The Shepherd Boy - A Tiny Sprout

Once upon a time, there lived a shepherd boy. He was born small in stature, and because of this, his character turned out to be rather spiteful. One day, as he was heading to the pasture, he encountered a poultry woman carrying a basket of eggs on her head to sell at the market. He picked up a stone and threw it at the basket, breaking all the eggs. The poor woman became furious and shouted after the shepherd:

"May you not grow another inch until you find the beautiful Bargalina with the three singing apples!"

From that day on, the shepherd boy stopped growing altogether, and no matter how much his mother fed him, he only grew thinner and weaker.

"What has happened to you?" his mother asked him. "Has someone cast a spell on you?"

The boy had no choice but to tell her how the poultry woman had cursed him: "You won't grow another inch until you find the beautiful Bargalina with the three singing apples!"

"Well," said his mother, "there's nothing else to do. You'll have to go out into the world and search for this Bargalina."

So the shepherd boy set off on his journey. He walked and walked until he came to a small bridge. There, he saw a tiny woman swinging in a walnut shell.

"Who goes there?" she asked.

"A friend, dear auntie. I'm searching for the beautiful Bargalina with the three singing apples. Have you heard of her?"

"No, I haven't. But take this stone; it will come in handy."

The shepherd boy approached a second bridge, where another tiny woman was bathing in a walnut shell.

"Who goes there?"

"A friend, dear auntie. I'm searching for the beautiful Bargalina with the three singing apples. Do you know anything about her?"

"No, I don't. But take this ivory comb; it will be useful."

The shepherd boy put the comb in his pocket and continued on his way. He reached a mountain stream where a man sat on the bank, gathering the evening mist into a sack. The shepherd boy asked him about the beautiful Bargalina, but the stranger knew nothing about her. However, he gave the boy a handful of thick mist.

The shepherd boy then came to a mill, where the miller was a talking fox.

"Well," said the fox, "I've heard of the beautiful Bargalina. But finding her won't be easy. Keep walking until you come across a house with an open door. Enter boldly, and you'll see a crystal cage with bells inside, containing the singing apples. An old witch guards the cage. Remember this: if her eyes are closed, she's wide awake, but if her eyes are open, she's asleep. Grab the cage and run."

The shepherd boy reached the house, saw the crystal cage, and noticed the old witch nearby. Her eyes were closed, so she wasn't asleep.

"Greetings, handsome lad," said the witch. "Do me a favor and comb my hair."

The shepherd boy began to comb her hair, and little by little, she opened her eyes—she was falling asleep. He grabbed the cage and ran for his life. But the bells in the cage jingled, waking the witch. She sent a hundred horsemen after him. The horsemen galloped furiously, nearly catching up to the boy. He threw the stone from his pocket behind him, and it turned into a massive mountain with cliffs and chasms. The horses broke their legs, and the horsemen had to return to the witch on foot.

The witch sent two hundred horsemen after him. Seeing them close behind, the shepherd boy threw the ivory comb behind him. It turned into a smooth, bone-like mountain. The horses slipped and fell, and all the riders were injured. The witch sent three hundred horsemen the third time. The shepherd boy threw the handful of mist behind him, and it spread into a thick, sticky darkness. The horses became lost and strayed from the path.

The shepherd boy finally reached the road home and felt thirsty. He took one of the apples from the cage and began to cut it. Suddenly, a tiny voice cried out:

"Cut carefully! Don't hurt me!"

The shepherd boy gently cut the apple in half, ate one half, and put the other in his pocket.

He reached a well near his home and reached into his pocket for the half apple. But instead, he found a tiny girl sitting there.

"I am the beautiful Bargalina," she said. "And I'm very hungry. Bring me a wheat cake."

The shepherd boy placed Bargalina on the step by the well and went home to fetch the cake.

Meanwhile, a maid nicknamed Skvernavka came to the well. She saw the beautiful little girl on the step and said:

"Oh, what a beauty! So small and pretty! And I'm so big and ugly."

Skvernavka grabbed the beautiful Bargalina and threw her into the well.

When the shepherd boy returned, Bargalina was gone. He grieved, but there was nothing he could do...

The shepherd boy's mother usually fetched water from the same well. One day, she pulled up a bucket of water and found a fish inside. She brought the fish home, fried it, and shared it with her son. They threw the fish bones out the window, and where the bones fell, a mighty, spreading tree grew, blocking all the light from the window. The shepherd boy chopped down the tree, split it into firewood, and used it to heat the stove.

Some time passed, and the shepherd boy's mother died. He lived alone, still thin and unremarkable. Every morning, he went out to tend the cattle and returned home only in the evening. To his surprise, every day, the dishes were washed, the house was cleaned, and fresh wheat cakes were baked—though he had no idea who was doing it. One day, he hid behind the door to see who was performing these miracles. He saw a tiny girl emerge from the pile of firewood and begin washing dishes, sweeping the floor, making the bed, and baking cakes. The shepherd boy jumped out from behind the door:

"Who are you? And how did you get here?"

"I am the beautiful Bargalina," replied the tiny girl. "Remember, you found me in your pocket instead of the apple. Skvernavka threw me into the well, and I turned into a fish, then into fish bones, then into a seed, and then into a tree. When you're not home, I turn back into the beautiful Bargalina."

As soon as the shepherd boy found his Bargalina, he began to grow, becoming taller and more handsome each day. And little Bargalina grew with him. The shepherd boy turned into a fine young man and married Bargalina. They held a joyful wedding feast.

And I hid under the table
And found a bone there.
They kicked me on the nose—
Sparks flew before my eyes.

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The Shepherd Boy - A Tiny Sprout

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