Lazy Broccolina

Once upon a time, in a small village, there lived a girl who didn’t like to walk on her own two feet. This lazy girl was named Brucholina. She had a grandmother, old and gray-haired.

One day, the grandmother and her granddaughter went to a meadow to pick flowers. They gathered a big bouquet of daisies and dandelions and slowly made their way back home. But soon enough, Brucholina got tired of walking. She stopped and started whining:

"I want to be carried! I want to be carried!"
Her grandmother scolded her:
"Aren’t you ashamed of yourself? You’re already a big girl! I won’t carry you!"
With that, she turned around and walked away. Brucholina sat down on the ground and cried:

*Who will carry me home?
My grandmother has left...*

A bunny came hopping by:
"Hop on, I’ll carry you."
Brucholina climbed onto the bunny’s back, and off they went down the path. But bunnies are a timid bunch. At every rustle, the bunny would dart into the woods to hide. He would lie behind a stump, not moving a muscle, only his whiskers twitching slightly. Brucholina grew tired of waiting for the scaredy-bunny to calm down. She stood by the stump and called out:

*Who will carry me home?
My grandmother has left,
The bunny is afraid of everything...*

Then a snail crawled up to her:
"I’ll carry you. Climb onto the roof of my house. It’s small but sturdy; don’t be afraid."
Brucholina climbed onto the snail’s shell, and the snail set off. The sun was warm, and the girl didn’t even notice when she fell asleep. She woke up an hour or two later, only to see that the snail hadn’t even made it from one bush to the next. There was nothing else to do—Brucholina had to say goodbye to the snail too. She leaned against a tree, feeling sorry for herself, on the verge of tears. And indeed, she began to cry:

*Who will carry me home?
My grandmother has left,
The bunny is afraid of everything,
The snail crawls so slowly...*

A little goat came running:
"Hop on, I’ll carry you."
Brucholina climbed onto the goat’s back, and the goat bounded forward.
"Oh, I’m going to fall!" Brucholina panicked. And just as she thought it, she tumbled to the ground.

She got up, dusted herself off, and looked around—the goat was gone. Now Brucholina was truly scared. She cried out as loud as she could:

*Who will carry me home?
My grandmother has left,
The bunny is afraid of everything,
The snail crawls so slowly,
The goat ran away...*

A horse galloped up to her:
"I’ll carry you."
The horse knelt down, waited for Brucholina to climb onto its back, then stood up and set off.
Brucholina held onto the horse’s mane with both hands, but she still couldn’t keep her balance and fell straight into the grass. She lay there, crying bitterly:

*Who will carry me home?
My grandmother has left,
The bunny is afraid of everything,
The snail crawls so slowly,
The goat ran away,
The horse gallops too fast...*

A dove flew by:
"I’ll carry you. Just hold onto my neck tightly." And it soared into the sky. The dove flew so high that Brucholina’s head began to spin.
"Dear dove, please take me back to the ground!" the girl pleaded.
Below, a thin, shining ribbon of a river stretched out. The dove circled above the water and gently landed on the sandy shore.
"Goodbye, little girl. My children are waiting for me at home," it said, then flapped its wings and flew away.

Brucholina was alone again. She saw a boat floating by. She ran to the water’s edge and asked softly:

*Who will carry me home?
My grandmother has left,
The bunny is afraid of everything,
The snail crawls so slowly,
The goat ran away,
The horse gallops too fast,
The dove flies too high...*

The boat drifted to the shore:
"Get in, I’ll take you."
Brucholina climbed into the boat, and they set off. But the boat was old and cracked. Soon, it began to leak. Poor Brucholina got her feet and dress wet. The water in the boat kept rising and rising. Luckily, the shore was close. Just as Brucholina managed to jump onto the bank, the boat tipped over and sank. Brucholina stood by the river, sobbing:

*Who will carry me home?
My grandmother has left,
The bunny is afraid of everything,
The snail crawls so slowly,
The goat ran away,
The horse gallops too fast,
The dove flies too high,
The boat sank...*

A bee buzzed by.
"Buzzzz! Try using your own feet," it advised Brucholina, then flew away.

No one else wanted to help the lazy girl. She had to make her way home on her own. At first, she walked slowly, then faster and faster. When she ran into the house, her grandmother was already setting the table. She didn’t say a word to her granddaughter. She just stood there, smiling, as Brucholina ate with a hearty appetite.

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Lazy Broccolina

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