FAIRY TALES (text) - 85. THE SEVEN RAVENS

THE SEVEN RAVENS

Once upon a time there was a man who had seven sons. But he loved too much to have a daughter! But it didn’t last that much and his wife could give birth to a baby girl finally. Both husband and wife were very happy! They had to wash their daughter as fast as possible and the father sent one of the sons to the well to fetch some water. But even the other sons followed him. Each of them wanted to get the water first. So they threw all their vessels at once and they were broken crashing with each -other. The boys gathered around the well and didn’t know what to do. They were afraid to go back home with empty vessels, but the most important, with broken vessels. The boys weren’t showing up so their father lost patience. He was so angry that he shouted out loudly:

– The slackers! They have started to play and have forgotten about the water! If they could turn into ravens!

Just as he ended saying the words, it was heard the wings flapping up in the sky and the father saw over his head seven black ravens. They flew around his head several times, then they left traceless. The parents were so sad from what they saw but they could do nothing to turn them into people again. They could find consolation only at their little daughter which was growing bigger and was becoming more beautiful day by day. Parents did everything they could to not mention their sons in front of the girl. So the girl didn’t know for a very long time that she had seven brothers. One day she heard accidentally some people saying about her:

– What a kind and a beautiful girl she is! However, she killed her brothers!

The girl was very sad of the words. She went to ask her parents:

– Is it true that I have had brothers? What has happened to them? 

Her father and her mother understood that she knew everything then, so they decided to tell her the secret they have been keeping for so many years. They told her how it had happened and they said her she had nothing to do with that. But since then the girl was always sad. At last she decided to find her brothers and turn them back home. One day she left secretly to go and find the brothers. She took a ring with her as a sign, a piece of bread to feed herself and a small stool to rest. She walked till she arrived to the farthest edge of land. There she saw the Sun and wanted to approach, but he was very hot and could burn her. The girl was scared and went to the Moon. But the Moon was so cold and she could freeze there. So the girl went to the Stars, each of them stood on his stool and they welcomed her warmly. The Morning Star stood up from the stool and gave her a magic stick and said:

– Your brothers live at the glassy mountain, and you can open the door only if you have this stick. The girl thanked the Morning Star, wrapped the stick with a handkerchief and went on her way. She walked till she found the glassy mountain and its gate was closed. She opened the handkerchief to take the stick but it was nothing there! The gift of the kind stars was disappeared. 

‘‘What do I do now? How will I help my brothers if I don’t have the key to open the gate of the glassy mountain?!’’ –she was thinking.

Being such a fond sister and a brave girl, she put her finger in the gate hole and it opened. She went inside the mountain and there she saw a bearded dwarf.

– What are you doing here my dear? –he asked her.

I am looking for my brothers, the seven ravens, – the girl answered.

– Now they are not at home, – said the dwarf, – Come in and wait for them to come.

Then the dwarf brought seven dishes and seven bowls of water for the ravens. The girl tried a spoon of dish from every plate and drank from each bowl a gulp of water. She put in the last bowl the ring she had taken with her. Suddenly they began to listen the wings flapping.

– The ravens are coming home, – said the dwarf.

They were very hungry and sat immediately to have dinner. Suddenly they began to whisper to each-other. 

– Who has eaten in my plate?! Who had drunk from my bowl?! I am sure someone has been in here! 

When the seventh raven drank from his bowl, he saw the ring falling down. He noticed it was the ring of his parents and said:

– Oh, if we could see only once our sister, then we could turn into people again! 

Once she heard the words, the sister came out from the place where she hid. When they saw their sister, they turned into people again at once. They met with their sister with so much love and they turned back home all together.