In a wooden cottage at the edge of a village, there once lived a widow with her two daughters. The elder daughter was haughty and cunning, while the younger one took after her kind and goodhearted late father. Their mother loved the elder daughter much more because they were both of a similar nature. They forced the younger daughter to do all the dirty chores around the house. Together they spent their days lazing around, mocking their “maid”, and treating her with spite. The younger daughter also had to do one of the most difficult duties – going to fetch water from a well, which was far away at the edge of the forest.
One day, as the girl was drawing water from the well, a poor woman came up and asked for a sip from the jug. The good-hearted daughter didn’t hesitate for a moment and gladly offered the woman some water. When the old lady had quenched her thirst, she decided to repay the girl.
“I’ve never met such a kind and humble lassie before. You should know that I’m not the kind of granny you may think I am. I’m a fairy, and I’ll reward you with this: From this day forth, with every word you say, a gem will fall from your mouth.”
Upon the girl’s return home, her mother scolded her for coming late: “What took you so long? We had no water to cook the stew with because of you.”
“Forgive me, mother, I am late indeed,” said the poor and scared daughter. But as soon as she uttered these words, a diamond fell from her lips.
When the mother saw the stone, her frown melted away and a wide smile appeared on her face. “Where did you get this treasure, sweetie?”…
