In ancient times, there lived a man who had three daughters. One day he told them that he was going on a journey.
- What will you bring me? - asked the eldest daughter.
- Whatever you want.
— Bring me an elegant dress.
- What do you want? - the father asked his second daughter.
- I want a dress too.
- And you, my child? - he asked the youngest, whom he loved more than the other two.
“I don’t need anything,” she answered.
- How is this nothing?
- Yes, father, nothing.
“I promised to bring gifts to your sisters and I don’t want you to be left with nothing.”
- Okay, I would like to have a talking rose.
- A talking rose? - exclaimed the father - Where am I
find her?
- Father, I only want this rose, don’t come back without it.
The father hit the road. He easily obtained beautiful dresses for his older daughters, but wherever he inquired about the talking rose, he was told that he was obviously joking and that there was no such rose in the whole world.
“Yes, if such a rose did not exist,” said the father, “my daughter would not have asked for it.”
One day he saw a beautiful castle in front of him, from where an unclear noise was coming. He listened and distinguished voices. They sang and talked in the castle. Having walked around the castle several times in search of an entrance, he finally found a gate and entered a courtyard, in the middle of which a rose bush was blooming, all strewn with flowers: it was their voices that he heard, they were talking and singing. “Finally,” he thought, “I have found a talking rose.” And he immediately tore off one of them.
At the same moment a white wolf pounced on him and shouted:
- Who allowed you to enter my castle and pick my roses? As punishment, you will die - anyone who gets in here must die!
“Let me go,” said the poor fellow, “I will return the talking rose to you.”
“No, no,” answered the white wolf. - You will die!
- Unhappy me, unhappy! My daughter asked me to bring a talking rose, and now that I have finally found it, I must die!
“Listen,” said the white wolf, “I will have mercy on you and even allow you to keep the rose, but on one condition: you bring to me the first person you meet at home.”
The poor fellow promised to do what the wolf demanded of him, and set off on the return journey. And who did he see as soon as he returned home? Your youngest daughter.
“Ah, my daughter,” he said, “what a sad journey!”
“Didn’t you find the talking rose?” - the girl asked.
“I found her, but to my misfortune.” I picked it in the courtyard of the white wolf's castle. I must die.
“No,” said the daughter, “I don’t want you to die.” I'd rather die instead of you.
She repeated this so many times that he finally said to her: x
“So be it, my daughter, I will reveal to you what I intended to hide from you.” Know that I promised the white wolf to bring him the first one I came across when I returned home. Only on this condition did he agree to save my life.
“My father,” said the daughter, “I am ready to go.”
And so her father went with her to the white wolf’s castle. They walked for several days and finally reached the pood in the evening. The white wolf immediately appeared. The girl's father told him:
“That’s who I came across when I returned home.” This is my daughter who asked me to bring her a talking rose.
“I will not harm you,” said the white wolf, “but you must promise that you will not say a word to anyone about what you will see and hear here.” This castle belongs to fairies. All of us, its inhabitants, are bewitched; I am doomed to turn into a white wolf during the day. If you can keep a secret, it will do you good.
The girl and her father entered the room where there was a luxuriously laid table; They sat down and began to eat and drink, and soon, when it was completely dark, a handsome nobleman entered the room. This was the one who first appeared to them as a white wolf.
“You see,” he said, “that on this table it is written: “They keep silence here.”
Father and daughter again promised to keep the matter secret.
Soon after the girl retired to the room assigned to her, a handsome nobleman entered there. She got very scared and started screaming loudly. He calmed her down and said that if she followed his advice, he would marry her, she would become queen and the castle would belong to her. The next morning he again took on the appearance of a white wolf, and hearing his pitiful howl, the poor girl cried.
After staying in the castle one more night, the girl’s father went home. She herself remained in the castle and soon settled down there; Whatever she wanted was at her disposal, music delighted her ears every day - nothing was spared to entertain her.
Meanwhile, the girl’s mother and sisters were very worried. All they had to say was:
- Where is our poor daughter? Where is our sister?
Returning home, the father at first did not say a word about what had happened, but then he relented and revealed to them where he had left his daughter. One of the sisters went to the girl and began asking her about what happened to her. The girl struggled for a long time, but her sister begged her so persistently that she finally revealed the secret to her.
Immediately a terrible howl was heard at the door. The girl jumped up in fear. But she barely managed to reach the threshold when the white wolf fell dead at her feet. Then she realized her mistake, but it was too late, and she spent the rest of her life in sadness.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru