Petrosinella Fairy Tale

Long ago, on the edge of the city of Naples, there lived a woman named Pascadozzia. While she was expecting a baby, she often gazed out of her window at the garden next door. In the garden grew fresh, fragrant parsley. She longed for that parsley so much that she could not sleep at night.

But the garden belonged to a wicked witch. One night the woman could bear it no longer. She crept secretly into the garden and picked a handful of parsley. The next night she went down again. On the third night the witch caught her.

"Thief!" hissed the witch. "How dare you steal from my garden? Either you will be punished, or you will make me a promise: when your child is born, you will give it to me." The frightened woman promised without thinking.

Soon the woman had a lovely baby girl. They named her Petrosinella, which means Little Parsley. She grew into a beautiful girl with golden hair and eyes that shone like stars. But when she was seven years old, the witch appeared. "Keep your promise!" she said, and she led the girl away.

The witch took Petrosinella to a tall tower in the middle of a deep forest. The tower had no door and no stairs, only one little window at the very top. Whenever the witch wanted to go in, she called from below, "Petrosinella, Petrosinella, let down your hair!" The girl let her long golden hair fall from the window, and the witch climbed up it.

The years went by. Petrosinella grew up alone in the tower. All day long she talked to the birds, sang songs, looked at the stars and missed her mother.

One day a young prince rode past the tower while out hunting. He heard the girl's lovely song and stopped. He listened for a long time, and then he watched the witch go into the tower. That evening, when the witch had gone, the prince came to the tower and called, "Petrosinella, Petrosinella, let down your hair!"

The girl let down her hair, and it was not the witch who climbed into the tower but a young man. Petrosinella was frightened, but when she saw the prince's kind eyes she grew calm. They talked for a long time and became friends. After that the prince came every evening.

One day Petrosinella said, "I want to escape from this tower. I know that the witch keeps three magic nuts hidden under her bed. She guards them very carefully. Perhaps they will help us."

The next evening, while the witch was asleep, Petrosinella secretly took the nuts and put them in her pocket. At midnight she tied her hair to the window like a rope, and she and the prince climbed down from the tower. They leapt onto the prince's horse and galloped away.

The witch woke up and saw that the girl was gone. Roaring with rage, she set off after them. When she had almost caught up, Petrosinella threw the first nut behind her. As soon as it touched the ground, a huge black dog appeared and barked, blocking the witch's way.

The witch tamed the dog with a piece of bread and gave chase again. Then Petrosinella threw the second nut, and out of it sprang a mighty lion. The frightened witch turned herself into a donkey to fool the lion. Then the girl threw the third nut. Out of it ran a wolf, which chased the donkey and drove the witch far, far away into the depths of the forest.

After that the witch never came near them again. The prince took Petrosinella home to her mother. When her mother saw her daughter, she wept for joy. Soon the prince and Petrosinella had a splendid wedding. They took her mother to live with them in the palace, and they all lived happily together.

They say that parsley always grew in Petrosinella's garden, and she gave it away free to anyone who asked.