Long time ago, in a distant area a rich man gave birth to four daughters. They all grew up in beautiful girls that no one in there could compare with them. Their parent wished all of them could marry with normal people and lived normal lives but they all wanted to marry with princes.
“Stop your dream, daughters. How can you stand by prices while there had many beautiful royal girls surrounding them”, their parent told them whenever they squealed that they only married with princes.
Their parent did convince them many time but they didn’t change their minds. At last, their parent gave up they gave each girl a silver bar and said:
“Go away and find your grooms”.
They took the silver bars and set off. They found the way to castle. The second day on their way, they went along edge of forest. It was getting dark but it seemed no one lived near there. They continued going and fortunately, they met a country woman.
“Where are you going girls?” said the woman.
“We are going to castle to meet prince, our grooms”, they said innocently.
“Oh! So sweet.” Said the woman, “But, I think you need somewhere to rest it is getting dark”.
“Yeah, we are finding one but it seemed no one stays around here”, they said with a little confuse.
“Don’t worry daughters. My home was near here. I will be pleasant to let beautiful girls as you stay in my home one night”, said the woman.
Then she led them to a path which directed to in forest. Later, they went to a small house standing next to an ancient tree.
“Here has only a bed. Hope you don’t feel uncomfortable”, said the woman, pointing at a bed. “I will stay in the next room”, she added.
“You live alone here, don’t you?” said one of girls.
“No, I live with my daughter girl but she went out”, she said, “Oke, I will leave now”.
Girls felt tired so they go to bed and slept. Only the youngest girl couldn’t sleep because the bed was small and she was the person who lied on a side of the bed. In silent night, a terrible smell went in her nostrils. The smell seemed spread from the next room where the woman was. She waited until he heard snores of the woman. She lightly approached the woman’s room. The smell turned more terrible when she reached the room. She looked through slit on the door. Under light of oil lamp, she saw clearly skulls, bones and scattering everywhere was green viscous liquid and cloud of flies were buzzing in that room. The woman was still sleeping.
“Omg! Where is on the world I came?” she thought, raising her hand on her mouth, “God, she. She is a dark witch, a flesh-eating witch”.
Very lightly, she step tiptoe back her bed and woke up her sister.
“Whaa”, she covered mouth of her sister who was sleepy, “Shhhh!” she put her finger on her lips, “listen. We are in danger. The woman staying in the next room was no one but a flesh-eating witch”, she whispered, “We must go now”.
All of them raised their hands on their mouth their eyes turned bigger than ever.
“We will not die, right?” said a girl and they turned confused.
“We will not.” said the youngest girl bravely, “Firstly, we must escape from here”.
The youngest girl helped them out the bed, stood on their toe tips. Very gently, she opened the door and let her sister out. After that, they got their feet in their shoes and ran all of them ran though it was dark. But, they lost they didn’t know where they was in the forest. All of them seemed exhausted they help themselves lay under a tree to have a rest. They were woken up but the first lights of the sun which shined through leaves.
“Wake up”, said the youngest girl, “We have to get out this place, as fast as we can the witch must find out we have gone”.
They got on their feet, tried to get out the forest on a strange path though they all felt tired and hungry. Fortunately, they met a big man who was taller and bigger than people they had ever seen and bearded. The man was a mage.
“Where are you going girls?” said the mage.
“We are finding the way to castle but firstly, we must escape from this place and the flesh-eating-witch who is chasing after us”, they said.
“I will happy to help you girls”, said the mage then he wrapped them in his enormous coat. Later, they heard roars after their backs the witch had caught up them.
“What is this? What is this?” girls became nervous they asked the others.
“Keep silent”, the mange told them, “The witsh caught up us”. Then, the mage carried each two of them put in his pockets.
“Do you see girls around here?” said the witch.
“Yes, I see but they go to the direction”, said the mage, pointing at the other path.
“Weirdly! I smell human flesh here”, said the witch.
“You’re right. I just ate some. If you felt hungry, you can turn back and eat I left a little by this road”, said the mage.
The witch walked away. The mage kept girls staying in his pockets, went fastly to castle. Short time later, they had arrived to the capital. The mage helped them out his pockets.
“You have arrived to the capital. Think you need somewhere to stay. I have to come back”, said the mage.
The girls stood on their knees they bent down their heads to thank him but when they raised their heads the mage had vanished.
The witch couldn’t find out girls after long time searching, she came back her house. Felt angry because that was the first time he lost. Short time later, he heard about a strange news a prince married with four girls that reminded her about the girls people she seemed to forget. Her anger came again and planned to harm them. She waited till the prince ascended the throne when he had full power to decide all things. The new king was amorous so the witch transformed her daughter into a beautiful girl who was even more beautiful than the wives of the king. She brought her daughter to capital and put her down on garden where the king used to stride. As normal day, the king strode in that garden and met a beautiful girl who made him fall in love in the first sight.
“Where do you come from? Why are you here, in my forbidden garden?” said the king.
“Alas! I don’t know here is forbidden garden sir. I just follow my mother to come here in the first time and we are separated. I don’t know where to go, just follow beautiful flowers to here”, she said, “Please, forgive me for my carelessness.”
“Don’t worry girl”, said the king, “Wonder you want to live here in castle with me that you can watch nice beautiful flowers every day.”
“I am just a country girl and how can a country girl like me dare to live in here where have many girls who are more beautiful than me hundred times”, she said.
“On my side, you are more beautiful than all of them”, said the king, “If you follow me, I will accept all your orders”.
“Just one thing”, she said, “I wished I am only your wife so I need your other wives will go out the castle when I come.”
“No problem”, said the king who was seduced.
The king brought her to castle and ordered four recent wives to get out.
That was bad news to them, especially the youngest wife who was pregnant. Though she begged the king violently, he the person was bewitched didn’t change. Maids led them to the gate of castle and expelled them away.
That time, the witch was waiting for them in frontward. She now was owner of a nice inn which had all things, rooms with nice beds, beautiful bathrooms and of course, food and drinks were ready to serve them.
“Come here girls”, said the witch, “Put down your luggage and take some rooms to rest. All things are ready to serve you”.
They all felt tired because of walking. They made their way to the inn without any doubting. They laid their luggage on ground and threw their bodies on beds and started sleeping. That night, the witch went in their rooms as all of them were sleeping deeply. She stole their eyes.
Next morning, they woke up and the first thing they found out that darkness they couldn’t see. All things had gone, the owner of inn, the inn, rooms, beds, food and drinks that where they were lying was ground. They all bursted into tears.
“Why do you cry?” a voice of young woman.
“Miserable we were expelled from our living and now, even our eyes we also lost”, they said.
“It is so bad all of you are hunted by a dark witch. I can’t help you but your son can help you. You all need to live and raise the child”, said the woman and she also a witch but kind.
The kind witch did a nice house by her magic. She girted them two jars, one was jar of rice and the other was jar of golden coins. The jars were filled up immediately whenever they took out rice or coins. Later, the witch went away, left they stayed in the house.
Few months later, the youngest girl gave birth to a son. He was healthy and smart. When he was five years old, the kind witch came back and started teaching him knowledge, fighting arts and some magics. The boy studied very fast, he was smart, brave and had extraordinary healthy. When he was eight, the witch told him all things which related to his mother, aunts and the dark witch. Then, the witch gave him an horse and said:
“You are old enough to revenge for you mother and aunts. Find the way to your enemy’s house and pretend as if you are her grandchild and when you have her trust, we will find the way to revenge.”
He set off, followed his teacher’s to enemy’s house. His enemy now was in outside. He got down his horse, bowed his head politely.
“Nice to meet you grandma”, he said, “It is me, your grandchild, son of your daughter”.
The dark witch asked him some questions and he smartly answered all. Thought that he was her real grandchild, she let him go in her house and treated very well.
“What is this? Here, here and here”, yelled the boy, sprinting toward strange things in the house.
The witch happily answered him.
“This is my stick. It is very rare. If you have it, nothing can prevent your step. Water will be parted a road and mountain will be separated a path for you go if you bring the stick”, “Those are eyes I have taken from others and this is a jar of magical liquid, if you pour the liquid on eyes I stole the eyes will make their way back to eye sockets”.
“And what is this?” said the boy she pointed at a black cat which was lying lazily on table.
“The cat was lives of me and your mother. I and you mother will not died though we was cut off their head but, if the cat die, we will die”, said the witch.
That seemed the last thing they needed. The kind witch, his teacher, went after him on whole his journey. The time the dark witch let the boy went in her house, the kind witch transformed into a rat and found the way to go in. Now, the rat was climbing on the top of roof it rang the bell which was hung at there. The bell only rang whenever lord of dark witch summoned them. Hurriedly, the dark witch told the boy.
“You stay here. I have to go few days. Take care of my house before I come back grandchild”.
She took some necessary then set of. After her back vanished, the boy stole all things, caged the cat and brought all of them to the castle. He asked soldiers to meet the king.
“Who are you?” asked the king.
“I am you son and also son of a woman you left”, he replied. Then, he told his father, the king, things happened after his mother and aunts left the castle. At last, he said:
“You are in danger father that the woman who stays by you now is a dark witch and she will harm you”.
“How can I believe you, a child? You say that you are my son but you know, on my side, you are a stranger”, the king said after he heard all things.
“I can prove”, he said. He took the black cat out the cage and cut off its head. Meantime, the recent queen was staying in forbidden garden. Suddenly, she fell on ground and died. Her body fastly was rotten and transformed into bugs. The thing was reported to the king so that he believed things the boy said. He followed the boy, his son to the house his old wives lived. When they met, the boy poured the magical liquid in the jar containing eyes. It was so miraculous the eyes started moving they made their way to eye sockets. His mother and aunts got light again that they could see as they had. The king brought them to castle and all of they had happy lives till they died.
THE END
"Translator: Hung Nguyen"
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