Read this story and do the activites:
A mother had two daughters, her real daughter and a stepdaughter. The step daughter was pretty and kind, but the real daughter was ugly and mean.
One day the step daughter went into the garden to draw water from the well. As she looked down into the water, she saw two little man dancing and prancing. She picked two apples from the apple tree and threw them into the well.
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| Each of the men caught one apple and was very happy. "How can we reward you, pretty girl? " they called up. But Stepdaughter would not even hear of any reward. She drew up the pail full of water and went back to the house. As soon as she stepped inside, Realdaughter exclaimed: "Oh, what golden hair you have! Where did you get it? "Stepdaughter told about the two men in the well. The stepmother told realdaughter to hurry up and go to the well so she too would get golden hair. |
The girl went and saw two little men. So realdaughter picked up two stones and threw them down, not looking to see where they might fall.
The men shouted, "Hope you grow on owl`s tail on your forehead!"
But realdaughter did not listen and ran straight to the house. As soon as she opened the door, her mother cried, "Your sister lied to you! You have an owl`s tail hanging from your forehead!"
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| From then on, both the mother and daughter hated poor Stepdaughter for her golden hair.Fortunately Stepdaughter had a brother who was a rich nobleman`s servant, and he had heard about sister`s golden hair and about the way she was treated. He wanted to help and see her. His master noticed that his servant was unhappy and wanted to know what was wrong. |
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The brother told about his pretty sister.
The nobleman said
" Order the coachman to go and bring her here. If she is as beautiful as you say, I will marry her, I love blondes! "
The coachman drove to the house. But the stepmother refused to agree. " I`ll let the one go if you take the other as well, " she said. The coachman could do nothing but take both girls.
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On the road, Stepdaughter felt sick, her head hurt badly.
"Don`t worry, " said the Stepsister, " when we cross the bridge, just bend over the edge of the carriage and stare at the water. All your pain will be gone in on time."
The trusting girl did it, but her mean sister stood up and pushed her over the edge. She fell into the river and was left behind. The coachman noticed nothing until he reached his master`s house.
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| When the master saw a girl with an owl`s tail hanging down her face, he was so furious that he ordered:" Cement her brother, the liar, in a brick wall! " And so the good servant, extremely distressed and anxious about what had happened to his lovely sister, was locked up in the cellar. |
 | But the next day the master`s cook noticed that a golden duckling was flying around inside the kitchen chimney.He wanted to catch her, but did not do it. The duckling called out, "Oh, my golden haired brother, how badly they treat you in prison!" And the she flew away. |
| The next day the golden duckling came again, saying the same words. Finally the cook caught her and took her to his master.The master started petting her, when he squeezed her very hard, she turned into the same beautiful maiden we named Stepdaughter. She told him all that had happened to her..... all that Owltail and her stepmother had done to her. |
| The master ordered to release his servant from prison.The master, seeing how good and faithful a servant he had, knew that it was time for just rewards and punishments. So he promoted his servant to overseer of the manor. |  |
Then he asked the Realdaughter
" Tell me how to punish someone who would drown another person?"
Without thinking, Owltail answered:" Such a person should be dead."
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"All right," the master said.
" You have chosen your own punishment."
Once the horrors were past, the master and the golden haired orphan were married and lived happily for a long time.
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