crow(Part1)
Once upon a time, there was a queen who had a small and beautiful daughter. One day, the girl couldn't settle down, and no matter how much her mother scolded her, she wouldn't calm down, to the point that her mother became impatient. When the mother saw a flock of crows flying above the castle, she opened the window and said, "Oh, how I wish you were a crow flying among them. Only then would I be free of you." As soon as these words left the mother's mouth, the girl turned into a crow, flew out of the window, and headed to a dark and deep forest. She stayed there for a long time, and her parents had no news of her.
One day, a young man was passing by the path that led into the forest. He felt as if a crow was calling him. He approached and saw the crow saying: "My father was a king, and I am a princess who has been enchanted, but you may be able to free me from this curse." The young man asked, "What must I do?" The crow replied, "Continue along this path until you reach a house where an old woman lives. She will bring you food and drink, but do not accept anything; do not eat or drink anything because if you do, you will fall into a deep sleep, and you will be unable to rescue me. In the garden behind the old woman's house, there is a large mound of tree bark. Go up to this mound and wait for me. On three consecutive days, two hours past noon, I will come to see you in a carriage drawn by four white horses on the first day, four brown horses on the second day, and four black horses on the third day. But if you are asleep among the mound, my spell will not be broken." The young man promised to follow the girl's instructions, but the crow said, “Alas, I already know that you will not rescue me because you will eat the old woman's food.”
Despite this, the young man promised once again not to touch the old woman’s food or drink. After entering the house, the old woman came to him and said, "Oh, poor man, you look so tired. Come, relax for a moment and have something to eat and drink." The young man replied, "I will eat nothing and drink nothing." But the woman wouldn’t leave him alone and insisted, "If you won’t eat, at least have a sip from this cup. Just once won’t hurt." Eventually, the young man yielded and drank.
Around two hours past noon, he went to the garden and climbed up on the mound of tree bark to wait for the crow. However, even though he stood upright, he suddenly felt so tired that his willpower slipped away, and he lay down without intending to sleep. As he lay there, his eyes closed on their own, and he fell into a deep slumber. His sleep was so profound that nothing in the world could wake him.
At two o'clock in the afternoon, the crow arrived in a carriage drawn by four white horses, but the girl was so sorrowful that she said to herself, "I know he is asleep." When she entered the garden, the young man was deep into his sleep on the mound of tree bark. The crow got down from the carriage, approached him, shook him, and called out to him, but she could not awaken him.
