The Petrified Kingdom
In a certain kingdom, in a certain state, there once lived a soldier. He served long and faithfully, knew his duties well, and always appeared clean and presentable at inspections and drills. As he was nearing the end of his service, misfortune struck—his superiors, both high and low, took a dislike to him. He was constantly beaten and punished.Life became unbearable for the soldier, and he decided to desert. He slung his pack over his shoulder, shouldered his rifle, and began to bid farewell to his comrades. They asked him:
"Where are you going? Has the battalion commander summoned you?"
"Don't ask, brothers! Just tighten my pack for me and don't think ill of me!"
And off he went, the brave young man, heading wherever his eyes led him.
After traveling for some time, he found himself in another kingdom. He spotted a sentry and asked:
"Is there somewhere I can stop and rest?" The sentry reported to the corporal, the corporal to the officer, the officer to the general, and the general reported to the king himself.
The king ordered the soldier to be brought before him.
The soldier appeared as required, in full uniform, presented arms, and stood at attention. The king said to him:
"Tell me honestly, where are you from and where are you going?"
"Your Royal Majesty, do not order my execution, but allow me to speak."
He confessed everything to the king and asked to be taken into service.
"Very well," said the king. "Hire on to guard my garden. Things have been going poorly there—someone has been breaking my favorite trees. Do your best to protect it, and I will reward you handsomely." The soldier agreed and began to guard the garden.
A year passed, then two—everything was in order. But as the third year was coming to an end, the soldier went to inspect the garden and saw that half of the best trees had been broken.
"My God!" he thought. "What a disaster! If the king finds out, he'll have me hanged."
He took his rifle, leaned against a tree, and fell into deep thought.
Suddenly, he heard a crackling and rustling. He looked up and saw a huge, terrifying bird flying into the garden, knocking down trees! The soldier shot at it with his rifle. He didn't kill it, but wounded it in the right wing. Three feathers fell from the wing, and the bird fled across the ground. The soldier chased after it. The bird's legs were swift, and it quickly reached a chasm and disappeared from sight.
The soldier, unafraid, jumped into the chasm after it: he fell into a deep, deep abyss, bruised himself badly, and lay unconscious for a whole day.
When he came to, he stood up and looked around. What did he see? Even underground, there was light.
"So," he thought, "there are people here too!"
He walked and walked until he came to a large city. At the gates stood a guardhouse with a sentry. The soldier asked the sentry a question, but the sentry remained silent and motionless. The soldier grabbed his hand—it was completely made of stone!
He entered the guardhouse. There were many people inside, both standing and sitting, but all were turned to stone. He wandered through the streets—everywhere it was the same: not a single living soul, everything turned to stone! He came to a palace—ornate and intricately carved. He marched inside and saw rich rooms, tables laden with food and drink, but all was quiet and empty.
The soldier ate, drank, and sat down to rest. Then he heard what sounded like someone approaching the porch. He grabbed his rifle and stood by the door.
Into the chamber walked a beautiful princess with her nursemaids and attendants. The soldier saluted her, and she bowed to him graciously.
"Greetings, soldier! Tell me," she said, "how did you come to be here?"
The soldier began to tell his story:
"I was hired to guard the king's garden, and a large bird began flying there, breaking the trees. I lay in wait, shot at it with my rifle, and knocked three feathers from its wing. I chased after it and ended up here."
"That bird is my own sister. She has caused much evil and brought calamity upon my kingdom—she turned all my people to stone. Listen: here is a book. Stand here and read it from evening until the roosters crow. No matter what horrors you see, just keep reading and hold the book tightly so it isn't taken from you, or you won't survive! If you last three nights, I will marry you."
"Very well," replied the soldier.
As soon as it grew dark, he took the book and began to read.
Suddenly, there was a clatter and a rumble—an entire army appeared in the palace. The soldier's former superiors approached him, cursing him and threatening him with death for desertion. They loaded their rifles and took aim. But the soldier paid no attention, kept reading the book, and didn't let go of it.
The roosters crowed—and everything vanished!
The second night was even worse, and the third night was the most terrifying of all: executioners ran in with saws, axes, and hammers, threatening to break his bones, stretch his tendons, and burn him alive. All they wanted was to snatch the book from his hands. The horrors were so intense that the soldier barely endured them.
The roosters crowed—and the nightmare vanished!
At that very moment, the entire kingdom came back to life. People bustled through the streets and houses, and the princess appeared in the palace with her generals and entourage. They all thanked the soldier and hailed him as their sovereign.
The next day, he married the beautiful princess, and they lived together in love and happiness.
More fairy tales
