Brother and Sister
A Grimm’s Fairtytale
Once there was a young man. He had a sister. Their poor mother died. Instead of their kind mother, they had a step-mother. She was unkind and cruel to the brother and sister. The brother said, “Sister, let’s run away. Our step-mother is very unkind. She hits us and gives us little food. Please run away with me into the woods.”
So they ran away. But the step-mother was a witch. She enchanted the lake with a magic spell.
“I am very thirsty,” said the brother. He touched the water to his lips and immediately he turned into a deer. “Oh no, my poor brother!” cried the sister. Her brother was a deer!
The brother and sister walked and walked. They were thirsty and tired. The girl was crying because her brother was a deer. She smiled suddenly when she saw a little house. Nobody lived in the house. It was the perfect place to live, far from the cruel self-mother.
So the brother and sister lived inside. The sister found grass for the deer, her brother. She ate berries from the woods.
But the woods belonged to the king. One day, the king arrived with a large hunting party. There was a loud sound of a horn. The sound blasted all through the woods. Hunters started to look for animals for the king’s dinner. The little deer heard the trumpet and was very scared. He could not stop his need to run. By instinct, he jumped and ran out the door into the woods. The girl was terrified for her poor brother. She immediately ran out the door. “Come back!” yelled the girl. “Come back!” But the deer was too fast. The king heard a girl’s voice but could not see her.
The deer was too fast for all the hunters. He returned to the house that night. He knocked on the door and said, “Sister, open the door.” “Oh, my brother, I was terrified for you! Do not run out again, or you will be in great danger.”
Some hunters saw the strange scene and reported to the king. The hunters said, “Your Majesty, there is a magic deer who speaks. The magic deer said, ‘Sister, open the door.’ Then, a beautiful girl opened the door for the deer.”
The king was amazed, but he ordered, “Do not hurt that deer. Sound the horn and chase the deer, but it must live and return to that house.”
So the next day, the horn sounded again. The deer could not control his fear, and he ran immediately. Again, the girl ran and yelled, “Come back!” But the deer was too fast. The deer ran and ran all day. The night came and the little deer returned to the house.
He knocked on the door and said, “Sister, open the door.” But the deer and the sister did not know that the hunters and the king were watching. “My Brother! I was so scared, I could not help but cry all day. I would die alone if you did not come back. Please come into the house and do not run out again.”
The king was amazed. He had never seen a talking deer. He had never seen such a beautiful girl, with such sad eyes. But he had never seen such compassion for a brother.
The next day, the king ordered, “Do not hurt that deer. Sound the horn again. Chase the deer again, but chase it in a different direction, away from the house.” The hunters obeyed the order.
The horns blasted so loudly, the deer was terrified. He was still an animal, with animal instincts. He could not stop his legs from running. The sister was devastated. “No! Come back!” she yelled. But again the deer was too fast.
Then, the king approached to comfort the girl. He knocked on the door. He was afraid to scare her, so he said, “Sister, open the door.” Immediately, the girl opened the door. The king saw the girl and the girl saw the king. “Do not be scared, I have ordered the hunters not to hurt your brother.” “Thank you, I was so scared for my brother,” said the beautiful girl. The girl told the king about the terrible step-mother and the enchanted lake. The king was sad to think that this beautiful girl and her brother were alone. He asked, “Will you return to my castle? I will protect you and your brother. You will never want for anything.”
The girl smiled and said yes. The girl, the king, and her brother returned to the castle. The girl and the king quickly fell in love and lived together in the castle. The cruel step-mother heard the news. She was furious; her heart was full of so much hate, she collapsed and died. The minute she died, the brother was free. The spell was over and the brother returned to his original form. He was not a deer, but a handsome man. He lived with his sister, the queen, and her beloved king for the rest of their lives.
The End