Once a rich merchant was going to buy goods in distant, distant lands, beyond the bluest sea.
– What should I bring you, my dear daughters? Choose what you like!
The two older ones immediately began asking for their father: that one for an expensive dress, that one for gold rings, the kind that no one else has.
Only the youngest, always quiet and meek, like a lamb, was silent now.
- What about you? Ask too,” her father persuaded her.
“Oh, my dear father,” she answered, “as long as you return safe and sound from overseas, but I don’t need anything else!”
But the father did not give up, he kept asking until she said:
- Well, if you can’t do without it, bring me three roses that bloomed on one stem!
The older sisters make fun of her, saying that such a miracle can be found at home! But the father promised and began to say goodbye to his daughters.
Good luck accompanied the merchant in all overseas lands. He loaded the ships with expensive goods and sailed to his native shores. He brought precious gifts to his eldest daughters and did not take his eyes off them all the way, so that, God forbid, he would not spoil them. And his only sadness was that he did not find a gift for his youngest daughter. I searched and searched, but never found it. Apparently, three roses on one stem do not bloom overseas.
And then this is what happened.
The ships began to approach the shore, and suddenly a terrible storm came. Ships with expensive goods were scattered into splinters, and the merchant was thrown onto bare rocks by the waves. It’s good that he had enough strength to climb the mountain, otherwise the waves would have washed him back into the stormy sea. He wanders along the bare rocks, and all around is black night. Tired, falling off my feet. Then lightning illuminated his path and he suddenly saw an abandoned fortress in front of him.
“Whatever happens, I’ll go into it, I’ll die anyway!
I approached the gate - there was a guard there; he expects to be called out, but the guards are silent; came closer - bah! Why, they were petrified! The merchant began to walk around the castle. And everything there is empty and everything is petrified. Everywhere is dark, only in one room there is a light on. He enters the room, where the table is set for one and the bed is prepared. Suddenly something rattles at the window:
- This is for you, tired traveler, eat, drink and rest!
He looks around, what is this? But again there is no sound around, silence reigns. The merchant became brave, drank and ate, lay down and calmly fell asleep.
The sun was already cheerfully peeking through the window when our merchant woke up from his sleep. The table was set again. He had a bite to eat and decided to find someone and thank them for their hospitality. But everything around was empty, as before. There was just a beautiful flowering garden located near the castle. The merchant is in a hurry to the garden, thinking he will find someone there, someone is taking care of the flowers! I walked around the entire garden up and down - not a soul anywhere. He was about to leave, and suddenly he saw a magnificent rose bush in front of him! There is a branch in the middle of the bush, on the branch on one stem three pink buds are about to open.
- Three roses! A gift for my youngest daughter! If I am destined to return home as a beggar, at least let her wish come true! - exclaimed the merchant.
And he plucked a branch with three buds.
Suddenly someone behind him thunders and growls. The merchant turned around and almost fell off his feet with fear! There is a huge bear standing there with an open mouth! The beast put his paw on the merchant's shoulder and said:
– You won’t leave here alive! How dare you pluck my roses? The frightened merchant somehow explained why and why he picked the flowers.
“Well, if you have a daughter,” the bear growled, “I will let you go alive, but on the condition that in a week you give me your daughter as a wife!”
I had to promise.
Our merchant reached home.
The two eldest daughters don’t even want to look at their father, they desperately need this beggar with a staff; They were expecting expensive gifts, but were left with nothing. Only the youngest daughter was happy, ran out to meet her father, hugs him, kisses him and says:
- Thank you for the roses, thank you! It is my greatest joy that you, Father, returned home safe and sound! Don't worry that we are poor now! Let's not get lost!
The father sees that the two eldest daughters look at him, the poor man, and shy away from him. I remembered that I was destined to lose my youngest too, and I became so sad that it’s impossible to describe. The sadder he became, the more affectionate the youngest daughter became. He keeps asking what’s wrong with him, asking him not to hide it, to tell him what’s in his heart. But the father remains silent, afraid that she will wither away from melancholy when she finds out what monster he promised her to. But now the week is coming to an end, you have to decide - either die yourself, or blame your daughter for everything. The father told everything how it happened. But the daughter was not at all afraid and said:
– After all, a bear is a living soul! My fault, I asked you for a rose! Father calmed down a little. And the two older sisters are still gloating and laughing: “I jumped,” they say, “because of some stupid rose!
The youngest daughter doesn’t pay attention, keeps quiet, gets ready to go on the road. Her father brought her to an enchanted castle. He waits a day, waits two for the bear to appear, but still there is no bear. I had to leave my daughter alone. She also waits for whoever she will meet in the empty castle, and there everything is done according to her wishes: not a single living soul is to be seen anywhere, and whatever she thinks of is immediately fulfilled! On the third day she went into the garden and began to walk around the rose bush. Suddenly thunder struck and a terrible bear appeared in front of her. Pasha's beauty trembled. And the bear says to her affectionately:
Hello, my dear, hello! Will you come and live with me? “Why not go,” she answers, “after all, you are a living soul!”
The bear began to walk around the garden with her, having a friendly conversation. But then thunder struck again and the bear disappeared.
The girl began to walk around the garden with the bear every day, and she didn’t notice how she got used to him. She can no longer live without him.
What happened next?
Suddenly the beast disappeared, not a word of it, not a ghost. The girl is looking for him, calling out to him, but all in vain, only the mountains echo. The day passed, the second passed, the girl began to feel sad. On the third day I decided to crawl all the corners of the castle. I walked around the entire castle - just stone pillars. I walked around the entire garden - just drooping flowers. She decided to go to the rose bush, where she saw the bear for the first time. He approaches the roses, and there the bear lies, not breathing.
- Oh, bear, my dear, what happened to you? You have become so dear to me!
The girl is crying and lamenting. She decorated it with roses, as if it were a deceased person, about to leave.
“No, I won’t leave, I’ll kiss him goodbye,” she said to herself. And she kissed him.
Then thunder struck, the earth shook, the girl closed her eyes in fear, she didn’t know what to do. She opens her eyes - and a beautiful young man stands in front of her and says these words:
- Don’t be afraid, my dear, you freed me from evil spells.
And he told her everything: how the sorcerer turned him into a bear, and his entire kingdom into stone.
All the king's possessions came to life, the servants came to greet the master and mistress.
The king and queen set off in a rich carriage to fetch their old father. How happy he was that everything turned out so well! And the proud older sisters almost burst with anger and envy.
And in the revived castle, fun and joy reigned for many years.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru