Join us at the campfire for tales from around the world, told by storytellers of all backgrounds and creeds. From the heros and heroines of old, let us relearn and rediscover the wisdom of our ancestors. Shhh..the story begins..

There was once a little girl named Betushka who lived with her mother, a poor widow. They dwelt in a tumbledown cottage and two goats were the only possessions they had to their name. In spite of such poverty, however, little Betushka was always a merry soul.

From Spring until Autumn, Betushka would drive the goats to pasture every day in a Birch wood. Each morning, Betushka's mother put a slice of bread and an empty spindle into her daughter's bag. The spindle would hold the flaxen thread Betushka would spin while she watched the goats. Since the family was far too poor to own a distaff on which to wind the flax, Betushka would wind it about her head. In this fashion, did the little girl carry it to the forest.

"Work hard, Betushka," her mother always told her. "Fill the spindle before you return home." And off Betushka would skip, singing a happy song along the way, dancing gaily behind the goats into the wood of Birch trees before sitting down beneath a tree. Then, with her left hand she would pull fibers from the flax around her head and, with her right hand, twirl the spindle so that the sound of its humming filled the air. All the time, Betushka would sing a happy melody while the goats nibbled on the green grass among the trees.

When the sun showed that it was midday, the little Betushka would stop her spinning to give each of the goats a morsel of bread. As for herself, she would pick a few wild strawberries to eat with what remained of the loaf. After this, Betushka would dance as the sun shone down and the birds accompanied her dance with their sweet song. When the dancing was done, Betushka went busily back to her spinning so that when evening came and she drove the goats back home, she was able to hand her mother a spindle brimming with flaxen thread.

One fine Spring day, just as Betushka was getting ready to dance her usual dance, there suddenly appeared before her a most beautiful maiden whose white dress, thin as gossamer, floated about her. The golden hair of this maiden flowed past her waist and upon her brow, a wreath of fragrant forest blossomes. Betushka was struck silent but the Wood Fairy (for such was this beautiful creature) smiled at the small girl and, in a gentle voice asked, "Do you like to dance then, Betushka?"

Any anxiety Betushka might have felt completed disappeared and she smiled brightly at the lovely maiden. "Indeed," answered Betushka, "I could dance all day and all night!"

"Come," said the Wood Fairy, "let us dance together, Betushka...I will teach you how to put grace into your steps." And, so saying, the Wood Fairy took Betushka's hand and began to dance with her.

Round and round they circled, while the birds chirruped joyfully above their heads...nightingales, larks, goldfinches, thrushes and a clever mockingbird, all summoned by the Wood Fairy to accompany the dance. They sang such sweet melodies that Betushka's heart filled with delight. She quite forgot all about her goats and her spinning. On and on she danced, her feet never growing weary, until evening came and the last rosy rays of sunset were beginning to vanish over the horizon. Suddenly, the music ceased and the beautiful maiden was gone...gone as quickly as she had arrived.

Betushka looked around and spied her spindle, only half-filled with thread. Sadly she put it into her bag and drove the goats homeward from the forest. This time, she did not feel like singing while she made her journey down the road. The little Betushka chided herself bitterly for neglecting her duty and vowed she would never engage in such selfishness again. When she reached the tumbledown cottage, Betushka was so quite that her mother feared the little girl was ill.

"No, Mother," whispered Betushka, "I am not ill." But she did not tell her mother about the lovely maiden and hid the half-filled spindle, promising herself that she would work twice as hard on the morrow to atone for neglecting her duties that day.

Early the next morning, Betushka again drove the goats to pasture, singing merrily as she usually did. She entered the Wood and began her spinning, having every intention of producing at least twice her normal amount.

At noon, Betushka picked a few strawberries but did not dance. Confiding in her goats, Betushka told them, "Today, I dare not dance. Why don't you dance for me instead, my dear little goats?"

"Come and dance with me, Betushka," called a voice. It was the Wood Fairy. But this time, Betushka was truly afraid and also very ashamed. "Please leave me alone," she pleaded with the lovely maiden. "I simply must finish my spinning before sunset."

"Ah," said the Wood Fairy, "but if you will dance with me, Betushka, someone will help you to finish your spinning." So, with the birds singing as sweetly as the day before, Betushka found she could not resist. She and the Wood Fairy began to dance...they danced and danced until evening fell.

As the sky began to darken, Betushka looked at her near-empty spindle and burst into tears, but the Wood Fairy unwound the flax from Betushka's head, twined it around a slender Birch tree, seized the spindle and began to spin. The spindle hummed and hummed as it grew thick with thread. By the time the sun had vanished from sight, all the flax had been spun.

The Wood Fairy handed the full spindle to Betushka saying, "Wind it and grumble not...remember now, wind it and grumble not." Then, in the wink of an eye, she was gone.

The happy Betushka drove the goats home, singing as she went on her way. Upon arriving at the cottage, Betushka handed her mother the full spindle, but Betushka's mother was far from pleased with what her daughter had failed to do the day before and so asked her about it. Betushka told her mother that she had danced...but she kept the Wood Fairy a secret.

The following morning, Betushka went still earlier to the Birch wood. The goats grazed while she sang and spun until, at noon, the beautiful maiden appeared again and, seizing Betushka by the waist, began to dance with her. While the birds sang their accompaniment, the two danced on and on until Betushka completely forgot both her spindle and the goats.

As the sun was setting, Betushka looked around. There was the half-filled spindle...but the Wood Fairy grasped Betushka's bag, became invisible for only a moment and then handed back the bag stuffed with something light. She ordered Betushka not to look into the bag before she reached her home and, with that, promptly disappeared.

Betushka made her way toward the cottage, not daring to even peek inside the bag. But halfway there, she was unable to resist any longer, for the bag was so light that she feared she had been tricked. She peered into the bag and immediately began to weep for it was full of dry Birch leaves. Angrily Betushka began to toss out some of the leaves but then it occurred to her that they would make good litter for the goats to sleep on, so she left the remainder in the bag.

Now, however, she was almost afraid to go home for her mother would be there, but she had little choice. "What kind of spindle did you bring me yesterday, child?" asked Betushka's mother. "I wound and wound, but the spindle remained full. 'Some evil sprit has spun you," I grumbled and, at that instant, the thread vanished from the spindle!"

Betushkah's mother looked at her daughter gravely. "Tell me what this means, child!"

So, Betushka explained to her mother about the maiden and how they had danced.

"That was a Wood Fairy!" exclaimed Betushka's mother, somewhat alarmed. "The Wood Fairies dance at midday and again midnight. If you had been a little boy, Betushka, you might not have escaped alive. But to little girls, the Wood Fairies often give rich presents." Then, Betushaka's mother added, "To think that you did not tell me! If had not grumbled, then I might have had a room full of thread by now!"

Suddenly, Betushka remembered her bag and wondered if there might not, after all, be something under those dry leaves. She removed the spindle and the unspun flax. "Look, Mother!" she exclaimed. Betushka's mother looked and clapped her hands for, under the spindle, the Birch leaves had turned to gold!

Betushka told her mother how the Wood Fairy had directed her not to look into the bag until she had arrived home, but that she had not obeyed and had actually tossed out some of the leaves. "It is fortunate you did not empty out the whole bagful," said Betushka's mother.

The next morning Betushka and her mother went into the wood, to carefully search the ground where Betushka had thrown out the dry leaves, but they found only fresh Birch shoots. Nevertheless, the gold that Betushka had brought home was more than enough to buy a nice farm with a garden and some cows. Betushka began to wear beautiful dresses and no longer had to take the goats out to graze...but none of that ever brought her such delight as that she had known while dancing with the lovely Wood Fairy.

Many times, Betushak would run into the Birch wood, hoping to see the beautiful maiden once more...but never again did the magical Wood Fairy appear.

A section has been added to Penumbra entitled "Rainbow Bridge," dedicated to the memory of our beloved animal companions. It features various pieces of work, whose words, it is hoped, will bring solace and comfort to those who have lost a dear little furry (or feathered or scaled...etc.) one.

It contains an area known as "BlueBird Bower" where a memorial may be placed by anyone upon request in the name of their departed pet (no species refused).

Just click on "RainBow Bridge" on the home page to access the area described.