Flow light ahead, let darkness spread behind

I will tell you a fairy tale, hiding nothing, just as it was told to me in the evenings in the village.

Once upon a time, there lived a husband and wife. When they married in their youth, they had a daughter. The daughter grew up to be a beauty, radiant like the sun, lovely like a ripe berry. Those who were of marrying age all hesitated, all hoped: she, too, was a maiden, like all maidens, and someday she would have to choose a groom for herself.

But, as they say, every seed sprouts and turns green easily, but it is not so easy for it to bloom and ripen. Sometimes, rains and fierce winds bend the sprout to the ground, tearing and breaking it, and it struggles to recover, to lift its head toward the sun. So came hard times for the poor maiden. Out of nowhere, her mother fell ill and passed away. Before she died, she managed to pull a ring from her bosom, hand it to her daughter, and say:

"Do you see this ring? Guard it like the apple of your eye. Whoever comes to woo you, place this ring on their finger: if it fits, marry them, but if it does not, do not even think about it."

The daughter buried her mother, grieved, and mourned. A little time passed, and suitors began to press her again.

She tried the ring on each of them, but it fit none. Thus, she could not choose a groom.

In those days, there lived a Little Man as tall as a thumb, with a beard as long as an elbow, and he had a grandson, may he not be mentioned at night, ugly and fearsome, like an evil spirit. It so happened that the monster, Little Man as tall as a thumb, learned the size of the ring. Upon discovering it, he lit a blazing fire and made his grandson hold his hand in the flames for nine days and nine nights. When the hand softened, Little Man as tall as a thumb placed it on an anvil and, with nine hammers, began to forge it—bang, crash, clang!—until he shaped the grandson's finger to fit the ring.

Then Little Man as tall as a thumb dressed his grandson in a robe embroidered with gold and silver, adorned with precious stones, and sent him to woo the fair maiden. The grandson bowed to the maiden, extended his finger... and the ring fit perfectly. Woe upon woe! Tears streamed down the poor maiden's face. She had never expected such a groom. But since her mother had given her this instruction on her deathbed, she had no choice. She wept and lamented, but no one could ease her sorrow, no one could comfort her.

However she twisted and turned, she managed to escape the dragon's gaze and, unseen by anyone, ran to her mother's grave, where she began to weep bitterly:

"Oh, black earth, oh, dark grave, may the rain wash you away, may the frost split you open, so that my cries may reach my mother deep in the ground. Day and night I shed tears, may she hear my pain!"

"What has happened to you, my dear daughter?" came a hollow voice, like a groan.

"Oh, dearest mother, you left me this ring, but it has brought me nothing but sorrow. No suitor has fit it, but now it fits a monster, a dragon. Teach me, mother, how to escape this dragon, for I would rather lie beside you in the grave than marry such a horror."

"My daughter, go home and tell your suitor that if he sews you a dress as beautiful as the sky at dawn, as the sun at noon, and as the evening at sunset, you will marry him. But if he cannot, let him leave and never return." The maiden returned home and told the dragon to his face that if he sewed her such a dress, she would marry him, but if he failed, he should not dare show his face again.

The grandson of Little Man as tall as a thumb sent word to the serpent kingdom, and there they sewed a dress of gold and precious stones, the likes of which the world had never seen before or since.

The dragon returned with the dress and presented it to the maiden with a bow. When she put it on, it fit her as if it had been made for her. And though the maiden was already renowned for her beauty, in that dress she became seven times more beautiful. On her chest, shoulders, and hem, three suns shone: the rising, the midday, and the setting. The dragon rejoiced, but the maiden withered with grief. Her golden face turned ashen, and tears streamed down her cheeks. Seeing that the wedding preparations were underway, she secretly ran to her mother's grave and wept so bitterly that her heart broke:

"Oh, black earth, oh, dark grave, open beneath me, let me lie with you, mother. In the morning, I will dry my tears with your shawl. But if not, send me wise counsel from beneath the earth: what should I do, how should I live, should I die or go on?"

And again, a hollow voice rose from the earth:

"My sorrowful daughter, why do you weep, why do you disturb my rest?"

"Mother, mother," said the maiden, "the dragon has sewn me a dress, and now he hurries with the wedding."

"Then tell your suitor to sew you another dress, one as beautiful as a clear morning, woven with rays of light and adorned with flowers in all their glory, fresh with morning dew, their colors enchanting, their fragrance intoxicating. If he sews you such a dress, marry him, but if he cannot, command him never to come near your home again."

The maiden returned home and said to the dragon...

- If you love me, dragon, and wish for me to become your bride,
first dress me in a gown as beautiful as a clear morning, pierced by rays of light, adorned with flowers in all their glory under the morning dew. Let their colors captivate the eyes, their fragrance intoxicate the soul. But if you cannot...

Before she could finish speaking, the grandson of the Thumb-Sized Man had already rushed to the kingdom of the dragons and rallied the goldsmiths and tailors—the finest craftsmen of their kind. For three days, they gathered flowers, for three days, they spun silk threads, for three days, they selected gemstones and grains of gold, and they sewed a dress unlike any other in the world. Birds chirped at the sight of it, people trembled, unable to look away, smiles blooming on their faces. When the maiden put it on... oh, my brother! Neither the beauty of May, nor a blooming land, nor the gaze of a beloved, nor a sunlit garden, nor the morning dew on a mountain ridge—nothing could compare to her. Only a song, only a dream, could match her beauty. Whoever looked at her melted with love, yet the maiden walked like a dark cloud, weeping bitter tears.

Once again, the maiden secretly went to her mother’s grave, crying and wailing, pouring out her sorrow:

Oh, black earth, oh, dark grave,
You weigh heavily on my mother’s shoulders,
But my sorrow is no lighter.
Your night is black, blacker still is my fate.
Grave, open up, Mother, appear before me.
For the third time, I ask:
Should I live or die?

- What happened, my dear daughter?

- The dragon made a dress and awaits my consent to marry him.

- My beauty, command the dragon to sew you a third dress, as beautiful as a sorceress’s night, with a starry sky and a full moon. If he succeeds and the dress pleases all, pretend to submit, begin the joyful wedding. But when you step into the yard to dance, place your hand on the flower at your chest and say: "Let light flow ahead, darkness spread behind," and go wherever your eyes lead. You will be free as a bird in the sky, as the spring wind, and no one will find your traces or your shadow.

The maiden relayed her demand to the dragon, but the beast said nothing, determined to fulfill this task as well, for the glory of the dragon kin. "Very well," he thought, "if not today, then tomorrow, you will be mine." He set out and sewed her a third dress, so beautiful that a whole day would not suffice to describe it, nor do we have the time. The grandson of the Thumb-Sized Man came to the maiden, and she adorned herself in the new attire, becoming a radiant beauty. On her shoulders, two precious stones sparkled like morning stars, on her sash were clusters of rubies and emeralds, and on her chest shone a full moon, yet still, the maiden’s face was the fairest of all.

Not long after, the wedding began. Guests arrived in droves, and the feast and merriment commenced. Music played, dancing erupted, and no one suspected that this would be the wedding’s end.

When the time came to lead the bride from the house according to ancient custom, as the guests cleared space for the dance, the maiden placed her hand on the flower at her chest and said: "Let light flow ahead, darkness spread behind!" As soon as she spoke these words, a black fog descended, and the maiden vanished. She walked along the edge of the sky, following the starlight, until she reached an old, dense forest. Evening approached, and she decided to find a place to rest for the night.

The sun sets in the evening and rises early in the morning, but storms and rain can come at any time.

The grandson of the Thumb-Sized Man reached the dragon kingdom, and they did not let him linger. They quickly sent another dragon with two vicious dogs to search for the maiden. The dogs, noses to the ground, tails high, led the way, following the fresh trail. The dogs ran ahead, the dragons behind, both waving their fists, gnashing their teeth, racing at full speed, dreaming day and night of capturing the fair maiden.

Soon, the dogs reached the forest, barking and charging into the thicket where the maiden hid. The poor girl fainted from fear, wishing she could vanish into the earth.

The fierce grandson of the Thumb-Sized Man grabbed her arm, trying to drag her from the bushes, but she wouldn’t budge. The second dragon, without hesitation, swung his saber and severed her arms at the elbows. The maiden fell to the ground, weeping, as the grandson tossed one arm to one dog, the other to the second, nodded to his companion, turned, and left.

The maiden was left alone with her grief and sorrow. She wandered through the forest, her strength fading. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a storm erupted, a terrible tempest with howling winds uprooting trees. The maiden sought shelter as best she could, when—crack!—the top of a tree broke off, revealing a nest with chicks. The wind scattered the nest, and the chicks tumbled to the ground, crying pitifully.

The maiden was moved by the chicks’ cries. She darted through the forest, gathering them with her stumps of arms, crouching over them, and shielding them until the storm and rain subsided. Just as she thought to leave them, she heard the rustling of wings above. The chicks chirped and reached for their mother. The bird, overjoyed to see her children alive and unharmed, asked the maiden:

- How can I repay you for your kindness?

- Why do you not feel sorry for yourself.

- Oh, my dear, I would gladly grow arms for you, but I do not have the pure water, clear as a tear, from the spring of springs that flows from beneath the dragon's rock, and I am unable to fetch it. I will care for you as I care for my fledglings: as I cherish them, so shall I cherish you.

The bird spread its wing, swept it over the girl, and turned her into a fledgling, as alike to the others as two drops of water.

It fed them, nurtured them, and when the fledglings grew, they greeted the sun with a merry song, fluttering over the open fields. They stayed together in a flock, found their own food, and flew to their roost at night.

Not far from the forest where the fledglings lived, there grew a large and beautiful garden belonging to the Green King.

The birds began to frequent this garden, pecking at worms and beetles, until one fine day they noticed a branched apple tree, a beauty of beauties. And this apple tree was no ordinary one: in the morning its leaves unfurled, at noon its branches were covered in blossoms, and by the next day, fruits had ripened—so sweet, delicious, and juicy that one could swallow their tongue. Once they spotted that tree, they pecked only at its apples. The Green King endured for a day, then two, but seeing that he would not harvest any fruit this way, he summoned his three sons and said:

- My sons, if you wish to eat apples, guard the tree from the birds of the sky.

- We will guard it, father, - the sons replied in unison.

On the first evening, the eldest son went to stand watch, but he did not stay awake for long: sleep overcame him, so deep that the red sun struggled to wake him in the morning.

He was so ashamed he did not know where to hide: the king, his brothers, and the entire court laughed at him.

On the second evening, the middle son went to stand watch. He fought against sleep, fought hard, but as dusk fully descended, he fell into an even deeper slumber than his brother. The next day, there was someone else to laugh at.

On the third evening, the youngest son went to stand watch. He took his brave weapon, found a secluded spot, and sat in ambush. He did not sit for long—night fell over the land. Suddenly, wings rustled in the air, and the flock of birds alighted on the apple tree, pecking at the fruit! The prince raised his bow, took aim, but the girl, who had been turned into a bird, noticed and cried out:

- Stop, prince, do not shoot!.. If you kill us, you will gain nothing, only lose joy.

The prince was frightened, lowered his bow, and the bird—hop, hop!—jumped from branch to branch, lower and lower, and as soon as it reached the ground, it turned back into a beauty of beauties.

The prince's heart ached with love for her. But when he saw her armless, he wept bitterly; the girl wept with him. Tears streamed down their faces, but the flame of love quickly dried them. And the girl told him her story, a bitter, bitter life overshadowed by the dragon-dog.

- I would not spare my own soul, if only to see you with arms. Is it possible?

- The bird that turned me into a fledgling said that if someone brings pure water, clear as a tear, from the spring of springs that flows from beneath the dragon's rock, I can be healed, and my arms will grow back as they were. The prince looked around, noticed a blooming red poppy among the trees in the garden, plucked it, and pinned it to the girl's chest.

- Take this flower, and I will set off on my journey. If you miss me, throw the flower into clear water: if it sinks—do not wait for me any longer; if it floats—wait for me even a whole century; if it drifts to the shore—wait for me one year...

- Where are you going?
- I will go to the Dragon Rock.
- Not even a bird flies there, let alone a human.
- If I do return, where should I look for you?
- I will greet the sunrise with a song in your garden every morning. The beauty bid farewell to the son of the Green King, turned back into a bird, and hopped onto a branch.

Then she took a poppy flower in her beak, flew to a clear stream, dropped it into the water, and watched anxiously to see what would happen. The flower floated downstream, then drifted to the shore… and settled there as if it had grown there all its life. The little bird rejoiced and quickly flew to the palace to see if the young man was still there, but he had already gone far, heading toward the kingdom of dragons, to the spring of springs with water as clear as a tear.

The bird sang a song of parting, a song of good meetings, while the prince walked on and on—through forests, mountains, and places where dragons dwelled. One fine day, he reached a deep, terrifying ravine where three devils were fighting, pulling each other's hair and raising such a ruckus that it could wake the dead. Seeing the traveler, they pleaded:

- Good man, if chance has brought you to us, have mercy and judge us: this nut is too tough for us to crack. Our father, on his deathbed, left us three things, but we cannot divide the inheritance.

- What did he leave you?
- A pair of boots, a hat, and a flute. But these are no ordinary things—they are magical. If you wear the boots, you can walk on water as if it were dry land. Put on the hat, and you can go wherever you please—no one will see you. And if you play the flute, you will instantly find yourself wherever your heart desires.

- You’ve given me a tough riddle. You see, what good is it if each of you gets one thing? One will walk on water, another will disappear who knows where. But if one of you possessed all three, that would be something.

- Here’s what I suggest. Leave the things here in the ravine and race to that hill in the distance. Whoever runs there and back the fastest will own all the items.

- Alright, agreed the devils.
- Now, line up and go!

Off they went… oh my… they raised such a cloud of dust that it covered the forest for ten miles around. The devils ran, and the prince chuckled to himself. He put on the boots, placed the hat on his head, played the flute, and before he knew it, he was at the Dragon Rock, by the spring of springs with water as clear as a tear.

The dragons sensed someone taking water from the spring and gathered in an instant, young and old. They looked around but saw no one, though they could feel someone was there. What a nuisance! They surrounded the spring, straining their eyes, but saw nothing. One dragon leaned over the spring, and the invisible prince swung his club—whack!—right on the back of its head, nearly knocking it out cold.

- Ow! Who hit me? May their eyes fall out!—howled the dragon, and—whack! whack!—it struck the one behind it, thinking it was the culprit; that one, not seeing the attacker, hit another. The dragons began pummeling each other, starting a brawl so fierce that neither sky nor earth was visible. Only one dragon remained, unharmed by sword or club.

The prince thought that if the club couldn’t destroy the dragon, let the prison walls and dungeon darkness do the job. He pressed the flute to his lips and wished to appear with the serpent at the royal court. Before he could finish his tune, he was home. He locked the dragon away, secured with seven locks and guarded by sentinels, then headed straight to the garden where a flock of birds was singing. Spotting him, one bird hopped from branch to branch until it landed on the ground, and as soon as it touched the earth, it turned into a beautiful maiden. The prince laughed with joy, while the maiden wept. He rolled up her sleeves to her shoulders and three times washed her stumps with the spring water. Instantly, her hands grew back as they had been, and she shone with happiness.

The sun is beautiful when it breaks free from behind mountain peaks and dark clouds; a flower is beautiful when the wind doesn’t blow over it, the rain waters it, and the sun warms it; a blooming meadow in May is beautiful when a warm breeze caresses it. Just as beautiful was the maiden with her restored hands, joy in her heart, and a smile on her face.

They went to the palace together, and the Green King, overjoyed that his son had returned with such a beauty, rushed to meet them. But before he could embrace them, the guards cried out in terror: the walls began to crumble, and the dungeon locks broke—the dragon was escaping. Oh, the fear that gripped everyone! Many fled, but the prince put on the hat and, as the enraged dragon approached… whack!—he struck it on one temple, then the other, felling it on the spot. The maiden approached the dragon, recognized it, and trembled; the creature mustered its strength and reached out to grab her. But then the maiden noticed her ring on its finger and—snap!—she tore it off. At that moment, the dragon turned to dust, leaving only a pile of bones—it had been its time to die.

The Green King ordered his servants to burn the bones and scatter the ashes to the wind, so no trace of the dragon remained. Then he threw a wedding feast with unheard-of music, unseen delicacies, and guests from all over the world. The maiden’s father arrived from a distant kingdom in a carriage drawn by twelve horses. And what a feast it was! No one left the table hungry or sober.

Happiness brought me to their wedding too. I celebrated, had fun, and saw how they lived in peace and harmony.

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Flow light ahead, let darkness spread behind

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