Once there was a queen who longed for a child. Desperate, she went to the Sun and asked, "Please, send me a little girl, and when she turns twelve, you may take her back."
The Sun granted her wish and sent a little girl, whom the queen named Letiko. The queen cared for Letiko lovingly until she turned twelve. On her birthday, as Letiko was out gathering herbs, the Sun appeared and reminded her, "Tell your mother about the promise she made."
When the queen heard this, she quickly locked all the doors and windows, sealing every crack and hole in the palace to keep the Sun from taking Letiko. However, she forgot to close the keyhole, and through it, the Sun sent a ray that seized Letiko and carried her away.
Letiko then lived with the Sun, doing his bidding. One day, the Sun sent her to fetch some straw. As she sat on the pile of straw, she sighed and whispered, "As this straw sighs under my feet, so sighs my heart for my mother."
She stayed so long that when she returned, the Sun asked, "Why did you take so long?"
Letiko replied, "My slippers are too big, and they slow me down."
The Sun made the slippers smaller. Another time, he sent her to fetch water, and while at the spring, she sat and sighed, "As the water flows, so flows my heart with longing for my mother."
She lingered again, and when she returned, the Sun asked, "Why are you so late?"
She answered, "My petticoat is too long and hinders me from walking quickly."
The Sun shortened her petticoat. On yet another occasion, he sent her to bring him a pair of sandals. As she carried them, she murmured, "As the leather creaks, so creaks my heart for my mother."
When she came back late, the Sun asked, "Why are you so slow?"
Letiko explained, "My red hood is too wide, and it falls over my eyes."
The Sun made her hood narrower. Finally, the Sun realized how much Letiko missed her mother. He sent her to fetch straw again and followed her. He overheard her crying for her mother.
Moved by her sorrow, the Sun called two foxes and asked, "If you were to take Princess Letiko home, what would you eat and drink if you became hungry and thirsty?"
"We would eat her flesh and drink her blood," they replied.
Horrified, the Sun sent them away. Next, he called two hares and asked the same question.
"We would eat grass and drink from streams," they answered.
"Very well," the Sun said, "you may take her home."
So, Letiko set off with the hares. Along the way, the hares grew hungry and told her to climb a tree while they ate some grass. As she sat in the tree, an evil snake-woman appeared and said, "Letiko, come down and see my beautiful shoes. If you don't, I’ll chop down the tree and eat you!"
"Try chopping it down," Letiko responded calmly, "and then you can eat me."
The snake-woman hacked at the tree with all her might, but it wouldn't fall. Realizing she couldn't cut it down, she called up, "Come down! I must feed my children."
"Go feed them, then come back when you're ready," Letiko answered.
Once the snake-woman was far enough away, Letiko called out, "Little hares! Little hares! Please come back!"
The hares returned quickly, and Letiko climbed down from the tree. They continued on their journey. However, the snake-woman quickly came back and chased after them.
As they neared the palace, the queen's dog barked excitedly, "Bow wow! Bow wow! Here comes Letiko!"
But the queen, consumed with sadness, replied, "Hush! Don’t remind me. I miss her so much my heart aches. I’ll never see her again."
Then the queen's cat, lounging on the roof, cried, "Miaow! Miaow! Here comes Letiko!"
The queen sobbed, "Please, be quiet! The Sun has taken my dear Letiko. I'll never see her again."
Letiko and the hares finally reached the back door of the palace, but just as they entered, the snake-woman caught the second hare by its tail and tore it off.
Inside, the queen greeted the first hare with joy, saying, "Welcome, dear hare. For bringing my daughter home, I will give you a beautiful silver tail."
And so, Letiko and her mother were reunited, and they lived happily ever after.
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