The Different Sisters
Once upon a time there lived two girls who lived together in a big city. The first one, who was called, Anna, was as beautiful as the flowers and everyone praised her beauty. The second one, who was called, Mina, was so ugly, that no one wanted to marry her. But Mina was married to a man who was almost as ugly as her. Now this ugly man was very rich, so Mina did not have to do any work. Mina soon grew very lazy, and she thought that she was the one with lots and lots of gold. And day by day, day by day, Mina grew more and more evil, and she became jealous of the other girl, who was her sister.
Meanwhile, Anna was as good as she was beautiful. She was very poor, but she worked all day hoping to earn some more money. And whenever some poor people came for some food, Anna would not only give them crumbs, but also her lunch. She was not yet married. One day, Anna came to Mina to ask for some gold. She did not even have one gold coin. She was not able to get food. She had not eaten for three days. But instead of welcoming Anna and giving her a good meal, Mina only pushed her out and told her never to come back. Anna began to cry, for she was very hungry. She sat down by a big rock.
As she was weeping, a beautiful woman, dressed all in white, appeared before Anna. ‘’Why are you so sad?’’ asked the woman. Anna looked up. She was afraid. She did not even know this woman. ‘’Who are you?’’ asked Anna. ‘’Do not ask me who I am.’’ ‘’Right now, just tell me why you are so sad.’’ Now when Anna’s mother was alive, she had told Anna never to speak to strangers. But the woman spoke in a gentle voice, so Anna said, ‘’I am a very poor girl.’’ ‘’I was very hungry, so I asked my sister Mina to give me some food.’’ ‘’But my sister did not give me anything.’’ ‘’I have not eaten for three whole days, and I am very hungry.’’ So the beautiful woman said, ‘’In that case, I will give you some food.’’ ‘’But you must earn it.’’ ‘’You shall come to my house, and you shall stay with me for three days.’’ ‘’You must work for me, and if you will work faithfully, then I will give you a very, very, very good meal to eat.’’ ‘’I will try my best to please you,’’ said Anna. So Anna came to the woman’s house. And what a home! Everything was white, and as the sun glowed, the white furniture sparkled like silver.
Inside, the woman said, ‘’Now my girl, I am very tired and I wish to sleep.’’ Then the woman fell asleep. As soon as the woman went to bed, Anna got to work. First, she picked up a broom to clean the kitchen. When the kitchen was all clean, Anna picked up a mop to sweep the house. She even picked up the little spiders and put them outside gently. Then Anna went into the kitchen to make the food. She baked the bread, cut the vegetables, stirred the stew, and cooked the meat. Then she cleaned the stove, and fetched some more wood. Then Anna went to the well to fetch some water. Since there was so much more time, Anna found some clothes to wash.
She took them to the lake, and washed them until they were all clean. Then she dried the clothes. She was still bored, so she wove a pair of socks. She even had time to weave three dresses for the woman to wear. Finally, the woman woke up. Anna gave her the socks and the dresses. Then Anna showed her the house, which was very clean. Not only had Anna done what she was told to do, but she had also done extra work. Then the woman and Anna sat down for supper. Anna had made the food so good, that the woman and Anna were finished in no time. That night, Anna was only given a straw mat to sleep on, while the woman slept on the bed. But Anna did not complain. She slept as happily as she would have on a bed. Anna stayed like this for three whole days. At the time the sun was beginning to set on the third day, the woman called Anna and said, ‘’Come, I will give you the best meal in your life.’’ Anna sat down for supper with the woman. And so much food! There was cheese, bread, stew, meat, fruit, vegetables, milk, water, and juice. For the first time in her whole life, Anna enjoyed a good meal. When the meal was over, Anna said, ‘’Thank you my kind woman.’’ ‘’May God bless you in your whole life.’’ But just as Anna was about to leave, the woman said, ‘’Anna, just giving you a small meal is not enough to pay you for your work.’’ The woman gave Anna a big pot of gold, and a small pot of silver and copper. And with them, the woman gave Anna a small diamond clip. ‘’Take the gold, silver, and copper, and as for the diamond clip, you can pin it on your scarf to remember me always.’’
So Anna took the pots, pinned the diamond on her scarf, thanked the woman, and went through the door. When she got home, she sold the silver and the copper for a big, beautiful, charming house. Anna soon became very rich. Now the prince of that city saw this, and he also saw that Anna was very kind. So Anna and the prince were married. Before at least ten months, Anna and the prince had a boy and a girl. When the kids were about seven years of age, Mina found out that Anna was married to the prince, and they had children as well.
Mina was so upset at hearing this, that she swore she would not eat or drink until she had made the prince marry her, and Anna marry her own husband. One day, Mina sat down beside the very rock her sister had sat on. She pretended to weep. The woman in white appeared before her. The woman asked, ‘’Why are you weeping dear girl?’’ Mina said, ‘’How dare you ask me that!’’ ‘’Can’t you see that I am starving?’’ The woman said, ‘’Well then, I will give you some food.’’ ‘’But to earn it, you have to stay at my house and work for me for three whole days.’’ ‘’Do you know what you are saying?’’ ‘’Of course I won’t stay in a nasty woman’s home for three whole days,’’ said Mina. ‘’Then you will not get food,’’ said the woman. Now Mina hated doing work, but she wanted the pots of gold, the diamond clip, and the prince. So Mina agreed.
She came to the woman’s house. ‘’I will take a nap now,’’ said the woman. But as soon as the woman was asleep, Mina got into a bed, and fell asleep too. When the woman woke up, nothing was ready. So while Mina slept, the woman cleaned the house, made the food, put the spiders outside, washed the clothes, fetched the wood, fetched water from the well, and wove a pair of socks for Mina to wear. When Mina woke up, she sat down for supper without even waiting for the woman. She was done before the woman. So Mina crawled into the woman’s bed, and fell asleep. The woman had to sleep on the straw mat. Mina lived like this for three days. When the three days were done, the woman called Mina, gave her a pot of gold, a diamond clip, and sent her away. Mina was so happy that she did not even stop to thank the woman. She ran straight to the palace. But before Mina got there, fire exploded out of the pot. The gold coins all burned up, and the diamond clip turned into a big stick which beat Mina until blood came out. After that, the fire killed Mina. So Anna, the prince, and their children lived happily ever after. THE END
Meanwhile, Anna was as good as she was beautiful. She was very poor, but she worked all day hoping to earn some more money. And whenever some poor people came for some food, Anna would not only give them crumbs, but also her lunch. She was not yet married. One day, Anna came to Mina to ask for some gold. She did not even have one gold coin. She was not able to get food. She had not eaten for three days. But instead of welcoming Anna and giving her a good meal, Mina only pushed her out and told her never to come back. Anna began to cry, for she was very hungry. She sat down by a big rock.
As she was weeping, a beautiful woman, dressed all in white, appeared before Anna. ‘’Why are you so sad?’’ asked the woman. Anna looked up. She was afraid. She did not even know this woman. ‘’Who are you?’’ asked Anna. ‘’Do not ask me who I am.’’ ‘’Right now, just tell me why you are so sad.’’ Now when Anna’s mother was alive, she had told Anna never to speak to strangers. But the woman spoke in a gentle voice, so Anna said, ‘’I am a very poor girl.’’ ‘’I was very hungry, so I asked my sister Mina to give me some food.’’ ‘’But my sister did not give me anything.’’ ‘’I have not eaten for three whole days, and I am very hungry.’’ So the beautiful woman said, ‘’In that case, I will give you some food.’’ ‘’But you must earn it.’’ ‘’You shall come to my house, and you shall stay with me for three days.’’ ‘’You must work for me, and if you will work faithfully, then I will give you a very, very, very good meal to eat.’’ ‘’I will try my best to please you,’’ said Anna. So Anna came to the woman’s house. And what a home! Everything was white, and as the sun glowed, the white furniture sparkled like silver.
Inside, the woman said, ‘’Now my girl, I am very tired and I wish to sleep.’’ Then the woman fell asleep. As soon as the woman went to bed, Anna got to work. First, she picked up a broom to clean the kitchen. When the kitchen was all clean, Anna picked up a mop to sweep the house. She even picked up the little spiders and put them outside gently. Then Anna went into the kitchen to make the food. She baked the bread, cut the vegetables, stirred the stew, and cooked the meat. Then she cleaned the stove, and fetched some more wood. Then Anna went to the well to fetch some water. Since there was so much more time, Anna found some clothes to wash.
She took them to the lake, and washed them until they were all clean. Then she dried the clothes. She was still bored, so she wove a pair of socks. She even had time to weave three dresses for the woman to wear. Finally, the woman woke up. Anna gave her the socks and the dresses. Then Anna showed her the house, which was very clean. Not only had Anna done what she was told to do, but she had also done extra work. Then the woman and Anna sat down for supper. Anna had made the food so good, that the woman and Anna were finished in no time. That night, Anna was only given a straw mat to sleep on, while the woman slept on the bed. But Anna did not complain. She slept as happily as she would have on a bed. Anna stayed like this for three whole days. At the time the sun was beginning to set on the third day, the woman called Anna and said, ‘’Come, I will give you the best meal in your life.’’ Anna sat down for supper with the woman. And so much food! There was cheese, bread, stew, meat, fruit, vegetables, milk, water, and juice. For the first time in her whole life, Anna enjoyed a good meal. When the meal was over, Anna said, ‘’Thank you my kind woman.’’ ‘’May God bless you in your whole life.’’ But just as Anna was about to leave, the woman said, ‘’Anna, just giving you a small meal is not enough to pay you for your work.’’ The woman gave Anna a big pot of gold, and a small pot of silver and copper. And with them, the woman gave Anna a small diamond clip. ‘’Take the gold, silver, and copper, and as for the diamond clip, you can pin it on your scarf to remember me always.’’
So Anna took the pots, pinned the diamond on her scarf, thanked the woman, and went through the door. When she got home, she sold the silver and the copper for a big, beautiful, charming house. Anna soon became very rich. Now the prince of that city saw this, and he also saw that Anna was very kind. So Anna and the prince were married. Before at least ten months, Anna and the prince had a boy and a girl. When the kids were about seven years of age, Mina found out that Anna was married to the prince, and they had children as well.
Mina was so upset at hearing this, that she swore she would not eat or drink until she had made the prince marry her, and Anna marry her own husband. One day, Mina sat down beside the very rock her sister had sat on. She pretended to weep. The woman in white appeared before her. The woman asked, ‘’Why are you weeping dear girl?’’ Mina said, ‘’How dare you ask me that!’’ ‘’Can’t you see that I am starving?’’ The woman said, ‘’Well then, I will give you some food.’’ ‘’But to earn it, you have to stay at my house and work for me for three whole days.’’ ‘’Do you know what you are saying?’’ ‘’Of course I won’t stay in a nasty woman’s home for three whole days,’’ said Mina. ‘’Then you will not get food,’’ said the woman. Now Mina hated doing work, but she wanted the pots of gold, the diamond clip, and the prince. So Mina agreed.
She came to the woman’s house. ‘’I will take a nap now,’’ said the woman. But as soon as the woman was asleep, Mina got into a bed, and fell asleep too. When the woman woke up, nothing was ready. So while Mina slept, the woman cleaned the house, made the food, put the spiders outside, washed the clothes, fetched the wood, fetched water from the well, and wove a pair of socks for Mina to wear. When Mina woke up, she sat down for supper without even waiting for the woman. She was done before the woman. So Mina crawled into the woman’s bed, and fell asleep. The woman had to sleep on the straw mat. Mina lived like this for three days. When the three days were done, the woman called Mina, gave her a pot of gold, a diamond clip, and sent her away. Mina was so happy that she did not even stop to thank the woman. She ran straight to the palace. But before Mina got there, fire exploded out of the pot. The gold coins all burned up, and the diamond clip turned into a big stick which beat Mina until blood came out. After that, the fire killed Mina. So Anna, the prince, and their children lived happily ever after. THE END