The Keeper of The Golden key by Silviya Rankova

The keeper of the golden key

Illustrated by Alexander Petkov

For Alex and Danny

Let the love and family be your guiding stars.

Once, deep inside an old forest, in an old, enchanted cottage, there lived a powerful witcher named Ivan and his young son, Yanny.

Yanny was the guardian of the forest and its wildlife, and the humans living around it. Every night before sunset, he walked through the woods caring for the creatures. If an animal was wounded, he would take it home for his father to heal.

One night, returning from his walk, he heard a rumbling noise and the clatter of falling objects coming from their home. The door was cracked open, and he saw books, herbs, and little jars of potions swirled in the air. His father was chasing someone and casting a spell.

KIKIMORA- the evil household spirit, Yanny guessed immediately! She was causing mischief again! The hunchbacked woman-creature with a kerchief on her head and rabbit legs jumped from one corner to another, sniggering and knocking everything in her way.

“Prohibere nunc!” said Yanny in a strange spell language Stop this instant! and the flying objects immediately dropped to the ground.

Surprised, the grumpy house spirit froze for a second, poised on her rabbit foot. She squeaked loudly then darted to the corner, leaving wet footprints, and hid behind the stove. Kikimora was gone to the other world for now but would appear at some other time and disturb the household again. She had done this for years, apparently with the sole purpose of destroying Ivan and Yanny’s house.

“My power is getting weaker,” said Ivan. “It’s hard for me to protect our house, son. Soon, you must find all the ingredients for the breaking spell that will free your mother. Only then, my power too, will be fully recovered.”

Since the wicked witch BABA YAGA had turned his wife, Elena, into a doe and taken her magical powers, Ivan’s magic faded more with each day. He and Elena were great healers; together, their abilities were endless. For many years, they had prepared potions out of special recipes passed down for generations, and thus helped humans and forest creatures in need.

It was getting dark, and like he did every night, Ivan brewed some fresh tea from forest berries. Soon, they each held a sweet-scented cup and laid by the fireplace to rest.

Yanny moved his rocking chair closer to the fireplace, not noticing that someone was already snuggled up there. He settled in the chair and then felt something moved behind his back.

A little critter jumped off the chair and darted this way and that as squirrels do. It was Yorry. With a leap, she hopped onto the mantel, among the hanging dried herbs and spices. Relaxing, she twitched her tail and looked around. Yanny smiled at his friend, opened his palm widely, and offered her a few walnuts. The squirrel leaped back onto his lap and grabbed one.

“Now, that is a friendly welcome,” Yanny said and passed another walnut to Yorry. Briskly, munching on the walnuts, the squirrel accidentally dropped one on Borry’s spines.

“You have always been a generous friend,” said Borry the hedgehog, and he took a bite of the juicy apple Ivan offered him.

Yorry jumped to the floor, stomped her foot, and growled.

“Give it back!” she huffed past the walnut sticking halfway out of her cheek.

“Gladly. Help yourself.” Borry laughed.

The commotion made the owl fly over. She’d been sitting quietly in the corner and now she landed next to the two chatty friends. She blinked her big eyes and said:

“Mm looks delicious! I haven’t tried such nuts before, but I am always ready to try new food,” said Azio and took out the nut that had been stuck in Borry’s spines.

Yorry stared at him, trying to assume her nicest posture while nervously stomping her foot, waiting to get her walnut back.

“Here,” the owl said, and passed the nut with her beak. “As I said, I’ve never tried walnuts…umm… with a squirrel for instance before.” Azio laughed.

Yorry grabbed the nut and skipped across the room, then hopped onto the cabinet.

“Never trust feathered creatures,” said the squirrel, chattering her teeth and flicking her tail in snappy, arced movements. Then she turned her back on everybody and nibbled the nuts in peace.

Azio flew back to his corner to roost. Then all was quiet, but not for long.

Soon, the night cast in, and nocturnal creatures made a move. Spooky shadows and eerie voices filled the forest, and it felt a dangerous place to wander. Thousands of flickering fireflies suddenly surrounded the witchers’ home, meaning something was about to happen. And then, a strong wind slammed the cottage’s window wide open, and it brought a note inside. Yorry jumped on the banging window and tried to close it, but it continued to swing back and forth, and he almost stuck a bit. Yanny rushed in to help his friend. When he looked out the window, he noticed someone, or something was wandering around the house.

An old man with green eyes, blue cheeks and clothes turned inside out stepped slowly around the house and made strange movements with his hands. It was LESHY- the forest protector monster. He made the wind that had brought the note to the witchers’ home. When the fireflies lit him up, he quickly took the shape of a tree. It was a usual joke of the forest spirit to distract attention from himself. He blew wind again and the little piece of paper flew up in the air. It landed on Borry’s thorns, and Borry quickly carried it to the father and son. The note read:

The village is threatened by a monster!

We need your help!

The monster was AZHDAYA, the three-headed dragon, and he had terrorized the village for several nights. For centuries, he had been hiding in a cave high in the mountain where no human would go. And now he was hungry. The past few nights, the dragon had been flying down to the village, snatching cattle or sheep, spitting fire, and burning everything around. The fire was spreading and endangering the forest as well. Yanny and Ivan heard his chilling dragon's roar, a roar that made every living creature tremble. They looked at each other. And Yanny prepared for battle. He would face the fire-breathing dragon to help the people of the village defeat him and gather all the ingredients to break the spell. But without his sword, the lad couldn’t fight the monster. By the fireplace, behind a shelf of several thick books, a faintly hollowed-out handprint was visible on the wall. Yanny put his hand into it, and immediately a long golden box with jumbled letters on one side extended from the wall. The squirrel jumped up to the box and revealed her special skills. She rearranged the letters into a secret message that only Yanny could read. He said the secret words out loud, and a small lock appeared on the box. 9

Yanny unlocked it with the golden key he always wore on his neck and grabbed his sword. His sword was no ordinary one. It was forged from Damascus steel, long ago, by master blacksmiths. Its handle was encrusted with diamonds and precious stones.

On his way out, Yanny's father handed him a bag of all kinds of remedies, herbs, and potions he had prepared to treat wounded people and animals and blessed his son.

The hedgehog crawled quickly to Yanny and slipped into the saddlebags. The lad threw them on the saddle of his horse and hooped onto him. The squirrel jumped onto Yanni's shoulder and clung to him tightly ... and they galloped off.

Destiny was about to reveal its winning side.

Yanny’s horse galloped breathlessly through the forest. They had to get to the village fast and fight the fire-spitting dragon before he burned the village to ashes. Leshy, the forest protector, followed behind, and with his superhuman strength began to bend down trees, helping the riders move faster. The fireflies flickered around, illuminating the pathway, and soon, Yanny got to the lake separating the village from the forest. He looked up and saw in the distance the dragon circling over the village. The brave lad jumped to the ground, raised his sword, and called out:

“I summon you, Azhdaya, to a fair fight. Fly down and bring your fire on me.”

Azhdaya darted from the sky, flew over Yanny a few times, and with a piercing scream headed back to the village. The rider followed but when they got to the lake bank his horse refused to step into the water. There was a danger lurking deep beneath the still surface and the horse sensed it.

Nearby, a tender-voiced doe said, “Wait, my son, I will guide you safely through the lake”. Yanny’s heart skipped a beat. It was his mother, who had been roaming the forest as a doe since the evil Baba Yaga had cast a spell on her.

Yanny’s horse followed the doe, but as they stepped into the lake, the water began to rumble and spin. A gigantic body covered with fish scales and moss burst through the surface. It was VODNIK.

The water spirit became angry anytime a human dared to disturb his water kingdom before sunrise. He blinked his huge frog eyes, shook his head, and roared. The doe caught the horse's reins with her teeth, and they swam quickly to the opposite shore.

The water monster hit the water's surface with his strong hands, raising a huge wave. The wave hit Yanny, and he fell off his horse into the water. Vodnik dived into the water and grabbed Yanny’s feet, dragging him to the bottom of the river. But Yanny deftly freed his feet and swam to the surface. When they both emerged, Yanny swung his sword and cut Vodnik’s green beard. The water monster instantly lost its power. Defeated, it snarled loudly, slapped his fishtail, and dived back into the depths of the lake.

A few hairs from his green beard were the first ingredient Yanny needed to break the spell. He swam safely to shore and headed for the village.

The doe looked sadly after her son as he galloped away, anxiously awaiting his safe return.

The village was in flames when Yanny arrived. Scared, people were running in different directions, saving themselves from the endless fiery attacks of Azhdaya. Some managed to get to the river and sailed away to a safer place down the valley. But others were left trapped in the fire, praying for help. Yanny freed a bunch of horses from a burning stable and helped people to escape. With his sharp sword he destroyed the burning doors and windows and thus freed the other people from their burning houses. After long hours, the dragon finally stopped the fire attacks. He darted towards a stable and grabbed a sheep. Then he flew to a nearby meadow and landed there. He was about to swallow her when suddenly…

… A bolt of fire tore through the sky, and a clap of thunder boomed. Amidith clouds of smoke and flashing lightning, the bird-like dragon ASPID, the Azhdaya’s mortal enemy, appeared. He headed to the meadow where Azhdaya was and attacked him.

Aspid flapped his feathered wings menacingly and spewed fire at him, chasing him to claim the prey. Azhdaya dropped the sheep, flapped his webbed wings, and fired back at Aspid.

The dragons went into a wild fight. They flew up and down and stuck their sharp claws into each other. Beat each other with their wings and spewed fire, burning everything around.

The wildfire formed gray clouds in the sky, and soon, heavy rain poured down on the village.

A bunch of brave villagers had been hiding, awaiting the moment they could attack the dragons. They encircled the monsters and threw hundreds of deadly spears at the beasts. But instead of hurting them, the attack angered the monsters more.

Azhdaya flew straight up and blew fire at the people, while Aspid attacked them on the ground with her sharp beak. Defeated, the men ran toward the river, hopped into their boats, and sailed away.

The dragon battle re-started. Roaring fire at each other they, did not notice Yanny appear behind them. He raised his sharp diamond sword and cut off some of Aspid’s tail feathers. Aspid, stunned by the attack, lost her balance, and staggered back. The brave lad swung his sword again and drove it into one of the Azhdaya's heads. Wounded, the dragon roared shrilly and flew up in the air, followed by Aspid, and they headed back to the mountain.

A dragon feather was the second ingredient Yanny needed for the breaking spell. But he had to gather the other two ingredients as well.

And so, the lad mounted his horse and followed the dragons to the mountain.

The road winded along the river, and the beautiful view of the valley had revealed in front of him. The centuries-old forest with oaks and beeches with magnificent crowns, was on one side of the river and high mountains with small lakes on the other. Yanny’s horse suddenly stopped by a fallen, burning tree and neighed scared. The fire had reached a part of the forest and was endangering to burn the entire woodland. Yanny had to stop it. He jumped off his horse and quickly began to chop burning trees to prevent the fire from reaching further inside the forest.

But the fire was quickly spreading, and he needed some help. The owl, who followed him all the time, flew into the woods to look for Leshy. Only the forest monster and his supernatural strength could put the fire down. Leshy received the message, and worried, he trod with giant steps through the forest straight to Yanny. He scooped water from the river with his huge palms and splashed it onto the burning trees. Then with his giant feet, he stomped onto the trees and turned them into ashes. Meanwhile, sailing boats with villagers docked at the bank, and the people rushed to help.

Some scooped water with their pails and poured it onto the burning trees. Others were hitting burning branches and grass with burlap sacks to stop the fire from reaching further.

Meanwhile, sailing boats with villagers docked at the bank, and the people rushed to help. Some scooped water with their pails and poured it onto the burning trees. Others were hitting burning branches and grass with burlap sacks to stop the fire from reaching further. Finally, the humans and the monster with their united forces put the fire out. Leshy blew a wind to help the villagers’ boats to sail down the river and hid inside the forest. Yanny cured wounded animals using his father’s remedies and continued his quest.

He headed to the mountain and got to a small meadow by the river. He had to get to the very top, where Azhdaya was hiding, and collect the third ingredient for the spell. But it was getting dark, and he looked for a place to spend the night. He built a campfire and, exhausted from the battles, leaned back into a tree, and soon fell asleep.

Yorry whined, “Oh, poor me! Now I must fall asleep hungry. And how will I fight dragons if I have no strength?” But she crashed next to Yanny and fell fast asleep, snuggled up in the burlap sack.

The falling dusk was the right time for Borry to scavenge for food. He buried his nose in the leaf litter on the ground to search for his favorite worms, slugs, and beetles. Soon, the darkness absorbed the last ray of light, and in the eerie night, fairy lights illuminated the river.

А swooping-like sound made Yorry jump out of the sack right onto the tree Yanny had leaned on, and she screamed: “The dragon got me. Oh, no, I am going to die young and unfortunate.” Then she darted up and down the tree. Borry slurped up another worm and looked up at his friend with a cheerful face.

Yorry squealed and jumped down from the tree. “What in the name of the seven golden acorns! Why are you sucking up these nasty worms in the middle of the night? I thought you were the dragon and almost had a heart attack”.

“Oh no! You’re scaring my dessert away,” retorted Borry, and chased after a spider.

While the two were chatting, Yanny noticed spooky eyes blinking nearby the tree. They slowly approached and surrounded the tree. Yanny grabbed his sword and prepared for a battle. But instead, the fairy lights banished the wolves away. Seduced by their magical voices and looks, Yanny followed the beautiful women with long, blonde hair, glowing skin, and fiery eyes to the river.

If he gazed at a SAMODIVA’s eyes, he would become obsessed with her, and she would take all his life energy. Yorry and Borry had to help their friend! Yorry grabbed the Samodivi’s gowns where they had left them close by the river to bathe. Without their magical garments, they couldn’t dance and lure Yanny. Struggling with the load, Yorry ended up wrapped up in a pile of veils. Borry chewed on some wild garlic, knowing that it was poisonous for him but would save his friends. He spat a bit of his saliva on his spines making them venomous and rolled down the river straight to the circle of Samodivi. He pricked some of the fairies and they vanished away. The others grabbed their clothes and disappeared entirely.

Yanny was freed from their power and sat exhausted by the river. But there was another danger befalling the hero. Azhdaya darted from the sky looking for revenge. He landed by Yanny and spat fire at him. Yanny jumped back nimbly, swung his sword, and cut a scale from the monster's back. Then he swung again and cut one of his heads. The monster spun in a circle, disoriented, and spit fire back out of his other two heads that left. Yanni raised his sword again and drove it into the dragon's second head. The monster roared terribly.

A spark set Yorry’s tail on fire she was jumping around, trying to distract the monster. She panicked and chased after her burning tail. Finally, she rolled down to the river and put out the fire.

Azhdaya growled terribly, blew fire, and defeated flew away to the mountain to sleep for many more years.

Trembling with fear, the squirrel jumped on Yanny's chest. He hopped on his horse, and they galloped off.

Long ago, Yorry and Borry had been human children. One day they had been playing in the forest, and they threw sticks at a bird’s nest. The nest fell to the ground and the chicks died. BABA YAGA was mad at the kids and wanted to teach them a lesson. She locked them in her hut, making them her servants, and said that if they did not satisfy her wishes, she would cook them in her oven and eat them. Elena had tried to save the children, but the witch got angry with her and transformed her and the children into animals to roam in the forest.

Years passed, and the two brothers wandered around the forest, unlovable, until one day, they met Yanny. They quickly became friends and have been inseparable ever since.

After defeating the dragon, Yanny continued to ride through the dark forest back to his home.

A scale from the three-headed dragon was the third ingredient he needed to break the spell. But before returning to his father, the lad had to collect the last ingredient. Thus, he would complete his mission and free his mother and friends from Baba Yaga's magic.

His horse galloped quickly through the forest, and at dawn, they found themselves in front of the wicked witch's hut. Yanny’s horse stopped in front of the witch's strange hut that moved around on a pair of chicken legs. The keyhole to her front door was a mouth filled with sharp teeth, and the fence outside was made from human bones and skulls.

“Turn your back to the forest, your front to me.” Yanny recited the magic words, and the house revealed its door. Out of the door came an ugly, ferocious-looking woman with creepy black clothes, a long nose, and gray hair.

“Who has dared at this early hour to disturb me?” Baba Yaga grumbled angrily.

Yanny asked her politely to give him the last ingredient for the breaking spell. Pleased by his good manners, his loving and pure heart, and his respect for her, Baba Yaga willingly gave him a hair off her head. Then she flew into the air in her mortar, using the pestle as a rudder, to look for other naughty children, and she swept away the tracks behind her with a broom made of silver birch.

When Yanny got back home, he found their house destroyed and his father lying almost lifeless on the ground.

“Kikimora prevailed this time,” said his father, and with his last strength, he helped Yanny to cast the breaking spell.

Yanny’s mother and the two boys Yorry and Borry were finally freed.

After many years of separation, everyone lived together as one family in their new home, which they built together.

Because a family is not defined only by the blood in your veins, but by the faith and love in your heart.

Monsters and spirits in Slavic Mythology

• Azhdaya - It’s considered to be a demonic version of a dragon, and it’s said to have an odd number of heads, never even. He can spit fire and cast a roar that would make everything tremble as far as the eye can see. These mythical creatures lived high in the mountains, usually in caves, making them hard to reach. They came out when they were hungry, flying down to nearby villages to snatch a cattle and cause harm to villagers.

• Aspid - like Azhdaya, but it had more bird-like features. Aspid was a bit smaller dragon, had one head, a beak, and a very long neck. It usually preferred solitude and resided in the mountains. It rarely came down from mountains, but when it did, it was for food – it came and spat fire and destroyed anything in its path, usually burning and ravaging whole villages.

• Baba Yaga - She might easily be the most famous myth to come out of Slavic mythology and is still in use in some rural areas as a folk tale. Baba Yaga is an ogress who is said to steal, cook, and eat her victims, usually children. The closest comparison to her personage would be a witch since she also rides a broom or a mortar. Since her alleged primary target is children, Baba Yaga’s stories are to this day used as a parenting tool to scare children who are misbehaving. Her house is quite unsettling, standing on chicken-leg stilts and capable of moving around on its own. For those lucky few who face her and manage to outmaneuver her, thus earning her respect, she’ll be very happy to help.

• Vodnik - Also known as Vodenjak, these creatures are known to reside close to water mills, and in ponds, swamps, and even lakes. A vodyanoy looked like an old man, but with long claws, body covered in moss, algae, and seaweeds, sometimes covered in mud, or boasting a green beard. These mythical creatures spent their days in lairs they had created, coming out at night to drag people into the lake or river and drown them.

• Leshy - A large, humanoid monster that serves as a protector of forests and all the plants and creatures that live in them. Leshy picks a forest and makes it a home. He looks like a big, old man, with blue cheeks (blue blood is running in its veins), and it has superhuman strength and is very fast. It can take the shape of any person or animal and is very hard to notice. Usually, a Leshy will not harm humans that walk through its forest, but since it has a strong connection to its forest, it feels pain when a tree is cut down or when someone brings harm to its habitat, it goes into a frenzy and makes a loud noise which can cause rainstorms.

• Kikimora - There are several house spirits in the Slavic world with different characteristics. Kikimora emerges as quite an unappealing female creature, usually deformed or having some animal extremities like the ones from a dog, rabbit, or chicken. But as it often goes, this evil house spirit can shapeshift and turn into a beautiful woman. What’s especially eerie about this spirit is that she hides in dark places in people’s homes, living in the attic or behind fireplaces and stoves. Kikimora can enter your house through a keyhole, and you can notice her presence by sounds like the ones made by a nibbling mouse. This spirit is blamed for many negative things in the domestic home, from food going bad to causing nightmares.

• Samodiva(plural:samodivi) - are woodland fairies or nymphs found in South and West Slavic folklore. They are typically dressed in free flowing, feathered white gowns, which give them the power of flight. Samodivi are often described as having blonde or red hair, tall, slender women with pale, glowing skin and fiery eyes. In Bulgarian folklore, they are associated with places related to water - wells, rivers, lakes. Their voices were hypnotic and could drive a man to go crazy. Another important aspect of the figure of the Samodivi is their love for singing and dancing. They often engage in competitions with each other and with humans, and whoever wins gets to keep the loser for themselves.

About The Author

Silviya Rankova, born in 1975 in the historic ancient capital of Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria, holds a Master’s degree in Biology from Plovdiv University.

In 2005, she and her family emigrated to the United States, settling in Chicago, Illinois, where they currently reside.

In 2019, she ventured into the realm of children’s literature with her debut book, "How Olly Met His New Family". This was followed by several other titles, including "Danny and Olly's Trick or Treat Night", "Cookies for Santa", "Fay the Maple Fairy and The Tree Doctor", "The Very Stubborn Camel", and "The Keeper of the Golden Key". Through her writing, Silviya brings imaginative stories to life, captivating young readers with her creativity and storytelling skills.

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The Keeper of The Golden Key

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