One prince married a beautiful princess and did not have time to look at her enough, did not have time to talk to her enough, did not have time to listen to her enough, and they had to part with him, he had to go on a long journey, leave his wife in someone else’s arms. What to do! They say you can’t sit for a century hugging each other.
The princess cried a lot, the prince persuaded her a lot, commanded her not to leave the high tower, not to go to conversation, not to get involved with bad people, not to listen to bad speeches. The princess promised to fulfill everything.
The prince left, she locked herself in her chamber and did not come out.
How long or short did it take a woman to come to her, it seemed so simple, so warm-hearted!
“What,” he says, “are you bored?” If only I could look at God’s light, if only I could walk through the garden, it would relieve melancholy.
For a long time the princess made excuses, she didn’t want to, but finally she thought: it’s not a problem to walk around the garden, and she went.
Spring crystal water flowed in the garden.
“What,” says the woman, “the day is so hot, the sun is scorching, and the cold water is splashing, shouldn’t we take a swim here?”
“No, no, I don’t want to!” And then I thought: it’s not a problem to swim!
She took off her sundress and jumped into the water. As soon as she took the plunge, the woman hit her on the back.
“Swim,” he says, “like a white duck!”
And the princess swam like a white duck.
The witch immediately dressed up in her dress, cleaned up, painted herself up and sat down to wait for the prince.
As soon as the puppy yelped, the bell rang, she was already running towards him, rushed to the prince, kissed him, and was kind to him. He was delighted, he extended his hands and did not recognize her.
And the white duck laid eggs and hatched babies: two good ones, and the third was a runt; and her little children came out - little children.
She raised them, they began to walk along the river, catch goldfish, collect scraps, sew caftans, and jump out onto the bank and look at the meadow.
“Oh, don’t go there, children!” said the mother.
The children didn't listen; Today they will play on the grass, tomorrow they will run along the ant, further, further - and climbed into the prince’s courtyard.
The witch recognized them by instinct and gnashed her teeth. So she called the children, fed and watered them and put them to bed, and then she ordered them to light the fire, hang the cauldrons, and sharpen the knives.
The two brothers lay down and fell asleep; and the runt, so as not to catch a cold, his mother ordered them to carry in his bosom - the runt doesn’t sleep, hears everything, sees everything.
At night a witch came to the door and asked:
- Are you sleeping, kids, or not? Zamoryshek answers:
“We sleep, we don’t sleep, we think that they want to cut us all up: they put in viburnum fires, they set up boiling pots, they sharpen damask knives!”
- They're not sleeping!
The witch left, walked and walked, and came back to the door.
—Are you sleeping, kids, or not? Zamoryshek says the same thing again:
“We sleep, we don’t sleep, we think that they want to cut us all up: they put in viburnum fires, they set up boiling pots, they sharpen damask knives!”
“Why is this all one voice?” thought the witch, slowly opened the door, saw: both brothers were fast asleep, she immediately circled them with her dead hand - and they died.
In the morning the white duck calls the children: the children do not come. Her heart sensed it, she perked up and flew to the prince’s court.
In the prince's courtyard, white as handkerchiefs, cold as plastic, the brothers lay side by side.
She rushed towards them, rushed, spread her wings, grabbed the children and screamed in a motherly voice:
- Quack, quack, my children! Quack, quack, little pigeons! I nursed you with need, I fed you with tears, I didn’t get enough sleep during the dark night, I didn’t get enough sweets!
- Wife, do you hear, this is unprecedented? The duck says.
- You're imagining this! Tell the duck to leave the yard!
They will drive her away, she will fly around and again to the children:
- Quack, quack, my children! Quack, quack, little pigeons! An old witch destroyed you, an old witch, a fierce snake, a fierce snake, under the well; She took away our dear father, my dear father - my husband, drowned us in a fast river, turned us into white ducks, and she herself lives and exalts herself!
“Hey!” - thought the prince and shouted:
- Catch me a white duck! Everyone rushed, but the white duck flies and is not given to anyone; The prince himself ran out, she fell into his arms. He took her by the wing and said:
- Become a white birch behind me, and a red maiden in front!
The white birch tree stretched out behind him, and the red maiden stood in front, and in the red maiden the prince recognized his young princess.
They immediately caught the magpie, tied two bottles to it, and ordered it to fill one with living water and the other with speaking water. A magpie flew down and brought water. They sprinkled the children with life-giving water - they perked up, sprinkled them with talking water - they spoke.
And the prince began to have a whole family, and everyone began to live and live, make good things, and forget things.
And the witch was tied to a horse’s tail, and was pulled across the field: where the leg came off, there became a poker; where there is a hand there is a rake; where the head is, there is a bush and a log. The birds flew in and pecked the meat, the winds rose and scattered the bones, and there was no trace or memory left of her!
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru