Golden Dice Fairy Tale

Once upon a time, there lived a rich man who had no children. Longing for a child, he eventually managed to have one. One day, while taking his horses to drink at a lake, he noticed a red liver floating in the water. The rich man's horses were frightened by the liver and refused to drink. No matter how much he tried to lead them closer to the water, they wouldn't go near it. At that moment, the rich man took his rod and poked the liver, causing it to sink. Soon after, it transformed into a wicked old hag and seized the rich man. Terrified, the rich man said to the hag:

• I will give you gold as heavy as a horse, just let me go, - he pleaded. The hag would not agree.
• I will give you all my horses, just let me go, - he said. Again, the hag refused. Out of options, the rich man asked:
• What can I give you? - The hag replied:
• If you give me your only child, I will let you go, - she said. The rich man, desperate, agreed to give up his child and freed himself from the hag. The hag then asked the rich man:
• Where shall I collect your child? - The rich man replied:
• Tomorrow, as we move, I will leave my child's golden bridle for everyone to see, and you can wait there for the child, - he said.

The next day, as the rich man moved, he forgot to take his child's golden bridle and left it behind. The village settled into their new home. The child, wanting to play a game of tag, began searching for the golden bridle. His father said:

- It must have been left behind when we moved yesterday. Go get it, - he instructed.

Preparing to go, the child asked his father:

- Father, which horse should I ride? - The father replied:

- Ask the horsekeeper for one, - he said. The horsekeeper told the child:

- Swing your rod and jingle your bridle as you go to the horses. Ride whichever horse looks at you, - he advised.

The child followed the horsekeeper’s advice and approached the horses, making noise with his rod and bridle. One scabby horse looked at him. The child caught it and put a bridle on it. The horse’s scabs healed, and it turned into a foal. When the child placed a saddle on it, the foal became a yearling. Once the bridle was on, the yearling transformed into a stallion. When the child mounted the horse, it became a magnificent steed, and in the blink of an eye, they arrived in the village. Upon reaching the village, the child spotted his golden bridle under the ashes by the hearth. Next to the bridle sat an old woman. The child asked her:

- Mother, please hand me my bridle, - he said. The old woman replied:

- My dear, I can't stand up due to my old age, and if I do, I won't be able to sit back down, - she said. The child responded:

- If I get down, I can't reach it, and if I get on, I can't get off, - he replied. The scabby horse lay down next to the bridle. Without removing his foot from the stirrup, the child grabbed the bridle. The horse bolted. The wicked old hag started chasing them. The child ran away. When the hag pulled out one of her teeth and threw it, it struck the horse, knocking one of its legs off. The horse fled on three legs, keeping ahead of the hag. When the hag threw another tooth, it knocked off yet another leg. The horse, now on two legs, sprinted until it encountered a tree. The horse weakened. Upon reaching the tree, the child jumped off and climbed to the top of it. The wicked old hag began digging at the base of the tree. At one point, a red fox approached and said:

- Mother, you must be tired; let me dig for you while you rest, - the fox said. The hag agreed and lay down. The fox threw the hag's tooth into the water, filled the hole back in, and left. When the hag woke up, both her tooth and the fox were gone. She pulled out another tooth to make a spade and started digging again. Soon, another fox arrived and said:

- Mother, please lend me your spade; I will dig, - the fox said. The hag replied:

- You will run away with my spade, - she said. The fox insisted:

- That fox is from the hill; I am the white fox from the valley. I have a grudge against this child, - she said. The hag, trusting the fox, gave her the spade and fell asleep. The fox threw the spade into the water and filled in the hole again. When the hag awoke, she found the spade and the fox missing again. The hag pulled out one last tooth to make a spade and resumed digging, eventually leaving herself with only one tooth. As she dug at the base of the tree, she got closer to uprooting it. At that moment, crows flew over the child. The child called out to the crows:

- Oh, crows, tell my dogs in the meadow to come and rescue me from the wicked old hag, - he said. The crows cawed and flew away. Soon after, ducks flew by, and the child called to them as well. They flew off silently. Then, a swallow flew to the top of the tree and landed on the child's head. The child, in tears, entrusted his plea to the swallow. The swallow flew to the dogs and informed them that the wicked old hag was digging at the base of the tree. The dogs rushed to the scene and tore the hag apart. The child mounted his dogs and safely returned home. His parents were overjoyed at his safe return and threw a grand feast. After some time, the wicked old hag's daughter, upon discovering her mother's death, set out to track down the child and reached the rich man's yard. Five dogs lunged at her, but the girl proved to be very strong. The child shot an arrow, blinding the girl, and shot again to kill her. Thus, they were freed from the wicked hag forever.