Morozko

Once there lived an old man and an old woman with three daughters. Marfusha, the eldest, rose before everyone else: she lit the stove, carried water, and fed…

Once there lived an old man and an old woman with three daughters. Marfusha, the eldest, rose before everyone else: she lit the stove, carried water, and fed the animals. In the evenings she darned mittens and arranged the finished pairs for the neighbors. Her sisters liked to sleep longer, and their mother had grown used to praising only them. This hurt Marfusha, but she tried not to answer harshly.

One frosty morning, warm mittens had to be taken to the foresters by the great pine tree. Marfusha offered to help. Her father drove her there in the sleigh, poured her hot tea from the travel jug, and went to clear the snow-covered path. The girl wrapped herself in her shawl, set the basket on a dry stump, and scattered crumbs for the birds.

Ice crystals clicked among the fir branches, and Morozko appeared in a silver coat. “Are you warm, fair maiden?” he asked. “It is chilly, but I have a shawl, and the birds need the food more,” Marfusha answered honestly. Morozko asked about the warmth three times, then lit a lantern and wrapped his guest in a soft blanket.

At home, her father set a small chest of cloth, thread, and seeds for the spring garden on the table. He said that Morozko had thanked Marfusha for caring for the forest. Her mother was surprised by the gifts, while Marfusha divided the cloth among her sisters and suggested that they sew blankets and grow a garden together.

The next day, Marfusha returned to the pine tree with her sisters. The sisters began to grumble about the cold, and Marfusha covered them with their shared blanket. Together, the three delivered the mittens to the foresters, and Morozko answered with the silvery ringing of bells. By the pine tree, the girls agreed that from then on they would share the household work and the care of the future garden equally.