An old man and a woman lived alone, but they had no children. The old women were arguing - who would have the house, who would have the good? One day the old man was walking home along the river, when he saw a crooked duck lying by the water's edge. Its wing was wounded, its leg was damaged.
Grandfather took the duckling carefully in his hand. He and his grandmother brought it home, put it in a cozy corner, and spread soft rags on it. Grandfather fed it with grains, and his grandmother gave it fresh water to drink. The duckling looked at him gratefully, her eyes as black as beads.
A few days passed, and the duckling came back to life. But the grandfather still couldn't let it out—its wings were still weak. The grandmother put it in a corner, in a quiet place, and they went to work—the grandmother in the field, the grandfather in the barn.
They return in the evening and see that the house is spotlessly clean, the floor has been washed, the towel on the pole is neatly folded, the food is warm on the table, and there is new embroidery on the canvas. «What a miracle, grandma?» asks the grandfather. «I don’t know, grandfather.» They looked at each other and sat down to have dinner.
The next day — the same thing. On the third day — again. The old women were curious: who was helping them? They pretended to have gone to work, and they themselves — through the window, and they were peeping. And then they saw — the duck shook its feathers, and turned into a beautiful girl. Blue eyes, long hair, a face as pretty as a star. The girl set to work.
The old man and the old woman ran into the house. "Who are you, little girl?" She was confused, she wanted to reach for the duck feather again, but the old woman hid it. "Don't hide, little dove, we wish you well. Be our daughter." Then the girl told her story.
Once she was a princess. But the evil witch envied her beauty, turned her into a duck, and even broke her wing. «And the only way to free me is if someone truly loves me, not for my beauty, but for my soul, and takes me as his wife.» The grandfather and grandmother understood her grief, and kept her as their own.
Once upon a time, a young man named Petrus arrived in the village - with a kind heart and hardworking hands. He came to his grandfather's yard with some business. He saw a girl near the stove - and his heart skipped a beat. He spoke to her affectionately. And she answered quietly, not looking him in the eye.
Petrus began to visit his grandfather more often - he would help him, he would give him advice. But in reality - he would admire the girl. And she got used to him, her heart reached out to her. One evening Petrus said: "My dear girl, will you marry me?" She cried, and said: "I'm afraid, Petrus. There is a terrible spell on me.".
She told everything. The young man was not afraid. "I did not love you for your beauty, but for your sincere soul. Even if you become a duck, I will protect you." He said these words - and the spell fell. From somewhere under the floor, that duck feather crawled out, flared up with yellow fire and crumbled into ashes. The girl stood before Petrus - beautiful, free, healingly healthy, not crooked. They celebrated the wedding with the grandfather and grandmother as with their father and mother. They began to live and live in harmony, and even looked after their parents until they were very old.
💛 The heart sees further than the eyes - and kindness returns a hundredfold.