The Garden of Dariachanga

There lived, or perhaps not, a poor widower. He had two children—a girl and a boy. The poor man married a second time. The stepmother took a dislike to the children. Every day, she would find some difficult, dangerous task for them. Sometimes she would send them to take a pig to the far side of the river, away from the village, or she would drive the cows into the deep forest and send the children to find them in the evening. The stepmother hoped the children would get lost, never find their way back, or be torn apart by wild beasts.

But every time, they returned home safe and sound—the orphans had a dog that protected them from the animals and led them back home.

One day, the stepmother and her husband went to a festival, leaving the children with an impossible task. She scattered a whole sack of bran across the yard and ordered them to gather it with their tears!

"If you don't collect it by the time I return, I'll make sure you don't see the light of day," the stepmother said before leaving.

The orphans cried from grief and resentment: all the other children were taken to the festival, and they were left alone at home. They cried all day, but their tears didn't help; they couldn't gather the bran. Not wanting to wait for the stepmother to return and beat them to death, they ran away from home with their faithful dog.

They wandered from village to village. People pitied the orphans and gave them food.

One day, they met an old woman carrying a jug of water.

"Grandma, it must be hard for you. Let me help," the boy said and took the jug of water.

The old woman lived in a small hut on the edge of the forest. She fed the orphans and let them stay the night.

"Take us in," they begged. "We'll do everything for you. We have no one else; we're homeless."

The old woman agreed—it was lonely living alone.

In the mornings, the children would go into the forest to gather cornelian cherries, medlars, wild pears, and apples. The boy made himself a bow and hunted animals.

The faithful dog protected the children from all dangers.

Time passed. The boy grew into a clever, brave young man, and his sister became beautiful, skilled, and strong, just like her brother.

One day, the old woman called her adopted children and said to the young man:

"The garden of Dariachan is famous throughout the world—it stays green all year round, and its fruits never run out. Bring back a branch, and the whole garden will move here. Even the king will envy us."

"Alright, Grandma, I'll try to bring this wondrous garden to us," the young man agreed. "But how do I get there? How do I find the way?"

"Go through our forest, and beyond the hill, you'll see a big house where devs live. Ask their mother—she knows how to get to Dariachan's garden."

The young man didn't delay. He left his sister with the old woman and set off straight through the forest.

He reached the big house where the devs lived. An ancient old woman was bustling in the yard.

"Hello, Mother," the young man greeted her kindly. "They say you know where Dariachan's garden is. For the sake of your children, show me the way."

"You'd be in trouble if you hadn't called me 'Mother'—my sons would have had you for dinner!" the old woman replied. "I see you're a good person. Don't go to Dariachan. Thousands of brave men have gone to find her garden, and none have returned. Dariachan turns anyone who dares to pluck even a leaf in her garden into stone."

"It doesn't matter, Mother. Either I'll find her garden, or I'll perish. Please, show me the way."

"Dariachan's garden is in the southern lands, in a great mountain. The mountain rotates, opening every moment," the old woman said.

The young man set off again.

In good time, he reached the magical garden—Dariachan was asleep. The young man plucked a branch and ran away. The trees cried after him, "He took it, he took it!" but Dariachan didn't hear their cries.

The young man returned home and saw the magical garden spread out before the hut! He and his sister marveled at it, rejoicing.

A few days later, the old woman spoke to the young man again:

"You managed to take Dariachan's garden. If you want, you can marry her too. Try your luck."

The young man set off to Dariachan, and the dog followed him.

He approached Dariachan's house and knocked on the door. He knocked and knocked, but the girl didn't respond—she was fast asleep. Then he took a stone and struck the door with all his might.

Dariachan woke up and shouted:

"Who dares disturb my sleep? You took a stone—now become stone!"

And the young man turned to stone, but Dariachan didn't even look to see whom she had cursed.

When the dog saw its master turned to stone, it whimpered, howled, and raced home. It grabbed the sister's skirt and pulled her along. The girl understood that something terrible had happened to her brother. She took an iron staff and followed the dog.

The dog led the girl to Dariachan's house.

"Hey, Dariachan, look out and see where your garden has gone!" the girl shouted. "And don't rush to turn me to stone, or you won't see how beautiful I am—much more beautiful than you!"

Dariachan jumped up, flung open the doors, and as soon as she stuck her head out to see the bold guest, the girl grabbed her by the braids and forced her face to the ground.

"Bring my brother back, Dariachan. Turn him back from stone, or I'll break your ribs with this iron staff!" the girl commanded.

"Take a handkerchief from my pocket. Rub it on the stone, and it will become a man again," Dariachan said. "But I don't know which stone your brother is—I didn't see him."

The girl rubbed the handkerchief on all the stones—they turned back into people. Her brother came back to life.

"Listen, Dariachan," the girl said, "you're going to marry my brother! And don't even think of arguing."

Dariachan didn't argue—she wanted to be where her garden was.

Dariachan was of unparalleled beauty, more beautiful than the sun and moon. But she had one flaw—she loved to sleep for long periods. She would wander the garden for three days and sleep for three months. It seemed she had grown accustomed to sleeping so much from idleness.

The brother and sister brought Dariachan to their hut, and they all lived together. They taught Dariachan not to sleep so much, and she found work to do around the house.

The magical garden stayed green and blossomed all year round, winter and summer, spring and autumn. Its branches were always heavy with exotic fruits.

People passing by marveled at the garden. Word of Dariachan's magical garden spread throughout the kingdom. The wicked stepmother heard of it too. She came to see the magical garden and recognized her stepson and stepdaughter, though many years had passed. Black envy filled the evil woman's heart.

"They won't keep this magical garden," she decided. "I won't return home until I've destroyed them!"

The stepmother went straight to the king. She let down her hair and wailed:

"Woe to you, King! A poor brother and sister own a garden the likes of which you, King, have never seen!"

"What garden? Speak clearly, don't wail!" the king snapped.

"I won't have peace or joy, great sovereign, unless you own Dariachan's garden!"

"How can I own that garden if it's far away? I can't move the trees!"

"Marry the beautiful Dariachan—she'll move the garden to your palace. Give the brother and sister a task they can never complete. Then Dariachan will be yours."

The greedy king liked the evil woman's advice. He went to see Dariachan's magical garden.

Dariachan picked the most beautiful flowers and the tastiest fruits and came out to meet the king. The king didn't know where to look first—at her or at the wondrous garden. Both the girl and the garden were so beautiful!

The king ordered the young man to level a mountain beyond the sea that blocked the sun in the morning.

"I can't cross the sea, Your Majesty," the young man said. "First, you must build a bridge."

"A bridge across the sea would take a hundred years to build, and the mountain bothers me now. Do as you see fit!" the king replied.

"Don't worry," Dariachan told the young man, "I'll build the bridge across the sea myself."

Dariachan stretched her braids across the sea. They formed a bridge over the waves.

"Cross the bridge, King, and take a stroll on the other shore while the mountain still stands," Dariachan said.

The king, his viziers, and the evil stepmother stepped onto the bridge. When they reached the middle, Dariachan shook her braids and threw them all into the sea.

The three of them returned home and lived in peace. They live happily to this day. Thick forests have grown around the garden, so it's no longer visible to people.

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The Garden of Dariachanga

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