LITMIR.BIZ

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with bottles, buckets, jars of vinegar; on them lay various dried herbs, garlic, the remains of people and animals, skulls, bones, hair… In a word, the whole witchcraft set of the witch. Then, as if having finished the inspection, the soul returned to the body and an inner voice awakened him from sleep: “It is time, my friend, wake up! You know what to do. Hurry up.”

      And Maksim, as if nothing had happened, got up from the mat, lifted it and went down to the cellar. Meanwhile, the monster which had been amazed at him all this time continued to remain silent. It could not go down due to its size and therefore began to wait for the boy upstairs. After some time, Maksim appeared with cans of vinegar and a bunch of garlic in his hands. He began to scatter garlic and sprinkle vinegar in the corners, on the floor of the hut and cellar. Then he asked the monster to crush the garlic. As a result of all these manipulations, the hut was saturated with the pungent smell of vinegar and garlic, which interrupted even the terrible smell of the potion.

      – Maybe you can explain what do all this mean? – the monster was curious.

      – I need to hide in the cellar. So that the witch did not smell a human smell, I had to make this mess, – the boy explained.

      – What do you command to tell the witch? How to explain all this to her? – asked the monster.

      – You will tell her that you accidentally touched with your tail cans of vinegar and a bunch of garlic, – Maksim explained. – And when the witch lies down to rest, replace the contents of the pot with a decoction, which we will now prepare. Then mix the potion with her lunch. She will not feel anything with hunger.

      – But garlic and vinegar are in the basement. I can’t get there. The witch will guess that strangers have been here, – the monster objected with doubt in its voice.

      – I apologize, Your Majesty, I could not come up with anything better, – the boy replied with a note of annoyance in his voice, caused by a misunderstanding of the prince. Thus he continued:

      – It’s because you don’t get there, she, tired of the road further, will not suspect anything. In addition, you will be extremely polite and courteous with her, my prince. Although she is a witch but still a woman…

      – It was invented superbly! – the monster evaluated the plan of Maksim. – I dare to hope the witch will not change her usual routine.

      The new potion was ready. Roles were divided. It remained to wait for the witch. She did not keep herself waiting long. At exactly midnight the wind whistled, a storm rose, the forest rustled, swished, the shutters of the windows of the hut rattled, the door creaked, and the witch flew into her hut on her broomstick. She screeched, noticing the monster which was removing garlic crushed on the floor:

      – What a pogrom you made here!

      – Sorry, this was not on purpose. My tail touched a bunch of garlic and a jar of vinegar, – the monster began to make excuses.

      Sneezing and cursing, the witch went to the stove to check the quality of the potion.

      – I see you worked hard. The potion turned out to be excellent, – said the witch, opening the lid of the pot and stirring the muddy liquid with a wooden spoon. – Only these disgusting smells of vinegar and garlic do not allow me to enjoy the aroma of the potion.

      – Okay, all the talking later. I’m tired of the road. I should lie down to rest, while you will cook dinner. In the mortar you will find everything you need.

      With these words, the witch lied on the mat and fell asleep in a sound sleep. Her snoring was heard not only in the cellar, but throughout the forest.

      The monster, meanwhile, laid out the witch’s bones, skulls, berries, greens and meat from the mortar in a large pot, added water and put it in the oven to cook. An unbearable smell of human remains went throughout the hut, which in the process of cooking became more and more disgusting. Then the monster changed the potion to a new decoction, and added the potion to the witch’s dinner. It seemed to the monster that the witch would wake up very soon and it would not be able to complete the work he had begun. But each time the witch only turned over from side to side and continued to snore. The monster was very restless. Today its fate was decided. Any wrong move, any accident could delay the implementation of his plans for a whole year.

      The prince in the form of a monster was in a hard condition, but it was even harder for the boy. He crouched in the cellar between barrels filled with some strange and nasty-smelling liquids. Their smell made him sick, his head was spinning, and he seemed to fall into some kind of semi-unconscious state. This was the only place where the witch could not notice him in case she tried to go down to the cellar. In addition, Maksim decided to be careful perhaps in order to kill the human smell. All these inconveniences drowned out fear. But he took a big risk.

      Meanwhile, the witch did not think to wake up. Three hours have passed. The monster tried to escape from thoughts of salvation. But nothing worked out.

      – How did the boy meditate? – thought the monster. – I need to concentrate on something good.

      And the prince remembered his country, the palace, the king and the queen. How sad they must have been when he disappeared. How much grief has gone through, how much tears have been spilled… However, no need for sad things.

      Images were recalled from childhood when, as a child, he comprehended the wisdom of fencing, learned to ride a horse. The best teachers in natural sciences, languages, music, painting, dancing and military art were invited to teach him. Father was fond of the East and believed that his son should perfectly master all types of cold weapons, martial arts. He paid special attention to healing, the study of all kinds of poisons, their antidotes.

      The prince remembered his faithful friend-mentor, with whom he shared all his innermost thoughts, experiences. The prince read a lot. He was especially interested in stories about generals. He knew the details of all the famous battles. Since childhood he was fond of Alexander the Great and Hannibal. The prince largely imitated them. He led the same Spartan lifestyle. He absented himself from the palace for a long time, disguised as artisans or merchants and wandering with his friend in the kingdom. He knew well the needs and aspirations of his people. He tried to be fair and be faithful to his principles.

      Once during a hunt, they wandered with a friend into a dense forest and fell into the hands of an evil witch. The prince sent his friend back. He was saved, but the prince did not have time to hide. And the evil sorceress turned him into a terrible monster, of which only one sight was terrifying for everyone he had to face. And therefore, the monster itself, sparing the feelings of people, shied away from them. And if the witch didn’t instruct at specific hours to collect everything necessary for the potion in certain places in the forest, it would sit all year in a hut. Hunger made the monster hunt at night.

      – But why I am thinking only about bad things. Apparently, it’s time to get up, – the monster did not have time to think, as the witch’s shrill voice came:

      – It’s time to serve. You seem to become lazy. You don’t want to work or speak. Should I see your relatives, in order for you to amuse me and to enquire? – the witch began to tease it.

      – I wish you hadn’t seen them, – the monster replied. But, having decided that it was not worth annoying her again, the monster became more pleasant:

      – You’re right, I’m sorry. Now I will feed you, and you, please, tell me about my parents.

      – That’s better. Sit next to me. Otherwise I’m bored.

      The witch started a meal and began to tell the monster about her adventures, about the places where she had visited, about the parents of the prince. When she stopped, the monster, fearing that the witch would not finish the meal, began to talk about what it saw in the forest, what trials fell on his lot during the hunt, what happened new during their separation. And the

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