The White Duck

Once, a Prince married a beautiful Princess but soon had to leave for a long journey. The Prince asked her not to leave her chamber and to avoid wicked people. The Princess promised to do so, and as soon as the Prince left, she locked herself in her chamber. One day, a woman who was in reality a witch lured her into the garden. The witch, then, made the Princess step into the pool and turned her into a white duck. The witch then took the Princess’ shape, wore her clothes and waited for the Prince. By and by a pup screeched, a bell clinked, and there was the Prince at the gate! The witch rushed out to meet him, embraced and kissed him. The Prince was overcome with joy and never knew who she was. Meanwhile, the white duck laid three eggs, and babies were hatched, two of them strong lads, and the third, a tiny little thing.

The Little Ducklings

The white duck took good care of her babies. They began to walk along the pool. But she warned them to stay away from the castle because an evil witch lived there. But one day, the witch saw them and lured them inside. She gave them food and drink, and made them lie on the beds. She, then, ordered the servants to light the fire, hang a kettle on it and sharpen the knives. The two strong lads fell fast asleep, but the third, the tiny one, did not sleep and listened and saw everything. At midnight, the witch came to the door of their chamber and asked, “Are you asleep, little children?” The tiny one answered, “We cannot sleep for the thoughts that chill us.” ‘They are not asleep!’ the witch told herself. She came and asked twice, but after two answers, the witch went in to see. The ducklings were sleeping soundly and she killed them mercilessly in one go.

The Truth Revealed

In the morning, the white duck searched and called to her children, but they did not come. She felt that evil had befallen them. She flew to the castle and found the bodies of little ducklings and lamented over them. The Prince heard her crying. “The duck is speaking in a human voice,” said the Prince. “It only seems so to you,” the witch told him. The servants chased the duck away, but it flew round and round and dropped down again beside her children. She narrated the whole story about the witch. The Prince ordered the servants to catch the duck. They rushed out, but the duck flew round and round and would not be caught. Now, the Prince himself went to catch the duck. The duck itself flew upon his hands and fell at his feet. The Prince carefully lifted it by its little wing and said, “Rise behind me, a white birch! Stand before me, a fair maid!”

The Family

The white duck turned into a beautiful lady and she was none other than her wife, the real Princess. The Prince and the Princess, then, caught a magpie and tied two phials to its wings. One was to be filled with the living water and the other with the talking water. The magpie flew and was soon back with the living and the talking water. First, they sprinkled their sons with the living water and they came back to life. Then, they sprinkled them with the talking water, and they began to talk and laugh. Now, the Prince had his whole family with him, and they never had a reason to cry and prospered year after year. The evil past never returned in their life and they lived happily. As per the Prince’s command, the witch was tied to a horse’s tail and the horse sent across a field. Not a trace of her remained.

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