Long ago, in a certain village in Russia there lived an old couple, who had just one daughter, named Monalisa. They lived in small cottage, but they were comfortably off. One day Monalisa's mother became very ill. So she called her daughter to her, and gave her a small doll. She said "Listen, my dear daughter," take great care of this little doll, and don't let anyone know about this doll. If you ever get into trouble, give the doll something to eat and ask her advice. She will eat the food and will help you in your trouble."
She gave Monalisa a last kiss, and soon after she died. Monalisa's old father mourned the loss of his beloved wife, after some time he married again, thinking he would find his daughter a second mother. But all he gave her was an unkind stepmother. The new wife had two daughters of her own, who were stupid and fussy, and not at all good-natured. Their mother was very fond of them, but she made Monalisa's life a misery. She was always scolding her, treating her unkindly, working her hard. And her daughters were just as bad. They did their best to make her look thin by overworking her, and to spoil her good looks by exposing her to the sun and the wind. All day the girl heard nothing but: "Get on with cooking the dinner, It is time you sweep out the home. Fetch some firewood, the fire is going out. Have you milked the cows yet? Do not stand there doing nothing, get a move on. You must work faster."
Monalisa was very willing, she did everything they asked, was always trying to please them, and managed the work very well. And with every day she grew more and more good-looking. She was too beautiful to be described. And she found the little doll of great help. Early every morning she got some milk, shut herself away in the pantry, gave the doll the milk, and said to it:"Drink up, Dollie, and listen to my troubles." The doll drank the milk and comforted the girl, and did all the work for her.
Monalisa would sit quietly somewhere in the shade, before anyone else was up, while the doll weeded the flower beds, fetched water, lit the stove, watered the cabbages. The doll even showed Monalisa certain herbs that would protect her from sunburn, and so the girl grew more beautiful than ever.
Then a day came when her father had to be away from home for some time. It was late autumn, and it was dark outside the cottage; rain was falling, and the wind was howling. So the stepmother and her daughters would not set foot outside the house. All around the village was a deep forest, and in the forest lived the witch: she ate people as if they were chicks.
The stepmother gave all the girls work to do; one of her daughters was to make lace, the second to knit stockings, while Monalisa was to spin. She put out all the lights except one small glimmer where the girls were working, and then lay down to have a sleep. But the birch splinter which the girls were using for light crackled and spluttered, and at last went out. "Now what are we to do?" the stepmother's daughters wondered. "There is not a light anywhere in the house, and we have our work to do. Someone must go to the witch and get light."But I shall not go," the elder stepdaughter said. "I am knitting lace, and the crochet hook gives me all the light I need."And I shall not go either," the second stepdaughter said. "I am knitting stockings, and the needles give me all the light I need." And they both cried at once: Monalisa you must go for the light. Go to the witch and get the light. Saying so they pushed the girl out of the house. All around her Monalisa saw only the dark night and the deep forest, she heard only the angry wind. She burst into tears, and took the doll out of her pocket."My darling Dollie," she said, "they are sending me to the witch for light. And the witch eats people and crunches the bones."Do not worry," the doll told her. "I'm there to help you. So long as you have me no harm will touch you.
Monalisa thanked dollie, for her kind words and she set out to go to the witch's hut. All around her the forest stood like a wall; she could not see any stars shining, and the bright moon did not rise. She walked along trembling, pressing the doll to her breast. Suddenly a horseman galloped past her; he was dressed in white, he was riding a white horse, and the horse's harness was bright. Dawn began to break. As Monalisa went on she stumbled, and hurt herself against a stump. Dew clung to her dress, her hands were icy with cold. Suddenly a second horseman galloped past; he was dressed in red, was riding a red horse, and the horse's harness was red. The sun rose. It caressed Monalisa warmed her, and dried the dew on her dress.
All day she walked on. Towards evening she came to a glade. She looked into the glade and saw a hut; all round it was a fence made from human bones. On the fence were human skulls; human legbones served instead of a gate, there were hands instead of bolts, and sharp teeth acted as the lock. At this sight the girl was terrified: she stood rooted to the ground. Suddenly a horseman rode past; he was dressed entirely in black, was riding a black horse, and the horse's harness, too, was black. He galloped up to the gate and vanished as if he had been swallowed into the earth. Night came on. And as darkness fell all the eyesockets of the skulls on the fence began to glow, and it grew as light as day in the glade. Monalisa trembled with fear. She could not move, her feet would not carry her away from the fearful spot. Suddenly she heard and felt the earth quivering and shaking as though rocked by an earthquake. It was the witch on her way home; she was riding in a mortar, using a pestle to urge it on, and sweeping away her tracks with a besom. She cried "Pfooh! Pfooh! The place stinks of a Russian soul. Who is here?"
Monalisa went up to her, bowed very low, and spoke very humbly and said "It is Me , Grannie," Monalisa. "My stepmother's daughters have sent me to you to get a light."Ah, yes," the witch said. "Your stepmother's a relation of mine. Well, you can stay and work for me, and then we will see about the light." Then she shouted: "Hey, my powerful bolts, unfasten yourselves! My broad gates, open for me!.
Monalisa followed her. By the gate a oak tree was growing; it tried to clasp Monalisa with its branches."Do not harm the girl, oak tree," the witch said. "I have brought her in. At the door steps a dog was lying; it tried to bite Monalisa."Do not touch her; I have brought her in," said the witch. In the porch a cat tried to scratch Monalisa. "Do not touch her, cat, I have brought her in," the witch said again. "As you see Monalisa," the witch said, "it is not easy for you to escape from me. If you do so the cat will scratch you, the dog will bite you, the oak tree will lash out your eyes and the gates will not open. Monalisa trembled with fear but she bravely went into the hut and sat on a bench. The witch came in after a while and called:"Hey, swarthy child, get me some food. A swarthy young girl ran in and began to feed the witch; she brought a soup made of beetroot soup, a bucket of milk, twenty young chicks, forty ducklings, and two pies, as well as endless quantities of bread, butter and jam. The witch ate and drank the lot. She gave Monalisa only a small piece of bread. "Well," the witch said, "Take this bag of millet and sort it out seed by seed. Take out all the black seed. And if you do not get it all done I will kill and eat you. After saying so the witch went to sleep.
Monalisa took the piece of bread, fed her doll, and weepingly said:"Dollie, please eat the bread and listen to my troubles. The witch has given me a difficult task and she says she will kill me if I do not finish it. The doll replied "Do not cry Monalisa". Better go and lie down to sleep. You will feel better after a good sleep." As soon as Monalisa went to sleep the doll cried: "Little birdies, sparrows and doves, fly here my friends and save Monalisa from harm. At once all sorts of birds came flying up in great numbers. Trilling and cooing, they set to work to sort the millet, putting the good grain into a sack, and the black grains into their crops. They sorted out all the grain seed by seed, and cleansed it of all the weed seeds. Just as the task was finished a white horseman on a white horse galloped past the gates.
The next day morning the witch woke up, and at once asked "Well my dear child Monalisa, have you done the work which I gave last night?"It is all done, Grannie," she answered. The witch became very angry as she was planning to eat Monalisa, but there was nothing she could do. "Well," she grumbled, "I have to go out now to fetch something. But take that sack over there; in it peas are mixed with poppy seed. Sort them all out, seed by seed, and put them into two heaps. And if you do not get it done I will eat you. She went out and whistled, and the mortar and pestle rolled up to her door. A red horseman galloped past. The sun rose. The witch seated herself in the mortar and rode out of the yard, using the pestle as a stick, and sweeping away her tracks with a besom.
Monalisa immediately took a piece of bread, fed the doll, and said: "Have pity on me, Dollie dear. Help me. The doll replied in a loud voice: Dont worry and started shouting "Hurry to me, field mice, house mice, granary mice! The mice came running up in large numbers. And in an hour they had sorted all the peas from the poppy seeds. Late in the afternoon the swarthy child laid the table, and waited for the witch to return. A black horseman galloped past the gate. Night fell and the skulls the eye sockets began to burn, the trees creaked, the leaves rustled. The bony-legged witch was on her way home. The witch came inside and asked "Well, have you completed my task Monalisa?". "It is all done, Grannie," the girl answered. The witch was furious, but she could do nothing. "In that case," she said, "go to bed, and sleep and I need to take rest as well." Monalisa went to lie down behind the stove. But before she could get to sleep she heard the witch say:"Swarthy girl, make the stove really hot, get a blazing fire going. When I wake up I am going to cook Monalisa. Then she stretched herself out on a bench, covered her feet, and started to snore so loudly that she could have been heard all through the forest. Monalisa lay in her corner, weeping. But then she took out her doll and set a crust of bread before it. "My darling Dollie," she said. "Eat the bread and listen to my troubles." The doll ate the bread, and then told Monalisa that all she had to do was to escape from the witch. So the girl went to the swarthy child, and bowed to her. "Help me, swarthy child," she pleaded. "Do not burn the wood, but make it only smoulder by wetting it with water. Here, take my silk handkerchief as a present." "All right," the girl said, "I will help you. I will take a long time over lighting the stove, and tickle Witch"s feet to make her sleep more soundly. And you run away home, darling. Monalisa asked the swarthy child "But do you think one of the horsemen will catch me ? "Will they come back to catch me?". "Oh no," the girl answered. "The white horseman is the broad daylight, the red horseman is the golden sun, and the black horseman is the dark night. They will not hurt you." Monalisa ran out into the porch. The cat rushed at her and tried to scratch her. But Monalisa threw a piece of bread towards the cat , and it did not touch her. She ran down the steps. The dog jumped up and tried to bite her. But she threw him some bread. And the dog let her go. She ran through the yard. The oak tree tried to lash her eyes out. But she tied it with a ribbon, and the oak tree let her go. The gates wanted to swing shut against her. But she greased their hinges with grease, and they opened for her. But now the black horseman galloped past; in the forest it grew darker than dark. How could she ever find her way home without a light? Her stepmother would beat the life out of her if she returned without it. But once more the doll instructed her what to do. She took a skull off the fence, and set it on a pole. Then she ran through the deep forest, and the eye-sockets in the skull shone so brightly that the dark night was lit up like day. After a long sleep the old witch woke up and stretched herself. She went to catch Monalisa to cook her. The witch searched everywhere in the house but in vain and then she realised that Monalisa would have escaped. Thinking so she ran into the porch. "Snarling cat," she said. "The girl ran past you. Why did you not scratch her?" "I have served you for ten years, Oh witch, and you have never even given me a piece of bread. But she gave me bread to eat, so I let her go" replied the cat." Then the witch rushed into the yard and cried:"My faithful dog, why did you not bite the disobedient girl? But the dog answered: "I have served you all these years, and you have never even thrown me a bone. But she gave me bread, so I let her go." The witch screamed in anger:"Oak tree, my oak tree, why did you not lash out her eyes ?" "I have been growing in your yard for ten years, and you never tied up my branches even with string. But she bound me with ribbon, so I let her go." "My powerful gates, why did you not close and shut in the disobedient girl?"asked the witch. "We have served you so long, and you never even poured water on our hinges. But she greased them with grease, so we let her go. The witch was furious, and she started beating the dog, shaking the cat, chopping down the oak tree, breaking down the gate. But she did not try to go after.
Monalisa meanwhile ran all the way home. When she arrived she saw there was still no light in the house. Her stepsisters ran out and shouted at her. "Why have you been so long bringing the light?" they demanded. "We simply cannot keep any light going in the house. We hope the light you have brought will stay alight. They carried the skull into the best room, and there the skull's eye-sockets glared at the stepmother and her daughters so fiercely that they were burnt with fire. They tried to hide from the skull, but wherever they ran the glare of the eye-sockets followed them and found them. By the morning they were burnt into ashes. The next day morning Monalisa took the skull and buried it in the ground, and a rose bush sprang up in the spot where she buried the skull.
Monalisa did not feel that she wanted to remain in the house alone, so she went to the town and began to live with an old woman who was her mother's distant relative. One day she said to the old woman:"Grannie, I am bored with sitting here doing nothing. Buy me some flax, the very finest you can get. The old woman bought the flax, and Monalisa sat down to spin it. The work flew so fast in her hands that the spindle hummed. The thread came away even and fine, like a golden hair. Then she set to work to weave the thread, and she weave linen that could go through a needle eye just like a thread. Then she bleached the linen whiter than snow. "Now, Grannie," she said, "go and sell the linen and keep whatever money you get for it The old woman replied "No, I shall not sell it". "It is too good. Only a prince should wear such linen. I will take it to the prince. When the prince saw the linen he was astonished at its quality. "What do you want for it?" he asked."Such linen is without price," the old woman answered. "So I have brought it to you as a gift." The prince thanked the old woman and sent her home with presents. The servants wanted to make a shirt for him from the linen, but when they saw it no one would undertake the task: it was too fine for them to handle. So the prince sent for the old woman and said: "As you have been clever enough to weave such fine linen, now make me a shirt from it."It was not I who span and wove it, prince," the old woman answered. "It was the girl Monalisa. "Well then, let her make the shirt," he told her. The old woman went back home and told Monalisa what the prince had said. The girl made the shirt, trimmed it with silks, and decorated it with seed pearls. Then the old woman carried it back to the palace. Monalisa sat down at the cottage window to do some embroidering on a tambour. Suddenly she saw one of the prince's servants come running along the street. He hurried up to her window, and told her:"The prince requires you to go to the palace." So she went to the palace. And when the prince saw how beautiful she was he stood rooted to the spot. "I do not intend to let you go away," he said. I want you to be my wife. He took her white hands, seated her at his side, and there and then they celebrated the wedding. Soon after they had got married. Monalisa's father returned home from his travels and came to know about the whole story that took place in his absence from the villagers, and he went to live in the palace with his daughter. Monalisa took the old woman who had helped her into her service. And she always carried the doll in her pocket. Monalisa and the prince lived happily for ever.
Monalisa immediately took a piece of bread, fed the doll, and said: "Have pity on me, Dollie dear. Help me. The doll replied in a loud voice: Dont worry and started shouting "Hurry to me, field mice, house mice, granary mice! The mice came running up in large numbers. And in an hour they had sorted all the peas from the poppy seeds. Late in the afternoon the swarthy child laid the table, and waited for the witch to return. A black horseman galloped past the gate. Night fell and the skulls the eye sockets began to burn, the trees creaked, the leaves rustled. The bony-legged witch was on her way home. The witch came inside and asked "Well, have you completed my task Monalisa?". "It is all done, Grannie," the girl answered. The witch was furious, but she could do nothing. "In that case," she said, "go to bed, and sleep and I need to take rest as well." Monalisa went to lie down behind the stove. But before she could get to sleep she heard the witch say:"Swarthy girl, make the stove really hot, get a blazing fire going. When I wake up I am going to cook Monalisa. Then she stretched herself out on a bench, covered her feet, and started to snore so loudly that she could have been heard all through the forest. Monalisa lay in her corner, weeping. But then she took out her doll and set a crust of bread before it. "My darling Dollie," she said. "Eat the bread and listen to my troubles." The doll ate the bread, and then told Monalisa that all she had to do was to escape from the witch. So the girl went to the swarthy child, and bowed to her. "Help me, swarthy child," she pleaded. "Do not burn the wood, but make it only smoulder by wetting it with water. Here, take my silk handkerchief as a present." "All right," the girl said, "I will help you. I will take a long time over lighting the stove, and tickle Witch"s feet to make her sleep more soundly. And you run away home, darling. Monalisa asked the swarthy child "But do you think one of the horsemen will catch me ? "Will they come back to catch me?". "Oh no," the girl answered. "The white horseman is the broad daylight, the red horseman is the golden sun, and the black horseman is the dark night. They will not hurt you." Monalisa ran out into the porch. The cat rushed at her and tried to scratch her. But Monalisa threw a piece of bread towards the cat , and it did not touch her. She ran down the steps. The dog jumped up and tried to bite her. But she threw him some bread. And the dog let her go. She ran through the yard. The oak tree tried to lash her eyes out. But she tied it with a ribbon, and the oak tree let her go. The gates wanted to swing shut against her. But she greased their hinges with grease, and they opened for her. But now the black horseman galloped past; in the forest it grew darker than dark. How could she ever find her way home without a light? Her stepmother would beat the life out of her if she returned without it. But once more the doll instructed her what to do. She took a skull off the fence, and set it on a pole. Then she ran through the deep forest, and the eye-sockets in the skull shone so brightly that the dark night was lit up like day. After a long sleep the old witch woke up and stretched herself. She went to catch Monalisa to cook her. The witch searched everywhere in the house but in vain and then she realised that Monalisa would have escaped. Thinking so she ran into the porch. "Snarling cat," she said. "The girl ran past you. Why did you not scratch her?" "I have served you for ten years, Oh witch, and you have never even given me a piece of bread. But she gave me bread to eat, so I let her go" replied the cat." Then the witch rushed into the yard and cried:"My faithful dog, why did you not bite the disobedient girl? But the dog answered: "I have served you all these years, and you have never even thrown me a bone. But she gave me bread, so I let her go." The witch screamed in anger:"Oak tree, my oak tree, why did you not lash out her eyes ?" "I have been growing in your yard for ten years, and you never tied up my branches even with string. But she bound me with ribbon, so I let her go." "My powerful gates, why did you not close and shut in the disobedient girl?"asked the witch. "We have served you so long, and you never even poured water on our hinges. But she greased them with grease, so we let her go. The witch was furious, and she started beating the dog, shaking the cat, chopping down the oak tree, breaking down the gate. But she did not try to go after.
Monalisa meanwhile ran all the way home. When she arrived she saw there was still no light in the house. Her stepsisters ran out and shouted at her. "Why have you been so long bringing the light?" they demanded. "We simply cannot keep any light going in the house. We hope the light you have brought will stay alight. They carried the skull into the best room, and there the skull's eye-sockets glared at the stepmother and her daughters so fiercely that they were burnt with fire. They tried to hide from the skull, but wherever they ran the glare of the eye-sockets followed them and found them. By the morning they were burnt into ashes. The next day morning Monalisa took the skull and buried it in the ground, and a rose bush sprang up in the spot where she buried the skull.
Monalisa did not feel that she wanted to remain in the house alone, so she went to the town and began to live with an old woman who was her mother's distant relative. One day she said to the old woman:"Grannie, I am bored with sitting here doing nothing. Buy me some flax, the very finest you can get. The old woman bought the flax, and Monalisa sat down to spin it. The work flew so fast in her hands that the spindle hummed. The thread came away even and fine, like a golden hair. Then she set to work to weave the thread, and she weave linen that could go through a needle eye just like a thread. Then she bleached the linen whiter than snow. "Now, Grannie," she said, "go and sell the linen and keep whatever money you get for it The old woman replied "No, I shall not sell it". "It is too good. Only a prince should wear such linen. I will take it to the prince. When the prince saw the linen he was astonished at its quality. "What do you want for it?" he asked."Such linen is without price," the old woman answered. "So I have brought it to you as a gift." The prince thanked the old woman and sent her home with presents. The servants wanted to make a shirt for him from the linen, but when they saw it no one would undertake the task: it was too fine for them to handle. So the prince sent for the old woman and said: "As you have been clever enough to weave such fine linen, now make me a shirt from it."It was not I who span and wove it, prince," the old woman answered. "It was the girl Monalisa. "Well then, let her make the shirt," he told her. The old woman went back home and told Monalisa what the prince had said. The girl made the shirt, trimmed it with silks, and decorated it with seed pearls. Then the old woman carried it back to the palace. Monalisa sat down at the cottage window to do some embroidering on a tambour. Suddenly she saw one of the prince's servants come running along the street. He hurried up to her window, and told her:"The prince requires you to go to the palace." So she went to the palace. And when the prince saw how beautiful she was he stood rooted to the spot. "I do not intend to let you go away," he said. I want you to be my wife. He took her white hands, seated her at his side, and there and then they celebrated the wedding. Soon after they had got married. Monalisa's father returned home from his travels and came to know about the whole story that took place in his absence from the villagers, and he went to live in the palace with his daughter. Monalisa took the old woman who had helped her into her service. And she always carried the doll in her pocket. Monalisa and the prince lived happily for ever.
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