Section 1
Once upon a time, there lived a poor tenant who had a large family of children, unfortunately, they lacked sufficient food and clothing to sustain them. Among the children, the youngest daughter stood out as the most beautiful, in fact, her beauty was so striking that it almost seemed excessive.
On a Thursday evening, during a late autumn season characterized by terrible weather, darkness, heavy rain, and strong winds that made the walls creak, the family gathered around the hearth engaged in various activities. Suddenly, there came three distinct knocks on the windowpane. Curious about the source of the sound, the father went outside to investigate. To his surprise, he found a large, majestic white bear standing before him.
"Good evening!" said the white bear.
"Good evening!" said the man.
"Will you give me your youngest daughter, and I will make you as rich as you now are poor," said the bear.
Yes, the man thought it would be very nice to be so rich, but he must speak with his daughter first; so he went in and told her that a great white bear was outside, who promised that he would make them rich if he could only get her.She said "No," and would not agree to any such arrangement; so the man went out and arranged with the white bear that he should come again next Thursday evening for an answer. In the meantime, they talked her round, and told her of all the riches they would come into possession of, and how fine she herself would have it in her new home; so at last, she gave in to their entreaties and began washing and mending her few rags and made herself look as well as she could, and was at last ready for the journey. Her baggage, of course, was not much to speak of.
Next Thursday evening, the white bear came to fetch her, she got up on his back with her bundle, and away they went. When they had gone some distance, the white bear said, "Are you afraid?" She replied that she wasn't afraid. "Well, only hold tight by my coat, and there's no danger," said the bear.
And so she rode far, far away and came at last to a big mountain. The white bear knocked at it, and a gate was opened. They entered a castle where there were numerous rooms, all beautifully illuminated and adorned with silver and gold, among them was a magnificent hall with a table set and prepared, everything was so grand and splendid that it would be hard to believe unless seen with one's own eyes. The white bear gave her a silver bell and instructed her to ring it whenever she needed anything, assuring her that her wishes would be promptly attended to.
After she had finished eating, the evening grew late, and she started feeling sleepy from the long journey. Deciding it was time to retire for the night, she rang the bell. Almost instantly, she found herself in a room with the most exquisite bed one could imagine. It had silken pillows, elegant curtains with gold fringes, and everything else in the room was adorned with gold and silver, it was a truly magnificent sight to behold. However, as she lay in bed and extinguished the light, she heard someone entering the room and settling down in the large armchair beside her bed. It was the white bear, who had the ability to transform into a human at night, she could tell by his snoring that he had taken on his human form, but she never actually saw him as he always arrived after she had turned off the light, by the time morning arrived, he would be gone again.
After a period of happiness, the girl's demeanor changed, and she became quiet and melancholic. Being alone all day, she couldn't help but feel a longing to be back home with her parents, sisters, and brothers. When the white bear inquired about her sadness, she confessed that she felt lonely in the castle, longing for the company of her loved ones and the familiarity of her home, which caused her sadness.
"But if you wish, you may visit them," said the white bear, "on one condition: you must promise me one thing. You must never have a private conversation with your mother, but only when others are present in the room. If she tries to take you by the hand and lead you into a separate room for a private conversation, you must refuse at all costs. Doing so would bring us both unhappiness and misfortune."
