The Blue Baba of the Marsh

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Long long ago, in the age before television, a man named Yuri lived in a mining village. Like almost everyone else in the village he worked in the mines digging up gold and jewels. It was hard and dangerous work, many of Yuri’s friends and families had died in cave-ins over the years. Yuri didn’t really want to work in the mines but he didn’t make a lot of money and couldn’t afford to move away. Very few people ever found enough gold to afford the train ticket out of the mountains. One day when Yuri was on his way to work he took a shortcut across the marsh. Most people usually went around the marsh because it was dangerous, people sometimes went into the marsh and never came out. When Yuri was young his granny had told him that the people who never came out were caught by the Blue Baba who lived in the middle of the marsh. She had told him that the Blue Baba was dangerous but that she also guarded a great treasure. No one could take the treasure and it could only be given by the Blue Baba herself without magic. Yuri’s granny had also told him that the Blue Baba would try to trick people with her powers, she could change her shape to any she desired, but that she had no powers when in her true form and it was only when she had no powers that a person was safe from her. This day as Yuri took the shortcut the marsh was wetter then normal. He had to jump from each little island of grass to avoid getting stuck in the mud. After an hour or so he realized he was in a part of the marsh he had never been before and was lost. He noticed a pool of clean water nearby and he decided to take a drink because of how hot and thirsty he was. There was a spider web across the pool with a big blue colored spider in the center. He brushed the spider web out of the way and bent over to take a drink. He then suddenly saw the spider’s head transform into that of an old woman. She had warts on her face, had a hook shaped nose, but her body was still that of a spider. She was standing on the surface of the water like it was regular ground. It was obviously the Blue Baba!

“So! Come to steal my treasure have you!” She screeched at Yuri.

“No, I just wanted a drink of water.” Yuri protested

The Blue Baba grinned at him, “Then by all means, have a drink.” she said gesturing to the water.

Yuri laid down on the grass next to the water so he could lap it up. As he laid down he smelled something sweet and suddenly felt really tired. He struggled to keep his eyes open. As his head lowered down in sleep his hat fell forward dislodging some of the mining dust that had been collected in it over the years. The mining dust tickled his nose and caused him to sneeze. He sneezed again and again, but as he sneezed his head seemed to start clearing up and he didn’t feel as tired. With this new burst of energy he crawled away from the edge of the pool and stood up. The Blue Baba laughed at him.

“Don’t like the smell of my flowers do you?” She said gesturing at the small blue flowers growing near the edge of the pool. “You’re lucky, but it will take more then luck to get my water, much less my treasure. Are you still thirsty? You’re free to drink if you can.”

“I don’t think so.” Yuri replied “I’m not so thirsty that I’m going to risk my life over some water.”

The Blue Baba grinned “So you have some sense in you, I like you. I’ll make you a deal, if you can get a drink of water from my pool I’ll give you some of my treasure.”

Yuri didn’t respond and started working his way back out of the marsh. He didn’t get out of the marsh until it was late enough he had missed work. The next day he went to work like normal however there was another cave-in at the mine, a real bad one. Yuri wasn’t hurt but some of the other workers were. That night after work Yuri realized he might not be so lucky at the mine next time and that his best chance of getting away was the Blue Baba’s treasure. She had promised to give him the treasure if he could get the water and he knew that he could only get the treasure if it was given to him. The next morning he got up early and tied a pot to the end of a long pole. He worked his way back to the center of the marsh and in no time was at the pool again. A large bird with a different old woman’s face flew up and landed on the surface of the water. Yuri knew it was the Blue Baba in a different shape.

“So you’ve returned.” The Blue Baba said “My deal still stands, if you can drink some of my water I will give you some of my treasure.”

Yuri stayed well away from the flowers at the edge of the water and dipped the pot on the end of the pole into the pool.

“Better watch out or I might just whack you on the nose” He said.

He tried lifting the water but it was heavier then it should be and he couldn’t lift it.

“Come on.” The Blue Baba cackled “You’re a strong man, you can lift better then that!”

Yuri strained to lift the pot as hard as he could and the pole snapped. The Blue Baba fell onto her back laughing. She dissolved into a blue mist and reformed into a woman in a tattered blue dress.

“Did you think you were stronger then my magic?” She chuckled “I admit you have done better then most of the others. You’re interesting enough I am willing to let you have my treasure.”

She walked across the water to where Yuri was standing and waved her arm over the pool. The water vanished and where the pool used to be was a large pile of gold and jewels. There was a pile of large sacks at Yuri’s feet. They were about the size of a potato sack and even one could fit enough treasure to let him live comfortably for the rest of his life.

“You may have as much of my treasure as you can take” she said

Yuri started to pick up the sacks but stopped, something the Blue Baba said didn’t sound right.

“You told me to take it, but my granny always said you have to give it to me.” Yuri said
“You’re trying to trick me.”

“I can’t believe you’re so picky. So you want it handed to you on a silver platter do you?” the Blue Baba replied “Very well.”

A man appeared near the treasure, he picked up a silver platter out of the pile a piled a bunch of treasure onto it. When done he walked up to Yuri and offered him the platter of treasure.

“No” Yuri said “I remember what my granny said, she said you have to give me the treasure yourself, without magic. Only if you change into your true form where you don’t have magic will I accept anything from you.”

“Your granny was a wise woman” the Blue Baba replied. “I can tell there’s no fooling you.”

Her form changed, she looked older and more hunched over. She picked up a sack and hobbled down towards the treasure.

“I can’t believe you’d make an old woman work like this” she muttered.

She filled the sack to the brim full of gold and jewels. She walked back to him and held out the sack for him to take. Yuri just smiled.

“You’re still using your magic. I’ve worked in the mines all my life. I know how much gold and jewels weigh and it’s impossible for anyone to lift that much alone. I couldn’t do it much less an old woman like yourself, this can’t be your true form.”

A look of shock passed over the Blue Baba’s face. “So be it” She said and she dissolved away into blue mist.

Yuri waited there alone for some time. Eventually he heard a rustling in the grass behind him. A beautiful young woman wearing a blue dress came out struggling to carry a basket full of fruit. She came up to Yuri and placed the basket handle directly into his hands.

“Here you go” she said

“But... but you’re so... young.” Yuri stammered.

The girl smiled “I am the Blue Baba of the marsh, forever old, forever young. Set to guard the pools treasures for all time. Only those who show the courage, strength, and wisdom that you have, do I show myself as I truly am.”

Yuri just stood there speechless.

“You should leave now or you will see me forever in your dreams.” she said

Yuri picked up the basket and started toward home. As he entered his house the basket became super heavy and the bottom broke. Instead of fruit it was gold and jewels that spilled all over the floor. Yuri immediately bought a train ticket, moved to the city and lived comfortably off the treasure all his life. But he found that his granny had been wrong about one thing. The Blue Baba wasn’t completely safe without her powers, because he could never forget the face of the Blue Baba’s true form and dreamed of her every night from then on.