Once upon a time, in a remote village in Russia there lived with a girl called Ivana.
Hello, I'm Ivana. I'm 8 years old and I live with my father. "Hello!"
and my stepmother.
"Ivana, where is my washing?" "Sorry stepmother, I was reading"
I don't really get on with my stepmum, she makes me do all the chores.
And I'd rather pick and press flowers, or help Dad around the gardens.
"Ivana, have you tidied the house?" "In a minute stepmother!"
"You know I can't do it in my condition" My stepmother is pregnant with her own child
So she has even less time for me now.
"Ivana! Honestly, you are useless. I need you to go to my sister and fetch a needle and thread.
I want to make the baby a lovely shawl for the cold winter ahead."
"But stepmother, I don't want to go to-"
"Nonsense! Off you go"
"But your sister is the Baba Yaga, a witch! I'm not going to a creepy old hut."
I'm going to my real aunt, my father's sister, instead. She'll know what to do.
So Ivana skipped off to her real aunt's house instead, to get some advice.
"You see auntie, my stepmother wants me to go to the Baba Yaga, but I don't want to go.
She's mean and scary and probably wants to eat me."
"Yes dear" "Exactly, so what should I do?"
"Take this basket. Inside there are some rolls of bread, some bacon,
a small can of oil, a comb and a towel".
"But what am I supposed to do with these auntie?'
"You will find it useful, Ivana, when they're needed. Be strong. Now off you go."
"Goodbye" "Bye!"
Ivana, now more confused than ever, left her real auntie's house and made her way to the Baba Yaga.
Ivana could see the Baba Yaga's creepy wooden hut.
Her heart began to beat fast. She past some dogs who was sleeping.
"Phew! Thank goodness they are sleeping. They look vicious."
She slowly approached the wooden hut and the dogs stayed fast asleep.
"Ah, do come inside dear"
"Stay here child. Let me fetch you a needle and thread.
Keep an eye on that pot of boiling water for me while I fetch it, darling Ivana."
"Okay". As the Baba Yaga left she whispered into the cat's ear
"Stay here and keep an eye on the girl. I need to fetch some more firewood to keep the water boiling.
If you do as you're told, I will share my human stew with you."
"Human stew! I knew she wanted to eat me. Oh no I told my real aunt this would happen and she gave me this
useless basket. Perhaps she is also evil and the oil and bacon and rolls are just to
accompany the stew. I must leave."
"Where do you think you're going little girl?"
"I want to leave! I don't want to be turned to human stew. Please let me go."
"Now why on earth would I do that?"
The Baba Yaga came back into the lounge.
She was carrying firewood to put back onto the fire.
"Almost ready I think! Just needs a little salt and pepper"
"But auntie, where is the needle and thread?"
"Ah, yes child.The needle and thread. I'd quite forgotten. Silly me. You wait here."
The Baba Yaga left once again.
"I must go, please help me!" "What's it worth? I have
"I have some tasty bacon, but it's so much better than human stew.
I'll give it to you if you can tell me the best way to leave".
"Okay, the Baba Yaga is a mean old witch anyway.
She barely gives me any scraps or leftovers. I'll give it to you - but first, the bacon.
"First of all, you must remember The Baba Yaga has very good hearing. The slightest noise and she will hear you."
"Okay, I'll be as quiet as a mouse then."
Ivana tiptoed to the door and began to open it.
"What's that?" "Nothing Baba Yaga, just a mouse"
"That was not wise, little girl, hinges of the doors in this old hut creak very loudly.
Oh and don't forget the pack of wolves in the garden.
You must have seen them when you entered. It'll be impossible for you to leave without making a noise.
And you cannot outrun the Baba Yaga. She is old but she is very fast.
Ivana tiptoed to the door once again
but before she opened it she took out the oil from her aunt's basket and she
poured it onto the hinges of the door. This time the door opened without a creak.
"Good luck with the dogs!'
Back in the garden the dogs were still fast asleep.
"Where has she gone you stupid cat?" The Baba Yaga's voiced instantly woke up the dogs
And they began to bark and scratch. Ivana put her hand into her basket and grabbed the bread rolls,
and they devoured them as if their life depended on it. Ivana ran off.
"You cannot outrun me little girl! You just try. My legs may be old but they are fast, and I will soon catch you.
Just you wait and see, and I'll be having human stew for my dinner."
Ivana run as fast as her legs could carry her. The Baba Yaga was close behind.
"I'll get you!" Ivana kept on going but she knew she couldn't outrun the Baba Yaga.
So she reached into her basket and pulled out the first thing she came across, the towel.
"How on earth could a towel help me now?"
She threw it down anyway. It was a magic towel and it instantly turned into a fast flowing river.
The current was really really strong and the river was full of horrible, dark thick weeds.
But the Baba Yaga tried to swim across anyway.
Water snakes began to nip at her nose, but eventually she managed to make her way through.
For every step that Ivana took, the Baba Yaga took six.
Her stride was big and she was fast, and it wasn't going to take long for her to catch up with Ivana.
Ivana heard the Baba Yaga before she saw her. She stopped dead and then turned to face the witch.
"No use running little girl, you can't escape from me.
I will have you for my dinner tonight no matter what.
Ivana looked into her basket and said
"I must be strong, like my aunt said." There was just one thing left - the comb.
'She threw it onto the floor and she immediately turned into a huge thick dark dense forest.
No matter how hard the Baba Yaga tried she could not get through.
She pushed herself deep into the forest and she got completely stuck for ever.
Ivana ran home to her father and told him what had happened.
He immediately banished her stepmother from the house. "Leave us and never come back!"
"Ivana, I promise to never put you in danger like that again".
"Thanks Dad"
Ivana was so so happy, but mostly "I am so grateful to my real aunt, for her basket of objects.
Something that at first glance seemed so useless, ended up saving my life."