I asked my father to allow me to go to the port so I could see the ship of Ivan the merchant’s son. To be honest, I was just as interested in Ivan as I was in his ship.

I took my nurses, governesses and maidservants with me, and they lingered on deck while Ivan showed me everything — the rigging, the bow and the stern. We ended up in his cabin. I was exhausted by the thrill of everything I had seen.

I told Ivan that I wished I had the freedom to go on adventures at sea. He said, “Rest for a while,” and so I stretched out on his bed. He left the cabin, and, trusting him, I fell asleep. When I woke, the ship was rocking and creaking. I ran up to the deck and saw that Ivan had set sail!

My servants were nowhere in sight. I wept by the railing. Ivan betrayed me!

He joined me on the deck, and he said he was only trying to make my dreams come true.

Trusting him, I dried my tears.

The Princess Who is Taken Aboard in Salt, Russian Fairy Tales Collected by Aleksandr Afanas’ev. Illustration by Ivan Bilibin.

Do you think that the princess should trust Ivan? Do you think it’s wise to trust someone to make your dreams come true? Have you ever been “taken for a ride?”