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Baba
Yaga’s Black Geese A
long time ago in a far away land, where the hands of the clock had
ceased to command, there lived two children who went by the names
of Olga and Sergei. On this particular day, Olga and Sergei were
playing out in the orchard, climbing the trees, picking apples, playing
hide and seek, you know the type of thing, when, all of a sudden,
they heard the bellowing voice of their terrified mama calling down
to them from the house. ‘Olga. Sergei. Get indoors quickly! We’ve
just heard, Baba Yaga’s black geese have been seen round here.’ Now
if you don’t know about Baby Yaga’s three black geese, I’d better
tell you. Baby Yaga has three dark-winged servants who fly around
the world looking for delicious-looking children for Baba Yaga to
eat. If you ever see them, be sure to hide. They’ll have you in their
beaks quicker than you say ‘Abra Alakazambi.’ Even if you could say
it. No magic in the word could save you. Olga
and Sergei came indoors just as their mama had asked and settled
down in their bedroom to read and play chess. Now, as you can best
imagine. On a nice day, when the sun is shining and there isn’t even
a hint of a north easterly wind, it’s very boring to be playing indoors,
so, having never really experienced the powers of Baba Yaga, the
children started to talk about what they would play in the orchard
when the geese had gone. When their mama and papa called upstairs
to say that they were going to the market to get sugar buns for tea,
the children waited until their horse and cart were out of sight,
and crept outside to play. Sure
enough, from high in the sky, three black geese looked down to the
ground and saw two delicious looking children to eat and swooped
down. Grabbing Sergei by the scruff of his neck they pulled him,
high into the sky, and off towards the deep, dark woods. Olga, who’d
only managed to escape by diving under a prickly bush, knew what
she had to do. As quick as she could, she put on her best running
shoes and set off towards the deep, dark, woods. She
ran like the wind until… in a high, gurgly kind of voice she heard, ‘Olga… Olga…Olga.’ ‘I
haven’t got time to stop!’ shouted Olga. ‘I’m in a rush to get to
the deep, dark woods to save my brother Sergei from Baba Yaga. But
when she looked down to see what had been making this peculiar little
noise, there she saw a tiny, silver fish. The poor thing had been
swimming quite happily down the river, flicking his tail and jumping
up to see the beautiful wheat fields that flanked the water, when
accidentally, he’d jumped too high and landed on the bank. Being
a kind person, Olga bent down, picked the fish up in the palm of
her hand and gently dropped it back into the river. The fish darted
to the bottom and popped back up with a present. It was a shell,
and the fish said: ‘As you have helped me, so I shall help you. If
ever you find yourself in trouble, take this shell, throw it over
your shoulder and I will come and help you.’ ‘Thanks’ said Olga and
she put the shell into her pocket and again, set off towards the
deep, dark, woods. She
ran like the wind until… in a chirpy, yappy kind of a voice, she
heard, ‘Olga… Olga…Olga.’ ‘I haven’t got time to stop!’ cried Olga. ‘I’m
in a rush to get to the deep, dark woods to save my brother Sergei
from Baba Yaga.’ But when she looked down to see what had been making
this bizarre little noise, she saw a very anguished looking squirrel.
The poor little thing had been bounding a field of plum trees belonging
to an old and very grouchy farmer when he’d accidentally put his
foot in one of the farmer’s rabbit traps and couldn’t get out. Being
a kind person, Olga bent down, pulled open the trap and freed the
squirrel. The brown, furry creature limped his way up the nearest
oak tree and came back down with a present. It was a acorn, and the
squirrel said: ‘As you have helped me, so I shall help you. If ever
you find yourself in trouble, take this acorn, throw it over your
shoulder and I will come and help you.’ ‘Thanks’ said Olga and she
put the acorn into her pocket and again, set off towards the deep,
dark, woods. She ran
like the wind until… in a squeaky, squally kind of a voice, she heard, ‘Olga… Olga…Olga.’ ‘I
haven’t got time to stop!’ snapped Olga. ‘I’m in a rush to get to
the deep, dark woods to save my brother Sergei from Baba Yaga.’ But
when she looked down to see what had been making this annoying little
noise, she saw the tiniest animal of all. A very sad-looking field
mouse. Someone had been moving around stones and boulders to make
a wall around a field and had accidentally covered up the mouse’s
hole. Being a kind person, Olga bent down to the boulder, grabbed
it with both hands and pushed, and pushed… and … pushed. The boulder
rolled away and the tiny mouse gleefully jumped down its hole and
came back up with a present. It was a stone, and the mouse said: ‘As
you have helped me, so I shall help you. If ever you find yourself
in trouble, take this stone, throw it over your shoulder and I will
come and help you.’ ‘Thanks’ said Olga and she put the stone into
her pocket and went on again, only this time she could run no further,
because she was already on the outskirts of the deep, dark, woods. Well
I don’t have to tell you, of all people, what it’s like inside those
woods do I? The trees are so densely packed together it’s almost
impossible to see. Strange, slithery creatures, slide across your
feet. Spiders, dropping from their webs, scuttle through your hair
and scamper across your face. The trees seem to be talking to one
another, making plans to trip you up and gather you into their creepy
hollows. And the worst of it all? The smell. It’s like rotting turnips
roasting over a fire of pickled warthogs. Through all this, Olga
crept, hoping against hope, that she could find Baba Yaga’s house
in time. Suddenly, there
in a clearing she saw it. But Baba Yaga’s House is no ordinary house.
It stands on three chicken legs. It moves. And it talks. ‘Go away!’ The
house moaned. ‘Baba Yaga will surely eat you.’ But Olga knew what
she had to do. She climbed up onto one of the legs and pulled herself
up and into the house. And there she was. Baba Yaga, asleep in her
rocking chair, snoring like a troll. Now,
if you don’t know what Baba Yaga looks like, I’d better tell you.
Baba Yaga has long white hair that comes all the way down to the
floor. In it live some of the strangest creatures alive. Sometimes,
she’ll just pick them out of her hair and crunch on them with her
long, red fangs. Her nose is long and windy with twist at the end
like a helter-skelter. From it, drips a disgusting green slime. She
lets it drip into a bucket, and when it’s full she sucks it all up
in one big mouthful. Baba Yaga has two pointed ears full of fur,
rather like a badger’s, only hers are full of treacly wax, which
runs down her cheek to her chin. She wears a green pointy hat and
a long green cape that hides her long bony arms and long bony legs.
Now, as you know, more than anything else in the world – Baba Yaga
likes to eat children! Sitting
next to Baba Yaga, too scared to move, was Olga’s brother, Sergei.
Knowing what she had to do, Olga tip-toed right up to Sergei and
whispered: ‘Baba Yaga’s asleep. Come on. We can make our escape.’ As
quietly as they could, the children slid down the legs of Baba Yaga’s
house. But Sergei was only halfway down when he slipped and crashed
to the forest floor with an almighty bang! The three black geese,
who had been perched on the roof in a deep slumber, woke up and squawked: ‘Baba
Yaga, Baba Yaga, someone’s taking your dinner.’ As quick as she could,
Baba Yaga jumped to her feet and started to chase the children with
all her evil might. With
her long bony arms and her long bony legs she reached out to grab
the children when… Olga put her hand in her pocket and pulled out
the present from the fish. Taking the shell, she threw it over her
shoulder and… Just like magic, a huge lake appeared, with Baba Yaga
stuck on one side and the children safe on the other. But do you
think a lake can stop Baba Yaga? Bending down, she put her mouth
right up to the water’s edge, and started to slurp. In one humungous
mouthful, Baba Yaga drank the whole lake, and with her cavernous
belly full of water, she started to chase the children again. With
her long bony arms and her long bony legs she reached out to grab
the children when… Olga put her hand in her pocket and pulled out
the present from the squirrel. Taking the acorn, she threw it over
her shoulder and… Just like magic, a huge forest appeared, with Baba
Yaga stuck on one side and the children safe on the other. But do
you think a forest can stop Baba Yaga? Opening her tremendous jaws
she started to eat the trees one by one until she’d devoured the
entire forest. With her stomach full to bursting point, she started
to chase the children again. With
her long bony arms and her long bony legs she reached out to grab
the children for the final time when… Olga put her hand in her pocket
and pulled out the present from the mouse. Taking the stone, she
threw it over her shoulder and… Just like magic, a huge mountain
appeared, one so big that its summit disappeared into the clouds,
with Baba Yaga stuck on one side and the children safe on the other.
Not even Baba Yaga, with a belly full of lake and forest, can eat
a mountain this size. She had to turn around and walk all the way
back to the deep, dark, wood, without any children to eat for tea.
Olga and Sergei ran back home as fast as their legs could carry them
and got back inside just in time to see mama and papa pulling up
in their horse and cart. ‘Olga, Sergei,’ they called. ‘We’re home.
We’ve got sugar buns for tea.’ Neither their mama or their papa,
ever got to hear the story of what happened to their children that
day, but needless to say, whenever Baba Yaga’s black geese were seen
around those parts, Olga and Sergei stayed indoors with the door
firmly shut!
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