ONCE UPON A TIME THERE LIVED A GENTLEMAN who had a kind wife and a beautiful daughter called Masha. But his wife died, and soon after he married a widow. She had two daughters of her own, and they were mean and spiteful girls! They both bullied poor Masha. They forced her to do their chores for them, and when there was no work to do they forced her to sit by the stove and rake out the cinders. Masha was always dirty and covered in soot, and so they called her Chernushka, which was the Russian for “Cinderella”.
People started to say that the Prince wanted to get married, that he was planning to hold a big party where he would choose himself a wife. And indeed he was. The Prince invited everybody to his palace. Masha’s stepmother and stepsisters started to get ready, but they refused to bring Masha; however much she begged, they wouldn’t change their minds. So her stepmother and stepsisters set off for the Prince’s party, and they left Masha with a whole sack of barley, flour and soot, all mixed up together. Her stepmother ordered her to separate all the grains from the soot by the time she got back.
Masha went out onto the doorstep and wept bitterly. Then two doves flew up, separated the barley, flour and soot for her, and alighted on her shoulders – and suddenly Masha was clothed in a splendid new gown. “Go to the party!” said the doves, “But be sure not to stay past midnight.”
The moment Masha entered the palace, people began to stare at her in wonder. The Prince liked her most of all, and her stepmother and stepsisters didn’t even recognize her. She enjoyed wandering through the party, and talking to the other girls there. Then she saw that it was nearly midnight; she remembered what the doves had said, and hastened home. The Prince hurried after her. He wanted to ask her who she was, but she was nowhere to be found.
The next day the Prince had another party. Masha’s stepsisters bustled about, primping and preening, all the while screeching and swearing at Masha: “Oi, Chernushka! Dress us! Clean our clothes! Cook our dinner!” Masha obeyed, but when evening came, she had a wonderful time at the party and went home before midnight. The Prince hurried after her – but again she got away.
On the third day, the Prince provided a lavish banquet. That evening, the doves shod and clothed Masha even better than before. She went into the palace, and enjoyed the party so much that she forgot all about the time. All of a sudden it struck midnight; Masha quickly ran home, but the Prince had ordered the whole staircase to be spread with pitch and tar. One of her slippers stuck to the pitch and stayed on the staircase. The Prince picked it up and the very next day he ordered his men to find the girl whose foot fitted the slipper.
They scoured the whole town – but the slipper wouldn’t fit on anyone’s foot. At last they came to Masha’s house. Her stepmother tried to squeeze the elder daughter’s foot into the slipper – but no, it didn’t fit, her foot was too big! “Chop off your big toe!” the stepmother said to her daughter. “When you’re a princess you won’t need to do any walking!” So she chopped off her toe and put on the slipper. The Prince’s messengers started leading her off to the palace, but then the doves flew up and started to coo: “Look – there’s blood on her foot! Look – there’s blood on her foot!” The messengers had a look and saw blood flowing from the girl’s slipper. “You’re right,” they said, “It doesn’t fit!” The stepmother tried the slipper on her other daughter, and the same thing happened with her.
Then the messengers saw Masha and ordered her to try it on. She put the slipper on her foot – and suddenly she was clothed in a beautiful, shining gown. Her stepsisters were awestruck! Masha was taken to the Prince’s palace, and the next day they were married. When she and the Prince approached the altar, the two doves flew up and alighted one on each of her shoulders. When the newlyweds came back from the church, the doves swooped down and pecked out an eye from each of Masha’s stepsisters.
The wedding was a very merry affair. I was there. We drank honey beer and it spilt on my moustache and didn’t go into my mouth.