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yaga a russian folk tale
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once upon a time a wealthy merchant
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lived in a fine house on the edge of a
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deep dark force
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his first wife had died years before
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leaving him an only daughter
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she was kind good-hearted girl named
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marina who would have been exceptionally
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beautiful as well were not for a great
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ugly horn growing out of the middle of
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her forehead
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in time the merchant married again his
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second wife a proud haughty woman had a
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daughter of her own name marousa
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whom she thought was the loveliest child
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on earth
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through in truth she was spiteful and
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lazy
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nonetheless the merchant cherished her
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as his own the two girls marina and
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marusa grew up together as sisters
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one day the merchant set out on a
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journey to foreign lands he promised to
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return in a year's time but a year went
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by without any word from him
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then another and another
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by then his second wife marina's
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stepmother gave him up for dead
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your father is gone never to return the
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stepmother told marina we are poor now
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you must learn to do without she took
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away marina's pretty dresses and gave
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her a ragged smock in their place
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instead of her warm bed marina now slept
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on the floor between the dog and the cat
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from early in the morning until late at
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night she worked like a slave
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all she ever heard was marina sweep the
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floor and marina scored the pots and
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marina why are you so slow
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but poor as they were her stepmother and
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stepsister never dirtied their hands
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with work of any kind
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they were silken gowns they slept on
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feather beds they ate white bread and
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cheese stale crusts of moldy black bread
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soaked in water were all marina ever got
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to eat
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one afternoon marina's lazy step sister
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marusa sat up in bed
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as she yawned and stretched she glanced
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out the window into the yard and saw
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marina chopping wood for the stove
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marusa burst into tears her mother
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rushed to her bedside
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marisa my beauty why are you weeping
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oh mother it's all marina's fault that
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frightful horn it distresses me so i
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cannot bear to look at it
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you're quite right my darling a delicate
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child such as you should not have to see
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such things
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dry your eyes precious go back to sleep
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mother will fix everything i promise
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that by tomorrow marina and her hideous
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horn will be gone
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the stepmother went out into the yard
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marina dear put down that axe you have
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worked hard enough today
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marina looked up in surprise her
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stepmother had never said that to her
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before
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dear child the stepmother continued your
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smock is so ragged and dirty fetch me a
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needle and thread i will sew
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another one for you
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this surprised marina even more for
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except for slaps and blows her
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stepmother had not given her one single
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thing since her father went away
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dear stepmother marina replied unable to
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believe her ears
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there is neither needle nor thread in
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the house but i can fetch them from our
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neighbor if you like
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oh that will take too long too long
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marina dear her stepmother said
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i have a better idea go visit auntie in
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the forest ask her to lend us what we
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need
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now poor marina shook with fear for
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auntie in the forest was none other than
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baba yaga the witch
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even so she dared not disobey
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she did as her stepmother ordered and
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startled down the pet forest path
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the twisting path wand through dark
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gloomy trees briars and branches bared
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the way
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marina walked for a long long time
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at last foot sore and weary she stopped
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to rest beside a forest spring
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hello pretty girl
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where are you going a tiny green frog
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called to her from the middle of the
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spring
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i am going to visit auntie in the forest
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to borrow a needle and threat
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marina answered
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poor girl poor girl turned back turned
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back the frog warned your auntie is a
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wicked witch she will eat you up
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i must do what i must do marina replied
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sadly
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in that case the said the frog i will
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give you some advice when you arrive at
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your auntie's house a birch tree
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will whistle and moan
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tie a ribbon around its trunk
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the gate will creak
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pour some oil on its hinges
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the dog will bark give him some meat
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the cat will spit and hiss
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give her a saucer of milk
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when your auntie asks what you want tell
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her your heart's desire have no fear if
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you remember to do these things all will
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be well
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thank you kind frog marina said she
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continued on her way
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in a while she came to a clearing in the
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woods
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there she saw a strange little hut that
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stood on chicken feet
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baba yaga sat in the doorway washing her
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bony legs
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her teeth were made of iron her face
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looked like a bowl of gray pudding
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what do you want little girl baba yaga
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asked when she saw marina coming
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stepmother wants a needle and thread to
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sew me a smock but i want you to take
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this horn from my forehead
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come closer my dear
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baba yaga said
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marina came closer baba yaga plucked the
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horn from her forehead and stuck it onto
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the wall
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there now i have done something for you
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what will you do for me
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whatever you like auntie marina said go
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inside my little hut you will find a
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kettle on the stove
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fill it with water from the well then
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light a fire underneath it
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when the kettle boils call me in
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baba yaga laughed to herself as soon as
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the kettle boiled she intended to cook
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marina for dinner
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marina went inside the little hut baba
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yaga's dog barked at her she gave him a
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piece of meat from the table
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the cat spat and hissed
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she filled her saucer with milk
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then marina found a pot with a hole in
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the bottom and took it to the well
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on the way the gate creaked she poured
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some oil on its hinges the birch tree
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whistled and moaned she tied her hair
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ribbon around its trunk
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at last she came to the well she drew up
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a bucket full of water and filled the
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pot to the brim
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but the water quickly leaked out through
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the hole in the bottom
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marina drew up bucket after bucket but
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the pot remained empty
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at last baba yaga called well has a
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kettle boiled
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soon auntie soon marina answered she
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carried the empty pot back to the house
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when she came through the door the cat
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rubbed against her legs
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dear cat marina cried tell me how to get
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away from here
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the cat meowed you are good and kind you
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gave me milk i will help you
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look on the top of the kitchen shelf you
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will find a towel and a comb
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take them and run
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if baba yaga comes after you throw down
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the towel
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it will become a mighty river
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if she crosses that river and begins
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catching up with you
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throw down the comb it will become a
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dense forest she will never get through
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marina reached on the top of the shelf
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she found the towel and the comb
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hiding them in her apron she ran out the
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back door
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she passed the dog but it only wagged
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its tail she ran through the gate but
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its hinges did not creak
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she passed the bridge birch tree but it
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did not make a sound soon she was far
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away
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baba yaga grew tired of waiting
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she wanted her dinner boiled or not on
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stiff bony legs she hobbled into the
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kitchen she found the kettle empty the
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stove cold and marina gone
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where is the little girl i sent to fill
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the kettle she screamed at the cat
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far away far away
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why did you not spit and hiss to warn me
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the cat purred
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that kind girl gave me milk you only
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give me water
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baba yaga right out the back door where
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is that wicked girl the one i sent to
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fill the kettle
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she shouted at the dog
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far away far away
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why did you not bark to warn me the dog
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growled
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that kind girl gave me meat you only
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give me bones
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baba yaga ran out
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the gate past the birch tree
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why did you not creak why did you not
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whistle and moan
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the gate answered that kind girl put oil
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on my hinges
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you never bothered to oil them
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that kind girl gave me a ribbon the
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birch tree said you never gave me so
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much as a thread
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in a rage baba yaga leaped in her motor
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with pestle and broom she flew after
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marina but marina saw her coming and
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threw down the towel
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as soon as it touched the ground it
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became a mighty river too deep to go
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under too wide to cross over
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baba yaga gnashed her iron teeth
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she got down on her knees and began to
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drink she drank and drank until she
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drank the river dry
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then she started after marina
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but marina saw her coming this time too
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and threw down the comb in an instant it
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became a dense forest full of trees too
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tall to climb over too vast to go around
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baba yaga smashed gnashed her iron teeth
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then she began gnawing at the trees
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she nod and nod but there were too many
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treats for her to gnaw her way through
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in the end she gave up and went home
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marina went home too
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a cavalier of horses met her at the gate
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it was her father
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come back at last from his long journey
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marina ran up to him and threw herself
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into his arms the merchant could not
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believe his eyes mourinho was so
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beautiful she shone like the sun her
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ugly horn was gone
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what happened to your horn the merchant
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gasped auntie and the force took it away
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what who sent you to baba yaga my
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stepmother marina replied the merchant
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flew
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into a rage he turned to his wife and
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said in my house you left for nothing i
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cherished your daughter as my own and
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this is how you repay me by sending my
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child to the witch he ordered his
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servants to drive them both from his
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house
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and so marissa and her mother found
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themselves on the road with nothing but
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the clothes on their backs
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that wicked girl has cost us everything
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maroosa's mother's side but don't
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despair my darling there is hope yet you
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must marry a rich merchant or better
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still a prince to do that you must be
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beautiful like marina glenn wants to
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auntie in the forest tell her to make
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you just like your stepsister
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marissa grumbled and groaned but in the
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end she had to go down the forest path
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too
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along the way she stopped at the spring
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hello pretty girl where are you going
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the tiny frog asked
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that's no business of yours marissa
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snapped she threw a stone at the frog
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and continued on her way
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in a while in a while she came to the
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hut on the chicken feet the birch tree
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whistled and moaned the gate creaked the
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dog barked the cat's bed and hissed
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baba yaga sat in the dory with her bony
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legs crossed in front of her
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pulling splinters from her jaws with a
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clamshell she looked up when she heard
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the noise and saw marusa
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what do you want she said
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i want to be just like my stepsister
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marissa answered so you shall said baba
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yaga
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without another word she took marina's
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horn from the wall
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and stuck in the middle of marusa's
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forehead
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there it stayed and marissa had to wear
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it all the way home
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if it hasn't fallen off
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she still has it still
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