The Girl from the Flower Pot

Once upon a time, there lived a husband and wife who had no children. One evening, the woman sighed:

"If only we could have some kind of child, even if it were just a flowerpot!"

Lo and behold, a flowerpot appeared on the windowsill.

Years passed—the basil grew, and so did the pot. Eventually, the pot became as large as a cauldron, and the flower as big as a hazel bush. One day, a prince happened to pass by. He saw the basil in the window and fell in love with the marvelous flower. He knocked, and the woman leaned out of the window. The prince asked her:

"Give me the flower, dear auntie. I’ll spare no expense; ask for whatever you wish!"

The woman thought it over: she was sorry to part with the pot, but she also wanted to become rich. In the end, she handed over the flower for a thousand florins. The prince brought the pot to the palace, placed it on the windowsill in his room, and began watering it morning and evening.

Now, it must be said that the prince had a habit of dining alone. On the very day he brought the basil home, his servants set the table as usual, loaded it with various delicacies, and then left him alone. The prince ate, drank, admired his flower, and then lay down to sleep. A candle burned at his head, and an oil lamp at his feet.

As soon as the prince fell asleep, a girl emerged from the basil—a beauty beyond compare. She tasted the food, then took the lamp and placed it at the head of the bed, and moved the candle to the foot.

When the prince woke in the morning, he saw that the food had been eaten and the lamp and candle had been moved! He was baffled: the door was locked! The same thing happened the next evening. Then the prince decided to stay awake and keep watch. He saw the girl emerge from the basil, a beauty beyond compare. She ate and drank, and just as she began to switch the candle and lamp, he grabbed her by the hand:

"Why are you hiding? From whom are you concealing yourself?"

"You’ve seen me," the girl replied. "Now I belong to you. But remember, don’t show me to anyone!"

"Very well, as you wish," agreed the prince, and from then on, he ordered his servants to set the table for two.

Several months passed, and the prince had to go to war with his father. Before leaving, he called his mother and gave her strict instructions:

"Water the flower morning and evening, leave the finest dishes in the room, and always keep the door locked."

He also said to the girl:

"Don’t grieve, my dear. I won’t be gone long; I’ll return soon."

The prince departed, and his mother faithfully carried out his orders. She watered the flower morning and evening, left the best food in the room, and always kept the door locked.

Now, it should be noted that the prince was betrothed to the vizier’s daughter. But ever since the girl from the flowerpot appeared, the prince had lost interest in his fiancée. He stopped visiting her and seemed to forget about her entirely!

The vizier’s daughter was perplexed: it was as if her betrothed had been replaced! When the prince went off to war, the vizier’s wife and daughter went to the royal palace to befriend the queen and, at the same time, to find out what had happened in the palace that had caused the prince to change so much.

They arrived, sat for a while, and then went for a stroll through the palace, peeking into rooms. When they approached the locked room, the vizier’s wife nudged her daughter, who said in a sweet voice:

"Please, Your Majesty, allow me just a peek into my betrothed’s room!"

The queen unlocked the door, and the vizier’s daughter darted inside! She saw a girl sitting by the window overlooking the sea, combing her hair with a golden comb. Whenever a strand of hair fell from the comb, it turned into a golden fish in the sea.

The vizier’s daughter realized: "Aha! So my betrothed has been hiding a girl in his room! That’s why he doesn’t want me anymore!"

She ran up to the girl and pushed her into the sea. But the beauty didn’t drown: as the sun was setting, it caught her in its golden rays and carried her straight to her mother’s house.

When it was time to water the flower, the queen unlocked the room and saw that the basil had wilted! By evening, the flower had completely dried up, and the food remained untouched! The queen was beside herself—she watered the flower with spring water, but to no avail!

Soon, the king and prince returned. The prince rushed to his room, unlocked the door, and what did he see? The basil had withered and dried up! He wept and reproached his mother:

"Why, Mother, didn’t you water my flower? Why did you let it dry up and wither?"

"I did water it, my dear. I can’t understand what happened—why it dried up and withered!"

"Did anyone else come into the room?"

"No one, I swear. Only your fiancée and her mother came in once."

The prince realized what had happened and fell gravely ill from grief. The vizier’s daughter tried to visit him, but the prince sent her away.

Meanwhile, the girl from the flowerpot—a beauty beyond compare—lived with the sun and asked it every day:

"How is the prince? Has he returned from the war yet?"

"No, he hasn’t returned yet. Live peacefully," the sun would reply each time. But one day, it said differently: "Your prince has returned, but he’s stricken with a terrible illness. The best healers can’t figure out what’s wrong: he doesn’t eat or drink, just lies there, staring at the withered basil. I fear he won’t live much longer."

"Dear sun," the girl pleaded, "please, tomorrow morning, when you rise to shine upon the world, take me with you. Shine into the prince’s window, let a ray fall on the flowerpot, and I’ll run along the ray and leap into the pot."

The sun did as she asked. As soon as the girl entered the flower, the basil turned green, bloomed, and became more beautiful than ever. The moment the prince saw that the basil had come back to life, he forgot his illness, jumped out of bed, and rejoiced, eagerly awaiting the evening.

When evening came, the servants brought the usual table of food. The prince quickly locked the door, and the girl emerged from the basil—a beauty beyond compare. She sat across from the prince, and they talked and laughed together.

The night flew by, and in the morning, the prince announced their wedding. He lived happily with his beloved for many years. As for the wicked vizier’s daughter and her mother, they were banished from the city.

↑ To the top

The Girl from the Flower Pot

More fairy tales