Once upon a time, a huntsman heard the cry of a child in a forest. He looked around and found that it had come from the top of a tree. He saw a little boy clinging to a branch. Climbing up, he gently took the boy and brought him down. He named him Foundling and took him the cottage to live with him and his daughter Lina. The two children became extremely fond of each other and were always playing together.
The huntsman had an old cook who, unknown to him, was actually a cruel witch. One day, Lina saw the witch fetching a large bucket of water from the stream near by and asked her why she needed so much water.
“Don’t tell anyone,” whispered the witch, “I’m going to brew a spell by boiling Foundling!”
Lina was horrified. But she was clever and kept quiet. The next morning, she woke Foundling up and told him of the witch’s plan. after the huntsman had left for work, the two children escaped from the cottage.
The witch was furious when she found them missing. She sent the huntsman’s servant to look for them. The children heard him coming and Foundling, who had magical powers, changed himself into a rose bush and Lina into a beautiful rose blossom on it.
The servant was unable to find them and after an exhausting search he returned and told the witch that he had seen nothing except footprints that led to the rose bush and the rose.
“You fool!” screamed the witch, “That rose bush was the boy and the rose was the girl. You should have cut them down and brought them to me! I had better go myself and get them!”
She rushed off hobbling into the forest, but could not find the rose bush or the rose anywhere. She was exhausted by the time she reached a pond with a duck swimming around in it.
The witch did not know that the pond was Foundling and the duck was Lina. She was simply longing for a drink of water, so she knelt down and dipped into the pond for a drink. As she leaned over, the duck grabbed her hair and dragged her into the pond. The witch struggled and screamed, but the pond and the duck together were stronger. In a trice, she was drowned.
The children went home and no one heard of the witch again. They only knew that she was lost in the forest! The children spent a happy life together.
