Little Khavroshechka

Once upon a time, there was a poor widow who had a daughter named Khavroshechka. They lived happily until misfortune struck: the widow fell ill and passed away, leaving her daughter an orphan.

The girl was taken in by her aunt, who already had three daughters of her own: the eldest was One-Eye, the middle one was Two-Eyes, and the youngest was Three-Eyes.

Life was hard for Khavroshechka: she was dressed in rags, overworked, and begrudged even a piece of bread. The poor orphan would have been in dire straits if not for the cow her mother had left behind, which helped her in every way.

Whenever her aunt would demand that Khavroshechka spin, weave, or bleach linen, the girl would go to the field, embrace her cow, and say:
"Dear little cow, my sweet brown cow! My aunt has ordered me to spin, weave, and bleach linen. Please help me."
And the cow would reply:
"Climb into one of my ears and come out the other—everything will be done."
Khavroshechka would climb out of the cow's ear, and everything would be ready: spun, woven, and bleached.

Her aunt was amazed at how Khavroshechka managed to get everything done so quickly. She would hide the finished work in a chest and give the girl even more tasks. But no matter how much work she assigned, Khavroshechka always completed it on time.

The aunt decided to find out who was helping the orphan. She called her eldest daughter, One-Eye, and said:
"My dear daughter, keep an eye on the orphan and see who helps her spin and weave."

Khavroshechka went to the field, and One-Eye followed her. She lay down on the grass under a bush, while Khavroshechka sat nearby and chanted:
"Sleep, little eye, sleep, little eye!"
One-Eye fell asleep. While she slept, the cow did all of Khavroshechka's work.

When the girls returned home, the mother asked One-Eye:
"Well, daughter, what did you see?"
The daughter replied:
"Forgive me, mother, I got drowsy in the sun, fell asleep, and saw nothing."

The mother was angry. The next day, she sent her middle daughter, Two-Eyes. She, too, lay down in the shade under a bush and forgot her mother's instructions. She lay there, dozing, while Khavroshechka chanted:
"Sleep, little eye, sleep, other eye!"

The cow did all the work, and Two-Eyes slept through it all.
Khavroshechka woke her up:
"Let's go," she said. "It's time to go home. I've finished all the work."
Again, the aunt learned nothing from her second daughter. Furious, she sent her youngest daughter, Three-Eyes, on the third day.

The girls went to the field. Three-Eyes sat and walked around for a while, then lay down under a bush, stretching and lounging, while Khavroshechka chanted:
"Sleep, little eye, sleep, other eye!" But she forgot about the third eye.
Two eyes fell asleep, but the third one saw everything. Three-Eyes returned home and told her mother everything she had seen.

The aunt went to her husband and said:
"Go and slaughter the cow!"
"What are you thinking, wife? The cow is good; it's a pity to kill her."
"I don't want to hear it. Slaughter her."

He went to sharpen his knife, and Khavroshechka rushed to her cow, embracing her and weeping:
"Dear little cow, my sweet brown cow! They want to slaughter you. What will become of me, poor orphan, without you?"
"Don't cry, girl! Listen to what I tell you: don't eat my meat, gather my bones, and bury them in the garden. Remember to water them with spring water every day."

The aunt rejoiced, thinking that now no one would help Khavroshechka, and she could torment the girl as much as she pleased.
But Khavroshechka did as the cow had instructed: she didn't eat the meat, buried the bones in the garden, and watered them with spring water every day. An apple tree grew in her garden—lush, sprawling, and laden with ripe apples. Everyone who passed by stopped to admire it.

One day, the girls were walking in the garden when a rich young gentleman, a handsome man, rode by.
He saw the marvelous apples and said to the girls:
"Greetings, fair maidens! What lovely apples you have! Whichever of you gives me an apple, I will marry."

The sisters rushed to the apple tree, but the branches with the apples were too high. They jumped and jumped around the tree but couldn't reach the apples. Then Khavroshechka approached the tree, and the branches bent down to her, the apples falling right into her hands.

She handed an apple to the gentleman, and he took her by her white hand, seated her beside him in his carriage, and took her away from her wicked aunt. Khavroshechka married the gentleman, and they lived happily ever after, prospering and growing rich.

↑ To the top

Little Khavroshechka

More fairy tales