Atondido Stories
that. Here is my mother’s magic wand. I have but to strike the
rocky hillside and by tomorrow the trees that my mother has or-
dered will spring up, blossom, and bear fruit.”
Ludmila did as she promised. She struck the ground with the
magic wand and instantly instead of the rocky hillside there ap-
peared an orchard with rows on rows of trees that blossomed
and bore fruit as you watched them.
Raduz looked from Ludmila to the orchard and couldn’t find
words with which to express his surprise and gratitude. Then
Ludmila spread out her dinner and together they ate it, laughing
merrily and talking. Raduz would have kept Ludmila all the af-
ternoon but she remembered that Yezibaba was waiting for her
and she hurried away.
The next morning Raduz presented Yezibaba a basket of ripe
fruit. She sniffed it suspiciously and then very grudgingly
acknowledged that he had accomplished his task.
“What am I to do today?” Raduz asked.
Yezibaba led him to a second window and asked him what
he saw there.
“I see a rocky ravine covered with brambles,” he said.
“Right. Go now and clear away the brambles, dig up the ra-
vine, and plant it in grape vines. Tomorrow morning bring me
the ripe grapes. Here is another wooden hoe with which to
work.”
Raduz took the hoe and set to work manfully. At the first
blow the hoe broke into three pieces.
“Alas,” he thought, “what is going to happen to me now?
Unless Ludmila helps me again, I am lost.”
At home Yezibaba was busy cooking a mess of serpents.
When noonday came she said to Ludmila: “Here, my child, is
dinner for the serving man. Take it out to him.”
291