Prevod
Nekega dne sta se majhna bratec in sestrica igrala na robu vodnjaka, ki je pripadal vodni vili. Deklica je držala bratca za roko in se nagnila daleč čez rob, da bi pogledala vanj.
»Zdi se mi, da tam spodaj vidim zelene travnike in črede ovac, ki se pomikajo po njih,« je rekla. »To je le odsev oblakov,« je rekel deček. »Toda pazi. Bojim se, da boš padla noter.«
Še preden je dobro izgovoril te besede, je deklici spodrsnilo in padla je v vodnjak. Ker je bratca držala za roko, je za seboj potegnila še njega. Otroka sta se spuščala — vse globlje in globlje — skozi vodo, in ko sta prispela na dno, sta se znašla v deželi zelenih travnikov, dreves in potokov, pred njima pa je stal bleščeč grad s kupolami in stolpi.
Ta grad je pripadal vodni vili, ki je bila lastnica vodnjaka. Bratec in sestrica sta stopila h gradu in potrkala na vrata, vodna vila pa jima je takoj odprla.
»Vstopita, vstopita,« je rekla. »Videla sem vaju, ko sta se igrala na robu vodnjaka, in jaz sem povzročila, da sta padla vanj. Tukaj sem osamljena, zato bosta ostala pri meni in mi služila. Kar koli vama bom ukazala, bosta morala storiti.«
Vodna vila bi bila lepa, ko le ne bi bila tako zelena. Njen obraz je bil zelen, njeni lasje so bili zeleni in njene oči so bile zelene. Le zobje so bili beli.
Vila je otroka odpeljala v kuhinjo in tam deklici dala vedro brez dna. »Pojdi,« je rekla, »in mi prinesi vode, da bom za večerjo skuhala cmoke. Ti pa,« je rekla dečku, »mi moraš nasekati drv.« Dala mu je sekiro brez ostrine. Bila je topa kakor kladivo.
Sestrica je odšla k studencu, ki ji ga je pokazala vodna vila, in skušala zajeti vodo, a kakor hitro jo je zajela, je spet iztekla, saj vedro ni imelo dna.
Bratec je začel sekati bližnje drevo. Sekal je in sekal in sekal, a komaj je napravil kako zarezo, tako topa je bila sekira.
Ko sta se otroka vrnila v grad brez drv in brez vode, je bila vila zelo huda nanju. »Prav dobro vidim, da sta oba zelo neumna,« je rekla. »Ampak sedita, sedita za mizo. Tudi če sta neumna, morata menda jesti.«
Otroka sta sedla za mizo in vodna vila je prednju postavila skledo cmokov. Ker pa cmoki niso bili kuhani in so bili le surovo testo, jih otroka nista mogla jesti. Skrila sta jih v žepe, nato pa sta jih, ko vila ni gledala, dala vodni mački, ki se je drgnila ob njune stole.
Potem sta otroka odšla v posteljo in zaspala. Naslednji dan se je vse ponovilo. Vodna vila jima je nalagala opravila, ki jih nikakor nista mogla opraviti, in jima dajala jesti samo testo, zato sta se odločila pobegniti. Počakala pa sta do popoldneva, ko se je vodna vila povzpela na vrh vodnjaka, da bi se razgledala naokrog.
Ko sta se že odpravljala na pot, jima je vodna mačka rekla: »Prav je, da pobegneta. Tukaj ne bi bila srečna. A nikar ne mislita, da vama bo moja gospodarica dovolila uiti, če bo to lahko preprečila. Ko se vrne domov in ugotovi, da vaju ni, se bo takoj pognala za vama. Veliko hitrejša je od vaju in zagotovo vaju bo ujela, če ne vzameta s seboj njenega glavnika, krtače in ogledala. To so čarobni predmeti. Vsakič, ko vidita, da vaju bo zdaj zdaj ujela, vrzita enega od njih čez ramo. Tako in samo tako lahko upata, da ji bosta ušla.«
Otroka sta se zahvalila mački in storila, kakor jima je svetovala. Vzela sta krtačo, glavnik in ogledalo vodne vile ter jih odnesla s seboj, potem pa stekla, kolikor so ju nesle noge, po cesti, ki je vodila v zgornji svet.
Kmalu po njunem odhodu se je vodna vila vrnila domov. Ko je ugotovila, da ju ni več, se je zadržala le toliko, da je oštela mačko, nato pa si je obula čevlje hitrosti in se pognala za njima.
Kmalu sta se otroka ozrla in jo zagledala, kako se jima približuje. V svojih čevljih hitrosti je drvela tako hitro, da se je zdelo, da ji nikakor ne bosta mogla uiti.
Toda otroka sta se spomnila, kaj jima je povedala vodna mačka. Vrgla sta glavnik za seboj in ta se je v hipu razširil ter zrasel v silno visok zid iz trdih konic. Vodna vila je potrebovala veliko časa, da je preplezala ta zid, in otroka sta bila že daleč naprej, preden sta jo spet zaslišala za seboj.
Tedaj je deklica vrgla krtačo čez ramo. Krtača se je v hipu spremenila v velik, gost gozd, skozi katerega je vodna vila le stežka našla pot.
Nazadnje pa se je le prebila skozenj in kmalu je bila otrokoma spet za petami. »Zdaj nama je ostala samo še ena stvar,« je rekel bratec in vrgel ogledalo za seboj.
Ogledalo se je v hipu spremenilo v steklen hrib, tako strm in gladek, da se nihče ne bi mogel povzpeti nanj. Vila je skušala steči navkreber, a komaj je naredila korak ali dva, je že zdrsnila nazaj. Nazadnje je besno zakričala, se obrnila in zbežala nazaj v svoj grad, in odtlej je nista nikoli več videla.
Otroka pa sta nadaljevala pot in cesta ju je pripeljala naravnost v zgornji svet, do vrat njunega doma. Odtlej sta vselej pazila, da se nista približala robu vodnjaka vodne vile.
Izvirnik
A little brother and sister were playing one day on the edge of a well that belonged to a water-sprite. The little girl held her brother’s hand, and leaned far over to look down into it.
“It seems to me that down below there I can see green meadows and flocks of sheep moving over them,” she said.
“It is only the reflection of the clouds,” said the little boy. “But be careful. I fear you will fall in.”
Even as he spoke the little girl slipped and fell into the well, and as she had hold of her brother’s hand she pulled him in after her.
The two children went down—down—down—through the waters, and when they came to the bottom they found themselves in a country of green meadows and trees and streams, and before them stood a shining castle with domes and towers.
This castle belonged to the water-sprite who owned the well.
The little brother and sister went up to the castle and knocked at the door, and at once the water-sprite opened it to them.
“Come in, come in,” said she. “I saw you playing on the edge of the well, and it was I who caused you to fall in. I am lonely here, so you shall stay with me and be my servants, and whatever I bid you do that you must do.”
The water-sprite would have been beautiful if only she had not been so green. Her face was green and her hair was green, and her eyes were green. Only her teeth were white.
The sprite led the children into the kitchen and there she gave the little girl a bucket that had no bottom. “Go,” said she, “and fetch me some water to boil the dumplings for supper. And you,” said she to the boy, “must cut me some wood,” and she gave him an ax that had no edge. It was as blunt as a hammer.
The little sister went out to the spring that the water-sprite showed her, and tried to dip up water, but as fast as she dipped it up it ran out again, for the bucket had no bottom.
The brother began to chop at a tree near by. He chopped and he chopped and he chopped, but he could scarcely make a dent, the ax was so blunt.
When the children came back to the castle without either wood or water, the sprite was very cross with them. “I can easily see that you are both very stupid,” said she. “But sit down; sit down at the table. Even if you are stupid I suppose you must eat.”
The children sat down at the table, and the water-sprite set before them a dish of dumplings, but as the dumplings had not been cooked and were only dough the children could not eat them. They slipped them into their pockets, and then, when the sprite was not looking they gave the dumplings to the water-cat that rubbed about their chairs.
After that the children went to bed and slept.
The next day it was the same thing over again. The water-sprite set them tasks that they could not possibly do, and gave them only dough to eat, so the children made up their minds to run away. They waited, however, until afternoon, when the water-sprite went up to the top of the well to look about her.
When they were about to set out, the water-cat said to them, “You do well to run away. You would not be happy here. But do not think my mistress will allow you to escape if she can help it. When she comes home and finds you gone, she will at once set out in pursuit of you. She can go very much faster than you, and she will certainly catch you unless you take with you her comb, her brush, and her mirror. These are magic things. Each time you find she is about to catch you, throw one or other of these things over your shoulder. By this means, and by this means only, can you hope to escape.”
The children thanked the little cat, and did as it advised them. They took the water-sprite’s brush and comb and mirror, and carried them off with them, and ran as fast as they could along the road that led to the upper world.
Soon after they had left, the water-sprite came home. When she found them gone she only stopped long enough to scold the cat, and then she put on her shoes of swiftness and started after them.
Presently the children looked behind them and saw her coming. She came so fast on her shoes of swiftness, that it seemed as though they could not possibly escape her.
However, the children remembered what the water-cat had told them. They threw the comb behind them, and at once it spread and grew into a wall of spikes, tremendously stiff and high. It took the water-sprite a long time to climb over this wall, and the children were well on their way before they heard her behind them again.
Then the little girl threw the brush over her shoulder. At once the brush became a great thick forest, through which the water-sprite could hardly find her way.
But she got through it at last, and then it did not take her long to be at their heels again.
“And now we have only one more thing left,” said the brother, and he threw the mirror behind him.
At once the mirror became a hill of glass so steep and smooth that no one could possibly climb it. The sprite tried to run up it, but no sooner had she gone a step or so than she slipped back again. At last, with a shriek of rage, she turned and fled back to her castle, and that was the last of her.
But the children went on their way, and the road led them straight to the upper world and the door of their home. After that they were always careful to keep away from the edge of the water-sprite’s well.
