The White Wolf

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 a fancy dress."

"And what do you want?" the father asked the second daughter.

"I also want a dress."

"And you, my child?" he asked the youngest, whom he loved more than the other two.

"I don't need anything," she replied.

"How do you mean nothing?"

"Just that, father, nothing."

"I promised to bring gifts for your sisters, and I don't want you to be left with nothing."

"Alright, I would like to have a talking rose."

"A talking rose?" exclaimed the father. "Where am I supposed to find such a thing?"

"Father, I only want this rose. If you don't find it, don't come back."

The father set off on his journey. He easily obtained beautiful dresses for his elder daughters, but wherever he inquired about the talking rose, he was told that he must be joking and that no such rose existed in the whole world.

"If such a rose didn't exist," the father said, "my daughter wouldn't have asked for it."

One day, he saw a beautiful castle ahead of him, from which faint noises could be heard. He listened closely and discerned voices. Inside the castle, there was singing and talking. After circling the castle several times in search of an entrance, he finally found a gate and entered the courtyard, where a rose bush stood in the middle, covered in flowers. It was their voices he had heard—they were the ones speaking and singing. "At last," he thought, "I have found the talking rose." And he immediately plucked one of the roses.

At that very moment, a white wolf pounced on him and shouted:

"Who gave you permission to enter my castle and pick my roses? As punishment, you shall die—anyone who enters here must die!"

"Let me go," the poor man pleaded. "I will return the talking rose to you."

"No, no," replied the white wolf. "You shall die!"

"Woe is me, woe is me! My daughter asked me to bring her a talking rose, and now that I have finally found it, I must die!"

"Listen," said the white wolf, "I will spare you and even allow you to keep the rose, but on one condition: you must bring me the first person you meet when you return home."

The poor man promised to fulfill the wolf's demand and set off on his way back. And whom did he see as soon as he returned home? His youngest daughter.

"Ah, my daughter," he said, "what a sorrowful journey it has been!"

"Did you not find the talking rose?" the girl asked.

"I found it, but to my misfortune. I plucked it in the courtyard of the white wolf's castle. I must die."

"No," said the daughter, "I do not want you to die. I would rather die in your place."

She repeated this so many times that finally he said to her:

"Very well, my daughter, I will tell you what I intended to keep from you. Know that I promised the white wolf to bring him the first person I met upon returning home. Only on this condition did he agree to spare my life."

"My father," said the daughter, "I am ready to go."

And so the father and daughter set off for the white wolf's castle. They walked for several days and finally reached the castle by evening. The white wolf appeared immediately. The girl's father said to him:

"Here is the one I met upon returning home. This is my daughter, who asked me to bring her the talking rose."

"I will not harm you," said the white wolf, "but you must promise not to speak a word to anyone about what you see and hear here. This castle belongs to the fairies. All of us who live here are enchanted; I am cursed to turn into a white wolf by day. If you can keep the secret, it will be to your advantage."

The girl and her father entered a room where a lavishly set table stood; they sat down and began to eat and drink. Soon, when it grew completely dark, a handsome nobleman entered the room. It was the one who had first appeared to them as the white wolf.

"You see," he said, "it is written on this table: 'Here, silence is kept.'"

The father and daughter promised once more to keep the secret.

Shortly after the girl retired to the room assigned to her, the handsome nobleman entered. She was very frightened and began to scream loudly. He calmed her and said that if she followed his advice, he would marry her, she would become a queen, and the castle would belong to her. The next morning, he once again took the form of the white wolf, and hearing his mournful howl, the poor girl wept.

After spending one more night in the castle, the girl's father returned home. She remained in the castle and soon settled in; everything she desired was at her disposal, and every day her ears were delighted by music—no expense was spared to entertain her.

Meanwhile, the girl's mother and sisters grew deeply concerned. Their only topic of conversation was:

"Where is our poor daughter? Where is our sister?"

Upon returning home, the father at first said nothing about what had happened, but later he relented and revealed where he had left his daughter. One of the sisters went to the girl and began questioning her about what had happened. The girl held out for a long time, but her sister pleaded so persistently that she finally revealed the secret.

Immediately, a terrible howl was heard at the door. The girl jumped up in fear. But as soon as she reached the threshold, the white wolf fell dead at her feet. Then she understood her mistake, but it was too late, and she spent the rest of her life in sorrow.

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The White Wolf

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