“Zinaida Nikitishna, there probably aren’t any mushrooms left!” Tanya exclaimed with annoyance, spreading her hands.
“If not, then not!” the mother-in-law persisted.
“But maybe there’s still something left? Get ready, we’ll be quick!” Zinaida Nikitishna, as always, wasn’t going to listen to any objections.
Tanya had just returned from the garden—her back hurt, her legs were shaky. And now she had to drag herself outside into the October cold… God, why all this?
Arguing with her mother-in-law would only make things worse for herself. It would start again: “What an ungrateful Tanya, another woman would have kicked her out long ago, but I put up with her…”
No, thank you—she didn’t want to hear that for the hundredth time.
Tanya had been living with this woman for three years. She had only lived with her husband for two, and he was a so-so spouse.
They met when Tanya didn’t know what to do with herself after leaving the orphanage. Then Andrey suggested, “Marry me, we’ll go to the village, I have a big house.”
And the house was really big. So big that cleaning took Tanya half a day. But it didn’t belong to him—it belonged to his mother, a woman who hated the whole world, especially Tanya.
Andrey hadn’t died or disappeared. He just left for some other woman at the edge of the world. And Tanya stayed here. Nobody understood why—formally she was his wife, but in reality, she was a free servant.
At first, she cried out of hurt. It was shameful—young, beautiful, and life had turned out badly. Then there was no time to cry: Zinaida Nikitishna overwhelmed her with work so that she had no time for anything else.
The old woman took things seriously: she bought two greenhouses, expanded the vegetable garden, got a cow and a couple of piglets. Why not take advantage if there was free labor?
Later Tanya found out that Zinaida was sending money to Andrey and his new girlfriend. That was really insulting—it turned out Tanya was working so they could live well there?
Neighbors felt sorry for Tanya: “Why do you put up with her?” Stepanovna was outraged. “Look at her now, playing farmer! Andrey didn’t lift a finger before, and now they’ve set up a farm!”
Tanya only smiled sadly. It was unbearably hard for her, but leaving meant being completely alone. Where could she go? Out on the street?
“What bums!” snorted Stepanovna. “Look at all you do! You’ll always have work. Here, you could die of boredom!”
In her mind, Tanya knew the neighbors were right. But how could she leave the old woman alone? They had lived under the same roof for so many years… So she just sighed.
Though, when she heard Zinaida wanted to expand the potato field, she thought: maybe it really was time to leave?
Tanya was the first to get ready and went outside, under the light, nasty autumn drizzle.
“Tanyush, hello! Where are you off to in this weather?” called Stepanovna.
“Zinaida Nikitishna’s sending me for mushrooms,” sighed Tanya.
The neighbor laughed, then stared in amazement: “Seriously? What mushrooms? Only toadstools grow now!”
Zinaida Nikitishna came down from the porch: “That’s none of your business what mushrooms! We’ll find some, you’re not the only one!”
Stepanovna spat: “Zin, you were born a fool—you’ll die one too! Always trying to act important, but everyone knows who you really are!”
She spat again and disappeared behind the fence.
Zinaida angrily snapped: “Well, what are you standing there for? Let’s go, it’ll get dark soon!”
Actually, she already regretted going out. But she didn’t have the strength to watch Tanya sitting idle. When Andrey brought her here, he said: “Mom, use her—she’s a free worker!”
At first Zinaida watched her closely, then understood—the girl was resilient. Andrey was preparing to leave, and she didn’t stop him. Let him see the world. Now she had a helper.
They reached the forest, and suddenly Nikitishna said: “Oh, I forgot! The dough is rising at home! I’ll run back; you go, say, toward the ‘enemy.’ Vaska brought a whole bag of honey mushrooms from there yesterday.”
Tanya was surprised: “I’ve never been there! The forest is unfamiliar, and it’s far.”
“Do you think mushrooms grow in the garden? No! Go where others find them—you’ll find some too! What’s the problem?”
And Zinaida turned and quickly walked toward the house.
Tanya took a step after her but realized—it’s better to be in the forest than at home. Gritting her teeth, she entered the gloomy clearing among the trees.
She reached the “enemy” almost at dusk. She wanted to turn back right away, but how to go home without mushrooms?
The honey mushrooms appeared right before her eyes. She began cutting them quickly, picking the firmest ones. Then she found another stump, another… She came to herself when the basket was full and it was almost dark around.
“Oh!” she gasped.
She looked around. She had no idea which side the ravine was from where she had come. Running one way—no. Back—also nothing. Everything looked familiar, as if she had walked there before.
Fear gripped her completely. Night, an unfamiliar forest… She couldn’t even move.
“Help!”
Tanya opened her eyes. It seemed she had dozed off sitting under a big oak on the wet grass.
“Help!”
No, it wasn’t her shouting. Someone nearby was asking for help. A child?
She moved toward the voice, pushing through branches. The basket was left behind. Nikitishna would definitely throw a tantrum over it…
The voice got closer.
“Hey! Where are you?”
“Are you Baba Yaga? Here to eat me?”
“No! I’m Tanya. I’m lost too.”
Finally, she saw a girl sitting on a tall stump.
“Wow, you climbed high!”
“There are those… frogs…” whispered the child.
She looked at Tanya hopefully: “Will you save me?”
“Of course! That’s why I came. But let’s wait till morning—it’s easy to stumble or fall into a hole at night.”
Tanya saw the girl had been crying. She needed to calm her.
“You’re not going to leave?”
“No. We’ll think of a comfortable way to settle.”
In the dark, Tanya gathered branches, making a sort of bed. The ground was damp, but there was no choice. She sat the girl on her lap, covered her with a sweater—the child soon stopped trembling.
“My name’s Masha…”
“Why did you come here, Mashenka? To eat porridge with bears and mess up their beds?”
Masha giggled: “No! I wanted to scare my dad… and got lost.”
“Why were you trying to scare him?”
“He didn’t let me go swimming in the river…”
“Swimming? But it’s autumn now, it’s cold!”
“I wouldn’t have swum… But why didn’t he let me?”
The girl spoke more slowly, her voice growing softer. Tanya smiled—the child was falling asleep. Just a little longer to hold on… Only five hours till dawn.
She herself apparently dozed off too—woke up from the light. Morning filtered through the trees, Masha was peacefully snoring on her lap, and the sun was already rising above the forest.
“Wake up, sleepyhead! We have to find your dad!”
Masha rubbed her eyes: “Why find him? He works here—he’s a gamekeeper.”
Tanya was taken aback. She had met the local gamekeeper several times and always blushed—the man was handsome, confident, and looked at her in a special way… But they never talked, and she didn’t even know his name. So he has a daughter… and probably a wife. How else?
“Alright, let’s go there!” Tanya pointed. “The sun rises in the east, so your village must be that way.”
Masha squinted cunningly: “How do you know which is my village?”
“The frogs told me!” Tanya laughed.
Masha burst out laughing: “Let’s go quickly! I’m hungry!”
Tanya sighed sadly. If only it were that simple… Maybe she chose the right direction, but who knew what lay ahead?
After about two hours, they heard dogs barking.
Masha, who was completely exhausted, perked up: “Laska! Joy!”
Two big dogs rushed out from the bushes. Tanya froze involuntarily, but the girl joyfully ran to them—hugging, kissing, and the dogs, almost as tall as her, squealed with happiness trying to lick their owner’s face.
“They’re ours! So Dad is nearby!”
A long whistle followed, and the dogs answered with barking. One stayed with the girls, and the other ran ahead as if to bring news.
After a minute, footsteps were heard, and a tall man came out of the forest. Seeing his daughter, he lifted her in his arms and spun her around: “Mashka! You scared me!”
“And I scared myself too! I won’t do that again! Tanya saved me!”
Tanya smiled weakly. She saved… though she herself was lost.
She sat down on a stump—sudden fatigue overwhelmed her. After all the troubles, the tension began to fade.
The gamekeeper handed her a flask: “Drink. Rest a little, then we’ll go.”
Tanya took a few sips of the cool berry drink and obediently stood up.
They walked for almost an hour. Yura carried Masha in his arms, the dogs went ahead, carefully pushing bushes aside.
When the village appeared, Tanya realized—it was not her home. She still had to go almost six kilometers. She quietly groaned.
Yuri seemed to understand immediately: “Rest a bit, eat something, and I’ll take you. I have a motorcycle.”
Tanya smiled. She didn’t know his name but didn’t dare to ask.
He, as if reading her thoughts, said: “I’m Yura. Masha already told me about you.”
The house stood on the edge of the village, almost right next to the forest. It was clear the owner lived alone—inside was clean, furniture comfortable, cozy.
“Make yourselves at home, I’ll feed you.”
Masha nodded: “I’ll eat everything!”
Yura laughed: “Everything? That’s three spoons and a piece of bread!”
Tanya ate hot borscht and felt a long-forgotten warmth spreading inside. She was cared for, offered bread, spoken to gently: “Take your time, eat.” No one shouted that work was waiting. She could just be…
But soon she would have to return home. To the house that had long become a cage.
Tanya fought sleep, but Yury noticed: “Just lie down, rest. Nothing bad will happen.”
Indeed, what could happen? Maybe the grass in the garden will grow?
Lying on the soft couch, Tanya suddenly realized—it was time to leave. As soon as she returned, she would pack and leave. Even if no one waited for her—she would find something to do.
She woke in the evening: “Oh! Why didn’t you wake me?”
Yura smiled: “Couldn’t. You were smiling in your sleep.”
“And Masha?”
“She’s sleeping like a log.”
Tanya sighed: “Now Zinaida will definitely kill me because of the basket…”
Yuri was surprised: “So she’ll kill you because you almost died?”
Tanya nodded confusedly, then suddenly began to speak—as she never could with anyone before. She told everything—about three years of life, working without rest, how she lost herself.
Yuri shook his head: “How can you value yourself so little?”
“I’ve already decided. I’ll come back, pack, and leave for the city.”
“And who’s waiting for you there?”
“No one. Nothing. I’ll figure it out somehow. Find a job.”
Yuri was silent, then quietly said: “Stay. You’ll always be welcome here. As a helper or a friend. And if you decide to leave—I’ll help with a job.”
Tanya looked at him and felt something inside begin to melt…
“Well, you’ve suffered enough! I’d put you in jail!” Zinaida Nikitishna didn’t even start a real scolding—too tired, going around the livestock.
“There’s no reason to put me in jail. But you left your relative alone in the forest!”
“What kind of relative are you to me! My foolish son would have returned long ago but doesn’t want to!”
“Shut up! Am I supposed to thank you for half my life?” Tanya suddenly shouted.
“What’s all this noise?!” Stepanovna intervened. “Oh, who came to us?”
It was Yura’s motorcycle. Tanya went out, said goodbye, and headed for the house.
Nikitishna was even confused: “Where have you been wandering, you wild one! And you call yourself a married wife! Where’s the basket?”
Tanya came out a couple of minutes later, finally ready: “Goodbye!”
“Where are you going?! Where?!”
“I won’t put up with your mockery anymore. For your kindness, you promise me mountains?”
Zinaida Nikitishna opened her mouth but couldn’t find what to say.
And Stepanovna, satisfied, added: “Serves you right, star!”
That evening Yura told Tanya that after Masha was born, his wife was treated for a long time and died two years later. Since then, he moved with his daughter to this wilderness to start over.
They agreed Tanya would start work in a week. She was to rest that week—that was Yura’s order.
And six months later, they held a noisy village wedding. And they lived happily ever after—like in a fairy tale.
