once lived in the vast forest of a poor family who had one wise and kind daughter named Rana. Rana father was paralyzed by an accident and could no longer work; therefore Rana mother worked hard and worked. Rana was in charge of grazing sheep and a dairy cow; from morning till night, she took her cows and sheep from one pasture to another to eat a lot of fodder, give milk, and sell her milk to her mother and make a living. . Most of the time, Rana could not change the pasture all the time due to leg pain, and she preferred to stop there while finding the first pasture full of water and grass. One day, she reached a pasture full of grass, but she noticed an old woman with a low back with a few The fat sheep has already taken over the pasture. Rana, who had no choice but to get permission to graze his sheep there, went forward and greeted him. The old woman, who had been chewing on her long, dirty nails until then, looked at Rana in a frightened look and said, "What are you doing here, girl? This pasture belongs to me today, and no one has the right to disturb me and my sheep." "Get out of here as soon as possible!" Rana, who was terrified to see her big eyes, decayed teeth and old black nails, opened her mouth hard and said, "Please, madam! Let my cows and sheep graze here today because my legs hurt and I can not.I walk a lot." The old woman shouted, "No! I will not allow any shepherd to share with me.Rana lowered her head; she had not yet parted from the old woman and her herd when she felt that her skirt was tied to something; Rana tried to release her skirt from the shee mouth, but to no avail. At that time, the old woman saw the annoying sheep and did everything to release Rana skirt, but she could not; she had to take a leather whip out of her purse and hit it hard with a few strong blows. He separated the sheep from Rana. The next day, Rana came to the same pasture again and due to bad luck, the old woman was still there; Rana went to him with two hearts and got permission to graze the sheep, and the old woman said angrily and shouted: "To regret for the rest of your life." Rana was sad and, like yesterday, went to another pasture. On the third day, the sun had not yet risen when Rana brought her sheep to the desired pasture. According to the old woman, she had not yet arrived and Rana was breathing easily. It was not long before the old woman head was found with her sheep, and she became angry that Rana had come there before her, and said Are you here again?Today it belongs to me and my sheep, and no one can drive us out, but lm not used to breaking anyone heart like you do, but you can stay here Rana said fearlessly. The old woman, who could not walk much, sat under the shade of a tree at a distance from Rana and her herd and worked with her nails. The playful old sheep of the old woman separated from the herd and came to Rana and took her skirt in her mouth. Rana bent down, put a caressing hand on the sheep and said kindly: "Go back to your herd, otherwise the old woman will still punish you with a whip." The sheep was pulling Rana skirt and doing strange things as if she wanted to say something but she could not. Rana stared into the sheep eyes to know what was wrong with her. She shook her head and said to herself,;What kind of sheep is this? Her eyes are different from other sheep. . The sheep let go of her skirt and began to bark; when suddenly the old woman head was found and she was beaten with the same whip and taken to the herd, then tied with a rope around the trunk of a tree. "You have no right to treat this dumb animal like this," Rana told the old woman. The old woman shouted at the women, "O daughter of the devil, you do not have to teach me to complain. Return to your complaint before I can settle the account with my staff!" Until sunset, the playful sheep did not touch the grass or the water, and only stared at Rana. Rana was so engrossed in the sheep strange behavior that no one knew when the sun went down. The next morning, Rana came again before the old woman so that the old woman would not stop her from grazing her sheep. The old woman came with her herd and tied the playful sheep to the trunk of the tree. At noon, when the old woman went to the pond to drink water, Rana came to the playful sheep and caressed her. Suddenly, the old woman head was found to see Rana in front of the sheep. She lifted her cane to hit it on Rana head, but Rana playful sheep He threw the cane and hit the cane on his back. Rana came to her herd and cried quietly from the back pain. In the evening, Rana came home; she stood in front of the small, broken mirror she had in the room; she lifted her shirt to see what was the reason for all the burning in her back. He was terrified and realized that the old woman must be a witch. The next day, Rana took her herd to another pasture and stayed there until evening; then she took the herd home and went to the pasture herself to reveal the old woman secret. The old woman went with her herd and Rana was far away from her. They followed and walked until they reached a small black wooden hut; the old woman brought her sheep one by one before her and then entered the hut herself and locked the gate. Rana did everything she could to see the inside of the hut, but there was no hole or window. I am very happy why he did not come; he must have become a sheep like you ... or not, maybe he was not a sheep because the cane did not hit him; it is all because of this stupid prince who threw him over, but before the wool Look at his waist, I will turn him into a sheep, hahaha! Rana, who already knew everything about the old woman and the sudden disappearance of the king son and his men, moved towards the palace; it was getting dark when she reached the palace, but the guards did not allow her to enter. Ranaher tried to enter but to no avail, and said to the guards,Please tell the king that the prince is still alive; he is enchanted, and ask the king to examine all the people of this town with their flocks, because there is an old shepherd among the shepherds.He who lives in the plains has enchanted him.The news reached the king and he summoned a skilled spell-breaker to the palace. It was decided to install a large photo of the prince on the gate of the palace and pass all the inhabitants of the city with their herds under it. The king order was carried out, but to no avail. The king, who thought that Rana had abused him, ordered his soldiers to find him and bring him to the palace. At that time, the guard who had forgotten to tell him to enchant the princess was an old woman. He who lives in the plains came to the king and conveyed the message to the king.Shake it! Find the old woman as soon as possible and bring her,said the king of women. Finally, the old woman was brought to the palace with her sheep. As they were passing under the picture, the playful sheep stood under it and began to bark. Everyone present was astonished, and while the sheep eyes fell on the king, the king ran towards her; His son familiar eyes realized he was his son. He hugged the sheep and threw the old woman into the dungeon. Hours passed, but the spell-breakers failed to break the prince spell. As if the secret of breaking was only in the old woman hands, they brought her to break the spell; When the prince regained his health, he turned to the old woman and said, wicked old woman, tell me what evil you have done to that kind shepherd girl? Eventually, Rana was brought to the palace, and the old woman with the slender waist shaped her. The old woman was thrown into the dungeon again, and the king, who owed the prince life to Rana, made her the wife of the beautiful prince, and after that day Rana and her family lived well and happily in the palace.
A story by: Niloufar Hosseini