Speckled egg Fairy Tale

Once upon a time, there lived an old man and an old woman, and they had a chicken named Speckled Egg. It laid an egg under the floor — speckled, tough, mysterious, and wise! The old man hit it — didn't break it, the old woman hit it — didn't break it, but a little mouse ran by and smashed it with its tail. The old man cried, the old woman cried, the chicken clucked, the gates creaked, chips flew from the yard, and the roof of the house shook!

Just then, the priest's daughters were coming back from fetching water and asked the old man and woman:

— Why are you crying?

— How can we not cry? — answered the old man and woman. — We have a chicken named Speckled Egg; it laid an egg under the floor — speckled, tough, mysterious, and wise! The old man hit it — didn’t break it, the old woman hit it — didn’t break it, but a little mouse came along and smashed it with its tail.

Hearing this, the priest's daughters were so saddened that they dropped their buckets, broke their yokes, and went back home empty-handed.

— Oh, mother! — they said to the priest's wife. — You don’t know, you haven’t heard, but so much is happening in the world: there lives an old man and an old woman, they have a chicken named Speckled Egg; it laid an egg under the floor — speckled, tough, mysterious, and wise! The old man hit it — didn’t break it, the old woman hit it — didn’t break it, but a mouse came along and smashed it with its tail. That’s why the old man is crying, the old woman is crying, the chicken is clucking, the gates are creaking, chips are flying from the yard, and the roof of the house is shaking. And we, on our way to fetch water, dropped our buckets, broke our yokes!

Hearing this, the priest's wife cried, and the clucking chicken upset her dough bowl, scattering all the dough on the floor.

The priest came in with a book.

— Oh, my dear! — said the priest’s wife to him. — You don’t know, you haven’t heard, but so much is happening in the world: there lives an old man and an old woman, they have a chicken named Speckled Egg; it laid an egg — speckled, tough, mysterious, and wise! The old man hit it — didn’t break it, the old woman hit it — didn’t break it, and a little mouse came and smashed it with its tail. That’s why the old man is crying, the old woman is crying, the chicken is clucking, the gates are creaking, chips are flying from the yard, and the roof of the house is shaking! Our daughters, while fetching water, dropped their buckets, broke their yokes, and I, while kneading the dough, scattered it all over the floor in sorrow!

The priest, filled with grief, tore his book to pieces.