The story of the magic mirror. The Tale of Magic Mirrors

The Tale of Masha and the Magic Mirror

INTRODUCTION

I know, dear guys, that many of you would like to find yourself in a magical world. But in this world there are also dark, gloomy places where you find yourself - God forbid! This is the Bukhteevo Filthy Kingdom - unsightly, stinking, inhabited by evil spirits. This kingdom is ruled by Bukhtei, a swamp monster. And he takes the disobedient children, and only then turns them into his subjects. The monster cannot take obedient children; he does not have such power. And as soon as the child becomes rude and capricious, then Bukhtei notices him, with dark magic kindles the harmfulness in him, and as soon as a lot of malice accumulates in the child, he quickly pulls him towards himself.

So the girl Mashenka once became capricious and ended up in the Filthy Kingdom, and there, whether you like it or not, you have to do evil. Bukhtey assigned his favorite Malyavka to Masha, so that she could teach the girl harmful things. It was hard for Mashenka: from morning until night, she had to raise the little thorns, not seeing the white light. But it’s even harder to do real evil: to lure other children into the kingdom of Bukhteevo, to make evil out of good ones, and bad out of good ones. It’s one thing to be capricious, and another thing to become more evil than the real one. Mashenka didn’t want to, she began to think both day and night how to escape from the Filthy Kingdom and return home. The little mouse, who was snooping around everywhere, told the girl the way to salvation - she knew a lot. That path was to a white-trunked birch tree, enchanted, that there was one there, in the Filthy Kingdom there were swamps all around, and instead of trees there were dry snags. And that birch tree was not an easy one, the beautiful Forest Fairy turned into it to save the foolish children who foolishly ended up with Bukhtei.

Mashenka outwitted the terrible Bukhtey, outwitted the nasty Little One, got to the Forest Fairy, who saved the girl. Mashenka returned home as if there had never been a terrible incident in her life, and it turned out that while she had been tormented and suffered in the dark magical kingdom for many days and nights, only a minute had passed at home. So the mother didn’t notice anything, she was only surprised that her daughter suddenly stopped being mischievous and became obedient and compliant.

And Mashenka, of course, decided never to be capricious again in her life. Yes, it was so while she remembered about Bukhteev’s kingdom. And then the girl forgot about everything that happened to her. Fairy did her best. The good sorceress decided not to leave dark, terrible memories in the child’s soul. Maybe she made the right decision, or maybe not, but Mashenka, having forgotten everything, began to be capricious again.

Guys, I described this adventure in detail in a book called “The Tale of Masha and the Harm of Malyavka.” And what happened to Masha next, I’ll tell you now.

Mashenka’s birthday passed and she turned six years old! The birthday has passed, but the gifts remain, a whole mountain. Here is the long-awaited tablet! My beloved parents gave it as a gift, but they said “expensive, expensive.” They couldn't stand it! And Uncle Kolya, godfather, brought in such a huge bear! And even though she’s quite big, six years old, the bear is so soft! Let it be.

Mashenka is sitting on the crib, sorting through the gifts. I really want to sleep, my eyes are drooping, but I still can’t tear myself away from everything new. Suddenly she sees: among the other boxes there is a small box, made of birch bark, something strange, special. She looked more closely and gasped: that’s what’s special about the box - it shines. And the girl won’t remember whose gift it was?

She extended her hand to the strange thing and carefully touched it. To the touch - ordinary birch bark. She opened the box and saw that this mirror was shining. It’s small, it looks like a birch leaf. Masha looked at him, and immediately made a face, just like that, out of a good mood. But the face was not reflected in the mirror, but a girl of unprecedented beauty with braids appeared there, and the braids were green. This beauty looks at Masha and says:

- It’s not nice to make faces! And stupid!

She said and disappeared. And Masha appeared in the mirror, her mouth open in surprise. The girl immediately closed her mouth and let’s turn the mirror this way and that - look for the buttons. I couldn’t find any buttons and I thought: “I imagined this because I was tired, I watched too many cartoons today, I need to go to bed quickly.”

A girl is sleeping and has a strange dream. It’s as if the old beauty from the mirror is telling her:

- I, Masha, know you well, I know that you are a kind girl, but why haven’t you been listening to your grandmother lately, why are you offending?

- Why does she grumble all the time? - Masha is indignant. - And that’s not true for her, and that’s not true! She herself called me her happiness. Is it possible to scold happiness?

- Don’t invent nonsense! - the green-haired girl says sternly. - You need to listen to your grandmother, she is wise, but you are still small and don’t understand much. So you're arguing with me. And I, by the way, am also wise, I am a Fairy. And I didn’t come to you to argue. Know, girl: I already saved you from terrible trouble, even though you don’t remember it, and now I want to save you. And to prevent trouble from happening, listen to the mirror that I gave you for your birthday! - she said so and disappeared.

Masha woke up and was surprised by the strange dream. But then I remembered that I needed to go to kindergarten, immediately forgot about the dream and ran to persuade my grandmother not to go to kindergarten.

“Come on, I won’t go to kindergarten today,” he says. - It’s my birthday!

“It was my birthday yesterday,” the grandmother is surprised. - And today is a weekday.

- I don’t want a weekday, I want a holiday! I don’t want to go to kindergarten, I want to sit at home and play with new toys!

“Don’t be harmful, granddaughter,” the grandmother persuades. - I need to go to work.

- And you ask for time off! Yesterday I asked for time off - why can’t you do it today?

- Don’t talk nonsense yourself!!! You don't love me at all! You say “I love you”, but you lie! I’m not going to get ready for kindergarten! - the girl screams.

She ran to her room, puffing with anger. Suddenly he hears a thin, thin ringing somewhere nearby. Masha looks, and this mirror shines so much that it already rings. She took the mirror, and there, of course, was the Fairy from the dream. Shakes his head and says:

- Go, Masha, apologize to your grandmother, otherwise it will be bad for you.

“Real fairies don’t intimidate children,” Masha was indignant. - On the contrary, they do good miracles!

- I can do good miracles too. Just not before that now, I want to save you from big trouble. If you continue to be mischievous, you will end up in a terrible place.

“I’m not three years old for you to scare me with nonsense,” Masha gets angry. - And I’m not harmful at all!

“Look here,” says the Fairy in a malicious voice.

And Mashenka didn’t want to look, but she couldn’t resist looking in the mirror. And there seems to be a “video” about her. How she screams at her grandmother: she’s all red, her cheeks are shaking with anger, her mouth is twisted. Horror, and that's all!

Mashenka got angry, the mirror hit the floor - it sucked! Yes, he stamps his foot on it! The mirror rang and hummed, and Masha suddenly felt dizzy. The girl closed her eyes and squeezed her eyes shut. And when she opened it, she couldn’t understand anything. Where is her room with gifts? Where is dear grandma? She sits on a hummock in the swamp, and all around the place is swampy and smelly. The frightened girl was just about to cry and scream, but she didn’t have time. Nearby, a toad emerged from the green mud - a huge, enormous one, with fangs sticking out of the bulldog's mouth. The toad rolls its eyes, looking for the girl. And she lost her voice from horror, she can’t cry or scream, she just stares in fear at an unprecedented beast. And although Masha is not a coward, anyone in her place would be scared. And the bulldog toad looked for the girl, jumped onto a hummock, grabbed poor Masha and dragged her to God knows where.

She brought the poor thing to the swamp monster and threw it at his feet. He sits on a hummock, looking unkindly. The monster’s eyes are small, its snout is huge, its mouth is terrible, and it’s like a haystack. Suddenly he opens his mouth and mutters: “Bay-bay! Bay-bay! The smell from him is terrible! This spirit made the poor girl's eyes water and her head become foggy. And as the fog passed, then Masha remembered in an instant that she found herself again in the kingdom of Bukhteev. “How could I forget about the Filthy Kingdom, why didn’t I listen to the Wise Fairy, and what will happen to me now?” - she thinks with horror. Meanwhile, Bukhtey stood up to his full height , and his hand is a huge, yellow bone. He hit the ground with the bone: then the earth began to tremble, his subjects reached out to Bukhteev from all sides, and soon Mashenka found herself in the crowd of terrible inhabitants of Bukhteev’s kingdom. A lot of monsters came running: big, and small, and shaggy and hairless, and ugly, and not so much. And among the monsters, the harms crowded together, who used to be children, but became wild under Bukhtey’s subordination. The harm is thin, dirty, standing grinning - they are having fun.

About the fairy tale

Russian folk tale "The Magic Mirror"

Russian folk tales are one of the most beautiful creations of oral folk art. Among the many plots of fairy tales, there is always a place for a fairy tale with miracles and transformations, good witches and evil witches.

One of these fairy tales is “The Magic Mirror”, the main character of which is a merchant’s daughter. She lived in her father's house with her widower father, brother and uncle. And everything would be fine in her life until her father decided to go to foreign lands for new goods.

Then serious trials began in the life of a young and beautiful girl. At first, her uncle began to harass her. And when he received a rebuff from his niece, he slandered her. The father decided to punish his daughter. So the girl had to leave her home and go wherever she looked.

A shelter was found for the merchant's daughter in a forest palace with three brothers, who accepted her as their own sister. But unfortunately for the merchant’s daughter, her father decided to marry her. The stepmother, although she was a beautiful woman, turned out to be an angry and envious person.

To strengthen this negative image, the storyteller presented the merchant's new wife in the role of an evil sorceress. Three times the stepmother wanted to take her stepdaughter away from the world. The third time she succeeded. The girl fell asleep in a magical sleep.

And, if not for the kiss of the young prince, the merchant’s daughter would never have woken up from the evil spell. The young people got married and they would have been happy if evil people with unclean thoughts had not interfered in their fate again.

Fate tested the merchant's daughter many times, presenting her with more and more new trials. But she managed to remain honest and infallible before her father, brother and husband.

Thus, through a fairy-tale image in Russian folk tales, the image of a Russian woman was created - pure and virtuous, honest and fair. The merchant's daughter in the fairy tale “The Magic Mirror” is a collective image of a mother, sister, bride, and wife.

Read the Russian folk tale “The Magic Mirror” online for free and without registration.

In a certain kingdom, in a certain state, there lived a widower merchant; he had a son, a daughter, and a brother... At one time, this merchant is going to go to foreign lands, buy various goods, takes his son with him, and leaves his daughter at home; He calls his brother and says to him: “I entrust to you, dear brother, my entire house and household, and I earnestly ask: look after my daughter more closely, teach her to read and write, and do not allow her to be spoiled!” After that, the merchant said goodbye to his brother and daughter and set off on his journey. And the merchant’s daughter was already old and of such indescribable beauty that even if you walked around the world, you wouldn’t find another like her! An unclean thought came into his uncle’s head, it gave him no rest day or night, and he began to pester the red maiden. “Either,” he says, “commit a sin to me, or you won’t live in the world; and I myself will disappear and kill you!..”

Once a girl went to the bathhouse, her uncle followed her - just through the door, she grabbed a basin full of boiling water and doused him from head to toe. He lay there for three weeks and barely recovered; terrible hatred gnawed at his heart, and he began to think: how to laugh off this ridicule? I thought and thought, and finally wrote a letter to my brother: your daughter is doing bad things, wandering around other people’s yards, doesn’t spend the night at home and doesn’t listen to me. The merchant received this letter, read it and became very angry; says to his son: “Your sister has disgraced the whole house! I don’t want to have mercy on her: go this very minute, chop the scoundrel into small pieces and bring her heart with this knife. Let good people not laugh at our kind-tribe!”

The son took a sharp knife and went home; I arrived in my hometown on the sly, without telling anyone, and began to scout around: how does such and such a merchant’s daughter live? Everyone praises her with one voice - they cannot boast enough: she is quiet, and modest, and knows God, and listens to good people. Having found out everything, he went to his sister; she was delighted, rushed to meet him, hugs him, kisses him: “Dear brother! How did the Lord bring you? What about our dear father? - “Oh, dear sister, don’t rush to rejoice. My arrival is not good: my father sent me and ordered your white body to be chopped into small pieces, your heart to be taken out and delivered to him on this knife.”

My sister started crying. “My God,” he says, “why such disfavor?” - “But for what!” - the brother answered and told her about his uncle’s letter. “Oh, brother, I’m not guilty of anything!” The merchant’s son listened to how and what happened and said: “Don’t cry, sister! I myself know that you are not guilty, and even though the priest did not order you to accept any excuses, I still don’t want to execute you. You’d better get ready and leave your father’s house wherever you look; God will not leave you!” The merchant's daughter did not think long, got ready for the journey, said goodbye to her brother and went where - she herself does not know. And her brother killed a yard dog, took out the heart, put it on a sharp knife and took it to his father. He gives him the dog’s heart: “So and so,” he says, “on your parental orders, I executed my sister.” - “Come on! Death for a dog!” - answered the father.

How long or how short did the red maiden wander around the white world, and finally entered a dense, dense forest: from behind the tall trees the sky was barely visible. She began to walk through this forest and accidentally came out into a wide clearing; in this clearing there is a white stone palace, around the palace there is an iron lattice. “Let me go,” the girl thinks, “I’ll go into this palace, not everyone is evil, maybe the worst will happen!” She enters the chambers - there is not a human soul in the chambers; I was about to turn back - suddenly two powerful heroes galloped into the courtyard, entered the palace, saw the girl and said: “Hello, beauty!” - “Hello, honest knights!” “Here, brother,” said one hero to another, “you and I were grieving that there was no one to manage our house; and God sent us a sister.” The heroes left the merchant's daughter to live with them, called her their own sister, gave her the keys and made her the mistress of the whole house; then they took out sharp sabers, pointed them at each other’s chests and made the following agreement: “If any of us dares to encroach on our sister, then we will chop him up without mercy with this very saber.”

Here is a red maiden living with two heroes; and her father bought overseas goods, returned home and a little later married another wife. This merchant's wife was of indescribable beauty and had a magic mirror; look in the mirror - you will immediately find out where everything is being done. Once the heroes gathered for a hunt and told their sister: “Be careful, don’t let anyone in until we arrive!” They said goodbye to her and left. At this very time, the merchant’s wife looked into the mirror, admired her beauty and said: “There is no one more beautiful than me in the world!” And the mirror answered: “You are good - no doubt about it! And you have a stepdaughter, she lives with two heroes in a dense forest - she’s even more beautiful!”

The stepmother did not like these speeches and immediately called the evil old woman to her. “Here,” he says, “here’s a ring for you; go into the dense forest, in that forest there is a white-stone palace, my stepdaughter lives in the palace; bow to her and give her this ring - say: brother sent it as a souvenir!” The old woman took the ring and went where she was told; comes to the white-stone palace, the red maiden saw her, ran out to meet her - she wanted, therefore, to try for news from her native side. “Hello, grandma! How did God bring you? Is everyone alive and well? - “They live, chew bread! My brother asked me to check on your health and sent me a ring as a gift; come on, show off!” The girl is so happy, so glad that it’s impossible to tell; She brought the old woman into the room, treated her to all sorts of snacks and drinks, and ordered her brother to bow deeply. After an hour, the old woman trudged back, and the girl began to admire the ring and decided to put it on her finger; put it on - and at that very moment she fell dead.

Two heroes arrive, enter the chambers, but the sister does not greet them: what is it? We looked into her bedroom; and she lies dead, doesn’t say a word. The heroes were inflamed: what was most beautiful was that death suddenly took hold! “We must,” they say, “put her in new clothes and put her in a coffin.” They began to clean up, and one noticed a ring on the red girl’s hand: “Is it really possible to bury her with this ring? Let me take it off, I’ll leave it as a souvenir.” As soon as he took off the ring, the red maiden immediately opened her eyes, sighed and came to life. “What happened to you, sister? Didn’t anyone come to see you?” - the heroes ask. “An old lady I know came from home and brought me a ring.” - “Oh, how naughty you are! After all, it was not for nothing that we punished you so that you wouldn’t let anyone into the house without us. Make sure you don’t do this next time!”

After some time, the merchant's wife looked into her mirror and found out that her stepdaughter was still alive and beautiful; she called the old woman, gave her a ribbon and said: “Go to the white-stone palace where my stepdaughter lives, and give her this gift; say: brother sent! Again the old woman came to the red maiden, told her about three boxes of different things and gave her the ribbon. The girl was delighted, tied a ribbon around her neck - and at that very moment fell onto the bed, dead. The heroes came from the hunt, looked - my sister was lying dead, they began to put her in new outfits and as soon as they took off the ribbon, she immediately opened her eyes, sighed and came to life. “What's wrong with you, sister? Was there an old woman again? “Yes,” he says, “an old woman came from home and brought me a ribbon.” - “Oh, what you are! After all, we asked you: don’t accept anyone without us!” - “Sorry, dear brothers! I couldn’t stand it, I wanted to hear news from home.”

A few more days passed - the merchant's wife looked in the mirror: her stepdaughter was alive again. She called the old woman. “Only,” he says, “a hair’s breadth!” Go to your stepdaughter, be sure to kill her!” The old woman took advantage of the time when the heroes went hunting, and came to the white stone palace; The red maiden saw her through the window, could not stand it, ran out to meet her: “Hello, grandma! How does God have mercy on you? - “As long as you’re alive, my dear!” I was wandering around the world and came here to visit you.” The red maiden brought her into the room, treated her to all sorts of snacks and drinks, asked about her relatives and ordered her to bow to her brother. “Okay,” says the old woman, “I will bow.” But you, my dear, have no one to look for tea in your head? Let me look.” - “Look, grandma!” She began to look in the head of the red maiden and wove a magic hair into her braid; As soon as she wove this hair, the girl at that very moment became dead. The old woman grinned evilly and left quickly so that no one would catch her or see her.

The heroes arrive, enter the rooms - the sister lies dead; For a long time they peered and looked closely to see if there was anything superfluous on it? No, you can't see anything! So they made a crystal coffin - so wonderful that you couldn’t even think of it, couldn’t imagine it, only say it in a fairy tale; they dressed the merchant's daughter in a shiny dress, like a bride to the crown, and placed her in a crystal coffin; That coffin was placed in the middle of the large chamber, and above it they placed a canopy of red velvet with diamond tassels with gold fringes, and twelve lamps were hung on twelve crystal pillars. After that, the heroes burst into burning tears; They were overcome with great melancholy. “What,” they say, “are we supposed to live on in this world? Let’s go and decide for ourselves!” They hugged, said goodbye to each other, went out onto the high balcony, held hands and rushed down; hit sharp stones and ended their lives.

Many, many years have passed. It happened that one prince was out hunting; He drove into a dense forest, sent his dogs loose in different directions, separated from the hunters and rode alone along a dead path. He drove and drove, and there was a clearing in front of him, in the clearing there was a white stone palace. The prince dismounted from his horse, climbed the stairs, and began to inspect the chambers; Everywhere the decorations are rich, luxurious, but the owner’s hand is not visible on anything: everything was abandoned a long time ago, everything was neglected! In one chamber there is a crystal coffin, and in the coffin lies a dead girl of indescribable beauty: there is a blush on her cheeks, a smile on her lips, as if she were alive, she is sleeping.

The prince approached, looked at the girl, and remained in place, as if an invisible force was holding him. He stands there from morning until late evening, unable to take his eyes off, anxiety in his heart: he was riveted by a girl’s beauty - wonderful, unprecedented, which cannot be found anywhere else in the whole world! And hunters have been looking for him for a long time; They were already scouring the forest, blowing trumpets, and raising voices - the prince was standing at the crystal coffin, hearing nothing. The sun set, the darkness deepened, and only then did he come to his senses - he kissed the dead girl and drove back. “Ah, your highness, where have you been?” - the hunters ask. “I was chasing an animal, but I got a little lost.” The next day, just before it’s light, the prince is getting ready to go hunting; galloped into the forest, separated from the hunters and along the same path arrived at the white-stone palace. Again I stood at the crystal coffin all day, not taking my eyes off the dead beauty; I only returned home late at night. On the third day, on the fourth everything was the same, and so a whole week passed. “What happened to our prince? - say the hunters. “Let us, brothers, keep an eye on him, make sure that no harm happens.”

So the prince went hunting, released his dogs through the forest, separated from his retinue and headed his way to the white-stone palace; The hunters immediately follow him, come to the clearing, enter the palace - there is a crystal coffin in the chamber, a dead girl lies in the coffin, the prince stands in front of the girl. “Well, Your Highness, it’s not for nothing that you’ve been lost in the forest for a whole week! Now we won’t be able to leave here until the evening.” They surrounded the crystal coffin, looked at the girl, admired her beauty, and stood in one place from morning until late evening. When it got completely dark, the prince turned to the hunters: “Do me, brothers, a great service: take the coffin with the dead girl, bring it and place it in my bedroom; Yes, quietly, secretly, so that no one finds out about it, does not find out. I will reward you in every possible way, I will reward you with a golden treasury, like no one has rewarded you.” - “Your will is to favor; and we, Tsarevich, are happy to serve you anyway!” - said the hunters, picked up the crystal coffin, took it out into the courtyard, set it up on horseback and took it to the royal palace; They brought it and placed it in the prince’s bedroom.

From that very day the prince stopped even thinking about hunting; he sits at home, doesn’t leave his room anywhere - he keeps admiring the girl. “What happened to our son? - the queen thinks. “It’s been a long time, but he’s still sitting at home, doesn’t leave his room and doesn’t let anyone in.” Did sadness or melancholy set in, or did you feign some kind of illness? Let me go look at him.” The queen enters his bedroom and sees a crystal coffin. How and what? She asked and found out and immediately gave the order to bury that girl, as was customary, in the damp earth.

The prince began to cry, went into the garden, picked wonderful flowers, brought them back and began to comb the dead beauty’s brown hair and cover her head with flowers. Suddenly a magic hair fell out of her braid - the beauty opened her eyes, sighed, rose from the crystal coffin and said: “Oh, how long I slept!” The prince was incredibly happy, took her hand, led her to her father, to her mother. “God gave it to me,” he says! I can't live without her for a single minute. Allow me, dear father, and you, dear mother, allow me to get married.” - “Get married, son! We won’t go against God, and we can’t look for such beauty in the whole world!” Tsars never stop for anything: an honest feast on the same day and even for a wedding.

The prince married a merchant's daughter and lives with her - he couldn't be happier. Some time passed - she decided to go in her direction, to visit her father and brother; The prince, not averse to it, began to ask his father. “Okay,” says the king, “go, my dear children! You, prince, go on a detour by land, inspect all our lands and find out the order, and let your wife sail on the ship in a direct way.” So they prepared the ship for the voyage, dressed the sailors, appointed the initial general; The princess boarded the ship and went out to the open sea, and the prince went by land.

The leading general, seeing the beautiful princess, envied her beauty and began to flatter her; Why be afraid, he thinks, - after all, she is now in my hands, I do whatever I want! “Love me,” he says to the princess, “if you don’t love me, I’ll throw you into the sea!” The princess turned away, did not give him an answer, only burst into tears. One sailor overheard the general’s speeches, came to the princess in the evening and began to say: “Don’t cry, princess! Dress yourself in my dress, and I will put on yours; You go on deck, and I’ll stay in the cabin. Let the general throw me into the sea - I’m not afraid of that; Maybe I can handle it, I’ll swim to the pier: fortunately the land is close now!” They exchanged dresses; the princess went on deck, and the sailor lay down on her bed. At night, the leading general appeared in the cabin, grabbed the sailor and threw him into the sea. The sailor set off swimming and reached the shore by morning. The ship arrived at the pier, the sailors began to go ashore; The princess also went down, rushed to the market, bought herself a cook's clothes, dressed up as a cook and hired herself to serve in the kitchen for her own father.

A little later, the prince comes to the merchant. “Hello,” he says, “father! Accept your son-in-law, because I am married to your daughter. Where is she? Al hasn’t been there yet?” And then the initial general appears with a report: “So and so, Your Highness! A misfortune happened: the princess was standing on the deck, a storm arose, rocking began, her head began to spin - and before she could blink, the princess fell into the sea and drowned!” The prince strained and cried, but you can’t turn him back from the bottom of the sea; Apparently, this is her destiny! The prince stayed with his father-in-law for some time and ordered his retinue to prepare for departure; the merchant gave a big feast at parting; Merchants, boyars, and all his relatives gathered to see him: his brother, the evil old woman, and the chief general were there.

They drank, ate, cooled off; one of the guests says: “Listen, honest gentlemen! If you keep drinking and drinking, it won’t do any good; Let’s tell better stories.” - "OK OK! - they shouted from all sides. - Who will start? One doesn’t know how, the other is not good at it, and the third has lost his memory of wine. What should I do? The merchant clerk responded: “We have a new cook in the kitchen, he has traveled a lot in foreign lands, he has seen many different wonders and is such a master at telling fairy tales - guess what!” The merchant called that cook. “Sweat,” he says, “my guests!” The cook-princess answers him: “What should I tell you: a fairy tale or an incident?” - “Tell something that happened!” - “Perhaps, it’s possible to have a blast, only with this agreement: whoever interrupts me will get a plague in the forehead.”

Everyone agreed to this. And the princess began to tell everything that happened to her. “So and so,” he says, “the merchant had a daughter; the merchant went overseas and instructed his brother to look after the girl; uncle covets her beauty and does not give her a moment of peace...” And uncle hears that they are talking about him and says: “This, gentlemen, is not true!” - “Oh, don’t you think it’s true? Here's a plague to your forehead! " After that, it came to the stepmother, how she interrogated the magic mirror, and to the evil old woman, how she came to the heroes in the white stone palace - and the old woman and stepmother shouted in one voice: “What nonsense! This cannot be." The princess hit them on the forehead with a chumichka and began to tell how she lay in a crystal coffin, how the prince found her, revived her and married her, and how she went to visit her father.

The general realized that things were not going well, and asked the prince: “Let me go home; I have a headache!” - “Nothing, sit for a while!” The princess began to talk about the general; Well, he couldn’t bear it either. “All this,” he says, “is not true!” With a blow to his forehead, the princess threw off her chef’s dress and revealed herself to the prince: “I’m not a cook, I’m your lawful wife!” The prince was delighted, and so was the merchant; they rushed to hug and kiss her; and then they began to judge the court; the evil old woman and her uncle were shot at the gate, the stepmother-sorceress was tied to a stallion by the tail, the stallion flew into an open field and scattered her bones through the bushes, along the yarugs; The prince sent the general to hard labor, and in his place he gave a sailor, who saved the princess from trouble. From that time on, the prince, his wife and the merchant lived together - happily ever after.

“Don’t ping my IP anymore, because from now on I’m offline for you”

In the distant kingdom, in a fairy-tale state, there lived a tsar-sovereign. And the king had a beautiful daughter, Vasilisa. The king was widowed early and did not dare to bring his stepmother. He lived with his daughter and doted on her. He was ready to fulfill any whim immediately. Vasilisa will ask to bring a flower from overseas, she will hurt herself, spend a lot of money from the treasury, and get a wonder. If someone else were Vasilisushka, she would have been spoiled long ago, but she wouldn’t. The princess had a kind and gentle disposition. She did not give her father any instructions. Only sometimes he would ask me to bring a book. She was really eager to read. He will sit by the window, throw his embroidery into a corner and plunge into sweet dreams of a good fellow, of dangerous fairy-tale adventures and, of course, of love, real and all-consuming. So, the young princess whiled away her days reading books, waiting for the arrival of the one and only one along with her matchmakers. Fortunately, she was very pretty and overseas princes had already repeatedly sent her precious gifts. The rumor about Vasilisa's beauty and meekness quickly spread throughout the entire earth. And he reached all the way to Koshchei the Immortal. He did not bother himself with long courtship, but simply threatened the Tsar and Father in impolite tones. Scared to death, the king decided to hide his little blood from his adversary in a high mansion behind seven locks. So that not a single enemy would sneak into Vasilisa’s chambers! And he ordered the messengers to spread the news throughout the kingdom, about the accursed Koshchei, about half the kingdom as a dowry, about the beautiful princess, ready for marriage. Vasilisa herself did not dare to contradict the priest. Of course, I didn’t want to marry the first person I met. But more than that, I didn’t want to go down the aisle with the eternal monster Koshchei. Swallowing tears, the beautiful maiden went into voluntary seclusion. So that it would not be boring to languish while waiting, a loving father from abroad wrote out for her a wonderful, wonderful, wonderful, wonderful thing. She only saw this with Olenka from the thirtieth kingdom. The king got a silver Mirror for a lot of money. And that Mirror was not simple, but enchanted. If you look closely at it, say the cherished words, and touch the twisted frame with the tip of your pen, you can see all those who have the same thing. Even enchanted princesses who live beyond the seven seas. Even the Swan King, from the ocean!!! A special little book was attached to the magical thing. What you write in a book with a goose feather will appear on your interlocutor’s mind. The book was enchanted so that the pages, after sending the message, would become clean again. A sorcerer called for the occasion taught how to save what was written, so that on long winter evenings there would be something to re-read at night. Vasilisa liked the new fun. Not right away of course. But, once or twice, and now she is already impatient, constantly confused, writing long messages to distant kingdoms. At one time, the young princess was embarrassed, looking at multi-colored pictures instead of girls’ faces. And then I realized that other hermits, fearing the evil eye, hide in a variety of ways. Vasilisa herself was afraid of Koshchei more than anything in the world, and therefore did not hide her face. Let them look, she has nothing to be ashamed of! So her evenings passed with empty talk about outfits and grooms. But one day, before she had time to say the cherished words, suddenly an invitation from some Vasily flashed in the mirror. Vasilisa was surprised, scared, but curiosity prevailed over caution, and the goose pen timidly wrote: -Who are you? The answer came immediately. After reading it, the young princess turned beet red. - I am Vasily Tsarevich, Olenka’s sworn brother. I was looking for you, Vasilisa. All my life I was looking only for you. The princess felt invisible wings grow behind her back. “Here it is,” the Heart rejoiced. - Here he is, my prince. He was looking for me...” The pen suddenly became disobedient, thoughts scattered in different directions. The Voice of Reason turned into a thin squeak. True, this squeak was too persistent. - How did you know about me, good fellow? – Vasilisa asked, holding her breath. It dreamed of a romantic story. So that everything would be like in a Real Romance. Vasily Tsarevich did not disappoint her. - For the first time, I saw you in a dream. And he immediately began searching all over the world. He walked hundreds of miles, swam across seven seas, climbed mountains, walked through dense forests. And nowhere did my heart find you. I saw many beauties, but they were all just a pale reflection of you. Desperate, I came to visit my named sister, Olenka. She was so happy to see us that she accidentally knocked over her mirror. She waved her sleeve, and the mirror broke. I felt sorry for her. So I decided to go to the witch at the river, so that she could cast a spell over the wonder and fix everything that had been damaged. No sooner said than done. I came to the vile witch, but she didn’t want to let me go! While she was casting spells over the Mirror, she had to carry out several dangerous assignments, and then, in addition, talk seriously and make a little threat. It’s good that the sword is always with me, otherwise I don’t know how I would have gotten out of there. I returned back to Olenka, already dark. I didn’t wake up my sister, let her rest. I went to bed, but I couldn’t sleep. So curiosity got the better of me. I wanted to take a look at the beauties at least with one eye! Who knows, maybe my betrothed is hiding behind seven locks in a high mansion? The one that I once dreamed of.. I know that it is unbecoming for a good fellow to be curious, but how can one resist the temptation? To understand and feel your Love, it is not enough to look at a girl’s face. It is necessary for the heart to respond. Otherwise, you marry, like my friend Ivan Tsarevich, a beautiful girl, and then it turns out that the wife is a real witch. You must have heard that story? Everyone in the kingdom was gossiping about her! Vasilisa remembered that story well. I just didn’t like to remember. And who likes to go through their own mistakes in their mind?! At that time, even before Koshcheev’s ever-memorable matchmaking, she was friends with one Kikimora. She ran to visit the swamps and discussed hairstyles and outfits. Kikimora, although a dark girl, communicated with Baba Yaga herself. Who they were to each other, Vasilisa still didn’t understand. And why should she, the king’s daughter, delve into the family ties of any undead?! Acquaintance with Baba Yaga promised great benefits. For the sake of access to witchcraft potions and magical things, one could endure the swamp fool for a couple of hours. She endured it until Ivan Tsarevich, from a neighboring kingdom, wandered into the famous Hut on Chicken Legs. Vasilisa’s heart fluttered sweetly in her chest. This is happiness, almost like in the Novels. Only she did not rejoice at the unexpected meeting for long. Apparently the old Yaga drugged the good fellow with some kind of potion and he married a swamp monster! Vasilisa did not wait for the matchmakers. No matter how many times I visited Kikimora in the swamps, it was all in vain. Ivan Tsarevich did not seem to notice her. Instead, he gave his chosen one such tender glances that Vasilisa’s eyes welled up with tears from anger! Ivan Tsarevich then came to his senses, came to her, kissed her hands, promised mountains of gold. But all this is in vain. Vasilisa realized that it was not the love potion that kept him in the swamps. Not empty magic, but something else. Then, unable to bear the insult, she kicked out her “beloved” back to Kikimora, and she herself tried to forget everything. But apparently she tried poorly. No, no, but a thought flashes through my head: how is Ivan Tsarevich? Are you bored? Remember? Or he lives with his fool and knows no grief... Her silence dragged on, and Vasily Tsarevich seemed to sense a change in his beloved’s mood. I felt it and made a funny face out of letters, and under the face I wrote: “Why is the girl sad?” What are you sad about? Am I not the reason for your sad thoughts? Oh, if through the mirror you could not only see, but also hear your interlocutor! Vasilisa was sure that Vasily Tsarevich had a gentle voice, and a gentle and loving gaze... If only she could look at him. Only the letters are reflected in the mirror. There aren't even any pictures. To ask or not to ask..? “How I would like, good fellow, to see you at least with one eye!” she said and became embarrassed, so that the fingers clutching the pen suddenly became clumsy. Oh, how scary! What will he think! - I would be glad, but I just can’t, the damned witch broke the Mirror again! Now I can only send letters myself. It’s good, at least I took you away in time, otherwise I would never have seen you, beloved beauty! -Oh, what a disaster! And you didn’t say that the sorceress spoiled the mirror herself... Vasilisa wanted to believe Vasily Tsarevich, but somehow she became afraid. Is he cheating? - I didn’t want to upset you needlessly. The witch, when I threatened her, had a terrible face. His eyes were like hot coals, his hair stood on end, his tongue split into two, and smoke poured out of his hooked nose! She began to throw evil spells in all directions. One hit the mirror, and the other injured me. Don’t be sad, everything can be fixed, I just need to go to the kingdom of Koshchei himself for medicine. People say that in his secret chest there is a miraculous potion that will remove any illness as if by hand. I wanted to come to an agreement with Koshchei, but when the messengers brought the news about the beautiful maiden, by his mercy, locked in the tower, I realized that I couldn’t cut off the villain’s head now! No Immortal can resist my magical sword! . Vasilisa sighed quietly and with an unsteady hand led out - Do you know, Vasily Tsarevich, that this girl is me... The princess did not sleep all night. I wrote long messages to Vasily Tsarevich and read and re-read his laconic, but filled with Love, answers. It was already dawn outside the window when he said that it was time for him to get ready for the journey, through dense forests and swampy swamps to the very heart of Koshcheev’s kingdom. Vasilisa tried to put all the warmth and tenderness into the words of farewell in order to warm the heart of the good young man on his dangerous journey. The magic Mirror had already gone out, but the princess continued to peer into it, as if she was waiting for something. Her thoughts were far away. Vasilisa announced to the priest, who came to visit her a couple of days later, that she would marry only Vasily Tsarevich, who challenged Koshchei himself to a mortal battle. Most likely, the good fellow has already defeated the villain and set off on his way back. They met the Tsarevich through the Mirror. Yes, you will see it yourself soon! Vasenka wrote that as soon as he arrived, he would immediately send matchmakers... The Tsar was very surprised, but did not show it. Not long ago, yesterday, “killed by a good fellow,” Koschey sent Vasilisa a mountain of gifts and a long letter in which he apologized in poetry for his past tactlessness. There was no mention of Vasily Tsarevich and his “feat”. And there was no such prince in any of the states known to the tsar! Only his words had no effect on the princess. Know he repeats to himself something about the Love of Your Life, and looks into the Mirror! There is nothing to be done, the king sent messengers to the sorcerer, so that with his help he could confiscate the dangerous toy from his daughter. (For a couple of hours, see how dusty it is? It needs to be cleaned, otherwise it will break down in no time. How will you communicate with your girlfriends?) The sorcerer told the king where to look for the one who turned Vasilisa’s head. The princess herself refused to talk about Vasily Tsarevich for a long time. She answered all questions with silence, until Tsar Father noticed that it would be good to go and visit her betrothed. Suddenly, Koschey, before his death, harmed him in some way, so that now the good fellow lies in his mansion, neither alive nor dead. And she, Vasilisa, doesn’t even know anything! No, you can’t go on your own! What a shame! What will people think about her, and especially Vasily’s relatives? It is better to send a person who is faithful and savvy. And even better, the king himself will go, look at his future son-in-law, and at the same time get to know his father. After reflection, Vasilisa agreed with the priest and told everything she knew about the prince. Only she knew little. But in one thing Vasilisina’s words coincided with the sorcerer’s opinion: she should have gone to the thirtieth kingdom, to where Olenka, her bosom friend, lived. He took some of the guards with him, and the king set off on the path the very next day. How long did they travel until they reached the thirtieth kingdom, a neighboring state? The local king greeted them with bread and salt, escorted them to the guest chambers and treated them to delicious treats. And over tea and pies, of which the queen herself was a great expert, the conversation turned to our blood relatives, our only daughters, for whom, oh, how difficult it is in our difficult times to find suitable grooms. We also talked about Mirrors - girls' fun, which is when it turned out that Olenka had lost hers last winter. And ever since then she has been sitting in her little tower, doing all the embroidering and preparing the dowry. The great needlewoman has grown up. They didn’t know anything about Vasily Tsarevich here either. When they realized what trouble had brought their dear guests to them, they were very upset. They called the princess. Maybe she knows about the strange fellow? And Olenka told her that before the Mirror disappeared, a dry old woman came into her turret and treated her to an apple. The princess took a bite of that apple, and her eyes became dark. When I came to my senses, neither the old woman nor the Mirror were in the upper room. They searched, of course, sent guards, but all in vain. Old ladies as usual. The Tsar Father became sadder than before. He realized that dark witchcraft forces had taken up arms against his only daughter. It was not without reason that the old woman came to Olenka and brought her a gift. Apparently, even then she was up to no good. And how now to find her in the wilderness of the forest? But the main thing is how to explain to Vasilisa that they deceived her, stupefied her, spoke with tender words, fooled her with sweet promises? There was nothing to do, he said goodbye to the hospitable hosts and got ready to head back. I hoped for the help of the sorcerer that he could handle the Mirror so deftly. What if he tells you something, spins it around, and even tells you how to find the evil old woman? The king saw Vasilisa from afar. My beloved daughter was sitting by the window and peering at the road. He decided to go straight up to her mansion, so as not to put off the explanation. He got up and did not recognize the young princess. Vasilisa blossomed more than ever, became even more beautiful: her eyes shone with happiness, her cheeks flushed, a slight smile played on her lips! While the king marveled at the changes, Vasilisa rushed into his arms. - Father, I kept my eyes open, expecting. Forgive your foolish daughter for thoughtlessly sending you on this journey! I know that you wanted to spare my maiden pride, but it was in vain! I dreamed of having three boxes. I just made it up! She kept looking for a prince. And little did I, stupid, know that here he was, the prince, nearby, still waiting for me! - What are you talking about, daughter? - the king came to his senses. The joy of his beloved daughter was transmitted to him. It was not clear what had influenced her so much in his absence? - When you said that the Mirror was broken, I got bored. I got used to sitting in front of him in the evenings, reading different stories. I tried to do needlework, but the embroidery didn’t work out, the threads got tangled. Knitting needles fall out of your hands. I asked them to bring me books, but the guards didn’t notice. and along with the fairy tales, they grabbed Koshcheevo’s letter. The one he wrote in poetry. Father, how well he puts words together! I couldn’t read enough... After all, it’s not about appearance, the main thing is that the heart is loving... I couldn’t resist, I wrote to him. He answered immediately. From the letter I learned that Vasily Tsarevich came to him, waved his sword, threw insults in writing at the window, and simply behaved outrageously. Koschey decided not to mess with the fool and asked, in a good way, what do you want, fool?! And he started to fight. Of course, Koshcheyushko defeated him, how could the weakling prince cope with him?! Vasily begged for mercy, crawled at his feet, and asked not to take his life. And Koschey did not crush the bug, he only demanded that he leave a note for me as proof of his cowardice. I studied this liar’s handwriting well. But anyway, just in case, I called the sorcerer. The sorcerer confirmed to me that the note to Koshcheev and the love letters in the Mirror were written by the same person. Thinking about the treacherous prince, a shadow fell on Vasilisa’s face. The princess became sad. She sighed quietly and ran her palm over her eyes, as if driving something away. “Don’t be upset, Vasilisa,” the king tried to console. “It’s good that everything became clear.” It’s good that Koschey sent you a letter. And that he himself is unprepossessing, then, as they say, his face is too much to drink from. The main thing is that the person is good. - He is good, father. He's so good that sometimes I feel like I'm not worthy of him. And why do I, silly girl, have such happiness...” Vasilisa smiled through the tears that came and clung to her father. Now all the Novels she had read seemed funny and stupid to her. Like in the morning, even the sweetest dream seems like empty nonsense. The king stroked his naive child on the head, and was glad that he did not have time to really talk about his journey. She doesn't need it now. A little time will pass and then... However, it’s too early to think about this. First, you need to talk to Koshchei, find out what really happened there. And his daughter was thinking that you can’t trust the first person you meet, especially if he hides his face. Of course, she didn’t tell everything about Koshchei, but why does the priest need unnecessary details. The main thing is that they are together now. Perhaps we should still say thank you to Yaga for this? Whatever one may say, the Tsarevich turned out excellent... I was not at the wedding of Vasilisa the Beautiful and Koshchei the Immortal. Honey, I didn't drink beer. And my mustache doesn’t grow, everything I put in my mouth goes straight into my body! I'll have to end the fairy tale about the Magic Mirror differently. Not according to the rules. Let the royal family deal with pre-wedding chores. Let's not disturb them. Let's take a better look into the dense forests, beyond the high mountains. In the very heart of the centuries-old forest, where Baba Yaga's Hut stands in a magical clearing. Although, “worth” is not quite the right word. Rather, he shifts from foot to foot and jumps up and down in impatience. Baba Yaga hasn’t gone anywhere for days! Instead, she was stuck at home. I kept looking into my mirror. As if she was trying to find something in him. The hut, with its chicken brains scattered, could not understand why the old hag needed it?! Is he really sitting there staring at his wrinkles?! It would be better if she flew somewhere so that she, Izbushka, could calmly stretch her paws. Otherwise everything went numb while standing. Again, you need to look at Leshy. The crows croaked that he was throwing wedges at Kikimora... We need to find out everything properly! But instead, she... Out of melancholy and hopelessness, Izbushka sighed heavily. So much so that the walls creaked and hay fell from the ceiling. Right on the Mistress's head. Yaga cursed through her teeth, but did not get up from the stove. The bony hand habitually dived under the old mattress and fished out something carefully wrapped in a clean towel. Anticipating a pleasant evening, she unfolded the slightly scratched Mirror and stared at it impatiently. Nothing succeeded. Instead of flashing pictures, the blind eyes saw an outlandish inscription: “Your IP address has been disabled for non-payment of taxes for the year. Deposit the gold into the treasury or send a messenger to the guards." In the blink of an eye, the stupa soared into the air and at breakneck speed flew away somewhere beyond the clouds. Baba Yaga didn’t want to get in Koscheyushka’s sight one more time. Yes, apparently her fate is like this: always getting involved in royal affairs and ruining the nerves of all high-born people. A full-fledged negative character, no match for any Immortal defectors! Her stupa had already disappeared from sight when the Izbushka, clucking happily, trotted into the spruce forest. On the way, the chicken feet tripped over the Mirror dropped by Yaga and the magical thing crumbled into a thousand sparkling fragments. True, Izbushka did not notice this. Her paws cheerfully carried her to collect fresh gossip

psychological exercises for training

The Tale of Magic Mirrors

In one kingdom, a little girl was born into a fisherman's family. On the eve of her birth, an unknown old woman wandered into a fishing village in an old, patched dress, with a large gnarled staff in her hands and a skinny sack over her shoulders. At night, only in the fisherman's hut, where they were waiting for the child, was there a light on, and it was on this hut that the old woman knocked and asked to spend the night.

- What! - said the fisherman. “It’s cramped here and it smells like fish.” Besides, the baby is about to be born. But an old woman can’t sleep on the street. Come on in, we'll find a place for you.

“Thank you, fisherman,” said the old woman. – Human kindness never seeks gratitude and always finds it. Your daughter will be happy in life.

With these words, the old woman entered the hut, and the fisherman made a bed for her by the fireplace. By morning, a little girl was born, and her parents named her Kari. The old woman looked tenderly at the child, took her skinny bag, took out three small mirrors and said to the fisherman:

– I want to give your daughter a gift. These mirrors are magical. But she will find out what their magic is when she grows up.

The fisherman thanked the old woman and with some apprehension took the mirrors she offered. When the old woman left, he looked into each of them, but everywhere he saw only his bearded face with skin roughened by the sea wind. The fisherman shrugged and thought: “The old lady said they were magical, but, in my opinion, these are just ordinary mirrors.” And he put them far away on the shelf.

Sixteen years have passed. The fisherman and his wife forgot about the gift that was given by an unknown old woman to their daughter Kari on the day of her birth, and little Kari turned into a lovely and lively girl who loved to have fun, put on beautiful clothes and admire her reflection in the old cracked mirror.

One day, a huge and very beautiful ship dropped anchor near the shore opposite a fishing village. The boat left the ship and moored to the shore. People in rich clothes, hats with bright feathers and swords on their sides descended onto the sand. It was immediately clear that these were noble nobles. Among them stood out a tall and handsome young man with intelligent and slightly sad eyes. Fishermen went ashore to meet unusual guests. Kari stood a little further away in the crowd of fishermen's daughters and looked at the newcomers with all her eyes. When she looked at the beautiful young man, her heart sank.

Her father, as the leader among the fishermen, respectfully approached the standing sailors.

– Greetings, brave and hardworking fishermen! - said the tall young man. “I am Prince Agora and I sailed here with my companions at the behest of my mother, the great queen and sorceress. She ordered me to find a bride among your daughters.

- Welcome! - answered the old fisherman. – Among our daughters there are many beautiful girls. Choose any of them. Each will consider it an honor to become the bride of a prince from a distant country.

The prince and his entourage settled in a fishing village. Every day Prince Agor went from house to house, met the fishermen’s daughters, gave them gifts, was very polite and kind, but his eyes still remained sad.

All the girls of the village tried their best to please the prince, dressed in their best clothes, treated him to the dishes they had prepared, and smiled at him. Needless to say, poor Kari fell in love with the prince from the first moment and often quietly watched him as he wandered along the coastal rocks or sat thoughtfully on a stone by the sea. She, too, like the others, wanted to please the prince, but he had not yet entered their hut.

One day Kari was left at home alone. Having placed an old mirror with a crack on the table, she admired herself in it and combed her long golden hair. Suddenly, a small kitten, playing, caught the hem of her dress and tore it slightly. Kari got terribly angry and, grabbing her wooden shoe, swung at the kitten. He got scared and jumped onto the table, and Kari, trying to spank him with her shoe, missed, and the blow landed right on the mirror! It's ding! - it split.

Kari decided to look to see if there were any more mirrors in the house, and on the top shelf in the closet she found three small mirrors: one on the back was green, the other was red, and the third was blue.

Kari looked in the green mirror and saw her pretty face with huge gray eyes and plump lips. “How beautiful I am! – Kari thought and thought again: “I wonder what the prince thinks of me?” Do I seem beautiful to him? She brought the red mirror to her face and almost dropped it in surprise. The reflection was completely different! Fuzzy, as if in a fog, blurry. “How strange,” Kari thought. – These are some extraordinary mirrors. What will I see in the third mirror? She looked into the blue mirror and was even more surprised. From there, the face of some other girl looked at her (at first it seemed so to her): contemptuously narrowed eyes, capriciously swollen lips, an unpleasant grin. Kari looked closer and saw familiar features. It was her face, but very changed.

-What kind of miracles? – she exclaimed out loud. – Who will explain this to me?

Kari looked down and saw a kitten on the floor. He washed himself with his paw and calmly said in a human voice:

– These are magic mirrors given to you by the good witch on your birthday. In the green mirror you see yourself as you imagine yourself. Red reflects how other people see you. It’s worth making a guess through whose eyes you want to look at yourself - and you’re welcome! And in the blue mirror is a reflection of who you really are.

After washing himself, the kitten jumped onto the windowsill.

– But why do I have such a different appearance in the mirrors? – Kari asked confused.

“Magic mirrors do not reflect appearance,” the kitten said, purring and clarified: “Not only appearance.”

He yawned and jumped out of the open window...

“Wait, dad,” Julia interrupted the story. – It’s not clear to me. Why was Kari’s reflection in the red mirror fuzzy and foggy?

– And in whose eyes was Kari reflected at that moment?

- Well... in the eyes of the prince. She thought about him when she looked in this mirror.

- Right. Does the prince know her intimately? Does she know whether she is good or bad, kind or evil?

- Of course not! He may have only seen her once - on the shore when he arrived.

– Well, that’s why the reflection is still unclear.

Julia was silent for a while, thinking about something. Then she said:

- A! Now I understand why she is so... unpleasant in the blue mirror.

- Well, why not, Julia?

- Because, although her face is beautiful, in reality she is still not very kind: she almost beat a kitten with a wooden shoe and generally... imagines.

- Fine. We figured it out a little. Shall we continue?

The next day, Prince Agor came to visit Kari's parents' hut. Her mother baked a delicious cake and treated it to the prince and his companions. Kari sat at the table opposite the prince and was very worried. Her face became even more beautiful with a bright blush. The prince talked about his travels and, looking at Kari, sometimes smiled a little. Kari couldn't say a word. Towards the end of the conversation, the old fisherman - Kari's father asked Agora:

– How did you like the girls in our village, prince? For example, my neighbor's daughter - Penta? Really, beauty? And her sister Tora is the kindest soul!

Her father's words made Kari very angry and frightened: what if the prince really liked these girls? But she – Kari – is better! And although Penta and Tora were her friends, Kari hated them at that moment, and suddenly a loud exclamation escaped her:

- They are both complete fools!

After these harsh words, everyone fell silent. Prince Agor looked with surprise and sadness at Kari, who was already embarrassed and regretted what she had said. The guests quickly said goodbye and left, and Kari grabbed her magic mirrors, ran out of the house and hid in the rocks, where no one could see her. She looked in each mirror and burst into tears. The red mirror showed how Prince Agor now imagines her: an evil, selfish, proud woman - much worse than even her real portrait in the blue mirror was. Kari blamed herself for her stupid and thoughtless words, for her wayward character, and in the green mirror the face of the carefree beauty gradually melted away. And the more Kari scolded herself, the more bad she found in herself, the uglier her reflection in the green mirror became. After all, it showed the image that a person has of himself. Several days passed. Prince Agor has already visited all the houses in the fishing village, met all the girls, but apparently has not yet made his choice. None of the fishermen's daughters could boast of the prince's special attention. Every evening the youth of the village organized festive festivities, songs and dances. But even though the prince sang and danced with everyone, talked freely and easily with old people, girls, and their parents, an incomprehensible sadness shone in the very depths of his eyes. Kari also talked to him several times and even danced, but every evening, looking into the treasured red mirror, she saw there a proud and slightly stupid girl, that is, the way Prince Agor saw her. True, now this reflection has not become so sharp and some pleasant features have even appeared in it, but it was not at all the same. After all, Kari dreamed that the prince would love her as much as she loved him. Sometimes she mentally asked the red mirror to show how her parents saw her, and immediately the reflection became cute, cheerful and carefree - much better than what seemed to the prince. But if she tried to please him and seem better than she really was, then in the evening, with the help of a red mirror, she learned with bitterness that her image in the prince’s eyes had faded and even turned ugly. She stopped trying to please Agora and only looked at him from afar, and her heart overflowed with tenderness. More days passed. Her parents noticed that Kari had changed. She was no longer lazy about doing her homework, became more attentive to her parents and was friendly with her friends, although she could sit for hours in thought. Often she affectionately stroked the kitten's fluffy fur and talked to him, but in response he only purred, as if he had never been able to speak humanly. Somehow she was surprised to discover that her reflections in the green mirror, that is, the image that she herself imagined, and in the blue one, that is, her real image, became very similar. One day the day came when, at the end of the usual celebration, Prince Agor announced to the residents of the village that he was saying goodbye to them. The music stopped, the fun, dancing and laughter stopped. Everyone was upset because they had fallen in love with the kind and noble prince. In the silence that followed, Agor said:

– I’m very sorry to part with you. But my time expired, and I was unable to fulfill the instructions of my mother the queen.

– Don’t we have worthy brides? – one of the fishermen asked with surprise and disappointment.

– Yes, but I was looking for only one, whose image my mother showed me and to whom I immediately gave my heart. “She should have been here, but I didn’t find her,” the prince answered sadly. That night Kari could not sleep from tears and, quietly leaving the house, went to wander to the seashore. Suddenly she saw in the darkness a group of people and among them a prince, who were walking towards a huge rock, whose ledges went deep into the sea. Kari followed them silently. What she saw amazed and frightened her. At the lowest ledge of the rock, against which the sea waves were beating, the people stopped, and one of them drove a large iron ring into a crack in the stone wall. Prince Agora was chained to this ring, entangling his arms and legs with heavy chains. One of the people accompanying the prince leaned towards him and said sadly:

- Farewell, prince. It really hurts us to do this. But we can't help you.

“Farewell, friends,” answered Agor, his voice was strong, but full of deep sadness. – You did everything you could. Tell my mother that I ask her forgiveness for failing to fulfill her order. The people - and these were the prince's companions from the ship - silently left the gloomy rock. Agor was left alone sitting on the ledge. He leaned his back against the stone wall and froze, as if expecting something. Kari came out from behind the bushes, where she had been hiding before, and rushed to the prince. - I will free you! – she exclaimed hotly.

- Who are you? – Agor turned sharply. - Ah, Kari! No, you can't set me free. Get out of here quickly, midnight is approaching...

- I won’t leave, I’ll help!

- No! - Agor said sternly. “If you don’t leave, you will die with me.” And the Dragon only needs me.

- To the dragon? Which Dragon? I do not understand anything!

“Okay, I’ll explain everything to you, after that you’ll leave.” Since childhood, a terrible spell has been cast on me. On this day - the day of my twentieth birthday - I must be sacrificed to the evil Dragon. Only Love can break this spell, my love for one girl, whose image my mother showed me in her magic mirror. My mother - the queen and the sorceress - told me that I would find this girl in your fishing village, and when I recognize her, at that very moment the evil spell will fall, and a terrible spell will be lifted from me. I looked for her for a long time, but did not find her. And now I will become a victim of the Dragon, and you must leave as soon as possible.

- Let's run away from here together!

- No. The spell cannot be broken, otherwise great troubles will befall the entire kingdom.

- Is there another way to save you?

– Yes... But it’s impossible!

- Tell me!

- No. I will not say. Go away, Kari, I beg you!

Kari knelt next to the prince and cried from her powerlessness. At that moment, something soft and fluffy rubbed against her leg. It was a kitten.

“The prince won’t tell you, Kari,” he purred. – Because he doesn’t want salvation at such a price. To remove evil spells you need to...

His last words were drowned out by the roar and splash of boiling water. Lightning struck from the black thunderclouds. Thunder roared. From the depths of the sea rose the huge black body of the Dragon, covered with dimly shimmering bronze scales. A terrible, ugly head turned in their direction and looked at them with red, evil eyes. Kari was very scared. She curled up into a ball and froze.

- Run, Kari! – Prince Agor shouted, trying to get to his feet. The chains got in his way.

The girl woke up from fear and looked at him... She loved him. She knew a way to save him.

Kari jumped up and rushed to the very edge of the ledge, onto which salty spray flew from the furious sea waves.

- Here I am! – she shouted loudly. - Take me, Dragon! I sacrifice myself in place of Prince Agora!

- Don't you dare, Kari! - the prince shouted and rushed towards her, breaking the chains that bound him.

She turned around, and in the uneven light of the sparkling lightning he saw her beautiful face.

- You! It's you! I recognized you! The same girl from my mother's magic mirror! - Prince Agor exclaimed.

At the same moment, a terrible roar was heard. It was the Dragon who shouted in helpless rage, who suddenly began to crumble, as if made of sand, and soon all disappeared, dissolved under the surface of the sea. After a few seconds, the waves calmed down, the lightning stopped flashing, the wind died down, and there was silence. The evil spell has dissipated. And on the ledge of the rock, holding hands, stood Kari and Prince Agor, with pieces of broken chains hanging from his arms and legs. A small kitten sat at their feet and, as if nothing had happened, licked its fur.

- How could I not recognize you right away? – the prince asked quietly.

“I couldn’t recognize myself in these mirrors,” Kari answered smiling and took out three of her precious mirrors from her pocket. - Certainly! - said the prince. “My sorceress mother, who turned into a beggar, gave these wonderful objects to the very girl I was looking for. Kari held all three magic mirrors in front of her - green, red and blue. And all three reflected the same face - beautiful, kind and happy.

Julia was silent in fascination. A dreamy smile wandered across her face.

- Dad, why did Kari have the same face at the end of the fairy tale in all three mirrors? – she finally asked.

– Try to answer this question yourself.

– Probably because she understood herself correctly. Yes? - Come on, come on, continue.

“She used to consider herself very good and beautiful, but in reality this was not entirely true. And then she changed, and...

“... and the image of herself that she had after her noble deed was very similar to her real image,” dad helped her finish the sentence.

- Yes. And Prince Agor now saw her the same way - kind and brave. Right?

- That's right, Yulenka.

– It’s a pity that I don’t have such mirrors. “I would always know who thinks what about me and what I really am,” Yulia said with a sigh.

– Such mirrors only exist in fairy tales. And we have to study ourselves, our actions, evaluate what we do and think. People who know how to give themselves a correct assessment have a correct self-image. They deserve respect because they respect themselves. We must strive for this, learn to understand ourselves, to be a true ruler of our Inner World.

Julia fell asleep and dreamed of the noble prince Agor and the beautiful girl Kari. She could not even imagine that the next day would mark the beginning of her amazing adventures, which would help her learn to understand herself and learn a lot about the extraordinary science of psychology.

Anna

Nadia

Julia

Irina

Olya

Maria

Maria

MAGIC MIRROR

In ancient times, in a big, big city, there lived a glorious king. He had more money and all sorts of goods than ten other kings together.

But old age has nothing to do with that: the king drives her out the door, and she climbs into his window. He doesn’t even want to hear that he can grow old, or even become decrepit, like any beggar.

The king had three sons.

The two eldest are strong, healthy and smart, the third is unaware that the child is small. His older brothers called him either a fool or a fool. The younger one didn’t even think of being offended by this.

One day the king called his eldest sons to him and said to them:

Apparently, old age is getting the better of me: my hair is turning white, my head is going bald. As a boy, I heard from one lame old man that there was a mirror in the world that makes everyone who looks into it look younger. Get me this mirror - I will give you half the kingdom. You can take whatever you want on the road. Be diligent and try to get this wonder! After all, it will bring happiness to you too.

The sons liked their father’s order, and they said:

Give us a carriage with six horses and a bag of gold, and we will find a magic mirror even at the end of the world!

The king agreed to everything.

The next day they harnessed six horses, put a bag of gold in the carriage, the coachman sat on the box, and the sons set off on the road.

I heard about this matter and I'm a fool. He came to the king and also asked to let him go in search of a mirror.

Hearing his son’s request, the king only laughed and said:

What do you mean, you fool? You won’t even get out of the city, but if you do get out, you’ll fall off at the first stone. It would be better if you went and hung around near the house, your brothers will find a mirror without you.

But the younger son pestered the king until he finally gave in:

Well, for me, go ahead! Just don't count on my help. I cannot trust you with either a living creature or, especially, gold. It will be your own fault if you die on a difficult road.

The youngest son thanked the king for permission and promised to immediately set off on the road.

So the little guy counted his last pennies, but didn’t even get ten thalers.

“Whatever happens, I’ll try my luck with this little thing. But I can’t go on foot - I’ll buy myself a nag.”

He made a deal with someone and bought a white gelding, very decrepit, for ten thalers.

I sat on it and drove off.

The old gelding no, no, and even trotted, but mostly at a walk.

“It’s not a problem,” thought the prince, “after all, we’ll move forward!”

By evening the traveler reached a large tavern, almost the size of a royal palace.

He sees the brothers' horses at the door.