Once there was a young girl, pretty and wise, who had a stepmother who wished her no good. She was called Annaic. Her father loved her, but his wife did all that she could to make him detest his daughter also. She went, one day, to find her sister, who was a sorceress, and asked her advice about getting rid of Annaic.
"Tell her father," suggested the sorceress, "that she leads a scandalous life and he'll throw her out."
But the father would not believe all the evil witch had said about his daughter, and the stepmother returned to consult her sister, the sorceress.
"Well," said she this time, "here's a cake I made which you must make the girl eat; as soon as she's eaten it, her stomach will swell up like that of a pregnant woman, and then the father will have to believe what you tell him about the immoral conduct of his daughter."
The wicked woman returned with the cake of the sorceress and, giving it to Annaic, said to her:
"Here, my child, eat this honey-cake which I made myself especially for you."
Annaic took the cake and ate it, without objection and with pleasure, persuaded that this was finally a sign of her stepmother's affection. But, soon enough, her stomach swelled up such that everybody who saw her believed her pregnant, and the poor girl was totally shamed and did not know what to think.
"I warned you," the stepmother then triumphantly said to the father, "that your daughter was behaving badly; now see what a state she's in."
Then the father put Annaic in a cask and set it out to sea to the mercy of God. The cask broke to pieces on some great rocks. Annaic got out, without injury, and found herself on an arid island which she believed to be deserted. She withdrew into an underground cave hollowed out in the cliff and, astonished, found there a little room, fully furnished with a bed, several vases of rough-hewn pottery, and a fire in the hearth. She thought that this must be inhabited; but, after having waited a long time until no one appeared, she lay down on the bed and peacefully slept.
Next morning, upon awakening, she found herself still alone. She got up and went looking for shellfish among the rocks for her breakfast; then, all day, she traversed the island and encountered neither a dwelling nor a human being. In the evening she returned to her cave and slept peacefully again. And so the days proceeded.
When her time came, she gave birth to...A little cat! Great was her sorrow when she saw the creature which she had brought into the world, but she resigned herself, saying:
"Since it's the will of God!"
And she raised and took care of her little cat as she would have a child.
One day, as she sorrowed for her lot and wept, she was astonished to hear the cat speak in the language of humans, to this effect:
"Console yourself, mother, I'll take care of you in my turn and never let you be in want of anything."
And the cat took a sack, which he had found in a corner of the cave, put it over his shoulder, and left. He made his way over the whole island, found a castle, and entered it. The residents of this castle were very surprised to see a cat which walked on its two hind legs and carried a sack on its shoulder. He asked for bread, for meat and for wine, and no one thought to refuse him because this was such a strange happening. They filled his sack and off he went. He came back again to the castle every other day, and each time he returned with his sack empty, and in her cave his mother wanted for nothing.
One day the young man of the castle got into an argument while on a pilgrimage, and, having lost his passport, was put in jail. At the castle everybody was desolate, and when the cat came there, according to his custom, he asked about the cause of the sadness and sorrow which he noticed. They acquainted him with the reason; then he replenished his sack as usual and left. Arriving at the cave, he said to his mother:
"Sorrow and sadness reign at the castle."
"Why is that?"
"The young lord got into a fight while he was on a pilgrimage; he lost his passport and they put him in prison; but I'm going to find him tomorrow in the jail, and I'm going to say to him that if he marries my mother, I'll retrieve his passport and get it back to him."
"Whatever makes you think that he would ever agree to take me as his wife, my son?"
"He might, mother; let me try."
The next day, the cat showed up at the prison and asked to speak to the young lord. But the jailer grabbed a broom and chased him out with it. In the face of this assault the cat hopped aside and, seizing an opening, clambered up the wall and entered the prison through a window and said to the prisoner:
"My good lord, you have fed us, my mother and me, since we came to your island, and, in recognition of this kind service, I shall get out of this prison and make to recover your passport - if you will promise to marry my mother."
"How is it, poor beast, that you can speak?" asked the lord, astonished.
"I can speak, and I am not what you think; but, tell me, are you willing to marry my mother?"
"Marry a cat? Me, a Christian? How can you make me such a proposition?"
"Marry my mother and you won't regret it, I tell you. I'll leave you until tomorrow to think about it; I'll come back then."
And so he left.
The next day he returned with the passport of the young lord and said to him as he held it up:
"Here is your passport; promise me that you'll marry my mother and I'll return it to you; what's more, I'll restore your freedom at once."
Now, the cat's mother had a sorceress godmother who knew quite well what was happening. She came to find Annaic, while the cat was away, and spoke to her like this:
"His passport has been returned the young lord, who has promised to marry you. When the cat returns, take a knife and cut open his stomach. Don't hesitate, because he will immediately be turned into a fine prince and you a princess of marvelous beauty. Then you will marry the young lord and I will send you fifty handsome knights to attend you night and day."
When her son returned, Annaic sliced open his stomach. Immediately a fine prince, magnificently adorned, emerged from his skin, and she herself became a princess of marvelous beauty. The fifty knights arrived also, and a beautiful, solid-gold carriage came down from the sky. The prince and princess got in and returned to the castle, accompanied by the fifty knights.
The young lord, who was at his window, was mightily astonished to see such a sight, which he couldn't comprehend at all. But he was eager to go down and meet them. The prince moved forward to meet him, taking the princess by the hand, and presented her in these terms:
"Here is my mother, whom you promised to marry; how do you like her?"
The young lord was so troubled and upset by all that he saw and heard that he was speechless and could only stammer these words:
"God, what a beautiful princess...! Yes, certainly...! How is this...? I'm honored...!"
The marriage was celebrated at once. During the nuptial feast, one could hear, without seeing anyone play, a ravishing music such as is only heard in Heaven. It was the godmother of the new bride, the sorceress, who sent invisible musicians. She had also sent her beautiful gold carriage and now said:
"You only have to go psst and my enchanted knights will lift you up into the air and carry you where you wish. But if you return to your father, be very careful when you embrace your stepmother, as for your father, do whatever you wish."
They forthwith got into the carriage, which lifted them up above the clouds and carried them straight to Annaic's father. He recognized his daughter, and showed great joy at her return, and embraced her tenderly. The stepmother was furious; nevertheless, she pretended, the wretch, that she wished to be embraced too. But Annaic's son cried out to her:
"Hold on, you! You won't embrace my mother; but you'll be recompensed according to your merits."
And they lit a great bonfire and hurled the stepmother and her daughter and also the sorceress onto it.
And, after eight whole days, there were great celebrations, with entertainments of all sorts, with music, dances and grand parties every day and they lived happily ever after.