Russian fairy tale "The Magic Mirror" § Tales of Timofey the Cat. The Magic Mirror and Other Tales The Tale of Magic Mirrors

Magic mirror

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 you, dear brother, with 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 is 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 didn’t think long, she got ready for the journey, said goodbye to her brother and went, where she doesn’t even know. And her brother killed a yard dog, took out the heart, put it on a sharp knife and took it to his father. Gives him a dog's heart:
“So and so,” he says, “on your parental orders, I executed my sister.”
- Come on! Dog's death! - 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,” 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, pressed them against each other’s chests and made the following agreement:
- If one of us dares to encroach on his sister, then we will cut him down 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 to hunt and punished their sister:
- Look, don’t let anyone in until we arrive!
- We 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 more beautiful me in the world!
- And the mirror in response:
- 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 and 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 noticed one ring on the red girl’s hand:
- Is it really possible to bury her with this ring? Let me take a picture and 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 knew came from my hometown 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 my native land and brought me a ribbon.”
- Oh, what are you like! 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!” 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 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.
- Oh, your highness, where have you been? - the hunters ask.
- I was chasing the beast, but 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 nothing bad 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 spent a whole week lost in the forest! 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, prince, 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 I slept for a long time!
- The Tsarevich 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! Let’s not 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 own 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 and 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? Have you been to Al yet?
- And here the initial general comes 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 Tsarevich 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 better tell fairy tales.
- OK OK! - they shouted from all sides. - Who will start?
- This one doesn’t know how, the other one is not good at it, and the third one lost his memory of wine. What should I do? The merchant clerk responded:
“We have a new cook in our kitchen, he’s traveled a lot in foreign lands, seen a lot of all sorts of wonders, and is such a master at telling fairy tales—so guess what!”
- The merchant called that cook.
“Make fun,” he says, “of my guests!”
- The cook-princess answers him:
- What should I tell you: a fairy tale or a true story?
- Tell me what happened!
“Perhaps, it’s possible to do some violence, 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 my 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 can't be true.
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!
- It’s okay, sit down 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!”
- The princess threw off her chef's dress with a plague on his forehead and revealed herself to the prince:
- I’m not a cook, I’m your legal wife!
- The Tsarevich 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.

Storyteller. A man walks around the fair and is surprised. His mouth opens in surprise. All sorts of goods, my eyes run wild. And the man is lost (doesn’t know) what to buy his wife as a gift. Music is playing.

A man walks past the stalls, touches the goods, but does not buy anything. He sighs and gets ready to leave.

Salesman. Hey man, take your time, stay a minute!

Look here quickly, this little thing is where it’s at! (shows mirror)

Man(admires). I'll take it! (pays and leaves)

(The scenery of the city changes to a hut)

Storyteller. And the man bought his wife a pocket mirror as a gift. He brought him to his village, but he hides it from people and doesn’t show it to her. A man secretly looks at a mirror from the chest and hides it.

(The wife sits on the bench and embroiders and sneaks a peek at her husband)

Wife. Oh, I'm all exhausted! What is it that your husband looks at early in the morning and late in the evening? But I don’t dare ask... Master!

(the man leaves, the wife looks towards her husband)

^ Wife. I left, I'll look in the chest.

Storyteller. Jaune put it in the chest and fished out a mirror.

Wife. What's taco? Some kind of empty thing sparkles! Oh! Woman's face! Oh! I'm sick of it! It was he who made a girlfriend in the city, copied her face into a portrait and brought it home, he was not ashamed. (the wife stands and yells at the whole house)

^ Wife. Oh, help me, good people! What to do?

Wife. Look, my dears! I made a girlfriend in the city. I copied her face into a portrait and brought it home, I wasn’t ashamed. (the neighbors sigh and feel sorry for the wife)

Storyteller. The neighbors had never seen or heard of mirrors. (they started looking at each other in the mirror)

1st. Come on, come on, what kind of girlfriend does your neighbor have in town? (the old woman stared at the mirror) Oh! Trouble! After all, I fell in love with a monkey. She is wrinkled, her mouth is pitted and there are no teeth!

2nd. How come there are no teeth!? Her teeth are like a horse’s, and her lips... her lips are like jelly. What a face!

(a grandfather appears in the hut, he runs around the neighbors and tries to see what they are looking at)

^ 3rd. Her personality is plump and cannot be covered with a sieve. Her eyes are swollen, her toe is like a button, and her mouth is like a piggy bank.

Grandfather. Come on, women, let me see what kind of girlfriend my neighbor has in town! ABOUT! Lord have mercy! She has a red beard too!

^ All. Oh!

(a man enters the hut)

Man. What did you think of that! This mirror is a city wonder! I bought your wife as a birthday gift at the fair.

^ All in chorus. Mirror!?

Man. YES! Whoever looks into this mirror sees his entire appearance. Everything is as it is. This is such an amazing thing. Shows the whole truth about a person. (everyone stands in surprise and looks at each other)

^ Grandfather. Oh! Hold me! (points to the old woman - a toothless monkey, turns to another - her mouth is like a piggy bank)

1st.( he snatches the mirror from the man’s hands and looks at himself) Just think, the mirror, maybe it’s ruined!

^2i. And my teeth are straight and strong! This is because I am not offended by my health.

3rd. And my personality is very sweet and kind. And what about the narrow eyes, they squint with spiritual joy and pleasantness.

1st. Take your mirror! We still need to check what truth it shows! (leaves)

2nd. And my husband is waiting for me at home. (Leaves)

3rd. Oh! And I put the dough on the pies! It's all sour now! (runs away)

Grandfather(smirks). Go, go magpies! (leaves)

(a husband and wife stand in the middle of the hall. The wife looks in the mirror, smiles and presses the mirror to herself. She approaches her husband and puts her head on his shoulder)

Storyteller. That’s the end of the fairy tale, and well done to those who listened!

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

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 you, dear brother, with my entire house and household and 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.

“Or,” 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 is 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.

Ah, brother, I am 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. Gives him a dog's heart:

“So and so,” he says, “on your parental orders, I executed my sister.”

Come on! Dog's death! - 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, 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, pressed them against each other’s chests and made the following agreement:

If one of us dares to encroach on his sister, then we will cut him down 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 to hunt and punished their sister:

Look, don’t let anyone in until we arrive!

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 you, dear brother, with my entire house and household and 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 is 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 didn’t think long, she got ready for the journey, said goodbye to her brother and went, where she doesn’t even know. And her brother killed a yard dog, took out the heart, put it on a sharp knife and took it to his father. Gives him a dog's heart:

“So and so,” he says, “on your parental orders, I executed my sister.”

- Come on! Dog's death! - 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,” 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, pressed them against each other’s chests and made the following agreement:

“If one of us dares to encroach on his sister, then we will cut him down 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 to hunt and punished their sister:

- Look, don’t let anyone in until we arrive!

— We 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 in response:

- 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 and 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 noticed one ring on the red girl’s hand:

- Is it really possible to bury her with this ring? Let me take a picture and 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 knew from home came in 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 my native land and brought me a ribbon.”

- Oh, what are you! 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!” 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 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.

- Oh, your highness, where have you been? - the hunters ask.

— I was chasing the beast, but 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 nothing bad 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 spent a whole week lost in the forest!” 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, prince, 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 I slept for a long time!

“The Tsarevich 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! Let’s not 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 own 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 and 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? Have you been to Al yet?

- And then the initial general comes 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 Tsarevich 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 better tell fairy tales.

- OK OK! - they shouted from all sides. - Who will start?

“This one doesn’t know how, the other one is not good at it, and the third one lost his memory of wine.” What should I do? The merchant clerk responded:

“We have a new cook in our kitchen, he’s traveled a lot in foreign lands, seen a lot of all sorts of wonders, and is such a master at telling fairy tales - guess what!

— The merchant called that cook.

“You’re making fun of my guests,” he says!

— The cook-princess answers him:

- What should I tell you: a fairy tale or a true story?

- Tell me what happened!

“Perhaps, it’s possible to do some violence, 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 my 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 can't be true.

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!

- It’s okay, sit down 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!”

- The princess threw off her chef's dress with a plague on his forehead and revealed herself to the prince:

- I’m not a cook, I’m your legal wife!

“The Tsarevich 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.