Sister Alyonushka and Brother Ivanushka

Once upon a time, there lived an old man and an old woman, and they had a daughter named Alyonushka and a son named Ivanushka.
The old man and woman passed away, leaving Alyonushka and Ivanushka all alone.

Alyonushka went to work and took her little brother with her. They walked a long way across a wide field, and Ivanushka grew thirsty.
"Sister Alyonushka, I want to drink!"
"Wait, little brother, we’ll reach the well soon."
They walked and walked—the sun was high, the well was far, the heat was unbearable, and sweat poured down. They came across a cow’s hoofprint filled with water.
"Sister Alyonushka, I’ll take a sip from the hoofprint!"
"Don’t drink, little brother, or you’ll turn into a calf!"
Ivanushka obeyed, and they walked on.

The sun was high, the well was far, the heat was unbearable, and sweat poured down. They came across a horse’s hoofprint filled with water.
"Sister Alyonushka, I’ll drink from the hoofprint!"
"Don’t drink, little brother, or you’ll turn into a foal!"
Ivanushka sighed, and they walked on.

The sun was high, the well was far, the heat was unbearable, and sweat poured down. They came across a goat’s hoofprint filled with water.
Ivanushka said:
"Sister Alyonushka, I can’t hold on any longer—I’ll drink from the hoofprint!"
"Don’t drink, little brother, or you’ll turn into a kid!"
But Ivanushka didn’t listen and drank from the goat’s hoofprint.
He drank and turned into a little goat...

Alyonushka called for her brother, but instead of Ivanushka, a little white goat ran after her.
Alyonushka burst into tears, sat down by a haystack, and wept, while the little goat jumped around her.
At that moment, a merchant rode by:
"Why are you crying, fair maiden?"
Alyonushka told him of her misfortune.

The merchant said to her:
"Marry me. I’ll dress you in gold and silver, and the little goat will live with us."
Alyonushka thought it over and agreed to marry the merchant.

They began to live together, and the little goat lived with them, eating and drinking from the same bowl as Alyonushka.
One day, the merchant was away from home. Out of nowhere, a witch appeared: she stood under Alyonushka’s window and sweetly called her to go bathe in the river.

The witch led Alyonushka to the river. She attacked her, tied a stone around Alyonushka’s neck, and threw her into the water. Then the witch turned herself into Alyonushka, dressed in her clothes, and returned to her home. No one recognized the witch. Even the merchant, when he returned, didn’t notice.

Only the little goat knew the truth. He hung his head, refusing to eat or drink. Morning and evening, he walked along the riverbank, calling out:

"Alyonushka, my sister!..
Come out, come out to the shore..."

The witch found out about this and began pleading with her husband to slaughter the little goat...
The merchant felt sorry for the goat, as he had grown fond of him. But the witch insisted so much that he finally agreed:
"Very well, slaughter him..."

The witch ordered high bonfires to be lit, cast-iron cauldrons to be heated, and sharp knives to be sharpened.
The little goat learned that his time was short and said to his stepfather:
"Before I die, let me go to the river to drink some water and rinse my insides."
"Very well, go."
The little goat ran to the river, stood on the shore, and cried out pitifully:

"Alyonushka, my sister!
Come out, come out to the shore.
The bonfires burn high,
The cauldrons boil with cast iron,
The knives are sharpened to a fine edge,
They want to slaughter me!"

Alyonushka answered from the river:

"Oh, my brother Ivanushka!
The heavy stone pulls me down,
The silken grass tangles my legs,
The yellow sand weighs on my chest."

The witch searched for the little goat but couldn’t find him, so she sent a servant:
"Go find the goat and bring him to me."
The servant went to the river and saw the little goat running along the shore, crying out pitifully:

"Alyonushka, my sister!
Come out, come out to the shore.
The bonfires burn high,
The cauldrons boil with cast iron,
The knives are sharpened to a fine edge,
They want to slaughter me!"

And from the river came the reply:

"Oh, my brother Ivanushka!
The heavy stone pulls me down,
The silken grass tangles my legs,
The yellow sand weighs on my chest."

The servant ran home and told the merchant what he had heard by the river. The people gathered, went to the river, cast silk nets, and pulled Alyonushka to the shore. They removed the stone from her neck, dipped her in spring water, and dressed her in fine clothes. Alyonushka came back to life and became even more beautiful than before. The little goat, out of joy, somersaulted three times and turned back into the boy Ivanushka. The witch was tied to a horse’s tail and let loose in an open field.

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Sister Alyonushka and Brother Ivanushka

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