Once there was a little brother and a little sister who loved each other with all their hearts. They lived in a big house with their father and a stepmother. Their real mother had died long ago, and they often thought of her with love. The stepmother was not gentle and did not understand the children well. She was often cross and liked to use little tricks and secret magic instead of kind words.
One sunny day the children ran outside to play with other boys and girls in a wide green meadow beside their house. In the middle of the meadow there was a round, shining pond. The water was clear and still, and the sky and clouds were reflected in it. The children joined hands and made a circle near the pond. They laughed, skipped, and played a counting game. In the game they spoke about a bird, some straw, a cow, milk, a cake, a cat, and tiny mice, and at the end they called out the word snow. The child who heard the last word snow had to run away, while all the others ran after and tried to gently catch him. The little brother and little sister laughed louder than anyone, because they were so happy to play together.
While they played, the stepmother watched them from the window. Instead of being glad that the children were joyful, she felt cold and grumpy in her heart. She began to mutter to herself and to think of unkind magic. She knew a little about strange spells and decided to use them. As the little brother and little sister ran past the pond, there was a soft, glittering change, like a shimmer in the air. The stepmother had whispered a spell. In a moment the little brother became a shiny little fish in the pond, and the little sister became a soft, white lamb in the meadow.
The fish had bright eyes and a silver tail. The lambkin had curly wool and gentle feet. At first they did not know what had happened. Then they felt very lonely and sad. The little fish swam in slow circles in the pond and wished for his sister. The lambkin walked up and down the edge of the meadow and wished for her brother. She missed holding his hand. She did not want to eat even the freshest grass. Time passed. The days turned into weeks, and the weeks into months. Still the lambkin walked in the meadow and the little fish swam in the pond. They could see each other from far away but did not know how to break the spell.
One day some visitors came to the big house. The stepmother wanted to make a fine dinner for them. She thought to herself, this is my chance to send the lambkin away, and no one will ever know. She called the cook and said in a sharp voice that he should bring the lamb from the meadow and get it ready for the feast, because there was nothing else special in the house. The kind cook went out to the meadow. He had always liked the little lamb, because it was so gentle and calm. Still, he did as he was told. He took the lambkin by a soft rope and led it carefully to the kitchen. The lambkin walked quietly beside him. She trusted him and did not pull away. Near the kitchen there was a little place where water from the pond ran along a stone channel. As the cook led the lamb past it, the little fish swam there, close to the wall. He had followed the lamb all the way from the meadow in the cool water, because he did not want to leave his dear sister.
When the cook brought the lambkin to the kitchen door, he stopped for a moment to think. He did not like the stepmother’s hard voice. While he stood there, the lambkin looked down and saw the little fish in the clear water. At that moment both of them remembered each other and understood. The lambkin called softly down to the water, dear brother in the pond so deep, my heart is sad and full of tears. The cook is taking me away, and I am filled with many fears. The little fish lifted his head and answered, dear sister on the meadow bright, my heart is sad and wishes you near. I swim and swim in this deep pond and wish that you were safely here. When the cook heard the lamb and the fish speak, he was amazed. He knew at once that this was not a simple lamb and not an ordinary fish. He felt that there was magic and a story behind them. His kind heart told him that someone had done a wrong thing to these two. He bent down and said gently to the lambkin, do not be afraid. I will not let anyone harm you. The cook went back to the big house and quietly chose another dish for the visitors, one that did not trouble his heart. Then he took the lambkin far away to a little village at the edge of a great forest. There lived a good peasant woman who had once been the children’s nurse when they were very small. She had loved them like her own. The cook told the peasant woman everything he had heard and seen: how the lamb had spoken to a fish, and how the fish had spoken back, and how sad their hearts had sounded. The woman’s eyes grew wide and then filled with gentle tears. She said, I think I know who this little lamb truly is. She thanked the cook, stroked the lamb’s soft head, and promised to take care of it. The peasant woman also went to the edge of the pond and watched the little fish swim in slow circles. She remembered the children she had once held in her arms and felt sure that the lamb and the fish were really the lost brother and sister. Not far from the village there lived a wise woman in a small, neat house in the forest. People came to her for good advice and kind help. The peasant woman took the lambkin to the wise woman and told her the whole story. The wise woman listened carefully and then nodded slowly. She asked the peasant to bring some clear water from the pond in a little bowl, so that the fish could be near as well. When the fish was brought in the bowl and placed beside the lambkin, the wise woman folded her hands and spoke gentle, loving words over them. She blessed them with peace, with courage, and with the wish to be together again. Then she touched the lamb’s wool and the fish’s back with her warm hand. There was a soft light, like the glow of the evening sun. In a moment the lambkin and the little fish were gone, and in their place stood a small boy and a small girl, holding hands and smiling with happy tears. They were the little brother and the little sister once more. The peasant woman hugged them both and thanked the wise woman again and again. The brother and sister felt safe and loved. They did not want to go back to the house where the stepmother lived. The wise woman understood this very well. She said, you shall stay here with us, close to the forest and close to kind hearts. Together they built a tiny, cozy hut in a sunny place among the trees. The peasant woman lived there with the children and cared for them as if they were her own. The wise woman visited often and taught them gentle songs and good stories. The little brother and little sister were never turned into a fish and a lamb again. They played together in the forest, watched the real lambs in the meadow and the real fish in the streams, and always remembered to be kind and thankful. They grew up happy and strong, and their hearts stayed full of love for each other all their lives.
