The Golden Girl
Once upon a time there lived a young king who was not yet married. But no matter how hard the king looked, he could not find the perfect wife. One was too smart, one was boasting too much, one was bragging too much, one was too ugly, one was too impatient, and so on. The king could not find a woman who would make a good queen. One day, a poor beggar came up to the young king and said, “If you don’t marry soon, your kingdom will come to an end.” Hearing this, the king was more worried than ever. He loved his people and his kingdom, and he did not wish at all to let the kingdom fall apart. The very next day, the king sent 68 soldiers out into the world to find the perfect queen. Soon 4 months had passed, and there was no sign of the king’s soldiers. As the days went by, the king began to worry. He became so worried, he soon fell ill. All of the best doctors in the kingdom were called, but not one was able to cure the young king.
Then one day, as the king was resting alone, a golden box appeared next to him. The young king looked at the box and opened it. Inside was a tiny woman, as tiny as the king’s pinky finger. Looking at the woman’s beauty, the king was able to sit up in his bed. “Stay in my palace for a few days,” the king said to the woman. She agreed. As the days went on, the king was able to stand, then walk, and at last, he was cured. By this time the king had fallen in love with the woman, even though she was tiny.
Soon the king was normal, and as the days went on he began his normal routine. He took his throne again. And by the next month, the king was asking the woman to marry him. At the moment he asked, the woman was no longer tiny. And now that she was big, the young king saw how beautiful she really was. By the next week, the king and the woman were married. The woman was called, Inna.
After a year, Inna and the king had twins; a boy and a girl. They named the boy Alar, and the girl Sana. When Alar and Sana were 2, the king’s soldiers returned. And with them they had brought a mean, old, ugly woman named Ursala.
But the king refused to marry Ursala because she was ugly and plus, he was already married and had children as well. Hearing this, Ursala blamed the soldiers. “I thought you brought me here to marry the king,” Ursala shouted. “I didn’t know you brought me here to be insulted!”
Ursala was so angry, she decided to tell everyone in the kingdom about how the king’s soldiers had betrayed her. The king didn’t want this to happen, so he got Ursala married to one of his soldiers. But as time went on, Ursala became jealous of Inna. While she herself was married to a lowly soldier, Inna was a high queen in a great palace, sitting beside the king in a royal throne made out of gold. She began to plot against the king, Inna, and Alar and Sana. At last, she hit upon a plan. She called one of her trusted servants and said, “When the royal gardener goes out to water the plants, tell him that the queen Inna has commanded him to leave the plants alone.”
“The gardener is loyal to Queen Inna, so he will not go to water the king’s plants.” “Tell him this for about 4 weeks.” “By the end of 5 weeks some plants will die.” “The king will notice and will call the gardener.” “At this time the gardener will say that Queen Inna has told him to leave the plants alone.”
“At this time you say that it is true.” “Then the king will be angry with Queen Inna.” “For the next couple of months do this, and at last all the plants will die.” “The king will be really angry with Inna, and he may even stop speaking to her.” “Do your part in this and I will give you a 1,000 gold coins.” The servant was very poor, and greed made him agree. The next day, when the gardener was going out to water the plants, the servant told him exactly what Ursala had told him to say.
When the gardener heard this, he dared not touch the plants. And so week after week the servant did this, and week after week the plants didn’t receive any water. And week after week the king wondered why the plants looked so weak and pale. At last, he was furious, for most of his favorite plants had died.
He called the gardener and shouted, “You worm!” “You have been given the task to tend my plants, and here you are, enjoying wine and relaxing, while my most favorite plants are dying!” “If this continues, you shall be put to death and a new gardener will be hired!” The gardener fell at the king’s feet and said, “Please, Your Majesty, give me a chance to explain.” “Queen Inna herself has told me to leave your plants alone!” “I am loyal to my queen, and that is why I have stopped tending your garden.” “Why would I wish your beautiful garden any harm?”
“I have always watered your plants, and it is I who keep them from shattering apart!” “Why do you blame me for no reason at all?” “What evil wretch has complained against me?” Just then, the servant jumped up and said, “Your Majesty, your most loyal gardener is right!”
“Queen Inna told me to tell the gardener that the rainy season has come, and that the rain itself will water the garden.” “When I refused, she threatened me and told me to leave the plants alone!” “What could I do?” “You are wrong, Your Majesty, it is your queen who has done this!” “Why do you blame another person for the queen’s fault?” Hearing these words, the king put his head under his arm and cried. Could his wife really be deceiving him?
And so day after day, Ursala planned new things. Her servant always helped her, so he was evil, too. Many months passed in this way. At last, the king could not bear it anymore. He sent Inna back to her father’s house.
But Inna had no father. She was born from the little golden box the king had found when he was ill. So Inna sadly entered the church and became a nun. No one knew that she was married, for she still looked very young. The leader of all the nuns, a woman named Sharanla, sometimes found Inna quite sad. She asked the reason, but Inna just didn’t answer.
There was also another nun who understood Inna’s feelings. Her name was Sinsisny. She, too, often asked her what was the matter. Now every Sunday, a woman named Lilia Gadam Ferch came to the church. She was a very holy person. She always bowed before the altar, and she was known to be very kind. She gave money to the poor, food to the hungry, water to the thirsty, and homes to the homeless. She was a widow, and she had a son who also came to church with her and was also kind. Her son was called, Williem.
Every Sunday, Williem and his mother Lilia laid offerings and garlands beside the altar. Lilia was a very good friend to Inna. And so was her son, Williem. So the only friends Inna had were Sharanla, Sisiny, Lilia, and Williem. Everyone else teased Inna, for she was still new to the church. If she made even 1 mistake, one of the nuns would shout, “Hey, you old wretch Inna!” “Watch where you’re going.” “Can’t you see us all working hard to keep the church clean while you laze around all day, acting as if you were a queen?” “Who do you think you are?” “You’re not going crazy, are you?” “Don’t think this is a palace, it’s a church!” “Work hard, or else we will throw you out!” When the nuns scolded her, their leader Sharanla would always scold them.
“Mind your ways, and be kind to the girl who has always worked hard and has loved you all!” And Inna would always cry, for once she did live in a palace, and once she was a queen. Now one day, as Inna was cleaning the church, she saw a woman lying down beside the altar. Inna went up close and saw that it was Lilia. She was looking very sad.
“What is the matter?” asked Inna. “My son,” Lilia wailed, “is lost!” “We were going to the market yesterday when an old woman came up the path.” “She asked me for some of my eggs, and I agreed.” “But when I asked to be paid, she carried off Williem.” “Ever since then I have been searching for him, but there is no sign of him!” “Help me, Inna!”
Inna felt sorry for Lilia. She said, “I will help you find your son.” Inna asked Sharanla if she could stay with Lilia for a few days. She told her that Williem was lost. Sharanla agreed. Inna searched and searched. But Williem was nowhere to be found. One day, Inna suddenly reached her kingdom. Her children Alar and Sana were playing in the courtyard.
“My children,” Inna began softly, but then she thought, “Surely by now Ursala has become the mother of Alar and Sana.” “I cannot come into their lives now.” “It is too late.” Just then, Inna saw a swan swimming in the rivers beside the palace. The swan’s wings were made out of gold, and its feet were made out of copper. Such a beautiful swan was very rare.
Inna gazed at it for three hours. At midday, the swan disappeared. When it returned it was no longer a swan. It was Williem! Inna hugged him and asked, “Where have you been?” “Don’t you know that your poor mother is weeping for your loss?!” Williem said, “I was put under a spell.” “I had to remain a swan for the whole day, except midday.”
“This spell can only be taken away if someone agrees to take my place.” Now Inna did not want to say this, but at last she said, “I will take your place.” “Return to your poor mother, Williem.” At first Williem refused, for he knew how kind Inna was to his mother.
But when Inna insisted, Williem agreed. That very day he was freed from the spell, and as he left he sadly watched Inna become a swan just like him. Every day, Inna would come out of the water as a woman. But no one in the palace saw her. One day, Alar and Sana were playing in the royal gardens when they saw someone emerging from the water of the rivers. And there she was! Their own mother whom they had not seen for so long had returned! They now lived happily ever after. THE END
Then one day, as the king was resting alone, a golden box appeared next to him. The young king looked at the box and opened it. Inside was a tiny woman, as tiny as the king’s pinky finger. Looking at the woman’s beauty, the king was able to sit up in his bed. “Stay in my palace for a few days,” the king said to the woman. She agreed. As the days went on, the king was able to stand, then walk, and at last, he was cured. By this time the king had fallen in love with the woman, even though she was tiny.
Soon the king was normal, and as the days went on he began his normal routine. He took his throne again. And by the next month, the king was asking the woman to marry him. At the moment he asked, the woman was no longer tiny. And now that she was big, the young king saw how beautiful she really was. By the next week, the king and the woman were married. The woman was called, Inna.
After a year, Inna and the king had twins; a boy and a girl. They named the boy Alar, and the girl Sana. When Alar and Sana were 2, the king’s soldiers returned. And with them they had brought a mean, old, ugly woman named Ursala.
But the king refused to marry Ursala because she was ugly and plus, he was already married and had children as well. Hearing this, Ursala blamed the soldiers. “I thought you brought me here to marry the king,” Ursala shouted. “I didn’t know you brought me here to be insulted!”
Ursala was so angry, she decided to tell everyone in the kingdom about how the king’s soldiers had betrayed her. The king didn’t want this to happen, so he got Ursala married to one of his soldiers. But as time went on, Ursala became jealous of Inna. While she herself was married to a lowly soldier, Inna was a high queen in a great palace, sitting beside the king in a royal throne made out of gold. She began to plot against the king, Inna, and Alar and Sana. At last, she hit upon a plan. She called one of her trusted servants and said, “When the royal gardener goes out to water the plants, tell him that the queen Inna has commanded him to leave the plants alone.”
“The gardener is loyal to Queen Inna, so he will not go to water the king’s plants.” “Tell him this for about 4 weeks.” “By the end of 5 weeks some plants will die.” “The king will notice and will call the gardener.” “At this time the gardener will say that Queen Inna has told him to leave the plants alone.”
“At this time you say that it is true.” “Then the king will be angry with Queen Inna.” “For the next couple of months do this, and at last all the plants will die.” “The king will be really angry with Inna, and he may even stop speaking to her.” “Do your part in this and I will give you a 1,000 gold coins.” The servant was very poor, and greed made him agree. The next day, when the gardener was going out to water the plants, the servant told him exactly what Ursala had told him to say.
When the gardener heard this, he dared not touch the plants. And so week after week the servant did this, and week after week the plants didn’t receive any water. And week after week the king wondered why the plants looked so weak and pale. At last, he was furious, for most of his favorite plants had died.
He called the gardener and shouted, “You worm!” “You have been given the task to tend my plants, and here you are, enjoying wine and relaxing, while my most favorite plants are dying!” “If this continues, you shall be put to death and a new gardener will be hired!” The gardener fell at the king’s feet and said, “Please, Your Majesty, give me a chance to explain.” “Queen Inna herself has told me to leave your plants alone!” “I am loyal to my queen, and that is why I have stopped tending your garden.” “Why would I wish your beautiful garden any harm?”
“I have always watered your plants, and it is I who keep them from shattering apart!” “Why do you blame me for no reason at all?” “What evil wretch has complained against me?” Just then, the servant jumped up and said, “Your Majesty, your most loyal gardener is right!”
“Queen Inna told me to tell the gardener that the rainy season has come, and that the rain itself will water the garden.” “When I refused, she threatened me and told me to leave the plants alone!” “What could I do?” “You are wrong, Your Majesty, it is your queen who has done this!” “Why do you blame another person for the queen’s fault?” Hearing these words, the king put his head under his arm and cried. Could his wife really be deceiving him?
And so day after day, Ursala planned new things. Her servant always helped her, so he was evil, too. Many months passed in this way. At last, the king could not bear it anymore. He sent Inna back to her father’s house.
But Inna had no father. She was born from the little golden box the king had found when he was ill. So Inna sadly entered the church and became a nun. No one knew that she was married, for she still looked very young. The leader of all the nuns, a woman named Sharanla, sometimes found Inna quite sad. She asked the reason, but Inna just didn’t answer.
There was also another nun who understood Inna’s feelings. Her name was Sinsisny. She, too, often asked her what was the matter. Now every Sunday, a woman named Lilia Gadam Ferch came to the church. She was a very holy person. She always bowed before the altar, and she was known to be very kind. She gave money to the poor, food to the hungry, water to the thirsty, and homes to the homeless. She was a widow, and she had a son who also came to church with her and was also kind. Her son was called, Williem.
Every Sunday, Williem and his mother Lilia laid offerings and garlands beside the altar. Lilia was a very good friend to Inna. And so was her son, Williem. So the only friends Inna had were Sharanla, Sisiny, Lilia, and Williem. Everyone else teased Inna, for she was still new to the church. If she made even 1 mistake, one of the nuns would shout, “Hey, you old wretch Inna!” “Watch where you’re going.” “Can’t you see us all working hard to keep the church clean while you laze around all day, acting as if you were a queen?” “Who do you think you are?” “You’re not going crazy, are you?” “Don’t think this is a palace, it’s a church!” “Work hard, or else we will throw you out!” When the nuns scolded her, their leader Sharanla would always scold them.
“Mind your ways, and be kind to the girl who has always worked hard and has loved you all!” And Inna would always cry, for once she did live in a palace, and once she was a queen. Now one day, as Inna was cleaning the church, she saw a woman lying down beside the altar. Inna went up close and saw that it was Lilia. She was looking very sad.
“What is the matter?” asked Inna. “My son,” Lilia wailed, “is lost!” “We were going to the market yesterday when an old woman came up the path.” “She asked me for some of my eggs, and I agreed.” “But when I asked to be paid, she carried off Williem.” “Ever since then I have been searching for him, but there is no sign of him!” “Help me, Inna!”
Inna felt sorry for Lilia. She said, “I will help you find your son.” Inna asked Sharanla if she could stay with Lilia for a few days. She told her that Williem was lost. Sharanla agreed. Inna searched and searched. But Williem was nowhere to be found. One day, Inna suddenly reached her kingdom. Her children Alar and Sana were playing in the courtyard.
“My children,” Inna began softly, but then she thought, “Surely by now Ursala has become the mother of Alar and Sana.” “I cannot come into their lives now.” “It is too late.” Just then, Inna saw a swan swimming in the rivers beside the palace. The swan’s wings were made out of gold, and its feet were made out of copper. Such a beautiful swan was very rare.
Inna gazed at it for three hours. At midday, the swan disappeared. When it returned it was no longer a swan. It was Williem! Inna hugged him and asked, “Where have you been?” “Don’t you know that your poor mother is weeping for your loss?!” Williem said, “I was put under a spell.” “I had to remain a swan for the whole day, except midday.”
“This spell can only be taken away if someone agrees to take my place.” Now Inna did not want to say this, but at last she said, “I will take your place.” “Return to your poor mother, Williem.” At first Williem refused, for he knew how kind Inna was to his mother.
But when Inna insisted, Williem agreed. That very day he was freed from the spell, and as he left he sadly watched Inna become a swan just like him. Every day, Inna would come out of the water as a woman. But no one in the palace saw her. One day, Alar and Sana were playing in the royal gardens when they saw someone emerging from the water of the rivers. And there she was! Their own mother whom they had not seen for so long had returned! They now lived happily ever after. THE END