A poor girl named Betushka lives with her widowed mother in a dilapidated cottage, tending to two nanny-goats and spinning flax in the birch woods. Cheerful and industrious, she dances and sings while working. One day, a beautiful maiden appears, inviting her to dance. Enchanted by the music and the maiden's grace, Betushka forgets her responsibilities. After dancing all day, she returns home with an empty spindle, feeling guilty for neglecting her chores. The next day, the maiden reappears, and despite her initial hesitation, Betushka succumbs to the allure of dancing again. The maiden spins the flax for her, filling the spindle before disappearing, leaving Betushka with a full spindle and a reminder to "reel and grumble not." Betushka returns home, where her mother is upset about the unspun flax from the previous day. Betushka reveals her encounters with the maiden, and her mother explains that the maiden is a wood spirit known for granting gifts to kind-hearted girls. On the third day, Betushka dances with the maiden again, but when the sun sets, she is distraught over her unspun flax. The maiden offers to fill her basket with something special, instructing her not to look inside until she gets home. Unable to resist, Betushka peeks and finds only birch leaves, leading her to despair. However, upon returning home, her mother discovers that the leaves have transformed into gold. With their newfound wealth, they buy a farm and improve their lives, but Betushka longs for the joy of dancing with the maiden again. Despite her efforts to return to the birch woods, she never sees the maiden again, cherishing the memory of their magical dance.
By Parker Fillmore · First published 1944 · Genre: Fantasy, Fairy Tale, Children's Literature