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There was a woodcutter who lived near the forest with his family. He had a wife and three daughters.
One morning when leaving the house he said to his wife, "Let our elder daughter bring me my dinner. I'll mark the way in order not to be lost. I'll put some corn on the way I'll pass."
At midday the eldest daughter took the dinner and left for the forest. But the birds ate all the corn and so the girl couldn't find her way. She walked in the forest till night. Then she saw a house and a light in it. She knocked at the door and came into the house. An old man was sitting on the bench. He was as grey as the dove. There was a cock, a hen and a cow near the old man. The girl told her story to the old man and asked for a bed because it was dark in the forest. The old man asked his animals, "Hey, hen, cock and cow, can we let this girl stay and sleep in our house?" "Duks", answered the animals. This meant "yes".
- "Cook the supper for us, please," said the old man to the girl.
The girl cooked the supper then sat next to the old man and ate the supper with a great appetite and didn't pay attention to the animals.
When the girl ate her supper she asked for a bed. The man followed her to the room where the bed was. The girl was tired and fell asleep. Soon the old man came into the room with a candle, looked at the girl, shook his head, pressed the button - and the girl with the bed fell into the hole.
At that time the woodcutter came back home and was very angry because he didn't eat anything the whole day.
His wife was sorry for her daughter, who lost her way and didn't come back.
The next day the second daughter brought the dinner to her father.
Birds ate the wheat the father threw on the way and so the daughter didn't know where to go. She spent a lot of time in the forest and when
THE HOUSE IN THE FOREST
