The Wise Girl

Once upon a time, a man was heading home from the market. The road led through a dense, impassable forest. Not a living soul was in sight.

Night caught him on the road. It was pitch dark—you couldn’t see a thing! He decided to stop and spend the night. He lit a fire, tethered his horse, and let it graze. He sat by the fire, roasting some fat on a stick and eating. After eating, he lay down and immediately fell asleep—he was exhausted from the journey.

In the morning, he woke up and couldn’t believe his eyes: there was water all around him, waves crashing, threatening to engulf him... The man was terrified and didn’t know what to do.

"I’m doomed," he thought. "There’s no way out of here!"

But the water kept rising, the waves growing higher and higher... Suddenly, he saw a man in a boat rowing in the distance. He was overjoyed:

"Well, it seems it’s not my fate to perish here!" He began calling out to the boatman with all his might:

"Hey, good man! Row over here quickly! Save me, I’m drowning!"

The boatman turned his boat toward him and rowed closer. He stopped not too far away.

"Save me, brother!" the man pleaded. "Take whatever you want, just save me!"

"Alright," said the boatman, "I’ll save you, but not for free: give me what you have at home that you don’t know about."

The man thought and thought:

"What could that be, something I have at home that I don’t know about?.. It seems there’s nothing like that. Oh well, whatever happens, happens—there’s no time to bargain, I must agree!"

"Alright," he said, "I’ll give you what I have at home that I don’t know about, just save me!"

"Who knows what you’re saying now, but you might take your words back later!"

"What should I do then, dear brother?"

"Tear a piece of bark from that birch tree, cut your little finger, and write your promise on the bark with your blood. That way, it’ll be stronger, more binding."

The man did just that. He wrote the promise on the bark with his blood and threw it into the boat.

The boatman grabbed the piece of bark and laughed with a wild voice.

At that very moment, all the water disappeared, as if it had never been there, and the boatman vanished. Then the man realized it must have been the devil himself. There was nothing to do—he caught his horse, harnessed it, and rode home.

On the way, he felt so heavy-hearted, so sad—he could have died. His heart foretold trouble...

The man urged his horse on as best he could, hurrying home.

He arrived and quickly entered the house. Inside, it was lively, full of guests, but his wife was nowhere to be seen at the table.

"Hello!" said the man. "What’s new here?"

"Ah, we have good news! Your wife has given birth to a son, such a fine, strong boy! Go and see for yourself!"

When the man heard this, his vision blurred, and his head spun. He had been childless all his life, and now a son was born—but he had promised him to the unclean devil!

The guests looked at the master of the house, unable to understand what was happening to him.

"Surely," they said, "he’s lost his mind from joy!"

And the boy was indeed a handsome, healthy child! He grew like dough on yeast.

They named him Yuri.

They sent Yuri to study: he surpassed everyone in learning—he was so clever and quick-witted, capable of anything. People rejoiced, looking at him, and envied his parents. Only his father grew gloomier and sadder.

Yuri sensed that something was wrong, that it wasn’t for no reason. One day, he pressed his father:

"Tell me, father, are you displeased with me? Why do you always look at me so sadly? Don’t you love me? Or have I done something bad that I don’t even know about?"

The father sighed and looked at his son mournfully:

"No, my son, I love you more than anything, and you’ve done nothing wrong, only... I promised to give you to the unclean one before you were even born."

And he told him the whole story.

"If that’s the case, father, then farewell!" said the son. "I must go. It’s unknown when we’ll see each other again. Either I’ll lay down my head, or I’ll free you from your promise!"

Yuri began preparing for the journey. He took a loaf of bread, a piece of fat, and quietly left the house at night, so as not to disturb his parents with farewells.

He left and set off on his way.

He walked through forests, through pine groves, through swamps, and came to a small hut. He entered the hut. Inside, an old, very old woman was sitting.

"Hello, grandmother!" said Yuri.

"Hello, child! Where are you going?" Yuri told her where he was headed. The old woman listened and said:

"It’s good, child, that you came to me! Go and fetch me some water and chop some wood: I’ll bake some pancakes. Once I’ve baked them and fed you, I’ll tell you where to go. You won’t find the way on your own anytime soon."

Yuri brought water, chopped wood, and the old woman baked pancakes, fed him until he was full, and told him where to go.

"And when you reach the unclean one, first find his servant girl. She’ll help you a lot."

Yuri bid farewell to the old woman and set off again. He walked through dark forests, through dense pine groves, and trudged through marshy swamps.
Whether it was a long or short journey, Yuri arrived at the estate. The estate was built on the hills, large and sturdy, surrounded by a high fence. Yuri knocked on the gate.

"I want to see the master," he said.

The master came out, dressed in expensive attire. Gold gleamed on him.

And this was none other than the devil himself.

"What do you want?" he asked Yuri.

"Well," Yuri replied, "I'm looking for my master. My father promised to give me to him before I was even born."

"I am your master!" said the devil. "I was just about to send messengers for you because the time has come—you’ve grown up. But I see you’ve come on your own. That’s good! I praise you for that!"

"Tell me, master, do you have a written agreement from my father?"

"I do, I do! It’s written on birch bark in blood. If you serve me faithfully, I’ll give you this agreement and set you free—go wherever you want. But if you displease me, I’ll skin you alive! Now, answer me: did you walk through the forests?"

"I did."

"Did you walk through the pine woods?"

"I did."

"Did you walk through the swamps?"

"I walked through the swamps too."

"Did you come to my estate?"

"I did."

"Well, here’s your task: tonight, you must cut down and clear all the trees in my forest, plow and harrow the land, sow wheat, and make sure it grows, ripens, and is harvested. Then you must thresh it, grind it into flour, bake pies from it, and bring them to me early tomorrow morning. If you do all this, you’ll go free. It’s an easy task!"

He spoke and laughed wickedly.

Yuri left his master, his head hanging low, unsure of what to do. He walked around the estate, thinking:

"What a task he’s given me! I’ve learned many things, but I don’t know how to do something like this. I’m done for!"

Yuri began wandering around the estate, looking for the master’s servant girl. He wandered and wandered until he reached the far end of the estate. There, he saw a small hut. A girl peeked out from the hut. Yuri asked her:

"Aren’t you the one who works for this master?"

"Yes, I am. But why are you so sad? What’s troubling you?"

"How can I not be sad," Yuri replied, "when the master has given me a task for tonight that I couldn’t finish in a year!"

"What task did he give you?"

"He ordered me to cut down and clear all the trees in his forest, plow and harrow the land, sow wheat, make sure it grows and ripens, harvest it, thresh it, grind it into flour, bake pies, and bring them to him early tomorrow morning."

The girl took a liking to Yuri. She felt sorry for him and thought:

"They’ll destroy the poor lad for sure!"

"Don’t worry," she said. "Lie down and sleep peacefully. Rest after your long journey. I’ll help you. Without me, you won’t keep your head on your shoulders. Many have already been destroyed here..."

"Tell me," Yuri said to the girl, "are you here of your own free will?"

"Of course not! I’ll suffer here until someone loves me and takes me away."

"I’ll take you away!" Yuri said.

They began to discuss everything, talking for a long time...

"Now it’s time for you to sleep!" the girl said.

Yuri lay down and immediately fell into a deep sleep, utterly exhausted from his journey through the forests and swamps.

At midnight, the girl went out to the porch, clapped her hands three times, and various monsters gathered around her.

"Greetings, young mistress!"

"Greetings, fearsome monsters!"

"Why have you summoned us: for roll call or for work?"

"Why would I call roll? I need you to work. Cut down all the trees in the master’s forest, clear them, plow and harrow the land, and sow wheat. Make sure the wheat grows and ripens in one night. Then harvest it, thresh it, grind it, bake pies from the flour, and bring them to me tomorrow morning!"

The monsters rushed off, and the work began: some cut down the forest, others dragged the trees away, some plowed, others harrowed, and some sowed the wheat! No sooner had they sown the wheat than it sprouted, bloomed, and ripened. The monsters rushed to the wheat. Some reaped, some threshed, some ground, and some baked the pies.

The sun hadn’t even risen, but everything was ready.

"Here you go, young mistress!"

The girl took the pies and said:

"Now, all of you, return to your places!"

The monsters vanished from sight. The girl went to Yuri and began to wake him.

"Come on," she said, "young lad, you don’t sleep so late in a foreign land! In a foreign land, you must rise early!"

Yuri woke up, jumped to his feet, and his first thought was...
"Are there any pies?"

And the pies are lying on the table, so golden-brown and fluffy!

"Take the pies, bring them to the master!" says the girl.

She placed the pies on a platter, covered them with a towel, and sent Yuri to the master.

The master came out of his chambers.

Yuri bowed to him:

"Greetings, Master!"

"Greetings, young man! Have you carried out my orders?"

"I have, Master! Everything was done as you commanded."

"Show me!"

"Here, take a look!"

The master looked at the pies, sniffed them—everything was as it should be! He gobbled them up in no time.

"Well," he said, "you're a fine lad, Yuri! I see you're a good worker! You've served me well once. If you serve me twice more, I'll let you return to your father. Go now, rest for three days, and on the fourth, come back for your next task."

Yuri heard this and grew sad:

"May you burst, you wicked fiend! He'll probably come up with something even harder than before. What am I to do? All my hope lies with the girl."

He walked away from the master, gloomy and downcast. The girl saw him and asked:

"Why so glum, Yuri?"

"How can I be cheerful when the master wants to give me a new task?"

"Don't worry: we handled the first task, and we'll handle the second! When the time comes, go boldly to the master for your orders."

When the time came, Yuri went to the master.

The wicked master greeted him:

"Hello, young man!"

"Hello, Master!"

"Do you see my courtyard?"

"I do."

"Do you see that mountain over there?"

"I do."

"On that mountain, build me a stone palace in one night, better than mine! And let there be as many rooms in that palace as there are days in the year; let the ceiling be as clear as the sky, with the red sun and the bright moon moving across it, and let the stars shine brightly; let the palace be roofed with poppies, and let three golden nails be driven into each poppy seed. And let a river flow around the palace, with a bridge over it—a golden plank, a silver plank, a golden plank, a silver plank... And let a rainbow arch over the bridge, its ends dipping into the water. In short, let it be something people won't be ashamed to look at! Build me such a palace, and I'll let you return to your father. Fail, and I'll skin you alive! That's how it works with me: mercy is mercy, and wrath is wrath. Now go!"

Yuri went to the girl and told her about the task the master had given him.

"Don't worry, everything will be done. It will be ready by the deadline!" said the girl. "Now go to the mountain. Walk around and look as if you're scouting the spot where you plan to build the palace."

Yuri did as she said: he walked around the mountain, looked around, and in the evening returned to the hut and went to sleep.

At midnight, the girl stepped onto the porch and clapped her hands. All sorts of monsters flew to her.

"Greetings, young mistress!"

"Greetings, fearsome monsters! Why have you called us: for roll call or for work?"

"Why would I need roll call? I need you for work: you must build a stone palace on that mountain in one night. Let there be as many rooms in that palace as there are days in the year; let the ceiling be as clear as the sky, with the red sun and the bright moon moving across it, and let the stars shine brightly; let the palace be roofed with poppies, and let three golden nails be driven into each poppy seed. And let a river flow around the palace, with a bridge over it—a golden plank, a silver plank, a golden plank, a silver plank... And let a rainbow arch over the bridge, its ends dipping into the water!"

As soon as she finished speaking, the monsters sprang into action: some carried stones, others laid walls, some worked on the roof, and others hammered in the nails!

By morning, they returned to the girl.

"Is everything ready?"

"Everything is ready, young mistress! Only on that corner over there, one poppy seed didn't get three nails—it got two."

"Well, that's no big deal. Now, all of you, return to where you came from!"

The monsters vanished as if they had never been there. The girl went into the hut and woke Yuri:

"Get up, go to the master! Everything is ready!"

Yuri went out, looked at the palace, and was amazed: the palace stood as tall as the sky, a rainbow arched over it, and the bridge shimmered like fire. He entered the palace, looked up at the ceiling, and nearly went blind: the red sun shone so brightly, the bright moon gleamed, and the stars sparkled so clearly!..

Yuri stood on the bridge, waiting for the master.
And soon, the devil himself appeared here. He looks, admires.

"Well done, Yuri!" he says. "Good work, if only it's yours! No need to say, you've put in the effort! Now there will be another job for you—the last one. Complete it, and you’ll return to your father. Fail, and you’ll lose your head. And here’s the task. I have a good horse—priceless, but unbroken. Tame it!"

"Alright," replies Yuri, "I’ll tame it tomorrow!"

But he thinks to himself:

"What kind of task is this! I can tame any horse!"

He came and told the girl.

"This job is right up my alley!"

"No," the girl answers, "don’t boast too soon! This task is the hardest. You think it’ll be a real horse? No, it’ll be the devil himself! He doesn’t believe you cleared the forest, sowed wheat, baked pies, and built the palace—he wants to test you. But don’t worry: I’ll help you here too!"

In the morning, the girl says to Yuri:

"Well, it’s time! Go and tame the horse. Take this willow twig. If the horse gets stubborn and tries to throw you off, strike it between the ears with this twig—it’ll calm down and become obedient!"

Yuri took the willow twig and went to the palace:

"Where’s the master?"

"The master isn’t here," the servants reply. "He ordered you to go to the stable, take out the horse, and tame it."

Yuri entered the stable. There stood the horse—golden hairs, silver hairs, eyes bloodshot, flames shooting from its nostrils, smoke billowing from its ears—it was impossible to approach. Yuri waved the willow twig—and the heat no longer bothered him. He approached the horse—the horse reared up, leaped to the ceiling, refusing to let him mount. And when it neighed—the whole stable shook, quaking violently. Yuri struck it between the ears—and the horse fell to its knees. Yuri quickly jumped onto its back!.. The horse reared up—almost throwing him off! But Yuri wasn’t one to miss: he started whipping it between the ears with the twig! The horse went wild under him, but he kept lashing it. And the horse carried him off—flying, barely touching the ground, trying to throw Yuri off to crush him under its hooves... But Yuri kept whipping it, giving it no respite!..

The horse galloped and galloped, flew and flew over mountains, swamps, and forests, until finally it grew so exhausted that it stopped galloping and flying—and turned back home. It walked at a slow pace. And so they returned to the yard.

Yuri put the horse back in the stable and began wandering around the yard. The master’s servants avoided him, afraid: what if the master saw and thought they were friends with Yuri. Yuri came to the girl’s hut and told her everything that had happened.

"Well, it seems you gave the master a good thrashing, since you returned unharmed! Eat, rest—you must be very tired."

The next day, a servant from the master came to Yuri, calling him to the palace. Yuri went. The master met him with a bandaged forehead.

"Well," he said, "now I don’t know you, and you don’t know me! Take your father’s note and leave tomorrow morning!"

Yuri took the note and went to the hut, rejoicing. He told the girl everything. She said:

"It’s too early to rejoice! The master isn’t the kind to let you go alive. We can’t wait for morning. When midnight comes, we must leave immediately. We must flee to your side, or the master will destroy us both!"

At midnight, they prepared for the journey. The girl told Yuri to spit in every corner of the hut. They closed the door tightly and left. When morning came, the master sent his servant to Yuri: ordering him to appear. The servant knocked on the window.

"Get up," he shouted, "it’s already day!"

"I’ll get up now!" answered the spit.

By noon, the sun was high. The servant came again.

"Get up," he called, "it’s almost noon!"

"I’m getting dressed!" answered the spit.

By lunchtime, the servant called again.

"I’m washing up!" answered the spit. The master grew furious and sent for Yuri again. The servants came, calling, but the spit had dried up—no one answered. They broke down the door—no one was in the hut. When they told the master, he grew angry, enraged, and began banging his head against the wall. And the mistress shouted:

"He’s gone, and he took our maid with him! Send riders after them! Bring them back, dead or alive! He’ll be executed, but I need the maid—you won’t find such a worker, such a craftswoman anywhere!"

The riders set off in pursuit, galloping as fast as their horses could.

And Yuri and the girl ran as fast as their strength allowed.

The girl said to Yuri:

"Press your ear to the ground and listen—is the oak forest rustling, is the road groaning, is there pursuit behind us?"

Yuri listened and said:

"The oak forest is rustling loudly, the road is groaning loudly!"

"That’s the devil-master sending pursuit after us! They’ll catch up soon. Run faster! And when they’re about to catch us, I’ll turn into a flock of sheep, and I’ll make you a shepherd. When the master’s servants question you, asking if you’ve seen a young man and a girl pass by here, you’ll say: 'I saw them when I was young, when I was hired as a shepherd and tended two sheep, but now I’m an old man, and from those two sheep, I have a whole flock.'"

And the girl turned into a flock of sheep, and Yuri became an old shepherd. Soon, the riders appeared.

"Hey," they shouted, "old man! Have you seen a young man and a girl pass by here?"

"How could I not see them? I saw them!"

"When?"

"When I was young, just hired as a shepherd, tending two sheep. But now I’m an old man, and from those two sheep, I have a whole flock."

"Ah!.. How can we catch them now!" said the riders. "There are maybe a thousand sheep here. How many years have passed since they came through!"
The messengers galloped back to the lord. Meanwhile, Yuri and the girl resumed their previous forms and continued running.

The messengers returned and said to the lord:

- We saw no one. Perhaps we lost the trail, or maybe we chased down the wrong road. We only met a shepherd and a flock of sheep. That shepherd told us he had been grazing his flock in those parts since he was a child, but he hadn’t seen any young man or girl.

- Ah, you fools! - shouted the lady. - That was them! You should have killed the old man and driven the sheep here! That was my maid! She turned herself into sheep and made the boy into a shepherd!

- Ride out again, catch up with them! - yelled the lord. - Cut him down with axes, and drive the sheep to me!

The messengers rushed back in pursuit. Meanwhile, Yuri and the girl had already run far ahead. They ran and ran... The girl said to Yuri:

- Press your ear to the ground and listen—does the oak grove rustle, does the road groan, is there anyone chasing us?

Yuri listened and said:

- The oak grove rustles loudly, the road groans loudly! The lord’s servants are chasing us!

Then the girl waved her handkerchief—she turned herself into a garden, and Yuri became an old gardener.

The messengers rode up and asked:

- Old man, have you seen two people running by—a young man and a girl?

- No, I haven’t seen anyone, though I’ve been guarding this garden for a long, long time, - replied the gardener.

- And did a shepherd drive any sheep this way? - I didn’t see any shepherd either.

So the messengers turned back empty-handed. And Yuri and the girl ran on.

The messengers returned and told the lord and lady what had happened:

- We didn’t catch anyone—it was as if they vanished! We only met a gardener in the garden, and he told us no one had run down that road and no shepherd had driven any sheep. So we came back. What else could we do, chase the wind in the fields?..

- Fools! - shouted the lord and lady. - You should have cut down both the garden and the gardener! That was Yuri and our maid! You’re useless! We’ll have to chase them ourselves!

And the lord and lady, along with the messengers, rushed off in pursuit—dust rose in clouds, the ground shook, and a rumble echoed all around.

Yuri and the girl heard the noise and rumble and ran even faster. They realized the lord and lady, along with their servants, were chasing them. And the rumble grew louder and louder.

- Well, - said the girl, - though your home isn’t far, we won’t make it in time... I must save you. I’ll turn into a river, and you’ll be on the other bank.

And at once—splash!—she spread out into a wide river. And Yuri found himself on the opposite bank.

Soon the lord and lady with their servants galloped up. The lady looked at the river and shouted:

- Chop her with axes! Chop her with axes! The servants rushed to the river and began hacking at it with their axes.

The river groaned and began to flow with blood.

And Yuri stood on the other bank, unable to help, not knowing what to do.

- Die, wretched thing! - shouted the lord and lady at the river. - And you, peasant’s son, watch out—we’ll get to you too!

They shouted and threatened, but there was nothing they could do. So they returned home empty-handed. Yuri heard the river groaning:

- Oh, it’s hard for me... It will take me a long time to recover—my wounds hurt. It will be a long time before I see you again... Go home, Yuri, to your father and mother, but don’t forget me! And be careful not to kiss anyone. If you kiss someone, you’ll forget me. Come here often—visit me!

Yuri went home, sad and sorrowful. He had thought to return with his young wife, but this is how it turned out...

He arrived home. When his father and mother saw him, they nearly died of joy. But they were very surprised that Yuri didn’t want to kiss anyone. Not even them. And Yuri began to live at home, bringing joy to his parents. And when evening came, he would go to the river, talk to it, and return home. He could hardly wait for the girl’s wounds to heal.

A lot of time passed. The water in the river grew clearer—the girl’s wounds began to heal and close.

But then misfortune struck: one day Yuri fell asleep, and an old man came and kissed him in his sleep. Yuri woke up and forgot the girl—as if he had never seen her.

A little more time passed, and Yuri’s father said to him:

- Why are you still single? You need to marry. We’ve found a good bride for you.

Yuri liked the bride. They began to prepare for the wedding. The wedding was merry and noisy. Only Yuri felt uneasy—heavy, anxious, his heart aching, though he didn’t know why.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, the bakers were preparing the wedding loaf: kneading the dough, shaping decorations. Suddenly, an unfamiliar girl entered and said:

- Allow me, bakers, to make a drake and a duck for the loaf and to present it to the newlyweds!

The bakers allowed it. The girl shaped a drake and a duck from the dough. She placed the drake on the loaf and held the duck in her hands. Then she entered the hall, set the loaf before the newlyweds, and began tapping the drake’s head with the duck’s beak, saying:

- Have you forgotten, drake, how I rescued you from captivity? - and tapped its head. - Have you forgotten how I saved you from death? - and tapped again. - Have you forgotten how I took wounds for you? - and tapped once more.

At that moment, Yuri seemed to wake up—he remembered what had happened and recognized his girl. He jumped up, rushed to her, and embraced her:

- Here, parents, is my dear wife! She saved me from certain death! She rescued me from captivity! I love only her! I don’t want to know anyone else!

And he seated her beside him. They celebrated a joyful wedding, and Yuri began to live with his young wife.

And they lived long and happily ever after!

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The Wise Girl

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