So the wise woman saw she must act the mother's voice, so she ran to the smith and asked him, "Smith, just forge me a thin little voice like the one Iváshechko's mother has, or I'll eat you up!" So the smith forged the voice just like the mother's. So up she went to the shore and sang:
Iváshechko, Iváshechko, my little son,
Up to the shore let your little boat run:
Here is some drink and here is a bun!
Iváshechko sailed up; she took the fish and seized and took Iváshechko himself away. When she reached home, she told her daughter Alyónka: "Just make my stove nice and hot and cook Iváshechko all through. I'll go assemble my guests."
And Alyónka heated the stove very hot and told Iváshechko: "Come and sit on the shovel."[1]
"I'm too young and stupid," Iváshechko answered; "show me how to sit on the shovel."
"Oh, that's easy enough!" said Alyónka; and as soon as she was on Iváshechko shoved her into the stove, slammed the door to and went out of the hut, and climbed a great big tall oak tree.
The wise woman came with her guests and knocked at the hut; there was no reply, no one to open the door. "Oh, confound Alyónka; she must have gone out to play." The wise woman climbed up into the window, opened the door and admitted her guests, opened the oven door, took out Alyónka, who was well cooked, and they all sat down to table and ate and ate and drank, and at last went out to take a turn on the grass:
"I am dancing, I am prancing, I have eaten Iváshechko's flesh."
Then Iváshechko interrupted from the top of the
- ↑ Shovels are used to insert loaves and pots deep into the oven.
