FAIRY TALES (text) - 51. THE MAGIC BOWL

THE MAGIC BOWL

Once upon a time there was a little girl. One day she went to the woods to pick up berries. There she met an old woman who said:

– Good afternoon little girl! Please give me some berries!

– Here you are nanny! – said the girl putting out her hand full of berries. When she finished eating the berries, the old woman said to the girl: -You gave me berries, and I want to thank you with something. Take this bowl. Just say to it: ‘‘one, two, three! Now boil, you bowl!’’ and it will make a delicious soup. And when you’ll say ‘‘one, two, three! Stop now!’’ and it will stop boiling.

The girl thanked the old woman, took the bowl and turned back home. Her mother was so happy when the girl showed her the bowl. How could she be unhappy? Now she would not disturb about the dishes she would have to cook for lunch, it would be ready. One day the girl left home. Her mother put the bowl on the table and said:

– One, two, three! Now boil, you bowl!

So the bowl began to make soup too much soup. The mother ate till she was overfed, but the bowl was still making soup. To stop it she had to say the words:

– One, two, three! Stop now! But she didn’t remember the words. Her daughter wasn’t at home to say the words, so the bowl went on and on boiling. The room was full of soup, then the hall was filled with it. Then it was pouring down the road and no one could stop it. The mother was scared and ran to call her daughter, but she couldn’t pass the road because the hot soup had become a river. They were lucky because the girl hadn’t gone too far from home and when she saw what was happening, she ran towards the house. She climbed from the balcony, opened the door and cried out loud:

– One, two, three! Stop now!

So the bowl stopped making soup. But it had poured so much soup that everyone that had to pass by the village to go to the city, had to walk through the soup. But no one ever complained, because the soup was very delicious.