the waves of this river!”
“I haven’t seen it, but you will certainly find it.” Help me get out of the quagmire! - said the bull.
As soon as the girl grabbed the bull's horn, he came out of the swamp and thanked her for her help.
The girl went further. She walked for a long time and saw a stove.
“Help me, little beauty,” the stove spoke. “It’s been ten years since I was heated, that’s why I freeze in the summer.” Put down some wood, light a fire to keep me warm—someday you’ll need me too.
“I’ll help you, light a fire, but tell me, stove, have you seen your mother’s breast, which was carried away by the waves of this river?”
“Allah will return it to you,” said the stove.
The girl lit a fire in the stove and went her way.
She walked, ran, walked, ran, and one day she saw a tall house on the river bank: it was all made of glass and sparkled in the sun.
The girl entered the house and looked around. There was no one in it, and she realized that it had not been cleaned for a long time. The girl walked further and saw a baby in the cradle - he was crying loudly. She took the baby, washed him, swaddled him, put everything clean in the cradle and put him back. Then she washed the clothes, washed the dishes, and cleaned the room. After that, she took the child and began to play with him.
Soon the owner returned. He was surprised to find order in the house, but when he saw the girl, he understood everything.
- Whose girl are you, how did you get to our region? he asked. She said that her evil stepmother threw her late mother's breast into the river and now she is going to find it.
“You will certainly find her!” said the owner of the house. - In the meantime, take this chest and return to your place.
And he gave the girl the chest - she barely lifted it - and he was off to the road.
The orphan started on her way back. She walked for a long time, and her supplies ran out. She began to starve. And then she saw the stove that she was heating. The stove was hot, and there was a lot of warm bread in it.
- Come to me, girl, eat some bread! - said the stove. She fed the girl enough and gave her bread for the journey. The girl went further. Soon she saw a familiar bird, it was singing loudly, and golden grains were falling from its beak; there was already a whole bunch of them under the tree.
“Come to me, girl, take as much gold as you can carry,” said the bird, “after all, you helped me on a stormy day.”
The girl poured gold into her scarf and moved on. Meanwhile, in her father’s yard, a rooster crowed loudly:
- Cuckoo! The one who carries the gold is returning!
The stepmother jumped out onto the porch and began to chase away the rooster:
- May you burn in the fire - what are you saying! Better say that your stepdaughter died a long time ago!
The rooster ran away, and soon came up to the porch again and sang:
- Cuckoo! The one who carries the gold is returning!
And again the stepmother drove the rooster away with curses. But after a while he ran up to the porch again and sang his words for the third time.
At this time the gate opened and a girl entered the yard. In one hand she held a chest, in the other a handkerchief with gold.
The stepmother and daughter ran out onto the porch, as if they were really happy about the orphan’s return. They brought her into the house and began to hug and treat her.
In the evening, when the father returned from the field, they decided to see what the orphan had brought. They opened the chest and gasped - there were all sorts of outfits there, all made of gold, and on top lay the breasts of the girl’s mother.
And then the stepmother decided to send her daughter so that she would also return with the same gifts. In an instant she cut off her breast and threw it into the river. Then she quickly prepared go-myle and sent her daughter on the road.
“Find and bring my breast,” she said. The stepmother's daughter reluctantly set off on her journey. she walked she walked
and saw a bird under a tree. Her wing was broken and she could not fly up the tree.
“Help me, little beauty, my wing is broken, put me back on the tree, someday I’ll be useful to you!” - said the bird.
“Tell me if you saw my mother’s breast, which was carried away by the waves of this river, then I’ll plant it.”
“You will definitely find her, just help me,” answered the bird.
- Even if you die, I won’t jail you! - said the stepmother’s daughter and moved on.
She walked and saw a huge bull - he was stuck in a swamp and could not get out of it.
“Hey, old bull, have you seen my mother’s breast, which was carried away by the waves of this river?”
“I haven’t seen it, but you will certainly find it.” Help me get out of the quagmire, the bull asked.
- For you to disappear in the swamp, why did you climb there? I won't bother you
help, I have no time to bother with you! - said the stepmother’s daughter and moved on.
She walked for a long time and saw a stove. .
“Help me, little beauty,” the stove spoke. “It’s been ten years since I’ve been heated, which is why I freeze in the summer.” Put some wood, light a fire so that I can warm up - someday you will need me too.
“You’re talking nonsense, tell me better, haven’t you seen my mother’s breast, which was carried away by the waves of this river?”
“Don’t worry, you’ll find her,” answered the stove.
“And don’t worry about it either—someone will light a fire and you’ll warm up.”
- Don’t be lazy to light a fire, I’m freezing!
- I won’t tell you, you’re still freezing! “With these words, the stepmother’s daughter moved on.
She walked a lot, she walked a little, and one day she saw a tall house on the river bank: it was all made of glass and sparkled in the sun.
The stepmother's daughter entered it and looked around. There was no one in it, and she realized that it had not been cleaned for a long time. She walked further and saw a baby in the cradle - he was crying loudly. The stepmother's daughter got angry:
“There’s no one here, and I’ll have to babysit him—I’d rather kill him.”
At this time the owner returned.
- Whose girl are you, how did you get to our region? he asked.
“I’m looking for my mother’s breast - it was carried away by the waves of our river,” answered the stepmother’s daughter.
“You will certainly find her, but in the meantime, help me - tidy up the house, do the laundry, wash the dishes: my wife died, I can’t handle the housework alone.”
“Of course, I’ll clean it up,” said the stepmother’s daughter, and she scattered everything even more. Then she took a stick and broke all the dishes. The owner watches what the guest is doing and says nothing.
“Now, beauty, bathe my child,” he said. The stepmother's daughter took the child, carried him out into the yard, laid him on a stump and cut off his head.
Then she entered the house and addressed the owner.
“I did everything you told me, now give me my mother’s breast!”
- Yes, you did everything perfectly. Get it! - said the owner and handed the guest a large chest, exactly the same as the one he gave to the orphan.
The stepmother's daughter was delighted, grabbed the chest and hurried home - she thought the chest was full of gold.
She walked and got hungry - she didn’t take a gomyle on the way back. At this time she saw a stove, which she refused to light. The stove was hot, and there was a lot of warm bread in it.
“I’m dying of hunger, give me a piece of bread, beautiful stove!” - the stepmother’s daughter begged.
“Remember what you told me when I asked you to light a fire,” the stove answered. “Not only will I not give you bread, but I won’t even let you get close!”
And she drove her stepmother's daughter away.
She walked further and soon saw a familiar bird. She sang loudly, and golden grains fell from her beak - there was already a whole bunch of them under the tree.
“Please, golden bird, give me some gold, I’ll take it to my mother!” asked the stepmother’s daughter.
But the bird did not give her a single grain.
Staggering from hunger, the stepmother’s daughter went further. Meanwhile, a rooster crowed loudly in their yard.
- Cuckoo! The stepmother's daughter returns, carrying a chest with all sorts of evil spirits!
The stepmother jumped out onto the porch and began to chase away the rooster.
- May you burn in the fire - what are you saying! Better say that my daughter is returning with a golden burden.
The rooster ran away, and soon came up to the porch again and sang:
- Cuckoo! The stepmother's daughter returns, carrying a chest with all sorts of evil spirits!
And again the stepmother drove the rooster away with curses. But after a while he ran up to the porch again and sang his words for the third time.
The stepmother could not stand it and killed the rooster with a stick.
At this time, the gate opened, and the stepmother’s daughter entered the yard with a chest in her hands.
Her mother ran out to meet her and was delighted when she saw the chest.
She took her daughter into the house; she was impatient to find out what she had brought. But first, the stepmother ordered the doors to be closed so that no one would know about their wealth. When they opened the chest, they saw worms, snakes, and lizards in it. They gnawed the stepmother's chest and sat in it.
A huge snake crawled out of the chest - it bit first the stepmother, then her daughter, and they died immediately. They wanted to destroy the orphan girl, but they themselves died.
And father and daughter lived happily ever after.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru