The Three Heads of the Well

The Three Heads of the Well

Once upon a time, long before the Knights of the Round Table, there lived a king in an English kingdom. He had a daughter, Alice, who was calm, attentive, and very kind to people.

When Alice was still young, her mother died. A few years later, the king remarried. The new queen arrived at the palace with her daughter, May.

May was not unkind by nature. She was simply used to getting the best of everything first. Her mother often whispered:

“Don’t let Alice outshine you. You must come first in everything.”

These words made May more and more jealous, and quarrels began to break out in the palace.

One morning, Alice came to her father.

“Father,” she said, “I want to leave the palace for a while. I need some time alone to see the world and discover what I really want.”

The king was sad, but agreed.

She was given a simple cloak, a bag of bread and cheese, and a bottle of water for the journey.

Alice walked through fields, groves, and green valleys. Towards evening she saw an old traveler sitting at the entrance to a cave.

“Good evening,” he said. “Are you going far?”

“I’m trying to find my own path,” Alice answered.

The old man smiled.

“And what have you in your bag?”

“Bread and cheese. Would you like to share some?”

“With pleasure.”

Alice broke the bread in half, shared her cheese, and poured the old man some water.

When they had finished their supper, he handed her a thin hazel stick.

“Ahead lies a thick blackthorn hedge. Don’t break the branches or force your way through. Tap it three times with this wand and politely ask it to let you pass.”

“And then?”

“Then you’ll find an old well. Sit beside it and don’t be afraid of what you see. If anyone asks for help, let your heart guide you.”

Alice thanked him and moved on.

Sure enough, Alice soon came to a solid wall of prickly blackthorn. She tapped the hedge with her wand once, twice, three times, and said:

“Please let me through.”

The branches rustled and slowly parted, forming a narrow path.

Behind the hedge stood a stone well, overgrown with moss. Alice sat down on the edge.

Suddenly a golden head with long wet hair rose from the water and sang softly:

“Comb my hair with gentle care,

Lay me on the moss out there,

Let the sun dry every strand,

And bring a smile across the land.”

Alice was surprised, but she was not afraid.

“All right,” she said.

A silver comb lay on the stone. Alice gently untangled the head’s golden hair and laid the head on the soft moss.

Then a second head rose from the well.

“And me?”

“You too, of course.”

Then a third appeared.

Alice tended all three heads, then sat a little way off to eat her supper.

The heads whispered softly.

“How shall we thank her?” asked the first.

“I’ll give her the gift of speaking in a way that makes people want to listen to one another,” said the second.

“And I’ll give her a calm heart, so she won’t lose her way in difficult moments,” said the third.

The first thought and added:

“My gift will be good luck on her travels, as long as she remembers to think of others.”

Alice heard these words and smiled.

“Thank you. But I’m glad I helped, even without any gifts.”

The heads disappeared into the water.

The next day Alice reached a large city. A harvest festival was taking place in the square. Near the town hall, the young king was talking to the people, listening to complaints and requests.

When her turn came, Alice told him about her journey and how people in her own palace had stopped listening to one another.

The young king listened to her carefully.

“The way you speak makes people want to think rather than argue,” he said. “Stay for the festival. We need people who can help others make peace.”

Alice stayed. First for a few days, then for a few weeks. She helped settle disputes in the market, supported the children at the palace school, and quickly became the young king’s favorite advisor.

In time they became friends. Later still, they realized they wanted to build a life together. When they decided to marry, Alice said:

“First I want to go home and make peace with my father.”

And so they did.

A great feast was held at the palace. May saw how warmly everyone greeted Alice, and envy awoke in her again.

“If she found happiness on the road, then I will too,” declared May.

Her mother gave her the finest cloak, a basket of sweet treats, and a silver bottle filled with something to drink.

May followed the same path.

The same old man was sitting by the cave.

“Good evening,” he said. “Could you spare a little bread?”

“I don’t have bread, but almonds and sweet biscuits,” answered May. “And all this is for me.”

“And a sip of water?”

“Find your own.”

The old man only sighed.

Reaching the thorn hedge, May saw a narrow opening and tried to squeeze through with force. The branches caught her cloak, the basket tipped over, and the sweets scattered into the grass.

“Stupid hedge!” she exclaimed.

Tired and angry, May reached the well.

The first golden head rose.

“Will you help me comb my hair?”

“Certainly not!”

The second asked the same thing.

“I won’t.”

Before the third could even speak, May waved an angry hand.

“Leave me alone!”

The heads disappeared into the water.

May went on, but her journey was far from easy. Those she spoke to sharply answered just as curtly. When she demanded help, no one was eager to offer it.

Finally she reached a small town. In the square sat a young shoemaker named Tom, mending children's shoes.

May was tired and confused.

“I’ve lost my way,” she grumbled.

Tom raised his head.

“Then sit down. Rest first. We’ll work it out afterward.”

He gave her a cup of warm tea and asked no questions until she was ready to speak.

For the first time in ages, May told someone the truth: she had always been afraid of coming second, had envied Alice, and had learned that fear and jealousy from her mother.

Tom listened.

“You can make a fresh start,” he said. “Not tomorrow. Today.”

May stayed in the town for a few days. She passed Tom his thread and delivered finished shoes to his customers. Slowly she noticed something strange: saying “please” and “thank you” did not make her world any smaller. Instead, people smiled back at her.

A few weeks later, May returned to the palace.

Alice met her at the gate.

“So how was your trip?”

May paused.

“Not as I imagined. But I think I found something more important than luck.”

“What exactly?”

“A way not to quarrel with the whole world.”

Alice laughed and hugged her.

At first, the old queen was indignant to see how her daughter had changed. But May no longer listened to advice about whom she ought to beat or outshine. She decided for herself what sort of person she wanted to be.

They say that May later opened a workshop in the town with Tom, where they mended shoes free of charge for children from poor families.

And people whispered about the three golden heads near the old well for a long time.

For the well neither punished nor rewarded anyone for beauty, riches, or birth.

It simply revealed what each traveler carried within them.

May this story leave a little light in your heart ✨