Marina had always been an ordinary girl, not particularly standing out among her peers. In school and play, she kept pace with everyone else. Her dreams changed with age: in kindergarten she fantasized about a beautiful doll, in the early grades—a fancy dress like her friend’s, and in the later years—about a handsome prince and romantic love.
The main enablers of young Marisha’s wishes were her beloved grandfather Stepan and her mother. These two people made up her entire world and were the dearest to her. The grandfather was known throughout the district as a principled forester with an impeccable reputation.
Throughout his long years of service, he never once compromised with poachers, earning the respect of the regional authorities. Meanwhile, her mother worked as a dairymaid and lived rather secluded, avoiding interaction with the villagers.
This behavior of Olga began in her childhood, when her life was full of hardships and negative attitudes from others long before her daughter was born. She grew up as a quiet and unnoticeable child.
The reason for this behavior was not her appearance—in fact, the girl boasted refined facial features, a slim figure, and long hair. The truth was that Olga had been born with a limp in one leg.
After finishing school, she decided to move to the city to earn a living and soon got a job at a grocery store. Her modest salary was enough for renting a room in a communal apartment and living a simple life, with even a little left in savings. She believed that in a big city, no one would pay attention to her limp.
After about six months on the job, she met Sergey. The young man often visited the store, and during quiet moments they engaged in long conversations on various topics.
Sergey was attracted to Olga, but she didn’t have any grand plans. So she was surprised when he suggested they start dating. A serious relationship blossomed between them, and the girl felt happy.
A few months into their passionate romance, she began to feel unwell. The doctor quickly determined the cause—a pregnancy. For a long time, Olga hesitated to tell Sergey, but when she finally mustered the courage, his reaction was unexpected.
“Are you out of your mind? What kind of baby?” he shouted. “Do you have any idea what you’ll make me look like with you, the one with the limp? Planning to tie me down? If it’s true, get rid of it.”
After those words, he slammed the door and vanished forever. That night, Olga couldn’t sleep, weeping uncontrollably. By then it was too late for an abortion, and the doctor said she had to give birth. After working a little longer—before her boss noticed her condition—she gathered her things and returned to her father.
How could Stepan not accept his only daughter after the death of his wife? It was during the childbirth that the doctors, while saving the baby’s life, had damaged one of her joints.
The grandfather decided that he would raise his granddaughter, no matter what. The village gossip only fanned the flames.
“Olga, who limps, has returned with a child,” the neighbors whispered. “Why did she even go to the city? To earn money for an operation?” others chimed in.
In such moments, the girl wished to run away from everything. But where could she find refuge, other than her father’s home? After giving birth, she got a job at a local farm as a dairymaid. Her father helped take care of the baby during her shifts.
The daughter grew up quickly. The grandfather joyfully took her into the forest, passing on his love for nature. One day, when Marina was in her later school years, they heard terrible howling.
“Someone is calling for help,” said the grandfather. “Let’s go quickly!”
The sounds came from a swamp. There they found a small wolf pup, sitting on a mound in the midst of the bog. The forester quickly retrieved it, and Marina, taking off her jacket, wrapped the little one. She named him Bolotny (Swampy), or simply Bol.
The wolf pup became Marina’s loyal friend. Whenever she was about to leave, he howled, begging to be taken along, and then would lie by the gate, guarding the house. At strangers, he growled, protecting his mistress.
When Marina left for the city after finishing school, everyone feared that the wolf wouldn’t survive the separation. He went nearly a week without eating, sadly watching the road.
In the city, the girl quickly found a job as a maid through an agency. Her dream was to enroll in a part-time university program and become a specialist in accounting.
She had a love for numbers since the first grade, but for a simple village girl, gaining admission to a state-funded program was impossible. She decided to earn enough money for tuition within a year.
One day, a colleague, Irina, insisted they go to a café after work. Marina resisted, but her friend was unyielding: “You’re going to sit at work your whole life! What about your personal life? Come on, there’s an interesting crowd there!”
Thanks to that evening, Marina met Maxim. His gallantry and pleasant voice immediately won her over.
The young man also appreciated the naturalness of the girl—without makeup and artificial manners. He spent the entire evening with her, careful not to scare away his newfound happiness.
As he walked Marina to her home, Maxim asked: “Will we be able to meet again? I don’t want to lose you. When can I invite you on a date?”
Regular meetings began, and soon Maxim introduced her to his parents. Despite his son’s warning, they pretended to know nothing about his girlfriend.
Marina convinced Maxim to buy a bouquet for his mother and some sweets for tea—saying that it was impolite to just show up unannounced. However, the mistress of the mansion, appearing in a silk negligee, only glanced at her shrewdly and said in a disapproving tone:
— Max, come in for a minute.
The young man captured a kiss on his beloved’s cheek and quietly said:
— Don’t worry, I’ll be back soon.
Maxim’s mother’s loud protest in the next room was so pronounced that the girl, even unwillingly, heard every word:
— How dare you, having an official fiancée, bring some hussy into the house? Only a marriage with Kristina can save our interests! After all, an alliance with her parents’ company will elevate us above regional level. You’re ruining not only your own prospects, but the future of your ancestors!
When Maxim returned to the living room where Marina waited, she, in tears, was already preparing to leave:
— I heard everything. You should get engaged to a respectable lady, — she sobbed. — It seems Kristina is your destiny, and I really am not from your social circle.
If Maxim had any doubts before, now he was completely sure that he wanted to spend his life only with Marina. He took her hand firmly and declared his choice, immediately informing his mother that he intended to marry once and for all—not for selfish reasons.
Adding that he was ready to leave his parental home for this cause—if Marina was not accepted there, then he would be with her wherever she resided. Before his mother could reply, the son, holding Marina tightly by the hand, left the estate where they found no place for them.
A couple of days later, Kristina, unable to reach Maxim, stormed into their home. Already mentally considering herself his fiancée, she declared theatrically to the future mother-in-law right at the door:
— What a mess! Maxim has been ignoring my calls for two days now. Am I really going to have to chase him down?
Invited inside by his mother, she recounted everything in vivid, embellished detail. The ladies began to discuss how to eliminate the provincial girl who had become an obstacle. Maxim’s mother casually remarked that in old times, rivals were always poisoned with potions.
— But I didn’t tell you that, — added the mother. — Now act on your own. I helped as much as I could.
The spoiled aristocrat clung to this idea and began devising how to put it into action. After observing Marina surreptitiously for several days, she realized that the well-meaning simpleton was very easy to win over. Marina was always ready to lend a helping hand to the first person she met. The cunning woman exploited this trait.
Knowing the route Marina took from work, in the park on her way home she staged a fainting spell. Marina immediately rushed to help the young stranger, who was suddenly collapsing on the grass in an alley:
— Are you feeling unwell? Wait, I have some water, and I’ll call for medical help right away!
But the “sufferer,” in a barely audible whisper, said:
— No need, it will pass soon. This happens to me sometimes. Probably my blood pressure spiked again…
Marina waited until the girl felt a bit better, not leaving her side for a full thirty minutes. That very day, they became friends and exchanged contacts. The “rescued” girl, who introduced herself as Elena, called Marina almost daily.
They chatted about all sorts of trivialities, and each time Marina expressed her gratitude to her benefactress. Had Marina known who was truly hiding behind that guise, she would never have befriended her. But she was too trusting and open.
Thus, when Marina decided to visit her mother and father in the countryside, she did not suspect that her recent friend had ulterior motives when she came to see her off at the train station. Elena handed her a bottle of water and said in a caring tone:
— The journey is long, and it’s hot outside. You’ll definitely need this. And don’t forget to mention me with a kind word.
She waved goodbye and, with a malicious smirk, headed toward a car parked secretly away from the new acquaintance. Her heart was already triumphant, not thinking about the penalty for her misdeed. At that moment, she was filled only with envy and a desire to eliminate her rival.
Marina, however, never suspected anything amiss. Fortunately for her, she didn’t take a single sip on the way. Once she arrived and was unpacking, she noticed the bottle and took a small sip, smiling as she remembered her caring friend. The grandfather and grandmother were deep in the forest, and the girl decided to prepare a surprise and set the table. Marina purposely did not announce her arrival.
The surprise that day was successful, but it was a sorrowful one. When her relatives returned from the forest, they saw the set table and the lifeless body of Marina on the floor. Her mother immediately cried out, and her grandfather sternly ordered:
— Why are you mourning too early? Go fetch the doctor!
Her mother dashed off to the local healer, but he was already marking the end of his workday and was thoroughly intoxicated. At that moment, the woman thought only of saving her daughter and practically dragged him away from the table. The paramedic, after checking her pulse and listening to her heart, sighed and declared:
— She has slipped away. Call the undertakers and arrange the funeral.
Stumbling, he hurried back to his feast. No one at that moment even considered that this quack, even when sober, couldn’t make a coherent diagnosis—let alone in his current state.
As the relatives, grieving the untimely loss of the girl, began preparing for the burial, Maxim, unaware of anything, waited in the city for his beloved’s return from the countryside so he could finally propose to her.
But, dressed according to local customs in bridal attire, the girl at that moment lay in a coffin being carried from the morgue to the forester’s house. In those lands, young girls who never married were buried in such garb.
Despite her peculiar treatment of Olga, the villagers deeply loved her daughter. The entire village gathered for the funeral. The local priest conducted all the necessary ceremonies and had even begun the funeral rites, when suddenly a wolf, released by the forester after Marina left for the city, burst into the yard.
The loyal companion seemed to sense that something terrible was happening and rushed to the coffin. Growling, he began tearing apart the upholstery, preventing anyone from approaching. The priest, frightened, halted the service, and the local matrons began to baptize themselves in a panic.
When the deceased moved her hand, it nearly struck half of those present. A heavy silence fell over the yard. It seemed as if no one was even breathing. Marina sat up in the coffin and looked around at the gathered crowd in astonishment.
It turned out she was lucky. She had only taken a sip from her rival’s bottle. The dose of poison was non-lethal, but sufficient to plunge her into a deep sleep. The culprit was the local medic—only because he, in his drunken state, failed to check her pulse properly did she nearly get buried alive.
After that incident, he was practically dismissed on the spot—so to speak, without any severance pay. He began drinking without any limits, no longer endangering the villagers.
After Marina’s “resurrection,” investigations were launched to determine the cause of the poisoning. After an examination at the district hospital, the doctors confirmed that a dangerous concentration of toxin was found in her blood. Learning that she had eaten nothing that day and had only taken a sip of water, everything became clear.
Maxim, not waiting for his beloved to return at the expected time, set out to search for her in the village. There, Olga, wiping away her tears, recounted the harrowing story of her daughter’s poisoning.
The young man immediately realized who was behind it all and decided to persuade Marina to file a complaint against those responsible. He tried to explain to his beloved that a spurned fiancée would not rest until she exacted her revenge.
The villainess was punished according to the law. Maxim and Marina registered their marriage and celebrated the wedding at the forester’s house. Now the whole village celebrated this joyful occasion, wishing the young couple a long life.
A year later, the couple had two adorable sons, and a year or two after that, they joyfully greeted the wolf when he came visiting. In those moments, he was completely under the spell of the little ones.
From that time on, prosperity took up residence in the forester’s hut and filled the home with love.