Koschei the Deathless - Slavic

My name is Ivan. I am a prince, and I love to play. One sunny day, I met a new friend in a field of bright flowers. Her name was Marya Morevna, and she was a very strong princess. We were having fun when a mean man named Koschei came. He took Marya away to his big, dark castle. Oh no. I knew I had to be very brave. I had to go find my friend. This is the story of my big adventure to save Marya.

I walked and walked through a big, green forest. The path went this way and that way. I was very kind to all the animals I met. I was kind to a bird, and I was kind to a bear. Soon, a nice old lady named Baba Yaga told me a big secret. She said Koschei hides his life far, far away. To find it, I had to go on a treasure hunt. First, I had to find a big, tall tree. Under the tree was a strong box. Inside the box was a hopping bunny. Inside the bunny was a quacking duck. Inside the duck was a white egg. And inside the little egg was a tiny, tiny needle. It was a big puzzle.

My animal friends helped me. Yes, they did. A big bear helped me dig up the box. Dig, dig, dig. A bunny hopped out. Hop, hop, hop. A fast bird caught the bunny for me. Then a duck flew out. Flap, flap, flap. Another bird caught the duck. The egg fell down, down, down into the water. Splash. But a big fish I had helped swam up with the egg. I opened the egg very carefully and found the tiny needle. Snap. I broke the needle. Then poof. Koschei was gone. Marya Morevna was safe. Hooray. It is good to be kind and have friends to help you.