Once upon a time, there were three brothers. They lived in a small village on the shore of the Volga River. The two elder brothers were married. They were merchants. The youngest Emelya was foolish, lazy, and despised work. While Emelya’s brothers went out to work, he sat on a warm stove in the kitchen. One day, the two brothers went to the market and told Emelya to take care of their wives. They promised to get for him a kaftan, red boots and a red hat. One winter morning, Emelya’s sister-in-law asked him to get water from the river. But he shrieked from the top of the stove, “That’s not my job.” She persuaded him and promised him a new red jacket and a new red hat. He jumped off the stove and went down to the frozen river. Emelya reached the river and started grumbling about his problems. He broke the ice to fill his buckets.
At the Pike’s Behest
As he was filling water in the buckets, he realised that he had caught a fish: a large pike. ‘This will make a great fish dish,’ thought Emelya. All of a sudden, the pike said to him in a human voice, “Set me free, Emelya. I will grant you anything you wish. You will never have to work. All you need to do is to say, ‘At the pike’s behest and at my request….’ Remember these words and say them when you need anything again in the future.” This was a great offer for lazy Emelya. Emelya put the pike back in the water and said, “At the pike’s behest and at my request, dear buckets, go home yourself.” As soon as he said these words, buckets started moving towards his house. Soon, the Tsar came to know about Emelya and ordered him to appear at the palace.
Emelya and the Princess
Emelya, being foolish and lazy, used the pike’s command and ordered his stove to take him to the palace. Riding on the stove, Emelya appeared at the courtyard of the palace. Everybody watched him. Among the spectators was also the Tsar’s daughter. When Emelya saw her, he fell in love with her and said, “At the pike’s behest and at my request, I want this beautiful girl to fall in love with me.” And, then, he ordered the stove to take him back home. Now, the Tsar’s daughter longed for Emelya and asked her father to let her marry him. The Tsar was angry with her daughter, but there was nothing that he could do, so he sent an officer to bring Emelya to the palace. The officer went to Emelya’s house with a lot of sweets. When Emelya finished all the treats, he got tired and fell asleep. The officer, then, carried him to the Tsar.
At the Island
The officers put Emelya and the Princess in a big barrel and threw them into the sea. When Emelya woke up, he found himself in the barrel with the Princess. Weeping, she told him what had happened to them. Emelya said, “At the pike’s behest and at my request, I want the waves to roll the barrel to the shore.” The next moment, they were saved and landed on a beautiful island. The Princess asked Emelya to build a hut for them to live in. Emelya agreed and said loudly, “At the pike’s behest and at my request, build me here the best palace in the world!” Immediately, a beautiful palace with many servants appeared. They lived happily as the rulers of the island. The palace had a crystal bridge that connected it to the mainland so that the Princess might go and meet her father. Emelya made amends with everyone and lived happily!
