The Little Brother and Sister

THERE was once a little Brother who took his Sister by the hand and said: “Since our own dear mother’s death we have not had one happy hour; our stepmother beats us every day, and, if we come near her, kicks us away with her foot. Our food is the hard crusts of bread which are left, and even the dog under the table fares better than we, for he often gets a nice morsel. Come, let us wander forth into the wide world.” So the whole day long they traveled over meadows, fields, and stony roads, and when it rained the Sister said, “It is Heaven crying in sympathy.” By evening they came into a large forest, and were so wearied with grief, hunger, and their long walk that they laid themselves down in a hollow tree and went to sleep. When they awoke the next morning the sun had already risen high in the heavens, and its beams made the tree so hot that the little boy said to his Sister, “I am so thirsty; if I knew where there was a brook I would go and drink. Ah, I think I hear one running”; and so saying he got up, and taking his Sister’s hand they went in search of the brook.

The wicked stepmother, however, was a witch, and had witnessed the departure of the two children; so sneaking after them secretly, as is the habit of witches, she had enchanted all the springs in the forest.

Presently they found a brook which ran trippingly over the pebbles, and the Brother would have drunk out of it, but the Sister heard how it said as it ran along, “Who drinks of me will become a tiger!” So the Sister exclaimed: “I pray you, Brother, drink not, or you will become a tiger and tear me to pieces!” So the Brother did not drink, although his thirst was so great, and he said, “I will wait till the next brook.” As they came to the second the Sister heard it say, “Who drinks of me becomes a wolf!” The Sister ran up crying: “Brother, do not, pray do not, drink, or you will become a wolf and eat me up!” Then the Brother did not drink, saying: “I will wait until we come to the next spring, but then I must drink, you may say what you will; my thirst is much too great.” Just as they reached the third brook the Sister heard the voice saying: “Who drinks of me will become a fawn—who drinks of me will become a fawn!” So the Sister said: “Oh, my Brother! do not drink, or you will be changed to a fawn and run away from me!” But he had already kneeled down and drank of the water, and, as the first drops passed his lips, his shape became that of a fawn.

At first the Sister cried over her little changed Brother, and he wept too, and knelt by her very sorrowful; but at last the maiden said, “Be still, dear little Fawn, and I will never forsake you”; and, undoing her golden garter, she put it around his neck, and weaving rushes made a white girdle to lead him with. This she tied to him, and, taking the other end in her hand she led him away, and they traveled deeper and deeper into the forest. After they had walked a long distance they came to a little hut, and the maiden, peeping in, found it empty, and thought, “Here we can stay and dwell.” Then she looked for leaves and moss to make a soft couch for the Fawn, and every morning she went out and collected roots and berries and nuts for herself and tender grass for the Fawn, which he ate out of her hand, and played happily around her. In the evening, when the Sister was tired and had said her prayers, she laid her head upon the back of the Fawn, which served for a pillow, on which she slept soundly. Had but the Brother regained his own proper form, their life would have been happy indeed.