New story

Here's my new story -- it still needs some condensing, I think. But it's better.

We start with a girl looking in a mirror. We'll call her Svetlana -- Svieta. It's a hand mirror she's looking into, and she clearly enjoys her reflection. She's playing with her hair. A voice off-screen calls, "Svieta, pay attention!" Svieta looks up suddenly and we see that we're in a field and the sun is setting. As Svieta looks up, she sees that the flock of geese she's supposed to be tending are flying away. She gets up to chase them and runs into the forest.

In the forest, it's very dark -- the sun is setting, after all. Svieta wanders around for a while, not paying attention to where she's going and getting herself completely lost, and eventually comes upon a hut. It's very dark at this point, so she goes inside. With nothing to do until morning, she gets out her mirror and tries peering into it again.

The hut is Baba Yaga's hut, and before too long, it stands up on its chicken legs and starts running, with Svieta inside. When it stops again, its door opens and Baba Yaga walks in, lighting candles and a cooking fire, illuminating the inside.

Baba Yaga sees Svieta and walks towards her, menacing. Baba Yaga is an old, crooked woman with very sharp teeth. She is terrifying. Svieta holds her mirror up as if it was a shield and Baba Yaga is momentarily entranced by her reflection.

The back of the mirror has a face -- it winks at Svieta.

Between the wink and Baba Yaga's pause, Svieta regains some confidence. Baba Yaga gently pushes the mirror away and points Svieta towards the cooking fire, above which is a large pot. As Svieta looks over, she sees human bones -- skulls, etc. She says, as bravely as she can, "Baba Yaga, you can't eat me now." Baba Yaga stares at her. "Baba Yaga, you're an old woman. It's too late for you to eat. Think of your digestion." Baba Yaga's expession changes. "Baba Yaga, I'm completely lost, there's no where for me to go. Don't worry about me, you can eat me in the morning." Baba Yaga smiles, delighted.

Baba Yaga goes and sits by the fire, eventually falling asleep. Svieta, too scared to sleep, goes over to the window and watches for dawn.

As soon as it is light out, Svieta very quietly climbs out of the hut on chicken legs and starts running. "The sun rises in the east and moss grows on the north side of the tree," she tells herself, checking her bearings. She keeps running.

Behind her, Baba Yaga has woken up. She looks around, and very quietly leaves her hut. She sniffs the air and starts running as well.

Svieta keeps repeating her lines about direction to find her way home. She pauses to breath and hears a noise behind her. It is Baba Yaga, who is tireless. Svieta starts running, in a panic.

As she is running, she takes her mirror out and throws it behind her. It's a magic mirror. Maybe it'll help, she thinks. It's hard for her to part with the mirror, but maybe it'll help.

Without looking back, she keeps running.

The mirror hits the ground without breaking. It starts growing and turns to water. Very rapidly, it turns into a lake. Svieta realizes this when the ground beneath her turns to mud and her feet are suddenly wet. She looks behind her, and she can barely see Baba Yaga in the distance, across the lake. Baba Yaga can't run over the water and is giving up. Svieta gives a sigh of relief and goes home.