Finist the Bright Falcon

This is an oral tale. It was never written down in letters. In the times described here, letters had not yet been invented. Little girl Mary went across the entire earth and reached the sky in search of her beloved—his name was Finist, and he wasn’t human. No one believed she would find him. But everyone helped. In those days, everyone helped everyone else—otherwise you couldn’t survive. In those times, ancient snakes, mavkas, kикиmоры, shishigi, ančутки, leshaks, and werewolves lived alongside people. Three men loved Mary, with no hope of being loved back. One defended her, another carried her to the edge of the world, and the third lifted her to the sky. Because of one little girl, the whole world shifted and almost flew off its axis. Nothing but love can move the world from its place.