Prezzemolina

In a village, there lived a poor peasant woman with her daughter. Near their house was a garden where lettuce, tomatoes, parsley, and dill grew. But most of all, the daughter loved to feast on parsley. Every morning, she would sneak into the garden, fill her apron with parsley, and then eat it all during lunch.

In their region, parsley was called "prezzemolo," so the girl was nicknamed Prezzemolina, or "Little Parsley." Prezzemolina had no idea that the garden belonged to an evil witch. The witch soon noticed that someone was stealing her parsley. One day, she hid in the bushes and waited.

Prezzemolina, as usual, came to the garden to pick parsley. Suddenly, the witch, swift as lightning, jumped out from behind the bushes and grabbed the girl's arm with her crooked fingers.

"Aha, you thief, I've caught you! Now I'll make you pay for everything."

In vain, Prezzemolina, nearly dead from fear, begged the old woman for forgiveness, promising never to go near the garden again. The witch dragged Prezzemolina to her house and threw her onto a bare bench.

Prezzemolina became the witch's servant. But no matter how hard the witch made her work, Prezzemolina grew more and more beautiful with each passing year.

The witch's envy and malice made her lose her appetite.

One day, the witch called Prezzemolina and said:

"Here's a basket. Go to the well and fill it with water. If you don't obey, I'll kill you."

Prezzemolina went to the well, dipped the basket once, twice, and realized she was wasting her time: all the water leaked out of the hole-ridden basket.

The girl leaned against the well and wept bitterly. Suddenly, she heard someone softly calling her:

"Prezzemolina, Prezzemolina, why are you crying?"

She turned around and saw a handsome young man standing before her, smiling kindly.

"Who are you, and how do you know my name?"

"I am the witch's grandson, and my name is Bensiabel. My grandmother wants to destroy you, but I will save you, Prezzemolina. Kiss me, and I will fill your basket."

"No, I won't kiss you, for you are the witch's grandson."

"Very well, I'll fill your basket anyway."

Prezzemolina returned home and brought the witch a basket of water. The witch turned pale with rage and said to the girl:

"Confess, did Bensiabel help you?"

"No," replied Prezzemolina.

"Fine, we'll see who wins."

The next morning, the witch called Prezzemolina and said:

"Take this sack of grain. I'll go for a ten-minute walk, and when I return, I want bread ready. If you don't bake it, know that I will kill you."

The witch locked poor Prezzemolina in and left. Prezzemolina set to work but realized she couldn't grind the grain and bake the bread in such a short time. She sat on the sack and wept loudly. Then Bensiabel approached her and said gently:

"Don't cry, Prezzemolina. I'll save you again, but kiss me."

"No, I won't kiss you, for you are the witch's grandson."

But Bensiabel helped Prezzemolina again. When the witch returned, the bread was already on the table.

"Did you see Bensiabel? Did he bake the bread?" the witch asked the girl.

"No," replied Prezzemolina.

"Fine, we'll see who wins."

The next day, the witch called Prezzemolina and said:

"Go to my sister, who lives beyond the forest. Take my box from her and bring it to me."

The witch had already conspired with her sister to kill Prezzemolina as soon as she arrived.

The girl set off, unaware that certain death awaited her.

On the way, she met Bensiabel.

"Where are you going, Prezzemolina?" asked Bensiabel.

"To fetch a box from my mistress's sister."

"Ah! Poor Prezzemolina, your mistress is sending you to your death, and you don't even suspect it. Kiss me, and I will save you."

"No, for you are the witch's grandson."

"I will save you anyway, for I love you more than life itself. Here is a bottle of olive oil, a piece of bread, a rope, and a broom. When you reach the witch's house, grease the door hinges with this oil, and throw the bread to the guard dog. Then you will see a poor woman drawing water from the well, using her braids tied to the bucket. Give her this rope. In the kitchen, you will see another woman cleaning the oven ashes with her tongue. Give her this broom. The box is on the cupboard; take it and run away immediately."

"Follow my instructions, and you will survive."

Prezzemolina did everything as Bensiabel had told her. When she entered the witch's house, she saw the box on the cupboard, grabbed it, and ran for her life. The witch's sister noticed Prezzemolina running and shouted to the window:

"Hey, you in the kitchen! Kill that thief quickly!"

"No, she gave me a broom, and you made me clean the oven with my tongue."

"Hey, you by the well, throw that thief into the water!"

"No, she gave me a rope, and you made me draw water with my braids."

"Dog, tear her apart!"

"No, she gave me bread, and you never fed me, so I was starving."

"Door, shut!"

"I won't! This girl greased my hinges, and without her, they would have rusted completely."

And so Prezzemolina escaped.

She ran and ran until she came to an unfamiliar village, with no one around. She sat on the grass to catch her breath and rest. Curiosity got the better of her, and she wondered what was inside the box. She opened it, and a song flew out and dissolved into the air. Prezzemolina wept.

At that moment, Bensiabel ran up, caught the song, and put it back in the box.

But once again, the girl refused to kiss Bensiabel.

The next day, Prezzemolina returned to her mistress, the old witch, and brought her the box. When the witch saw Prezzemolina alive and beautiful, she nearly burst with frustration.

"Did you meet Bensiabel on the way?" she asked.

"No," replied Prezzemolina.

"Fine," said the witch, "we'll see who wins."

"Listen carefully. In my henhouse, there are three roosters: red, black, and white. Tonight, when one of them crows, you must tell me which one it was."

"If you make a mistake, I will swallow you like a piece of bread."

It should be noted that Bensiabel's room was next to Prezzemolina's, and he heard everything.

At midnight, one of the roosters crowed. The witch immediately asked Prezzemolina:

"Well, which rooster crowed?"

Prezzemolina, of course, didn't know what to say. She trembled with fear and whispered softly so the witch wouldn't hear:

"Bensiabel, Bensiabel, tell me, which rooster crowed?"

"Kiss me, and I will tell you."

"No."

"Still, I will tell you: the red rooster crowed."

The witch, seeing the girl hesitate, approached her and shouted:

"Answer, or I will kill you!"

Prezzemolina replied:

"The red rooster crowed."

The witch ground her teeth in rage.

A little later, another rooster crowed.

"Well, which rooster crowed now?" asked the witch.

Again, Bensiabel helped the girl, and she answered:

"Now the black rooster crowed."

An hour later, another rooster crowed, and the witch immediately asked Prezzemolina:

"Well, which rooster crowed now?"

"The white one," Prezzemolina answered joyfully.

The evil witch slammed the door in frustration so hard that it cracked. She rushed to find Bensiabel to settle the score with him.

Bensiabel hid behind the well. The witch saw him, tried to grab him, but tripped and fell into the well. And Prezzemolina married her savior. They lived in love and happiness for many, many years.

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Prezzemolina

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