River of fairy tales. Unprofessional translation from Russian. Viktor Gitin

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      It happened a long time ago. An old man lived somewhere, and he had three daughters. When his time came, he died. He left to his daughters as their dowry three things – a house, a pavilion, and an old dove house with a white dove.

      The elder daughters quickly took charge of the dowry. The eldest daughter got the house. She took fancy to the beautiful building and said she would never move from there. The second daughter got to the pavilion and declared she was quite satisfied with this dwelling. As for the youngest daughter, the two elders decided to give her the ruined dove house and the white dove. Moreover, they said this pile of junk spoils their beautiful yard, so the youngest daughter should take her kennel with her and live somewhere else. Thus, they planned to get rid of the small old, ruined dove house as well as of their own sister. Sometimes it happens in life that the closest relatives become the bitterest enemies when it comes to sharing something.

      The youngest daughter had nobody to seek help from. When the father was alive, he protected her from reproaches and mockery of the sisters. But he died and she was left all alone in the world.

      «This ugly dove house will scare all the wooers off our houses!» the eldest sister considered.

      She was already in her middle years and was very worried she could stay an old maid. As she became the mistress of a large house, she hoped to marry quickly. If not by love, then by dowry.

      «Also, this old barn brings only problems. Down and droppings are everywhere in the yard!» the second sister agreed.

      She «loved’ her elder sister so much she wished her secretly not only to never marry but also to get old, dry up and die as soon as possible. Then she thought to take over the house and to become the only mistress of the whole father’s legacy. That is why she didn’t need the youngest sister who was nothing but impediment to her wicked plans. She only wanted to chase the youngest one as soon and as far as possible.

      Thus, the youngest sister has nothing left to do but to take the white dove from the dove house, put her in a cage and walk-up hill and down dale.

      The elder sisters happy to get rid of the nuisance instantly chopped the old dove house to splinters and laughed over the youngest sister’s fate. They were glad to witness other people’s hardships more than to be happy for themselves.

      The youngest daughter, the poor orphan, said goodbye to her father’s grave and took a long road to the rising sun. After a while she came to a large palace near the Silver Wood. An old noble lady lived there. She was very rich, strict, and evil. Moreover, she was capricious and arrogant. When she combed her hair, she thought she became wiser. She lived alone because she was not only a rich mistress but also a wicked witch. She didn’t want people to know she was a witch. In fact, she didn’t like people at all. She could put a jinx on somebody, hoodoo or even bedevil people. That is why she built the most impenetrable wall between her and people – the wall of lies, evil and stupidity.

      The girl asked her to allow her to stay overnight. The lady let her in but first of all ordered her to clean the house, to cook some food and to sweep up the yard. She was very lazy and unkept. When she started to clean the house, it got even more chaotic after that.

      The youngest sister was very hard-working and behaved well. During her life in the father’s house, she learned a lot of things: wash, cook and keep the house clean. She knew how to do everything quickly and well. The elder sisters didn’t like to work. They were more worried about the wooers, so they spent their days looking out of the windows afraid to miss their happiness. All the housework was the youngest sister’s responsibility, that’s why the orphan was used to the hard work.

      The girl did everything she was told quickly and well. She swept up the yard with the broom, cooked a lot of food and even repaired the porch of the house.

      The lady saw it all and said:

      «You are a smart and hard-working girl. I think I’ll let you to live with me. You will be my housemaid. You will take care of me and entertain me. And if you do something wrong, I will lock you in the closet. It is so dark in there, and there are lots of huge hungry rats. If they don’t eat you overnight, they’ll bite you all over for sure. And if you decide to run, I will find you anyway because I’m a witch and I know lots of things. So, abide. You will work for me all your life! If you abide to my kindness and favor, you will live. Otherwise, I’ll simply rot you!»

      The youngest sister burst into ears but nothing doing, she had to stay. She had nowhere to go. She had no one to help or support her. Her own sisters chased her from her father’s house, and her father died. That’s why she had nothing to do but abide and stay with the lady-witch.

      Thus, the girl started to work over the palace night and day. She had to please her wicked mistress and follow all her whims. For example, the lady invented special tasks for the girl. The orphan did everything quick and well. The witch saw the girl did everything, sneaked up and spoiled everything. And after that she scolded the poor housemaid threatening her with the closet full of rats.

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