Once upon a time, there lived an old old woman in a village. Alone in the whole world - she had neither a son nor a daughter, only a calf. And the old woman followed the calf as if it were her grandson.
He gets up in the morning and bakes butter cakes. He will hang cakes on the calf’s horns and tie a bag to his backside. And he lets the calf go into the mountains - let him eat cakes and remember to break brushwood. And in the evening, before the sun has time to set, the calf runs home, carrying a sack full of brushwood.
But one day the sun set behind the mountains, and the little calf still wouldn’t go. The old man can’t wait for him, doesn’t know what to think. Now the sky has turned black, and the calf is still nowhere to be seen. Apparently the old woman can’t wait for her pet. She took the stick and went into the mountains to look for it. Suddenly she met a hare. The old woman asks him:
“Tell me, good bunny, have you seen where my little calf is?”
“The witch ate your little calf, and at night she will come and gnaw you to death.”
The old woman got scared and started spinning. There was nothing to do, I cried and went home. She sat down at the gate, shedding tears. The old woman cries, and the melancholy gnaws at her heart more and more. People heard how the old woman was killing herself, and then they themselves began to cry. Brother Shilo walked past and asked:
- Grandma, grandma, are you sad?
“The evil witch ate my little calf, and she will come at night and gnaw me to death!”
- Don't be afraid, grandma! I’ll come running at night and take away the trouble!
Sister Thorn walked past and asked:
- Grandma, grandma, are you freaking out?
“The evil witch ate my little calf, and she will come at night and gnaw me to death!”
- Don't be afraid, grandma. I’ll come running at night and take away the trouble!
Auntie a chicken egg rolled past, rolled up and asked:
- Grandma, grandma, why are you crying?
“The evil witch ate my little calf, and she will come at night and gnaw me to death.”
“Don’t be afraid, grandma, I’ll come running at night and take care of the trouble!”
Aunt Frog jumped past, jumped up and asked:
- Grandma, grandma, why are you killing yourself like that?
“The evil witch ate my little calf, and she will come at night and gnaw me to death!”
“Don’t be afraid, grandma, I’ll come running at night and take care of the trouble!”
My brother splashed cow dung past and asked:
- Grandma, grandma, are you sad?
“The evil witch ate my little calf, and she will come at night and gnaw me to death!”
“Don’t be afraid, grandma, I’ll come running at night and take care of the trouble!”
A stone roller rolled past, pulled up and asked:
“Grandma, grandma, why are you straining?”
“The evil witch ate my little calf, and she will come at night and gnaw me to death!”
“Don’t be afraid, grandma, I’ll come running at night and take care of the trouble!”
Meanwhile, the night was approaching, and they began to hold advice among themselves. Brother Awl hid in the old woman’s belt, Sister Thorn hid behind the lamp, Auntie’s chicken egg rolled into the stove, Auntie Frog jumped into a vat of water, Uncle Roller hid over the lintel, and little brother had nowhere to go for the cow dung, so he plopped down straight to the ground.
An evil witch came, burst into the house, and said:
“Old woman, old woman, now I’ll eat you, but I don’t know where to start.”
The old woman answers her:
- And you start with the stomach!
The witch wanted to grab her stomach, but that was not the case! The brother was going to stab her in the side!
- Oh, you have thorns growing on your stomach!
- Then start from the head!
— Hair grows on the head.
- And you tear them out! Just light the lamp first!
The witch wanted to light the lamp, but the little sister thorn pierced her hand! The witch ran to the stove to get a fire and shine it, and Auntie covered her eyes with a chicken egg. She got to a vat of water to scoop up water, and Auntie Frog grabbed her by the nose. The witch got scared, wanted to run away, but slipped on cow dung. Then Uncle Roller arrived in time and crushed the evil witch. Let him know how to eat other people's calves!
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru