The Birch and the Three Falcons

A brave girl named Alyona lived in a village. One day, her three brothers went into the forest and did not return. That night, Alyona dreamed of a white birch…

A brave girl named Alyona lived in a village. One day, her three brothers went into the forest and did not return. That night, Alyona dreamed of a white birch and a closed blue book. In the morning, Alyona went to the local priest in a small village chapel where the villagers gathered to pray. He listened to her carefully, brought out the blue book, and said, “It does not contain ready-made answers, but it will help you hear those who need help.”

In a forest clearing, Alyona saw a white birch that seemed to glow from within. When she touched the bark, three falcons appeared on three branches. The birch rustled its leaves and spoke: “First, free the tsarevna, the daughter of the tsar and tsaritsa. The enchantment—a magic spell from the book—is keeping her from returning home. Only this book can break the enchantment. The tsarevna knows how to bring your brothers back.” The falcons flapped their wings and flew toward a distant palace.

At the palace, the tsar and tsaritsa greeted Alyona. They listened to her and told her that their daughter had disappeared on the same day Alyona's brothers went missing. The tsar placed a seal bearing the tsarevna's emblem on the cover of the book and returned it to Alyona. “Go where the falcons direct you, and we will wait for all of you,” he said.

The falcons led Alyona to a blue gazebo deep in the forest. She opened the blue book and read the first line. The walls of the gazebo seemed to dissolve in a golden glow, and the tsarevna appeared before her in a blue dress. Alyona read the last line and closed the book. For a moment, the book flashed brightly; then the glow faded, the enchantment vanished, and the space around them was once again an ordinary forest clearing.

The tsarevna thanked Alyona and read aloud the names of the three brothers written on the last page. The falcons descended to the ground and turned into three young men—they were Alyona's missing brothers. They all returned to the palace together, and then Alyona and her brothers set off for home. At sunset, they sat for a long time in the garden beside the house and told one another what had happened to them.