🧚 Opening, part 14 · page 2

And Vasilísa went to her room, put meat and drink before her doll, and said: “Dolly dear, eat it and listen to my complaint.81 They are sending me to Bába Yagá for fire, and the Bába Yagá will eat me up.”82

Then the Dollet ate, and her eyes glittered like two lamps, and she said: “Fear nothing, Vasilísushka.83 Do what they say, only take me with you.84 As long as I am with you Bába Yagá can do you no harm.”85 Vasilísa put the doll into her pocket, crossed herself, and went tremblingly into the darksome forest.86

Suddenly a knight on horseback galloped past her all in white.87 His cloak was white, and his horse and the reins: and it became light.88 She went further, and suddenly another horseman passed by, who was all in red, and his horse was red, and his clothes: and the sun rose.89 Vasilísa went on through the night and the next day.90 Next evening she came to the mead where Bába Yagá’s hut stood.91 The fence round the hut consisted of human bones, and on the stakes skeletons glared out of their empty eyes.92 And, instead of the doorways and the gate, there were feet, and in the stead of bolts there were hands, and instead of the lock there was a mouth with sharp teeth.93 And Vasilísa was stone-cold with fright.94

Suddenly another horseman pranced by on his way.95 He was all in black, on a jet-black horse, with a jet-black cloak.96 He sprang to the door and vanished as though the earth had swallowed him up: and it was night.97 But the darkness did not last long, for the eyes in all the skeletons on the fence glistened, and it became as light as day all over the green.98

Vasilísa trembled with fear, but remained standing, for she did not know how she could escape.99 Suddenly a terrible noise was heard in the forest, and the tree-boughs creaked and the dry leaves crackled.100 And out of the wood Bába Yagá drove in inside the mortar with the pestle, and with the broom swept away every trace of her steps.101 At the door she stopped, sniffed all the way round, and cried out:102

“Fee, Fo, Fi, Fum, I smell the blood of a Russian mum!103

Who is there?”104

Vasilísa, shuddering with dread, stepped up to her, bowed low to the ground, and said: “Mother, I am here.105 My stepmother’s daughters sent me to you to ask for fire.”106

“Very well,” said Bába Yagá: “I know them.107 Stay with me, work for me, and I will give you fire.108 Otherwise I shall eat you up.”109

Then she went to the door, and she cried out: “Ho! my strong bolts, draw back, my strong door, spring open!”110 And the door sprang open, and Bába Yagá went in whistling and whirring, and Vasilísa followed her.111

Then the door closed, and Bába Yagá stretched herself in the room and said to Vasilísa: “Give me whatever there is in the oven.112 I am hungry.”113

So Vasilísa lit a splinter from the skulls on the hedge and fetched Bába Yagá food out of the oven, and there was food enough there for ten men.114 Out of a cellar she fetched _kvas_, mead, and wine.115 Bába Yagá ate and drank it all up.116 But all there was left for Vasilísa was a little of some kind of soup, and a crust of bread, and a snippet of pork.117

Bába Yagá lay down to sleep and said: “In the morning, to-morrow, when I go away you must clean the courtyard, brush out the room, get dinner ready, do the washing, go to the field, get a quarter of oats, sift it all out, and see that it is all done before I come home.118 Otherwise I will eat you up.”119

And, as soon as ever she had given all the orders, she began snoring.120

Vasilísa put the rest of the dinner in front of the doll and said: “Dollet, eat it up and listen to my woe.121 Heavy are the tasks which the Bába Yagá has given me, and she threatens to eat me up if I don’t carry them all out.122 Help me!”123

“Have no fear, Vasilísa, thou fair maiden.124 Eat, pray, and lie down to sleep, for the morning is wiser than the evening.”125

Very early next day Vasilísa woke up.126 Bába Yagá was already up and was looking out of the window.127 The glimmer in the eyes of the skulls had dimmed; the white horseman raced by: and it dawned.128 Bába Yagá went into the courtyard, and whistled, and the mortar, the pestle, and the besom appeared at once, and the red horseman came by: and the sun rose.129 Bába Yagá sat in the mortar and went by, thrusting the mortar with the pestle, and with the besom she removed every trace of her steps.130

Vasilísa, left all by herself, looked over the house of the Bába Yagá, wondered at all the wealth gathered in, and began to consider what she should start with.131 But all the work was already done, and the doll had sifted out the very last of the ears of oats.132

“Oh, my saviour!” said Vasilísa.133 “You have helped me in my great need.”134

“You now have only to get dinner ready,” the doll answered, and clambered back into Vasilísa’s pocket.135 “With God’s help get it ready, and stay here quietly waiting.”136

In the evening Vasilísa laid the cloth and waited for Bába Yagá.137 The gloaming came, and the black horseman reached by: and it at once became dark, but the eyes in the skulls glowed.138 The trees shuddered, the leaves crackled, Bába Yagá drove in, and Vasilísa met her.139

“Is it all done?”140 Bába Yagá asked.141

“Yes, grandmother: look!” said Vasilísa.142

Bába Yagá looked round everywhere, and was rather angry that she had nothing to find fault with and said: “Very well.”143 Then she cried out: “Ye my faithful servants, friends of my heart!144 Store up my oats.”145 Then three pairs of hands appeared, seized the oats and carried them off.146

Bába Yagá had her supper, and, before she went to sleep, once more commanded Vasilísa: “To-morrow do the same as you did to-day, but also take the hay which is lying on my field, clean it from every trace of soil, every single ear.147 Somebody has, out of spite, mixed earth with it.”148

And, as soon as she had said it, she turned round to the wall and was snoring.149

Vasilísa at once fetched her doll, who ate, and said as she had the day before: “Pray and lie down to sleep, for the morning is wiser than the evening.150 Everything shall be done, Vasilísushka.”151

Next morning Bába Yagá got up and stood at the window, and then went into the courtyard and whistled; and the mortar, the besom, and the pestle appeared at once, and the red horseman came by: and the sun rose.152 Bába Yagá sat in the mortar and went off, sweeping away her traces as before.153

Vasilísa got everything ready with the help of her doll.154 Then the old woman came back, looked over everything, and said: “Ho, my faithful servants, friends of my heart!155 Make me some poppy-oil.”156 Then three pairs of hands came, laid hold of the poppies and carried them off.157