The girls who deceived the old witch. Fairy Tale

Once upon a time, there was a wealthy man. He had a sick wife and three daughters. One day, his wife passed away. After some time, the man married another woman. This woman turned out to be cruel. She hated the man’s daughters. One day, their stepmother called the girls and said: "My dears, today you should go to the forest to pick some fruit," and she gave them a bucket with holes in it. The girls exclaimed excitedly: "Hooray! We're going to pick fruit!" and happily went off to the forest. Once they arrived, they began to pick fruit. However, the fruit kept falling out of the bucket because of the holes. As a result, the girls spent a long time wandering in the forest. Meanwhile, their stepmother deceived their father and moved away. When the girls returned home tired in the evening, they found that their house was gone. They cried and spent the night where their house used to be. The next morning, they found a mirror, a comb, and a needle in the area. Taking these, the girls set off on their journey. As they walked, they came across a shabby house. An old witch lived in this shabby house. The girls entered the house. Inside, there was a little girl sitting. The girls asked her: "Where is the owner of the house?" The little girl replied: "The owner of this house is me and my mother, the old witch." The girls were frightened. But with no other choice, they waited for the witch until evening. When the witch returned home, she saw the three girls sitting there and was delighted. "You must have been sent to me by the devil. Now we will have a feast together. For now, rest here," she said, preparing beds for them. The next morning, while the witch was going hunting, she said to the girls: "Cook my little one for me, I will return by noon." After the witch left, the girls took the little girl and ran away with her. When the witch came back, she found both her daughter and the three girls were gone. Furious, the witch chased after them. At one point, the girls looked back and saw the witch catching up to them. During this time, the little girl had grown fond of the three girls. "Girls, when my mother catches up with you, throw whatever you have behind you. Then a barrier will appear in front of her," she advised. As soon as the eldest girl heard the little girl, she threw the comb behind her. It turned into a large forest. When the witch got closer again, the middle girl threw down the needle. It turned into a tall mountain. The witch managed to pass over that too. Finally, the little girl threw the mirror. It turned into a large lake. The witch could not cross the lake. Standing on the other side of the lake, the girls called out to the witch: "How did you cross this lake?" The girls replied: "We crossed by tying stones around our necks." Believing the girls, the witch tied a stone around herself and jumped into the water, drowning. The girls safely found their way home and told their father everything that had happened. The father expelled his wife for her cruelty to the girls. He adopted the witch's daughter. Thus, the girls lived together happily.