Children's stories online. Sorceresses Message to Readers

Hello dear reader. The Fairy Tale (Fairy Gifts) by Charles Perrault is extremely instructive. The youngest daughter from Perrault's fairy tale clearly inherits the magical, but worldly not quite convenient property of spitting out pearls and diamonds at every word from the heroines of Italian short stories who kindly dealt with the fairies: this is Blanchebel from Basile's "Pentameron" (III, 3), as well as the stepdaughter from the fairy tale “Three Fairies” (III, 10) and a beautiful and kind youngest daughter in the short story “Two Pies” (IV, 7), from whose mouth roses and jasmine are falling, and pearls and pomegranates are falling out of her hair. Marie-Jeanne Lhéritier de Villaudon (Lheritier de Vil-laudon M.-J., 1664-1734), niece of Charles Ileppo, also uses the plot of "Fairies" in her fairy tale "The Magic Power of Eloquence" (1695). She calls this plot "one of those Gallic tales that go back in a straight line to the storytellers or troubadours of Provence, who were once so famous." Probably, the uncle and niece worked on the theme in parallel, each developing it in its own direction: Perrault - in folklore. Lhéritier de Villaudon - in the spirit of a gallant novel, with the introduction of quite modern details. So, her heroine Blanche, like Cinderella, suffering from the intrigues of an evil stepmother, who longs to imprison her in a monastery, tries to forget herself in reading novels with Greek names. The stepmother and her ugly daughter go to plays, balls and proms, the musketeers and young officers stare at them. Blanche meets the prince returning from the hunt not at the well, but at the fountain. Instead of a bow and arrow, the prince has quite modern firearms with him. Chasing the boar, he wounds the girl. He tries to stop the bleeding using his neckerchief. True, then you still have to resort to the help of a fairy. In the fairy tale "Sorceresses" the metaphor is materialized: good words are identified with flowers and precious stones falling from the mouth, and evil ones - with toads and snakes. This can serve as a good lesson for children, so parents can safely read the fairy tale "Sorceress (Fairy Gifts)" online with pictures, with illustrations from famous books, to children of any age.

There once lived a widow with two daughters: the eldest was so much like the mother in face and disposition that it was impossible to recognize which mother is who is the daughter; they were both so bad-faced and so proud and abusive that no one could get along with them. The youngest, with a crumb and good disposition, resembled her late father, was the fairest of maidens. As it is already known that every person loves more a character similar to himself, then the widow loved her older daughter to the point of madness and hated her younger daughter terribly; she made her dine in the kitchen and work incessantly.
Among other things, the poor girl had to go twice a day with a large jug to fetch water to a spring more than two miles from their house. Once, as she came to the spring, a poor old woman approached her and asked for a drink.

- Now, a kind woman, said the beautiful girl, and at the same moment she ran to the spring, took some water and gave it to the old woman, supporting the jug with her hand so that she could drink more comfortably. The good old woman, getting drunk, told her: you are so good, so kind and smart that I can not help but thank you (it was a sorceress who, having assumed the appearance of a poor woman, wanted to know to what extent the virtue of this young girl ); here is my present for you, the sorceress continued: with every word you say, either a flower or a precious stone will fall out of your mouth. When the beauty came home, her mother began to scold her that she had been going to fetch water for a long time. It's my fault, mother, said the poor girl; at these words, two roses, two pearls and two diamonds fell out of her mouth.

What do I see? cried the amazed mother, pearls and diamonds falling out of her mouth? What is it from, my daughter? (called her daughter for the first time). The poor child told frankly everything that had happened to her, and during the story, many diamonds fell out of her mouth. You must Fantheta, said the mother of the eldest daughter, and you must go to the source; look what falls out of your sister's mouth when she speaks. I think you also want to have the same gift? Go get some water, and when the poor old woman asks you to drink, then kindly give it to her. - That's good, the wayward answered, for water, for water! To make all the neighbors laugh at me! No, no, I won't go! - And I order you, objected the mother; go now. Fanttet, taking a silver mug with abuse and grunting, went to the source and as soon as she came to the place where they drew water, she saw a beautifully dressed lady coming out of the forest, who approached her and asked for a drink (this was the same sorceress who took the appearance of a princess, wanting to see how great Phanteta's ill will). Did I come for that, the rude girl told her, to give water to all the passers-by?

That's right, I brought this silver mug for you. Get drunk yourself, madam, if you like. “You are very helpful,” the sorceress objected without anger. And so for your indulgence, I must thank you: with every word that you utter, a snake or a lizard will come out of your mouth; her mother, who was impatiently awaiting her, as soon as she met her, immediately shouted: what, dear Fantetushka? What, mother ... answered the rude, and at this word two snakes and two lizards crawled out of her mouth.

My God! exclaimed mother, what do I see! Your sister did it all, oh! she would not pay me cheaply, so she ran to beat her. The poor girl hastily left home out of fear and disappeared into the nearest forest. The royal son, returning from the hunt, met her and seeing how beautiful she was, asked what she was doing here alone and what she was crying about. - Oh? sir, said the poor girl, mother drove me out of the house.

The royal son, seeing that six pearls and the same number of diamonds spilled out of her mouth, asked to explain the reason; the beauty told him sincerely everything that had happened to her. The King's son, touched by her position and beauty, fell madly in love. Believing that such a gift, which the sorceress had awarded her, exceeded the dowry of the richest bride, he brought her to the palace to the King, his father, and having received his consent to the marriage, he married her and lived a long time happily; As for Fantheta, she became so hateful to everyone that her mother herself drove her out of the house, and the unfortunate rude woman, finding no refuge anywhere, died of despair.

Released: 2008

Genre: romance, comedy, drama, everyday life

Type of: Tv

Number of episodes: 22 (25 min.)

Description: So, before continuing the story of Tomoe and his friends. The series continues the storyline, at the point where the first season ends. Our heroes have grown up, rested on summer holidays and are ready to meet their last school year. Many have already decided where to go, but still there is anxiety about the future in that little-known adult life. Our main character Tomoya Okazaki moved to his girlfriend - Nagisa Furukawa, and the girl's family for him turned out to be an unimaginable miracle, which he was deprived of in childhood. Only after going through all the trials, he realized how valuable it is that close friends are with him, a girl to whom he is ready to devote his whole life. Tomoya has thawed, but new challenges await him on the path of life.

So, the heroes of the series understand that the role of the family in a person's life is paramount, and only after realizing how great this art is to live as a family, they begin to move towards real adult life. But this does not end there, and the main characters of the series again meet obstacles with which they successfully fight, because there is no life without difficulties and losses, such a life is boring and uninteresting to those who are from above.

Collect Rejuvenation Bottles and store them all in a chest. It is also useful to put all the mana potions found in it, leaving three or four things in the inventory. Try not to waste mana bottles. Remember that they (unlike health drinks) are not for sale, but only found by the hero himself in his adventures!

Pay special attention to the selection of a staff for your witch. Try to buy one that increases Warmth's ability by 3 (the maximum increase in a skill or spell with a staff is plus three units!), And also increases your favorite spell by the same three points: Glacial Spike, Blaze, Chain Lightning or another.

Try to buy and find magic amulets and rings that give mana for kills or allow you to cast spells faster (of Apprentice or of Magus).

The ability to retreat in time to restore mana is the most important skill. Use it more often. It is very useful to periodically return to the city to talk to the seller, who will automatically restore the heroine's mana and life.

Don't chase a big Defense Rating, better increase your magic defense or add Faster Run / Walk to run away from enemies faster.

Of all the characteristics, it is most profitable to develop Energy and pump up Strenght a little. It is almost pointless to increase Dexterity, and even more so Vitality. Why is it very important to use almost all glasses on Energy? Of course, it is obvious that this will allow you to accumulate a greater supply of mana ... It is slightly less obvious that with an increase in the supply of magical energy, at the same time, its regeneration is accelerated. As for strength, this stat is only needed so that you can wear cool things like advanced boots and heavy belts with several additional slots for potions. Usually, very cool magic amplifiers are added to more powerful defensive paraphernalia (read: requiring a lot of strength). What magic amplifiers do you need? Of the more or less common - this is an increase in the number of lives and an acceleration of mana regeneration. In the early stages, you really need things like the chain mail of Tiger, which add lives that way under 30. Well, then the items of the Colossus, which increase the maximum life of dozens at once by five or six, also do not hurt.

Your task is to avoid hand-to-hand combat. Believe me, even if you fight off the enemy more or less well, you will still lose a certain amount of life (it is better to spend mana, which will restore itself) and also reduce the strength of your weapons and armor. You will still lose a certain amount of life from enemy ranged attacks and offensive magic, so fill the first three slots with bottles of healing, and the fourth with a drink of mana, just for every "fireman".

To effectively play as a magician, try to use as damaging spells as possible in such a way that they do not consume all of your mana at once.

The sorceress can follow several paths of development. She can try to learn all the available spells, having one or two in each of them. In this case, the damage from each spell will be small, and their effectiveness will be low. On the other hand, the magician will be able to select a special combination of spells for each enemy or situation. For example, you can cast on the fast enemy Ice Bolt to slow it down, then switch to the more lethal Fire Bolt and fire at the enemy from a distance. The next spell, when the enemy gets closer, will be Inferno. However, I repeat, having a rich repertoire of spells, you will be able to more flexible approach to the battle with each enemy, but on the other hand, each spell will not be very strong. If you can compensate for the lack of power with the correct application, then go ahead.

Another option is to download a "fire", "ice" or "electric" sorceress. This approach is good because each spell of the chosen element will be well pumped. On the other hand, if you run into a monster with great resistance to your element, then it will be more difficult to fight him.

The third option that I have chosen is to download all three elements, but not completely, but only the selected "branches" of development. For example, in the ice element, I abandoned all three "shield" spells. If a strong monster gets to me, then they will not help, and I will fight off a weakling anyway. From the "lightning" did not begin to swing the branch, starting with telekinesis. In the element of Fire, the branch, starting with Fire Bolt, remained undeveloped.

Your goal is to choose five or six spells in such a way that one of them is most effective for each possible game situation. I advise you to find one spell that hits a single target. For example, lightning or Ice Blast. The second could be witchcraft of mass destruction: Glacial Spike, for example, or Fire Ball. The third and fourth will be sorcery, applicable in special situations: Cold Nova and Inferno. As the fifth, Blaze or any other spell that spends little mana, but takes time to cast is good (while you use it, you have time to recover a bit of mana).

Ice element

Important note. If a frozen enemy is smashed or once again severely frozen so that he runs out of lives, he will turn into a pile of broken glass on the ground and melt. Creatures humiliated in this way cannot be resurrected by enemy shamans and their bodies cannot be used by either you or the enemy. Well, for example, the creature from the fourth episode will not be able to use bodies as projectiles.

Ice bolt... In terms of the amount of damage, the speed of casting and the speed of flight, it loses to the similar effect of Fire Bolt, but, nevertheless, differs from the latter in that it freezes the monster for a considerable time, halving its movements and attacks. Very useful against fast opponents fighting in hand-to-hand combat. Slow down a bit - and fire at them from all trunks.

Iсe Blast... The spell allows you to freeze the enemy for a while, completely paralyzing him. To our deep regret, it doesn’t paralyze cool "named" critters and monsters, but it slows down for a while. I advise you to take this particular spell when you get the sixth level.

Frost nova... Absolutely not a combat spell, but useful for tactical retreat. A fairly large circle of blue flame slows down all enemies that are near the witch. Initially used to disperse peaceful demonstrations from any small fry. Once or twice they used demonites in the center of the party - and they are dead. In the second and further acts, it is used to brake especially fast enemies. After all, if you use Ice Blast, then there is a chance to miss (this time), and secondly, you need to turn towards the enemy and lose a little precious time, which the enemy uses to reduce the distance between you (these are two). If you need to get out (don't forget to turn on Blaze !!!), that's it.

Frozen armor... A magical protection that lasts for a while, increasing the level of armor and freezing everyone who attacks the sorceress. Unfortunately, not a very useful thing, since everyone knows that ... right! Sorceresses do not fight hand-to-hand! And constantly renewing the spell, which almost does not help, is more expensive for yourself. You can try using it together with Inferno, if the latter is pumped enough.

Shiver Armor... The same as Frozen Armor, but slightly stronger and deals minor damage to all enemies attacking the heroine.

Chilling Armor... It takes revenge on shooting enemies, sending them gifts of ice in return. As poorly applicable in most tactics as the previous two armors.

Glacial spike... The same as the previous spell, but only deals more damage and affects several nearby creatures. A kind of freezing Fire Ball. A very effective spell and almost the only salvation, when there are a lot of enemies, they came very close, and you have nowhere to retreat. A good spell against shooters and mages, as well as against all fast opponents.

Blizzard... A flurry of ice floes over a large area. Beats enemies, and also slows them down. Rolezzz against the crowds of slow, fat, and large critters. The smaller and faster the creature, the worse it will work. Good to use in the last act. It is useful to throw at the enemy and after a couple of seconds - at yourself. So the enemy who runs towards you will be under the influence of the spell for a long time.

Frozen orb... A clot of ice that is quite expensive in terms of mana costs, which does decent damage (with the help of ice pieces scattered in all directions) and freezes enemies for a significant period of time. Use if you have more or less pumped mana reserve.

Cold mastery... Passive skill. Ice magic attacks get the opportunity to better overcome the inherent resistance of monsters to them. A must-have for Cold Mages.

Fire Release

Fire bolt... A small ball of fire with which you begin your acquaintance with the magic of the sorceress. It casts very quickly, flies quickly, eats little mana, but does little damage. It makes no sense to have more than one in it.

Fire ball... A classic fireball, a medium lousy spell that hits multiple opponents close to each other. Medium: Neither particularly strong nor particularly weak.

Warmth... A classy passive ability that allows you to increase mana regeneration by 30% at first, and then by 12% for each point invested. Mandatory for pumping as a magician, it is advisable to develop level up to 10th ... You can also develop it if you do not clearly need to study other spells yet.

Inferno... Small, portable flamethrower. A jet of fire goes from the magician until you release the mouse button. You can aim at one enemy, but no one bothers and drive them in all directions in order to huddle several opponents. It is good to use in conjunction with Ice Blast or other freezing spell, especially against slow and tenacious melee. If you drive the shooter or mage into a corner, then this option works very well.

Fire wall... What can I say? Eats a lot of mana, lives relatively short and creates a not-so-large wall of fire. If you pump, then maybe it will do, but does it make sense to pump if there are better things ?!

Blaze... An ideal spell when there is little mana, a lot of enemies and there is room to maneuver. It takes a little skill to use .. The easiest option: slowly move away from the enemy (make sure he follows you!) And wag - go in small zigzags. Great against slow but strong hand-to-hand opponents. It almost does not work against shooters, the use on mages affects a little more effectively than on shooters. Sometimes it is used not to harm the enemy, but to create turmoil in the enemy's camp.

Enchant... Allows weapons (ranged or melee) to deal additional Fire damage. There is no point in using it in a single player game.

Meteor... A weighty fiery gift from heaven falls to the indicated point. The radius is not very large, but it does good damage and does it immediately, almost without delay. Good against small groups of monsters.

Hydra... A fiery creature grows out of the ground, spitting balls of flame for a short time. Not very dangerous for enemies, but if you invest a few points, then it will become very much even nothing. It is used when the enemies are far enough away, and it is desirable that there are several of them.

Fire mastery... Passive ability that increases damage from fire spells. A must for magicians using two or more spells of this element.

Lightning Release

Charged Bolt... In the direction where the spell is directed, several electrical discharges fly. They fly in a random direction and can easily miss. If most of them hit the monster, then he will receive serious enough damage. Great against crowds, while Fire and Ice Bolt are great against single players.

Telekinesis... Telekinesis, impact on objects with the power of thought. Allows you to pick up things from afar, affect doors and boxes, and repel monsters. I wouldn't spend even one skill point on all of this.

Teleport... The hero is instantly transported to the selected point. It is used to fight clumsy "hand-to-hand fighters". Useful if a crowd of demons is about to squeeze the magic in the corner.

Energy shield... Mana takes some of the damage it takes, thereby allowing you to keep your health. Not a bad spell if you have good regeneration and if you spent points on teleport and telekinesis.

Static Field... The creatures located near the heroine receive an electric shock. Tests in military field conditions, however, showed not very great utility of the spell. Weak.

Nova... An electric circle spreads out from the character in all directions. Spends a lot of mana and doesn't hurt monsters very much. The radius of action is also small, that is, if the enemies survive and come closer, then problems may begin. So-so.

Lightning... Lightning that strikes enemies, passing through their bodies and harming all the creatures that are in its path. It's good if the enemies are not very close, but lined up. If it's close and out of line, I recommend Glacial Spike. There are drawbacks: firstly, it does not go through all sorts of obstacles like trees and small walls, which do not serve as an obstacle for various balls of ice and fire. Secondly, by throwing lightning, the magician stops in place and for about a second "holds" the witchcraft he summoned. Various balls, for example, can be thrown in half a second and immediately continue the heroic path, without worrying about the further flight of the spell. Conclusion: lightning is a great thing in narrow corridors and against not very fast enemies.

Chain lightning... The same power thing as Lightning, but only capable of itself targeting some nearby enemies. Spends a little more mana, dealing damage to additional enemies. Therefore, it is much more effective than a simple zipper, completely replaces it.

Thunder storm... For some time, a lone lightning falls on one monster that is not far from the hero. The gap between lightning is large, and the damage is medium in size. It is useful as an additional spell that spends a little mana and makes life a little easier for a long time.

Lightning mastery... Passive skill. All spells of the element of Lightning spend less mana. For fans of Chain Lightning and frequent teleporters.

Once upon a time there was a widow who had two daughters: the eldest was so much like her in disposition and face that anyone who saw her, as if he saw her mother in front of him. Both mother and daughter were so disgusting and so arrogant that it was impossible to get along with them. The youngest, who in her meekness and kindness completely resembled her father, was also one of the most beautiful girls who ever happened to see. And since everyone, of course, loves someone like himself, the mother was crazy about her eldest daughter, and she felt a terrible dislike for the youngest. She only allowed her to eat in the kitchen and made her work incessantly. This poor girl, among her other duties, had to go to the spring twice a day, half a mile from home, and bring a large jug of water. Once, when she was standing by the spring, a beggar came up to her and asked to give her a drink. Here, grandmother, please, ”the beautiful girl told her, and, immediately rinsing the jug and scooping up the freshest water, handed it to her, all the while supporting it so that it would be more convenient for the beggar to drink. The woman got drunk and said: You are so beautiful, so kind and courteous that I cannot but reward you with a magical gift. (For that was a sorceress who took on the image of a poor peasant woman in order to test the girl's good nature.) This gift, continued the sorceress, will consist in the fact that with every word that happens to you, either a flower or a precious one will fall from your lips. stone. When the beauty came home, her mother scolded her for not returning for so long. Forgive me, mother, that I hesitated so much, - answered the poor thing, and when she said these words, two roses, two pearls and two large diamonds fell from her lips. What is it? - said the surprised mother. - Pearls and diamonds seem to be pouring out of her mouth. How is it so, my daughter? (For the first time she told her my daughter.) The poor girl innocently told her everything that had happened to her, not failing to pour innumerable diamonds. Really, - said the mother, - I will have to send there another daughter too. Here, Fanchon, look what your sister's mouth falls out of when she speaks. Wouldn't it be nice for you to have such a gift? All you have to do is go to the well for water, and when the beggar asks you to drink, drink her with all courtesy.

I will go to the spring for water! - the rude daughter answered haughtily.

I want you to go there, and at once, - replied the mother.

The daughter went, continuing to grumble. She took with her the most beautiful silver vessel in the house. She did not have time to reach the spring, when a magnificently dressed lady came out of the forest, who approached her and asked for a drink. It was the same sorceress who had appeared to her sister, but this time she dressed like a princess to experience the extent to which the malevolence extends.

Isn't that why I came here, said the arrogant and ill-mannered girl, to serve you water? And she carried a silver jug ​​to drink your grace? Well, drink if you like.

You are not at all courteous, ”said the sorceress, not in the least angry. “If you are so unkind, I will endow you with such a gift that with every word you say, either a toad or a snake will fall out of your mouth.

Mother, as soon as she saw her, shouted: So what, daughter?

So that's what, mother! - answered the rude daughter, and two vipers and two toads jumped out of her mouth.

Oh my God! - exclaimed the mother. - What is it? It was her sister's fault; she will pay me for it.

And she immediately rushed to the one to beat her. The poor thing ran away and hid in a nearby forest. The king's son, returning from a hunt, met her and, seeing how beautiful she was, asked what she was doing here all alone and why she was crying.

Ah, sir! My mother kicked me out of the house.

The king's son, seeing that five or six pearls and the same number of diamonds had fallen from her mouth, asked her to explain what was the matter. She told him her story. The king's son fell in love with her and, judging that such a gift was worth more than any dowry, took her to his father's palace and married her there.

And her sister was so hated by everyone that even her mother drove her away, and the unfortunate woman, whom no one wanted to shelter, no matter how long she wandered, died somewhere in the forest.

Once upon a time there was a rich and powerful king. He had as much gold and soldiers as no other king even dreamed of. His wife was the most beautiful and intelligent woman in the world. The king and queen lived in harmony and happiness, but they often grieved that they had no children. Finally, they decided to take some girl and raise her like their own daughter. The opportunity soon presented itself. One close friend of the king died, leaving behind his daughter, a young princess. The king and queen immediately transported her to their palace.

The girl grew and became more and more beautiful every day. This pleased the king and queen, and, looking at their pupil, they forgot that they had no children of their own.

One day the queen fell dangerously ill. Day by day she was getting worse and worse. The king did not leave his wife's bed day and night. And she grew weaker and weaker, and the doctors unanimously said that the queen would never get out of bed. Soon the queen herself realized this. Sensing the approach of death, she called the king and said to him in a weak voice:

I know I'm going to die soon. Before I die, I want to ask you only one thing: if you decide to marry a second time, then marry only that woman who will be more beautiful and better than me.

The king, sobbing loudly, promised the queen to fulfill her wish, and she died.

Having buried his wife, the king could not find a place for himself from grief, did not eat or drink anything, and grew so old that all his ministers were horrified by such a change.

Once, when the king, sighing and crying, was sitting in his room, the ministers came to him and began to ask him to stop grieving and get married as soon as possible.

But the king did not even want to hear about it. However, the ministers did not lag behind him and assured that the king should certainly marry. But no matter how hard the ministers tried, their persuasion did not convince the king. Finally, they bored him so much with their harassment that one day the king said to them:

I promised the late queen to marry a second time if I find a woman who is more beautiful and better than her, but there is no such woman in the whole world. Therefore, I will never marry.

The ministers were glad that the king had surrendered at least a little, and every day they began to show him portraits of the most wonderful beauties, so that the king would choose a wife from these portraits, but the king said that the deceased queen was better, and the ministers left with nothing.

Finally, the most important minister came one day to the king and said to him:

King! Does your pupil seem to you both in intelligence and beauty worse than the late queen? She is so smart and beautiful that you will not find a better wife! Marry her!

It seemed to the king that his young pupil, the princess, was indeed better and more beautiful than the queen, and without refusing any more, he agreed to marry the pupil.

The ministers and all the courtiers were pleased, but the princess found it terrible. She didn’t want to be the wife of the old king. However, the king did not listen to her objections and ordered her to prepare for the wedding as soon as possible.

The young princess was desperate. She didn't know what to do. Finally, she remembered the sorceress Lilac, her aunt, and decided to consult with her. That same night, she went to the sorceress in a golden carriage drawn by a big old ram who knew all the roads.

The sorceress listened attentively to the story of the princess.

If you do exactly what I command you, ”she said,“ nothing bad will happen. First of all, ask the king for a dress as blue as the sky. He can't get you such a dress.

The princess thanked the sorceress for the advice and returned home. The next morning she told the king that until then she would not agree to marry him, until she received from him a dress as blue as the sky.

The king immediately called the best craftsmen and ordered them to sew a dress as blue as the sky.

If you do not please the princess, ”he added,“ I will order you all to be hanged.

The next day, the masters brought the ordered dress, and in comparison with it, the very blue sky, surrounded by golden clouds, did not seem so beautiful.

Having received the dress, the princess was not so much delighted as frightened. She again went to the sorceress and asked what she should do now. The sorceress was very annoyed that her plan had failed, and ordered the princess to demand a moon-colored dress from the king.

The king could not refuse anything to the princess. He sent for the most skillful craftsmen who were in the kingdom, and gave them an order in such a formidable voice that in less than a day the craftsmen had already brought the dress.

At the sight of this beautiful outfit, the princess burned even more.

The sorceress Lilac came to the princess and, learning about the second failure, said to her:

And on that and the other time, the king managed to fulfill your request. Let's see if he can do it now, when you demand from him a dress that shines like the sun. He would hardly be able to get such a dress. Anyway, we'll buy time.

The princess agreed and demanded such a dress from the king. The king without hesitation gave all the diamonds and rubies from his crown, if only the dress shone like the sun. Therefore, when the dress was brought in and unfolded, everyone immediately closed their eyes: it really shone like a real sun.

One princess was not happy. She went to her room, saying that her eyes ached from the shine, and began to cry bitterly there. The Lilac Sorceress was very saddened that all her advice had come to nothing.

Well, now, my child, ”she said to the princess,“ demand from the king the skin of his beloved donkey. He certainly won't give it to you!

And I must say that the donkey, whose skin the sorceress ordered to demand from the king, was not an ordinary donkey. Every morning, instead of dung, he covered his bed with shiny gold coins. It is understandable why the king was so fond of this donkey's shore.

The princess was delighted. She was sure that the king would never agree to kill the donkey. She ran merrily to the king and demanded a donkey skin.

Although the king was surprised at such a strange demand, he did not hesitate to comply with it. The donkey was killed and his skin was solemnly brought to the princess. Now she didn’t know at all what to do. But then the sorceress Lilac came to her.

Don't grieve so much, honey! - she said. - Maybe it's all for the best. Wrap yourself in a donkey's skin and leave the palace as soon as possible. Don't take anything with you: the chest with your dresses will follow you underground. Here's my magic wand. When you need a chest, hit the ground with your stick and it will appear before you. But go away quickly, don't hesitate.

The princess kissed the sorceress, pulled on a disgusting donkey skin, smeared her face with soot so that no one would recognize her, and left the palace.

The disappearance of the princess caused great commotion. The king sent out in pursuit of the princess a thousand horsemen and many foot shooters. But the sorceress made the princess invisible to the eyes of the royal servants. Therefore, the king had to give up his vain searches.

And the princess, meanwhile, walked along the path. She went into many houses and asked to be taken as a servant at least.

But no one wanted to take the princess to him, because in a donkey's skin she seemed unusually ugly.

Finally she came to a large house. The mistress of this house agreed to accept the poor princess as a worker. The princess thanked the hostess and asked what she should do. The hostess told her to do the laundry, look after the turkeys, graze the sheep and clean the pork troughs.

The princess was placed in the kitchen. From the very first day the servant began to mock her rudely. However, little by little they got used to it. In addition, she worked very hard, and the hostess did not allow her to offend.

Once, sitting on the bank of a stream, the princess looked into the water as if in a mirror.

Looking at herself in the hideous donkey's skin, she was frightened. The princess felt ashamed that she was so dirty, and, quickly throwing off her donkey skin, she bathed in the stream. But when she returned home, she again had to put on a nasty hide.

Fortunately, the next day was a holiday and the princess was not forced to work. She took advantage of this and decided to dress up in one of her rich dresses.

The princess struck the ground with her magic wand, and a chest of outfits appeared in front of her. The princess took out a blue dress, which she received from the king, went to her little room and began to dress up.

She looked at herself in the mirror, admired the wonderful outfit, and since then every holiday has been dressing up in her rich dresses. But, except for sheep and turkeys, no one knew about it. Everyone saw her in a disgusting donkey's skin and called her - Donkey's Skin.

Somehow it happened that the young prince was returning from a hunt and stopped by to rest at the house where the Donkey Skin lived as a worker. He rested a little, and then began to wander around the house and the yard.

By chance he wandered into a dark corridor. There was a locked door at the end of the corridor. The prince was very curious, and he wanted to know who lives behind this door. He peered through the crack. Imagine his surprise when he saw in a small cramped room a beautiful elegant princess! He ran to the hostess to find out who lives in this little room.

They told him: the girl Donkey Skin lives there, she wears a donkey skin instead of a dress, so dirty and greasy that no one wants to look at her or talk to her. They took the Donkey Skin into the house to graze sheep and clean the pork troughs.

The prince learned nothing more. He returned to the palace, but he could not forget the beauty that he accidentally saw through the crack of the door. He regretted that he had not gone into the room then and had not met her.

The prince promised himself the next time he would certainly do it.

Thinking incessantly about the wonderful beauty, the prince fell seriously ill. His mother and father were in despair. They called doctors, but the doctors couldn't do anything. Finally they said to the queen: her son must have been ill from some great grief. The queen began to ask her son what had happened to him, but he did not answer her. But when the queen knelt down and began to cry, he said:

I want Donkey Skin to bake a pie and bring it as soon as it's ready.

The queen was surprised at such a strange desire. She called the courtiers and asked who this Donkey Skin was.

Oh, this is an ugly mess! - explained one courtier. “She lives not far from here and grazes sheep and turkeys.

Well, whoever that Donkey Skin is, said the queen, let her bake a pie for the prince at once!

The courtiers ran to Donkeyskin and gave her the queen's order, adding that she would carry it out as quickly and efficiently as possible.

The princess locked herself in her little room, threw off her donkey skin, washed her face and hands, put on a clean dress and began to cook the cake. She took the best flour, and the butter and eggs were the freshest.

Kneading the dough, on purpose or inadvertently, she dropped a ring from her finger. It fell into the dough and remained there. And when the cake was baked, the princess put on a nasty skin, left the room, served the cake to the courtier and asked him whether she should go with him to the prince's son. But the courtier did not even want to answer her and ran with a pie to the palace.

The prince snatched the pie from the courtier and began to eat it so hastily that all the doctors shook their heads and threw up their hands.

Little good portends such impetuosity! they said.

Indeed, the prince ate the cake so greedily that he almost choked on the ring that was in one of the pieces of the cake. But the prince quickly took the ring out of his mouth and after that he began to eat the cake not so hastily. He studied the ring for a long time. It was so small that it could fit only the prettiest finger in the world. The prince kissed the ring every now and then, then hid it under the pillow and took it out every minute when he thought that no one was looking at him.

All this time he was thinking about Donkey Skin, but he was afraid to talk about it out loud. Therefore, his illness intensified, and the doctors did not know what to think. Finally they announced to the queen that her son was sick with love. The queen rushed to her son along with the king, who was also upset and upset.

My son, said the saddened king, tell us the girl you love. We promise that we will marry you to her, even if she is the very last maid!

The queen, embracing her son, confirmed the king's promise. The prince, moved by the tears and kindness of his parents, said to them:

Dear father and mother! I myself do not know who that girl I loved so dearly. I will marry the one to whom this ring will fit, whoever she is.

And he took a donkey skin ring from under his pillow and showed it to the king and queen.

The king and queen took the ring, examined it with curiosity and, deciding that such a ring could fit only the most beautiful girl, agreed with the prince.

The king ordered to immediately hit the drums and send out walkers throughout the city so that they summon all the girls to the palace to try on the ring.

The skaters ran through the streets and proclaimed that the girl, who would fit the ring, would marry the young prince.

First the princesses came to the palace, then the ladies of the court, but no matter how hard they tried to make their fingers thinner, none of them could put on the ring. I had to invite the seamstresses. They were pretty, but their fingers were too thick to fit into the ring.

Finally it was the maids' turn, but they also failed. Everyone has already measured the ring. It did not fit anyone! Then the prince ordered to call the cooks, dishwashers, swineherds. They were brought in, but their fingers, hardened from work, could not crawl into the ring farther than the nail.

Have you brought this Donkey Skin who recently baked a pie? - asked the prince.

The courtiers burst out laughing and answered him:

Donkey Skin was not invited to the palace because it was too dirty and disgusting.

Send for her now! - ordered the prince.

Then the courtiers, laughing on the sly, ran after the Donkey's Skin.

The princess heard the beat of drums and the shouts of the runners, and guessed that all this commotion was raised by her ring. She was very happy when she saw that they were following her. She quickly combed her hair and dressed in a moon-colored dress. As soon as the princess heard that they were knocking on the door and calling her to the king's son, she hastily threw a donkey skin over her dress and opened the door.

The courtiers mockingly announced to Donkey Skin that the king wanted to marry her his son, and took her to the palace.

Surprised by the unusual appearance of the Donkey's Skin, the prince could not believe that this was the same girl he had seen so beautiful and elegant through the crack of the door. Saddened and confused, the prince asked her:

Do you live at the end of a dark corridor, in that big house where I recently visited from hunting?

Yes, she answered.

Show me your hand, - continued the prince.

Imagine the amazement of the king and queen and all the courtiers when a small gentle hand appeared from under the black, stained skin and when the ring fit the girl. Then the princess threw off her donkey skin. The prince, struck by her beauty, forgot about his illness and threw himself at her feet, oblivious to himself with joy.

The king and queen also began to hug her and ask if she wanted to marry their son.

The princess, embarrassed by all this, was just about to say something, when suddenly the ceiling opened, and the sorceress Lilac descended into the hall on a chariot of lilac flowers and branches and told everyone present the story of the princess.

The king and queen, after hearing the story of the sorceress, fell in love with the princess even more and immediately gave her in marriage to their son.

Kings of different countries came to the wedding. Some rode in carriages, others on horseback, and the farthest on elephants, on tigers, on eagles.

The wedding was celebrated with luxury and splendor imaginable. But the prince and his young wife paid little attention to all this splendor: they looked only at each other and only saw each other.

Retelling from French by M. Bulatov