Страшные сказки / Scary stories

“Silly goose”, said the old woman. “The door is big enough; just look, I can get in myself!”

And the witch crept up and thrust her head into the oven. Then Gretel pushed the witch far into it, and shut the iron door, and fastened the bolt. Oh! Then the witch began to howl quite horribly, but Gretel ran away and the witch was burnt to death.

Gretel, however, ran like lightning to Hansel, opened his little stable, and cried:

“Hansel, we are saved! The old witch is dead!”

Then Hansel sprang like a bird from its cage when the door is opened. How they rejoiced and embraced each other! How they danced about and kissed each other! And as they had no longer any need to fear her, they went into the witch’s house. In every corner there stood chests full of pearls and jewels.

“These are far better than pebbles!” said Hansel, and thrust the pearls and jewels into his pockets.

Gretel said:

“I, too, will take something home with me”, and filled her pinafore full.

“But now we must go away”, said Hansel, “to get out of the witch’s forest”.

They walked for two hours, and they came to a great stretch of water.

“We cannot cross it”, said Hansel, “I see no plank, and no bridge”.

“And there is also no ferry”, answered Gretel, “but I see a white duck. I ask it, and it will help us”.

Then Gretel cried:

‘Little duck, little duck, do you see,
Hansel and Gretel are here?
There’s not a plank, or bridge in sight,
Take us across on your back so white.’

The duck came to them, and Hansel seated himself on its back, and told his sister to sit by him.

“No”, replied Gretel, “that will be too heavy for the little duck. The duck will take us across, one after the other”.

The good little duck did so, and when they were once safely across and walked for a short time, the forest was more and more familiar to them. At length[9 - at length – наконец] they saw from afar their father’s house. Then they began to run, rushed into the parlour, and threw themselves round their father’s neck. The man was very happy to see them again. The stepwoman, however, was dead. Gretel emptied her pinafore until pearls and precious stones ran about the room. Hansel threw one handful after another out of his pocket to add to them. Then they lived together in perfect happiness.

The Girl without Hands

Brothers Grimm

A certain miller was very poor, and had nothing but his mill and a large apple-tree behind it. Once when he went into the forest to fetch wood, an old man stepped up to him, and said,

“Why do you plague yourself with this wood? I will make you rich, if you promise me what is behind your mill”.

“What can that be? It’s my apple-tree”, thought the miller, and said, “Yes”.

So he gave a promise to the stranger. The old man, however, laughed mockingly and said,

“When three years pass, I will come and carry away what belongs to me”, and then he went.

When the miller got home, his wife came to meet him and said,

“Tell me, miller, from whence comes this sudden wealth into our house? All at once every box and chest was filled! No one brought it in, and I don’t know how it happened”.

He answered,

“It comes from a stranger who met me in the forest, and promised me great treasure. I, in return, promised him what stands behind the mill. We can very well give him the big apple-tree for it”.

“Ah, husband,” said the terrified wife, “that was the devil! He did not mean the apple-tree, but our daughter, who is behind the mill!”

The miller’s daughter was a beautiful, pious girl, and lived through the three years in the fear of God and without sin. When therefore the time was over, and the day came, she washed herself clean, and made a circle round herself with chalk. The devil appeared quite early, but he could not come near to her. Angrily, he said to the miller,

“Take all water away from her, that she may no longer be able to wash herself. Otherwise I have no power over her”.

The miller was afraid, and did so. The next morning the devil came again, but the girl wept on her hands, and they were quite clean. Again he could not get near her, and furiously said to the miller,

“Cut her hands off, or else I cannot get her!”

The miller was shocked and answered,

“How can I cut off my own child’s hands?”

Then the devil threatened him and said,

“If you do not do it, you are mine, and I will take you instead!”

The father became alarmed, and promised to obey him. So he went to the girl and said,

“My child, if I do not cut off both your hands, the devil will carry me away. In my terror I promised to do it. Help me in my need, and forgive me the harm”.

She replied,

“Dear father, do with me what you will, I am your child”.

Thereupon she laid down both her hands, and her father cut them off. The devil came for the third time, but she wept so long and so much on the stumps, that after all they were quite clean.

Then the devil gave in[10 - gave in – отступил], and lost all power over her.

The miller said to the girl,

“Thanks to you, I received such great wealth. I will keep you most delicately as long as you live”.

But she replied,

“Here I cannot stay, I will go forth, compassionate people will give me as much as I require”.

Thereupon she asked to tie her arms to her back, and by sunrise she set out on her way. She walked the whole day until night fell. Then she came to a royal garden. She saw that trees are covered with beautiful fruits, but she could not enter, for there was much water round about it. And as she was very tired, and hunger tormented her, she thought,

“Ah, I want to find myself[11 - to find myself – оказаться] inside and eat the fruit! Or I’ll die of hunger!”