Story #6

I decided to use this story becuase it has an important message about attitude.  Attitude chages everything it can always make matters better or worse.
 
 
 

Once there was a husband and wife who lived near the mountains in Russia.  Both the man and the woman had been married before and each of them already had a daughter when they got married.  The woman was jealous of the man's daughter from the beginning.  She was always worried that the man loved his daughter more than her loved her.  The woman was also concerned for her own daughter's welfare.  If her husband were to pass away, he would probably only provide for his own daughter and his wife.  His wife's daughter would be left out in the cold, so to speak.

The wife worried about her situation all summer long, but when fall came she began to devise a plan, and when winter came, it was time to put her plan into action.

One chilly winter day, the wife surprised her husband.  She told him that if he did not take his daughter out into the mountains and leave her there, then she would leave him to live out the rest of his life alone, with his daughter.  The man had already lost one wife and could not bear to lose another, so he did as she asked.

On their journey to the mountains, the man told his daughter that he loved her very much.  He also told his daughter that situations were not always as bad as they seem.  His daughter said that she would remember his advice and put it to use.

That night, as the wind began to blow and she could feel the chill in the air, she remembered her father's advice.  She thought to herself, "The wind is kind, it will protect me and keep me from harm."  As the night wore on she continued to see something positive in everything she saw.  She was delighted by the bright stars and the glow of the moon, she was so distracted by her thoughts, that she didn't even realize the cold.  Just as the young girl was about to fall asleep, she heard a loud booming voice say, "It is a dark lonely night and you are high in the mountains, are you warm enough?"  The girl recognized the voice as belonging to Father Frost immediately and she replied, "Yes, Father Frost, I am quite warm enough, thank you for protecting me on this lonely night."  Father Frost was touched by the girl's positivity and respect.  He covered her with several blankets and gave her many gifts to show his appreciation.

The next day, when the girl's father came to retrieve her frozen body, he was suprised to find her happily playing in the snow.  He was so relieved to find her alive, he knew he had made a mistake by choosing to do as his wife had commanded him.  When the man returned with his daughter, his wife was horrified, but she pretended to be happy when they told her what had happened with Father Frost.  After hearing about all the wonderful things Father Frost had given to her step daughter, she decided that her daughter should also spend a night out in the mountains.

Once again, the husband set out, this time to leave his wife's daughter in the mountains.  This journey was not pleasant like the one with his daughter had been.  This time his wife's daughter complained constantly about the distance and how long their journey was taking.  The man left the girl at the same spot where he had left his daughter, and wished her well.  The wife's daughter was very uncomfortable on the mountain side, she was afraid and annoyed by the howling of the wind.  As the sky began to darken, she felt the temperature drop.  She did not want to stay all night on the mountain side and could think of nothing other than her nice warm bed at home.  These thought of home did not make her any more comfortable, in fact, she felt the night growing colder and colder until she too heard the booming voice.  Once again it said, "It is a dark lonely night and you are high in the mountains, are you warm enough?"  The girl was enraged at such a question,  "OF COURSE I'M NOT WARM ENOUGH, what a horrible question to ask, GO AWAY!"  Father Frost was offended by this girl's lack of respect so he let the wind and ice have their way with the girl.

The next morning, when the husband came to take his step daughter home, he found her frozen body.  He immediately knew what to do.  He went home and gathered up his possessions and his daughter and left his greedy and selfish wife.
 
 

This image was produced by Luana Silense.
The text came from a site entitled Russian Folktales.
For full bibliographical references please click here.