The Black Hen, or The Underground Dwellers

A boy named Alyosha (about 9-10 years old) is studying at a boarding school in St. Petersburg in the 1780s. His parents live far away, so he spends all his holidays at the boarding school, while his classmates go home, and thus he feels very lonely during these periods. In his free time, he often feeds the chickens kept near the kitchen, particularly a black crested hen named Chernushka. One day, the cook Trinushka decided to slaughter her for dinner, but Alyosha begged her not to do it, giving the cook a gold imperial - his only jewel, which was a gift from his grandmother.

That same night, Alyosha hears Chernushka calling him in a human voice from the bedroom...

Illustrations by Gennady Spirin