The Dancing Water, the Singing Apple and the Speaking Bird

The Dancing Water, the Singing Apple and the Speaking Bird

Once, on the edge of a great city, there lived an herbalist. He knew where the sweetest mint grew, where thyme hid, and which flowers opened only before rain. He had three daughters. After he died, the sisters lived alone, earning their bread by spinning.

In the evenings, they worked by the open window and talked. And the king of that country had a strange habit: sometimes he would put on a simple cloak and walk around the city to hear what people were talking about.

One evening, he stopped under the window of the three sisters.

"If I were to marry the king's cook," said the eldest, "I would taste the best dishes every day."

"And I," laughed the middle one, "would rather become the king's cupbearer's wife. There would never be a lack of fun in our house on holidays."

The youngest was silent for a long time, and then said quietly:

“I would like to marry the king himself. And if we were blessed with children, I would raise them to be kind, brave, and honest.”

The king heard her words. The next day, he had the three sisters found. He helped the older two fulfil their wishes and married the youngest.

Time passed. The queen had three children: two boys and a girl. On the palms of the boys were small golden marks, like apples, and on the girl’s forehead shone a bright star.

But the queen’s older sisters had long been jealous of her happiness. When the king was away on business, they made an agreement with an unkind maid and secretly took the children away. The queen was told that the babies had fallen seriously ill and were being taken far away for treatment.

They ordered the children themselves to be left in a basket by the river, hoping that no one would find them.

The river was calm that day. The basket caught in reeds near an old gardener’s home. Hearing the babies cry, he pulled it from the water and took them in.

“I don’t know where you came from,” he said, wrapping them in warm blankets, “but from now on you are not alone.”

The gardener raised the children as his own. The brothers became strong and inquisitive, and the sister became attentive, brave and very kind. They knew that the gardener had saved them, but they knew nothing about their origin.

When they grew older, the gardener gave them a little house and garden. The brothers worked, their sister tended the flowers, and they lived happily together.

But the envious aunts once saw the young people and immediately recognized the golden signs and the star. They understood: the children were alive.

Then the same cunning maid came to the girl and said:

“What a lovely garden! A pity there’s no Dancing Water. It leaps from bowl to bowl by itself, as though dancing to music no one can hear.”

When the older brother returned home, his sister told him about the wonderful water.

“If it exists, I will find it,” he said. “Not for the sake of luxury. I just want to see such a miracle with my own eyes.”

The next morning he set off on his journey.

On the way, the brother met an old traveler with a white beard.

“Where are you going?” he asked.

“I am looking for the Dancing Water.”

“Then listen carefully. An enchanted palace stands on the mountaintop. Giants guard its gates, and lions wait inside. Take your time. Watch and listen. Let your good sense guide you, rather than fear.”

The brother thanked him and went on.

On the mountain, he found the palace. The giants’ eyes opened and closed, and so did the gates. He waited for the right moment, slipped past the guards, and waited again until the way was safe. At last he reached a hall where wonderful water splashed in a golden bowl.

It really danced: it flew up in silver arcs and returned back, without spilling a single drop.

The young man filled bottles with water and returned home safely.

Soon two bowls were placed in the garden. The Dancing Water flew between them, and its soft ringing was like the laughter of a stream.

Seeing this, the envious aunts became even more angry.

The maid came to the girl again.

“The water is wonderful,” she said. “But a real wonder garden also has a Singing Apple. It hangs on a tree and sings when the wind touches it.”

The older brother set off again. The old traveler explained to him a new test. Behind the lions was a room with large scissors that opened and closed by themselves. He had to wait for a safe moment, go further and find the tree.

The young man was in no hurry. He remembered the main advice: to look carefully.

So he reached the garden, where a single apple shone at the top of the tree. The branch swayed, not letting itself be grabbed. The brother waited until the wind died down, and carefully removed the apple.

On the way it rang softly, as if a small choir was hidden in it.

When the Singing Apple was home, the garden had changed. The Dancing Water sparkled in the sun, the apple sang, and the neighbors stopped at the gate and listened.

The maid came for the third time.

“You have the water and the apple, but you do not have the Speaking Bird. And he knows the truth about things that people cannot explain.”

This time the older brother went up the mountain again. The old traveler warned:

“The bird will try to speak to you. Don’t answer him, whatever you hear.”

The young man reached the magical garden. On the fountain sat a strange bird with shiny feathers.

“You have come at last,” he said. “Don’t you want to know who you really are? Don’t you want to hear about your mother?”

The young man forgot the warning.

“About my mother?” he blurted out.

And at that moment he froze, turning into a stone statue.

At home, the sister felt that something bad had happened. The younger brother followed, but he too could not resist answering the bird and also turned to stone.

Then the sister said:

“Now it is my turn.”

She changed into traveling clothes, climbed the mountain and listened carefully to the advice of the old traveler.

“The hardest test,” he said, “isn’t the giants, the lions, or the magic doors. It’s refusing to let someone else’s words control you.”

The girl entered the garden.

The bird immediately spoke:

“Your brothers are here. Your mother is suffering. Your aunts are rejoicing. Don’t you have anything to say?”

The girl pursed her lips and was silent.

The bird spoke for a long time, but she did not answer with a single word. When he finally fell silent, the girl carefully took him in her arms. Then she found magic water, touched the stone figures with it - and the brothers came to life. Other travelers who had once been deceived by the bird also came to life with them.

The three returned home with more than a wonder: they brought answers.

The Speaking Bird told them the truth. They were the children of the king and queen, and their mother had spent years not knowing they were alive.

Soon the king returned to the capital. He heard about the unusual garden where the water dances, the apple sings, and the bird talks, and he came to see everything for himself.

When he saw two young men with gold marks on their palms and a girl with a star on her forehead, his heart skipped a beat.

“Why do I think I know you?” he whispered.

Then the Speaking Bird told the whole story.

The king ordered the queen to be brought immediately. When the mother saw the children, she could not believe it at first. And then she recognized them, not by the gold marks and not by the star, but by that strange feeling that sometimes only the heart knows.

They stood for a long time, hugging each other.

The envious sisters had to leave the palace and could no longer decide the fate of others. And the old maid confessed to the deception and left the royal service.

The children invited the gardener who had once saved them from the river to the palace.

“You gave us a home when we had nothing,” they said. “Now there will always be a place for you in our house.”

In the royal garden they placed two golden bowls. Between them, day and night, the Dancing Water flew. On a silver branch hung the Singing Apple. And the Speaking Bird settled not in a cage, but on a tree, from where he could fly wherever he pleased.

And when someone asked which of the three wonders was the most valuable, the sister answered:

“None of the three. The greatest treasure is the truth we found together.”

May this story leave a little light in your heart ✨