Once upon a time, across seven hundred and seventeen countries, there was a poor woman. She had a son and a little cow. One day they ran so low on food that they had to drive the little cow to the fair to sell it. Says the mother to the little boy:
- Go, my son, in the morning cast it away. But be careful how you sell it, lest we be injurious to it.
So the boy drove to the fair, and there was a buyer. And the boy did the fair, he traded the cow for a grain of beans.
The little boy took the beans home, showing his mother what he had received. His mother cried bitterly that she had given the cow for so much. But the boy comforted her:
- "Don't worry, mother," said the old man who bought the cow, "I'll plant it this evening and see what happens.
The little boy planted the beans under the window in the little garden, but he couldn't even eat his dinner, waiting to see what would happen to them. He just went to bed.
Well, when he woke up in the morning, he saw that the bean had hatched. He looked out the window, but he couldn't see the top. He thought he'd go outside and see.
He went out and looked, but his mind stared in vain, he could not see the top. He says to his mother:
- You see, my mother, how much the beans are worth. I'm going to climb on top.
His mother begged him not to go, but he went anyway. He set off towards noon, and went up the beanstalk. He walked, he walked, he was so high he was dizzy. Then suddenly he reached the sky.
Well, there was a little opening in the sky. The boy peeped in and saw a light. He thinks to himself:
"I've reached the top of the beanstalk, but now I want to see what's in there."
He summoned his courage and stepped through the door. He saw that there was a little cottage not far away. He thinks to himself:
"It's night time now anyway, I'll stay here and go home in the morning."
Well, as soon as you go in, there's a woman. She asks him:
- Where are you, little boy, when my lord is the seven-headed dragon? If he sees you, he'll eat you!
Oh, begged the little boy to hide him, for he was so afraid of the dragon.
The woman asks:
- Are you hungry, little boy?
- "Oh, I'm hungry," said the boy, "I didn't eat anything yesterday.
The woman gave dinner to the boy, and the boy thanked her nicely for the favour.
- Now come, hide yourself at once, for my master is coming home, and if he sees you here he will kill us both. But where? - the woman thinks. Where shall she hide the boy? She thinks to herself, brings in the kneading trough, puts it under the bed, and lulls the little boy to sleep.
The little boy was sleepy, but he was so scared that he didn't dare to sleep. So when the clock struck twelve, there was a great banging and banging. The seven-headed dragon comes home with a black hen under his arm. He puts it on the table and says:
- Have one!
The hen lays a golden egg. The dragon shouted at him again.
- Have another one!
As long as the dragon says, the hen always does. But the dragon was very hungry.
- Madam, dinner here! - he shouted.
The woman gives dinner, the dragon dines. When he had eaten, he told his wife to give him his music. As soon as he plays the music, he starts to sniff.
- Woman, what kind of a strange smell is in this house?
- Just relax, my soul, make music, there is no stranger here.
- Of course not. Give it to me now, or I'll tear you to pieces.
The woman quieted him until he was satisfied, and as he played, sleep came on him, and as he sat there in the armchair, he fell asleep quietly. She did not even snore. The woman thought to herself that it would be good for her to go to bed, for it would soon be dawn, and she was not yet asleep.
The little boy, when he saw that they were both asleep, got out from under the tub, took the black hen under his arm, the music in his other hand, and ran out of the house with it. He ran.
When he would have come through the hole where he went up, he thinks to himself, looking back to see if the dragon is following the hen. Well, he was so scared, for the big dragon was right behind him, running.
The little boy quickly lowered himself down on the beanstalk, the hatchet was just outside on the armrest, he took it, and quickly cut the beanstalk with it. The dragon hiccupped, his hand and foot broke off, and the little boy struck him and burnt him. No one need fear him any more.
Then he went to his mother, who was very sad about where he had gone.
- Don't be sad, mother, we'll have enough to eat, money and gold!
- Oh, where would it come from, my boy? - asks his mother. - When you drove the cow away, they gave you but a grain of beans; if we sell the hen, you will not get but half a grain.
- "Oh, I'm not selling this chicken," says the little boy.
He took her into the house, put her on the table, stroked her and said:
- Have one!
Well, the little hen immediately lays a golden egg for the little boy. His mother's eyes were wide open in amazement. They laid eggs until they were rich. They made a nice house, a barn, bought lots of nice cattle for the barn, and bought lots of nice clothes for themselves. The little boy played music all day long, and his mother listened.
If you don't believe me, get to the end.
