Three Fables and a Fairy Tale
Created | Updated Feb 18, 2004
1
In this land all women must marry. And all good women know that this is right and proper. Lushka did not want to marry the man who had been chosen for her. So she ran away to live as a hermit in the forest, as she had been told that wise men sometimes do. But women are not taught to live without husbands and Lushka did not know how to go about caring for herself. She could neither hunt nor fish and soon she starved and died.
2
Once upon a time a maiden met with a Rusalka while she was drawing water from the river. The Rusalka gave the maiden a ripe red apple to eat. Now the maiden had always been told how Rusalki pinched young maidens and pulled their hair and sometimes even drowned them by singing and calling them into the water. The maiden remembered all that she had been told and soon became afraid. So she ran home. But she ate the apple anyway. After that day the maiden could not sleep, she could not eat, and she could do no work. Before the summer had passed she had wasted away to a shadow. The maiden went every morning to the lake to look for the Rusalka but she was nowhere to be found. And the maiden pined and wilted a little more each day. The maiden had many sisters but they were related only by blood and none would risk themselves to save her. It was at the end of summer when the leaves had started to turn that the maiden thought to look for the Rusalka in the lake. She stripped off her clothes and threw herself into the water to look for the Rusalka who had given her the apple. She sank down into the pondweed and fell asleep there. Soon the Rusalka came and found the sleeping maiden. The maiden's eyes were sunken and her cheeks were deathly pale. The Rusalka took pity on her and kissed her on the lips. The maiden flushed green the second the Rusalka's lips touched hers, and when she opened her eyes they sparkled once more.
3
After she met the Rusalka, her family locked her up in the attic to protect her and save her from drowning. Soon the summer was over and the Rusalka was dead. Her family let her down from the attic. She thanked them for saving her every day for the rest of her life.
4
Rusalka was not alive and she could not harm the living. The living did not know this and they blamed her when any of them were harmed and asked themselves what was to be done about the terrible Rusalka. The men tried to hunt her, but she was nowhere to be found. The women ran from her in terror and were afraid to go near the lake where she lived. And so nothing was done and the Rusalka was blamed always for whatever ills befell the living. When the milk curdled it was the Rusalka, when the horses threw their riders it was the Rusalka and when babies died the Rusalka had taken them. Now, the Rusalka was lonely, and did not like to be always blamed for things she had not done. So the next time she met a woman at the edge of the water she disguised herself. She painted her green skin with chalk and hid her green hair under a hat. The woman did not recognise her so she did not run. Rusalka asked the woman why she was not afraid to be at the edge of the water where the Rusalka might drown her. The woman answered 'I do not believe what everyone tells me. The milk curdles because it is left too close to the fire. The horses buck and throw their riders because they are whipped and the babies die because they are not cared for. I have never seen the Rusalka do any wrong and I will not fear her before I have.' At that the Rusalka swept off her cap and let her green hair fall down her back. She laughed and laughed so hard at this strange woman's brave speech that she cried and her tears washed the chalk from her face. She asked the woman if she still did not fear to be drowned. The woman answered 'You have done me no harm in hiding what you are. I still see no reason to fear. But I have a question. How did you become a Rusalka?' The Rusalka told the woman the secret of how Rusalki are made and the woman said 'I have one more question for you Rusalka. The women run from you and the men would try to kill you if they saw you. Don't you get lonely?' The Rusalka admitted that she did. The woman did not like to live where the women were cowards and the men were ignorant. So she made herself a Rusalka. The people all said that the Rusalka had done it to her, but the Rusalki do not care what people say.
In this land all women must marry. And all good women know that this is right and proper. Lushka did not want to marry the man who had been chosen for her. So she ran away to live as a hermit in the forest, as she had been told that wise men sometimes do. But women are not taught to live without husbands and Lushka did not know how to go about caring for herself. She could neither hunt nor fish and soon she starved and died.
2
Once upon a time a maiden met with a Rusalka while she was drawing water from the river. The Rusalka gave the maiden a ripe red apple to eat. Now the maiden had always been told how Rusalki pinched young maidens and pulled their hair and sometimes even drowned them by singing and calling them into the water. The maiden remembered all that she had been told and soon became afraid. So she ran home. But she ate the apple anyway. After that day the maiden could not sleep, she could not eat, and she could do no work. Before the summer had passed she had wasted away to a shadow. The maiden went every morning to the lake to look for the Rusalka but she was nowhere to be found. And the maiden pined and wilted a little more each day. The maiden had many sisters but they were related only by blood and none would risk themselves to save her. It was at the end of summer when the leaves had started to turn that the maiden thought to look for the Rusalka in the lake. She stripped off her clothes and threw herself into the water to look for the Rusalka who had given her the apple. She sank down into the pondweed and fell asleep there. Soon the Rusalka came and found the sleeping maiden. The maiden's eyes were sunken and her cheeks were deathly pale. The Rusalka took pity on her and kissed her on the lips. The maiden flushed green the second the Rusalka's lips touched hers, and when she opened her eyes they sparkled once more.
3
After she met the Rusalka, her family locked her up in the attic to protect her and save her from drowning. Soon the summer was over and the Rusalka was dead. Her family let her down from the attic. She thanked them for saving her every day for the rest of her life.
4
Rusalka was not alive and she could not harm the living. The living did not know this and they blamed her when any of them were harmed and asked themselves what was to be done about the terrible Rusalka. The men tried to hunt her, but she was nowhere to be found. The women ran from her in terror and were afraid to go near the lake where she lived. And so nothing was done and the Rusalka was blamed always for whatever ills befell the living. When the milk curdled it was the Rusalka, when the horses threw their riders it was the Rusalka and when babies died the Rusalka had taken them. Now, the Rusalka was lonely, and did not like to be always blamed for things she had not done. So the next time she met a woman at the edge of the water she disguised herself. She painted her green skin with chalk and hid her green hair under a hat. The woman did not recognise her so she did not run. Rusalka asked the woman why she was not afraid to be at the edge of the water where the Rusalka might drown her. The woman answered 'I do not believe what everyone tells me. The milk curdles because it is left too close to the fire. The horses buck and throw their riders because they are whipped and the babies die because they are not cared for. I have never seen the Rusalka do any wrong and I will not fear her before I have.' At that the Rusalka swept off her cap and let her green hair fall down her back. She laughed and laughed so hard at this strange woman's brave speech that she cried and her tears washed the chalk from her face. She asked the woman if she still did not fear to be drowned. The woman answered 'You have done me no harm in hiding what you are. I still see no reason to fear. But I have a question. How did you become a Rusalka?' The Rusalka told the woman the secret of how Rusalki are made and the woman said 'I have one more question for you Rusalka. The women run from you and the men would try to kill you if they saw you. Don't you get lonely?' The Rusalka admitted that she did. The woman did not like to live where the women were cowards and the men were ignorant. So she made herself a Rusalka. The people all said that the Rusalka had done it to her, but the Rusalki do not care what people say.
