Daughter and stepdaughter - Russian folk tale. Tatar fairy tale stepdaughter

In ancient times, a man had two daughters and a son. One of the daughters was not related to him. The family did not like her. Once they consulted and decided to take the girl to the forest. Her brother said to her:
- Let's go to the forest, you will pick berries there, and I will chop firewood. We'll be back in the evening. The girl took a bucket and took a ball with her. They climbed far, into the very thicket. Finally they stopped. The brother unharnessed the horse and let it pluck the grass, and he said to his sister: - Go for the berries and listen, you will return when I finish the work.
He took out an ax and began to chop wood. And the girl took a bucket and went to look for berries. This is just what my brother needed. He hung a log from a tall tree, harnessed his horse, and rode home. And he left the girl in the forest, so she walks through the forest and listens. The deck sways in the wind and “knock-knock” - hits the trunk. It seems to the girl that this is a woodcutter's ax knocking. “Brother is still chopping wood,” she thinks, and continues to pick berries. But now the bucket with the top is filled. Little by little it began to get dark. The wind has subsided. “It can be seen that my brother is going home,” the girl decided and went back. She went to a familiar place, and her brother caught a trace. The girl began to cry and went through the forest. She walked and walked until she got to the edge of the forest. She walks along the road, weeping and saying: "My ball has rolled away, has anyone seen it? She laments like this, but she herself cries and cries. She sees a herd of horses grazing ahead. The girl says to the shepherd:
- My ball rolled away, didn’t you see, shepherd?
And he answers:
- Saw. Help me pasture the herd, I'll give you a horse.
The girl agreed. She grazed the herd all day, got a horse. She went on horseback. She goes, and she cries and cries. She drove like this for a long time, looking - ahead of herd of cows. She pastured the cows all day, the shepherd gave her a cow for this. And then she met a flock of sheep. The girl got a sheep. And there the goat herd appeared. They gave her a goat. She went further. It's getting dark, eyes are drooping. "What should I do?" - the girl is grieving. Far ahead, a light flickered. She was delighted, she let her horse go faster, thinking that this was a village. He drives closer, sees the hut is standing, and in it is an old woman. That was a witch. Girl and says:
- My ball rolled away, didn’t you see, grandmother?
And she answers:
- As I saw, my daughter. Do you keep your way from afar?
The girl told what had happened to her. And the witch says:
- You, daughter, walked for a long time, you are tired, stay with me.
In the morning, the witch sprinkles the girl with a bath to drown. She did everything right, ”and comes to the old woman:
- The bath is ready, grandmother, let's go wash.
- All right, daughter, - the witch answers.
Leaving the house, the old woman says:
- I can't go, baby. Take my hands and push me with your knee from behind. That's how you get it.
And the girl replies:
- No, grandma, you can't. You're old, you'll be offended by me.
She took the old woman in her arms and carried her to the bathhouse.
And the witch again says to her:
- Take me, daughter, by the hair and drag me upstairs.
- No, grandmother, - the girl answers, - it’s not good, you will be offended. - And carefully seated her on the shelves.
The old woman says:
“Now hit me, baby.” Take a broom by the leaves, and beat that urine with the other end.
- No, grandmother, you can’t do that, - the girl answers.
She steamed the old woman with a broom, carried her into the house, laid her in a soft bed. Witch and says:
- Something itched my head, daughter, scratch a little.
The girl brought a comb, looked at the witch's head and gasped: there is gold, silver, pearls, precious stones under every hair. She finished scratching, and the old woman says:
“Dance, daughter, I really want to look, you know how to dance well.”
The girl danced, and nothing fell on the floor. And the old woman found a new business for her:
- Go, daughter, to the bathhouse, I hung a tray with malt there to dry. See if it's dry.
A girl went, looked into the tray, and there was gold, silver, pearls, corals, apparently invisible. He runs to the old woman, and she asks:
- Is it dry, daughter?
- Dry, grandma.
- Okay. Now dance again, says the old woman.
The girl danced, and again nothing fell on the floor. The old woman understood that her guest was as truthful as she was kind. She said:
- Well, now, daughter, you can go home if you want.
- I would go, - the girl answers, - but I don’t know the way to the house.
The old woman said to this:
- Go, my daughter, I will show you the way. Take a green chest with you, but just be careful not to open it until you get home.
The girl took the chest, thanked the old woman. Then she mounted a horse and set off on her journey, and led a cow, a sheep, and a goat behind her on a string.
The day has passed, the night has passed, and now the village is near. And my brother had a dog. How will she yelp and say:
- They thought to live with the world, and to be a rich girl, yap-yap!
- What's with the dog? Lost, didn't you?
They rushed to beat the dog with a stick, and she, know her own, repeats:
- They thought to live with the world, and be a rich girl! Whoop!
And then the girl came along. She entered the house, opened the chest, looked, she couldn’t believe her eyes: it was filled to the brim with gold, silver, and rare stones!
From that day on, the girl lived comfortably, and her brother and his wife lost their rest from envy. They decided to take their sister to the forest. She also took a bucket and a ball of thread with her. In the dense forest, the brother unharnessed the horse and let it graze, He himself began to chop wood. My sister went to pick berries. In the meantime, the brother, like the first time, hung a deck from a tree, and went home. The girl, having ceased to hear the sound of the ax, hurried to her brother, but he was gone.
She went through the forest, saying: “My ball has rolled away, has anyone seen it!” She walked like this until she came across a herd of horses.
- My ball rolled away, did you see it? she asked the shepherd.
- Saw. Help me pasture the herd, I'll give you a horse.
What do I need your horse for? - said the girl and went on.
She passed by a herd of cows, passed a herd of sheep. And now the goat herd is behind us. She walked until she came across a hut.
- My ball rolled away, didn’t you see, grandmother? she asked as she entered the house.
And the old woman replies:
- Well, I saw it. Go, daughter, heat the bathhouse.
And when the girl fulfilled the request, the witch said:
- And now, my daughter, let's go wash. Take my hands and hook me from behind with your knee, and you will finish it.
The girl did just as her old woman asked: she took her by the hands, began to give in with her knee - and brought her to the bathhouse.
The old woman said:
- You will soar me, hold the broom by the branches and hit on the back with all your strength.
The girl did just that. And whatever the old woman entrusted to her, she did everything exactly. The old woman tells her:
- Comb my hair, daughter.
The girl looked, and the head of the old woman was full of gold, silver, semi-precious stones, pearls. The girl chooses gold and silver, puts it in her pockets, puts it in her bosom. And the old woman says:
“Dance, my daughter, I really want to see how you know how to dance.
The girl began to dance - everything that she hid on the floor and fell down. The witch sends the girl to the bath:
- Look, daughter, if the malt has dried up in the tray.
She went - she looks, and the tray of gold, silver, expensive semi-precious stones is full. She stuffed her pockets again, and slipped them into her bosom. “So this is how the sister got rich!” - laughs to himself.
And the old woman tells her to dance again. The girl danced - silver and gold fell on the floor. The old woman understood what kind of person she was, and said:
“Now go home, little girl.” Go in that way, - and he hands her a black chest. - Take this with you. Don't open it until you get home.
The girl was delighted, grabbed the chest and ran home. She walked for a long time, now the village is close. In my brother's house, the dog barked:

- The dog is nothing but mad! the owners shouted and began to throw stones at her. And she again for her:
- I thought to be rich, and now she can’t live, yap-yap!
No matter how they beat the dog, no matter how they beat it, it’s not like that, they say, it’s necessary: ​​“I went for good and came with good,” she repeats her own.
Meanwhile, the girl reached the house, she threw back the lid of the chest, and a snake jumped out from there and strangled her.
That's what envy leads to!

Nevertheless, it is pleasant to read the fairy tale "Stepdaughter (Tatar fairy tale)" even for adults, childhood is immediately remembered, and again, like a little one, you empathize with the heroes and rejoice with them. In the works, diminutive descriptions of nature are often used, making the picture that appears even more saturated. Despite the fact that all fairy tales are fantasy, however, they often retain the logic and sequence of events. The entire surrounding space, depicted with vivid visual images, is permeated with kindness, friendship, fidelity and indescribable delight. How clearly the superiority of positive characters over negative ones is depicted, how alive and bright we see the first and petty - the second. Folk tradition cannot lose its relevance, due to the inviolability of such concepts as: friendship, compassion, courage, courage, love and sacrifice. Having become acquainted with the inner world and qualities of the protagonist, the young reader involuntarily experiences a feeling of nobility, responsibility and a high degree of morality. The fairy tale "Stepdaughter (Tatar fairy tale)" can be read for free online countless times without losing love and desire for this creation.

There lived a man in ancient times. He had a daughter, a son and a stepdaughter. The stepdaughter was not loved in the house, offended and forced to work hard, and then they decided to take her to the forest to be eaten by wolves. So her brother says to her:

- Come with me to the forest. You will pick berries, and I will chop wood.

The stepdaughter took a bucket, put a ball of thread in the bucket and went with her named brother to the forest.

They arrived in the forest, stopped in a clearing. Brother said:

"Go pick berries and don't come back until I've finished chopping wood." Return to the clearing only when the sound of the ax subsides.

The girl took a bucket and went to pick berries. As soon as she was out of sight, the named brother tied a large mallet to a tree and left.

The girl walks through the forest, picks berries, sometimes stops, listens to how her named brother knocks with an ax in the distance, and goes on. She does not even realize that it is not her brother who knocks with an ax, but the mallet sways from the wind and hits the tree: knock-knock! knock Knock!

“My brother is still chopping wood,” the girl thinks and calmly picks berries.

She took a full bucket. Already the evening had come, and the mallet stopped pounding.

The girl listened - it was quiet all around.

“It looks like my brother has finished his work. It’s time for me to return, too, ”the girl thought and returned to the clearing.

She looks - there is no one in the clearing, only fresh chips are turning white.

The girl began to cry and went along the forest path wherever her eyes looked.

She walked, she walked. And so the forest ends. The girl went out into the field. Suddenly, the ball she was holding in her hand fell out and rolled rapidly. The girl went to look for the ball. She goes and says:

- My ball rolled away, did anyone see it?

So the girl came to a shepherd who was tending a herd of horses.

- My ball rolled away, did you see it? the girl asked the shepherd.

“I saw it,” the shepherd replied. - Work for me for one day: I will give you a horse, on which you will go to look for your ball.

The girl agreed. All day long she looked after the herd, and in the evening the shepherd gave her a horse and showed her the way.

The girl went on a horse through the forests, through the mountains and saw a shepherd who was tending a herd of cows. The girl worked for him all day, got a cow for work and went on. Then she met a flock of sheep, helped the shepherds, for which she received a sheep. After that, she came across a herd of goats on the way. The girl helped the shepherd and received a goat from him.

The girl drives the cattle, and the day is already leaning toward evening. Scary girl. Where to hide for the night? Fortunately, she saw a light not far away and was delighted:

“Finally, I got home!”

The girl drove the horse and soon reached a small hut. And in this hut lived an ubyr witch. The girl entered the hut and sees: an old woman is sitting there. She greeted her and asked:

- My ball rolled away, did you see it?

You, girl, came from afar. First, rest and help me, and then ask about the ball,” said the ubyr.

The girl remained with the old woman.

In the morning she heated the bath, called the old woman:

- Grandmother, the bath is ready, go wash!

- Thank you, daughter! Only I won't get to the bathhouse without your help. You take my hand, push me from behind

with my knee, then I will move from my place,” the ubyr tells her.

“No, grandma, you can’t. You are already old, how can you push? I'd rather carry you in my arms,

said the girl. She picked up the old woman in her arms and brought her to the bathhouse.

“Daughter,” the old woman says to her, “take me by the hair, throw me on the shelf.”

“No, grandmother, you can’t do that,” the girl answered. She picked up the old woman and sat her on the shelf. And the old ubyr woman says:

- Daughter, hit my back, but stronger - not with a steamed broom, but with its handle.

“No, grandmother, it will hurt you,” the girl answered her.

She steamed the old woman with a soft broom, and then carried it home in her arms and laid it on a downy feather bed.

“Comb my hair, daughter,” said the old woman, ubyr.

The girl began to comb her hair with a small comb, and she gasped - the old woman's hair is full of pearls and gems, gold and silver! The girl did not say anything to the old woman, but combed her hair and braided it into braids.

“And now, daughter, amuse me, the old one, dance in front of me,” said the old ubyr woman.

The girl did not refuse and began to dance before the ubyr.

As soon as she finished dancing, the old woman had a new business ready:

- Go, daughter, see if the dough in the kneader has come up.

The girl went, looked into the trough, and the trough was full of pearls and semi-precious stones, gold and silver.

- Well, daughter, how did the dough come up? Ubyr asked.

“That’s right, grandma,” the girl replied.

- That's good! Now do my last request: dance one more time, - says the ubyr.

The girl did not say a word to the old woman, she danced in front of her again as best she could.

The old woman liked the girl.

“Now, daughter, you can go home,” she says.

“I would be glad, grandmother, but I don’t know the way,” the girl answered.

- Well, it’s easy to help such a grief, I’ll show you the way. When you get out of my hut, go straight ahead, don’t go anywhere

roll up. Take this green box with you. Just don't open it until you get home.

The girl took a chest, mounted a horse, a goat, a cow and a sheep in front of her drove. At parting, she thanked the old woman and set off.

The girl rides day, rides night, at dawn she began to drive up to her native village. And when she drove up to her house, the dogs barked in the yard:

“It looks like our dogs are freaking out!” - exclaimed the brother, ran out into the yard, began to disperse the dogs with a stick.

The dogs ran in different directions, but they do not stop yapping:

- They wanted to destroy the girl, but she will live richly! Bow-wow!

And they see the brother and sister - the stepdaughter drove up to the gate. She got off her horse, entered the house, opened the chest, and everyone saw that it was full of gold, silver, pearls and all kinds of precious stones.

The brother and sister became envious, and they decided to get rich too. They asked the stepdaughter about everything.

So my sister took a ball and went with her brother to the forest. In the forest, the brother began to chop wood, and the girl began to pick berries. As soon as the girl was out of sight, the brother tied a mallet to a tree and left. The girl returned to the clearing, but her brother was gone. The girl went through the forest. Soon she came to a shepherd who was tending a herd of horses.

- My ball rolled away, did you see it? the girl asked the shepherd.

“I saw it,” the shepherd answered, “work for me for a day, I’ll give you a horse, and you’ll go on it to look for your ball.”

I don't want your horse! The girl replied and moved on.

She reached a herd of cows, then a flock of sheep, a herd of goats, and did not want to work anywhere. And after a while she reached the hut of the old woman Ubyr. She entered the hut and said:

- My ball rolled away, did you see it?

“I saw it,” the old woman replies. - Just go and heat a bath for me first.

The girl heated the bath, returned to the old woman, and she said:

- Let's go, daughter, to the bath. You lead me by the hand, push me from behind with your knee.

- Okay, grandma.

The girl took the old woman by the hand and let's push her from behind with her knee! So I took her to the bath.

In the bath, the old woman asks the girl:

- Float my back, daughter, only not with a soft broom, but with his handle.

The girl began to beat the old woman's back with the handle of a broom.

They returned home, the old woman said: Now comb my hair.

The girl began to comb the hair of the old woman and saw that her head was strewn with gold, silver and precious stones. The girl's eyes flared up, and she hastily began to fill her pockets with jewelry, even hiding something in her bosom.

“And now, daughter, dancer,” the old woman asks.

The girl began to dance, and gold fell out of her pockets, yes gems. The old woman saw the ubyr, did not say a word, only sent her to the kitchen to see if the dough in the kneader had risen.

The girl came to the kitchen, looked into the trough - and the trough was full of gold, silver, gems. The girl could not stand it, she again stuffed her pockets with gold and silver, and at the same time she thought: “Now I know how rich my sister is!”

When she returned, the old ubyr woman again made her dance, and again gold and silver fell from the girl's pockets.

After that, the old ubyr woman said:

“Now, daughter, go home and take this black chest with you.” When you get home, open it.

The girl was delighted, picked up the chest, in a hurry did not even thank the old woman and ran home. Hurry, never stop.

On the third day, the native village appeared. When she began to approach her house, the dogs in the yard barked:

- The girl wanted to be rich, but she didn’t have long to live! Bow-wow!

Heard brother, ran out into the yard, began to chase the dogs. And the dogs are yapping:

23. Stepmother and stepdaughter

Whether it was not, one man had two daughters. One from the former wife, and the other from the present. My own daughter, no matter how much she ate sweet food, did not become beautiful. And the stepdaughter only got a bone or a piece of cake, but she was beautiful: with a face the color of a rose and a figure as slender as a plane tree. Her eyes shone like stars, and her eyelashes were like arrows. The stepmother did not love her and constantly shouted:

Hey you, snake, bring this, take this away, boil tea, go there!

The poor girl worked from morning to night. And every day the stepmother shouted:

Look after your sheep!

One day she gave the girl a pood of cotton and said:

Until the evening, you will clear the seeds and bring them!

The girl took a ram with her, went and sat down to work. Suddenly the wind picked up and took the cotton away from her. The girl jumped up and rushed after the cotton. She ran, looking - and the wind brought the cotton into the black shack. A girl came up to the threshold of this shack and said:

Valeikum was heard from the shack.

The girl looked, and an old deva woman was sitting by the hearth.

Come, my child, do not be afraid! Sit next to me and look in my head, she said.

The girl destroyed one by one all the lice and said:

Now rest easy, mother, I destroyed them.

Come on, my child, come to the threshold of the shack and take a look, - said the old woman deva.

The girl went, looked, and scattered silver taps lay at the threshold. “Can I take it? After all, this is the good of an old woman, ”she thought, and returned to the old woman deva.

Did you see my child? asked the old deva.

Yes, I saw, - the girl answered.

Well, my child, now dust yourself off, and I'll take a look, - said the old woman deva.

The girl dusted herself off, but nothing fell out of her dress, and the old deva woman realized that the girl hadn't taken anything. She gave her the cotton and said:

When you go from here, you will meet a river along the way. You pass by, this is a bad river. Then you will come to another river. In it, be sure to wash your hands and feet, take a good bath yourself and only after that go out.

All right, - the girl answered, - I will do as you command.

She said goodbye to the old deva and left. Here she comes, and along the way she meets a river. The girl, as advised by the old woman of the devas, passed by. Then she came to another river. In it, the girl washed her hands and feet and bathed herself. And when she came out of the water, she became even more beautiful than before. So the girl returned home.

Once a stepmother gave her own daughter a pood of cotton and said:

Remove seeds and bring back.

And this girl's cotton was blown away by the wind and thrown into the old deva's shack. The stepmother's daughter also came to the old deva's hut and greeted her. She answered hello, asked the girl to look in her head and started the same conversation.

When the stepmother's daughter saw the faucets that lay at the threshold, she immediately filled her clothes with them. And when, by order of the old woman deva, she shook herself off, the taps fell down. The old woman did not give her the cotton and said:

Go. On the way you will meet the river - swim in it. And when you come to another river, pass by.

The girl bathed in the first river. And when she came home to her mother, it turned out that her whole body became pockmarked.

From day to day, the stepmother hated the orphan girl more and more. One day she said to the girl's father:

Go slaughter the orphan sheep.

The ram was slaughtered, and the orphan was given food separately from everyone else. She sat down to eat, and she herself was crying out of pity for the ram. Then the meat of the ram says to her:

Don't eat me, I'm poisoned.

Then the girl, trembling and hiding from everyone, ran away from home into the steppe.

In the meantime, the son of the padishah went hunting. He noticed something dark from a distance, approached - and this is a girl with a face the color of a rose, with eyes like stars.

What are you doing in the steppe? - asked the son of the padishah.

And the girl told him everything from the very beginning. Then the son of the padishah asked:

Do you want to go to our village and become the head of the servant girls?

The girl agreed. They came to the village and arranged for a toy for several days. The son of the padishah took the girl as his wife.

The tale Daughter and Stepdaughter is similar in plot to Morozko's tale. The stepmother sent her stepdaughter to the forest to spin in a dugout. There she met a mouse and a bear, who rewarded the girl for her ability to play hide and seek. The next morning the stepmother sent her daughter for riches. But the greedy Natasha did not return from the forest... (from the collection of A.N. Afanasyev)

Daughter and stepdaughter read

A widowed peasant with a daughter married a widow - also with a daughter, and they had two half-daughters. The stepmother was hateful; does not give the old man rest: “Take your daughter to the forest, to the dugout! She'll be more tense there." What to do! The man listened to the woman, took his daughter to the dugout and gave her a tinderbox, a kremeshik, labor and a bag of cereals and said: “Here is a light for you; don’t translate the light, boil the porridge, but sit and spin it yourself, but cover the hut.

The night has come. The girl fired up the stove, brewed porridge, out of nowhere the mouse said: “Girl, girl, give me a spoonful of porridge.” - “Oh, my little mouse! Break my boredom; I’ll give you more than one spoonful of porridge, but I’ll feed you to your heart’s content.” The mouse ate and left. A bear broke in at night. "Come on, deushka," she says, "put out the lights, let's play blind man's blind man."

The mouse ran up to the girl's shoulder and whispered in her ear: “Don't be afraid, girl! Say come on! and put out the fire yourself and crawl under the stove, and I will run and ring the bell. And so it happened. A bear is chasing a mouse - it will not catch; began to roar and throw logs; he threw and threw, but he didn’t hit, he got tired and said: “You are a master, deushka, play blind man's blind man! For this I will send you a herd of horses and a load of goods in the morning.”

The next morning, the wife says: “Go, old man, visit your daughter - what did she put on at night?” The old man left, and the woman sits and waits: somehow he will bring the daughter bones! Here is the dog: “Tyaf, tyaf, tyaf! My daughter rides with the old man, drives a herd of horses, carries a good cart.” - “You're lying, shafurka3! It is in the back of the bones that they rattle and rumble. Here the gates creaked, the horses ran into the yard, and the daughter and father were sitting on the cart: the cart was full of good! The woman's eyes are burning with greed. “What an importance! - screams. - Take my daughter to the forest for the night; my daughter will drive two herds of horses, she will drag two carts of goods.

The peasant and the woman's daughter were taken to the dugout and equipped it in the same way with food and fire. She made porridge for the evening. The mouse came out and asks for porridge from Natasha. And Natashka screams: “Look, what a reptile!” and threw a spoon at her. The mouse ran away; and Natashka ate one porridge, ate it, blew out the lights and crouched in the corner.

Midnight came - a bear broke in and said: “Hey, where are you, girl? Let's play hide and seek." The girl is silent, only chattering her teeth in fear. “Ah, there you are! To the bell, run, and I will catch. She took the bell, her hand trembled, the bell rang endlessly, and the mouse answered: “The evil girl cannot be alive!”

In the morning the old man's woman sends him into the forest: “Go! My daughter will bring two carts, two herds will drive. The man has left, but the woman is waiting outside the gate. Here is the dog: “Tyaf, tyaf, tyaf! The owner's daughter is driving - she rattles bones in the back, and the old man is sitting on an empty cart. - "You're lying, little girl! My daughter drives herds and carries carts. Look - the old man at the gate gives his wife a body; The woman opened the box, looked at the bones and howled, and got so angry that she died of grief and anger the very next day; and the old man with his daughter lived out his life well and took a noble son-in-law into his house.

(Illustrated by G.Bedarev, illustrators.ru)

Published: Mishkoy 30.10.2017 12:53 06.04.2018

(1,50 /5 - 2 ratings)

Read 2798 times

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In times long past, there was one evil, wicked woman. She had two girls: one was her own daughter, the other was her stepdaughter. The stepdaughter's name was Gulbika. The stepmother forced Gulbika to work day and night: spinning threads, pulling wool, washing linen. No matter how much Gulbika worked, she could not please her stepmother. Once she did not like the threads that Gulbika spun. The stepmother got angry and threw the ball away. Gulbika wept bitterly and began looking for the ball. She searched for a long time, but he was nowhere to be found, and she went to look for him on the road.

She asked everyone she met:

“There was some kind of ball rolling in that direction - yours, probably, was,” the people answered her.

- My round little ball rolled away, didn’t you see it? she asked the shepherd.

- I saw it, daughter. Recently I rolled over there - probably yours was, - the shepherd answered.

She questioned him. He gave the same answer as before.

- My round ball, where have you gone? Will I find you soon? If I don't find it, how will I get home? My stepmother will scold and beat me.

Gulbika walked and walked, but there was still no ball. She walked across the steppe, then along the river bank. Passed through terrible ravines and forests.

At last evening came. It became dark. Nobody was around. Only the terrible howling of animals was heard in the forest.

Suddenly Gulbika saw a light ahead. It flickered a little in the distance. The girl, while she was going to this light, had to go through deep ravines and dense thickets. She approached the light and saw a small hut. She looked in the window, and there an old woman was sitting and spinning wool. The girl timidly entered the hut.

- Hello, grandma! she greeted the old woman.

- Hello, daughter! Why did you come here? the old woman asked.

- I, grandmother, rolled a round ball. I went to look for him and wandered here. If I don’t find the ball, then my stepmother won’t let me into the house,” the girl replied.

“All right, daughter, don’t worry in vain,” the old woman consoled her. - Stay with me for a few days, and then go home.

- What am I going to do with you? the girl asked.

“You take care of me, an old man, you will cook dinner for me,” the old woman answered.

“Okay, grandmother,” the girl agreed and stayed with the old woman.

The next morning the old woman said to her:

- Daughter, there is millet in the barn. You ceiling it in flour and start pancakes the next day.

- And how to start, grandmother? the girl asked.

- As you go, it's fine. Pour in water, add flour and shake, - said the old woman.

The girl crushed the millet finely, started, the dough is very good.

- Grandma, how to bake pancakes? the girl asked.

“As you bake, it’s okay: let them burn and warp, let them warp and burn,” the old woman answered.

Gulbika baked sumptuous pancakes, smeared them with butter and treated the old woman.

The next day, the old woman said to the girl: - Daughter, I want to take a bath, I need to heat the bathhouse.

- And how to melt it, grandmother? the girl asked.

“As soon as you heat it, it’s okay: put firewood in the stove and set it on fire,” the old woman answered.

The girl thoroughly heated the bath and closed the pipe in time.

- Grandmother, the bath is ready, how can I bring you there? the girl asked.

“Hold the hand and push in the neck,” the old woman answered.

The girl carefully lifted the old woman from her seat, took her by the arm, quietly and carefully led her to the bathhouse.

- And how to steam you, grandmother? – asked the goblin.

“Beat me until you beat me with the handle of a broom,” the old woman answered.

Gulbika steamed her not with the handle of a broom, but with its fragrant leaves, washed her thoroughly and took her to the hut.

“Well, daughter, give me some tea sometime, and then you will go home,” said the old woman.

Gulbika fed her to the full and gave her sweet tea to drink.

“Well, grandmother, I’ll go home now,” the girl said after that.

- All right, daughter, go, but first go up to the attic. There is one green chest. You take it for yourself and do not open it until you enter your house,” said the old woman.

The girl said goodbye to her, took the chest and, rejoicing at the gift, went home. When she began to approach the yard, their little dog ran out of the gateway and barked:

Gulbika was surprised at the dog's words and shouted:

"Go away, don't talk like that!" - and caressed her herself.

The dog did not obey and continued to yelp:

“Yip, yap, yap, the aunt went to die, but she’s coming back alive and rich!”

The stepmother heard the yapping of the dog and saw that the stepdaughter had returned home. She almost burst from envy and anger.

Gulbika entered the house, opened the chest, and could not believe her eyes: it was all full of gold and silver.

The stepmother saw this and decided: “Let my daughter get rich just like Gulbika.”

The mother took the ball of her own daughter and threw it out the door. The ball rolled away. Her daughter began to look for her ball, but did not find it. Then she, although she was afraid, went out into the field and went along the road. She, like her daughter, came across shepherds, and she asked everyone:

- My round little ball rolled away, did you see it?

She was answered:

- We saw, we saw, he was rolling in that direction. The girl walked and walked and reached the same old woman. And the girl also stayed with her. Once an old woman said to her:

- Daughter, would you bake pancakes for me.

- And how to bake them, grandmother? the girl asked.

“As you bake, it’s okay: let them burn and warp, let them warp and burn,” said the old woman.

The girl did just that. The pancakes were all burnt and warped.

The next day the old woman asked:

- Daughter, I want to wash, I ought to heat the bathhouse.

- And how to melt it? the girl asked.

“When you heat it up, it’s all right: put straw in the stove until it’s set on fire, and when it’s all burned out, add more,” said the old woman.

The girl flooded the bathhouse with straw, not firewood. Without waiting for the smoke and fumes to go away, she closed it.

Then she entered the hut to take the old woman to the bathhouse, and said:

- Grandmother, the bath is ready, how can I take you there?

“Come on, take it by the hand and push it in the neck,” said the old woman.

The girl did just that.

- Grandma, how to steam you? she asked in the bath.

- As you steam, it's fine. Take it until you beat my back with the handle of a broom,” said the old woman.

The girl did just that. Then, just as she led her to the bathhouse, she took the old woman home: she held her hand and pushed her on the neck.

When they returned home, the old woman said:

- I, my daughter, wanted to drink after the bath. Give me some tea and then go home.

The girl gave the old woman some tea to drink. After that she said:

“Grandma, isn’t it time for me to go home?”

- Go, daughter, but not empty-handed. There is one yellow chest in the attic, you take it for yourself. Just don’t open it until you enter your own hell,” said the old woman.

The girl took the yellow chest and went home. When she began to approach the yard, the little dog saw her, ran out of the gateway and barked:

“Yip, yap, yap, auntie went to get rich, but she comes with nothing!”

The stepmother heard the yapping of the dog, became very angry with her and even beat her.

The girl entered the house, broke the lock on her chest and opened it.

And what did they see? It was all full of snakes and frogs. The snakes hissed out of the chest and began to sting them. The stepmother began to scream, but no one came to help. The dog not only did not forget the insult for the beatings, but also gloated and sentenced;

- You beat me, offended Gulbika, so let the snakes sting you!

She began to protect only Gulbika, who took pity and caressed her when her stepmother beat her.

The little dog grabbed all the snakes that crawled up to her stepdaughter and tore them apart.

Her stepmother and her daughter died from snake venom, but Gulbika and her dog remained alive and forgot about their stepmother forever.