There was a woman who had three daughters, the eldest of whom was called One-Eye, because she had only one eye in the middle of her forehead, and the middle one, Two-Eyes, because she had two eyes like other people, and the youngest Three-Eyes, because she had three eyes, and the third was also in the middle of her forehead. But because Two-Eyes looked no different from other human children, the sisters and the mother did not like her. They said to him, "You too your two eyes are no better than the common people, you are not of ours.” They kicked it about and threw bad clothes at it and gave it no more to eat than what they left, and hurt its heart wherever they could.
It so happened that Two-eyes had to go out into the field and look after the goat, but was still very hungry because his sisters had given him so little to eat. Then it sat down on a ledge and began to weep, and wept so much that two streams flowed from its eyes. And when she looked up in her misery, a woman stood beside her and asked, "Two-eyes, why are you crying?" Two-eyes answered, "shall I not cry? Because I have two eyes like other people, my sisters and my mother don't like me, they push me from one corner to the other, throw old clothes at me and give me nothing to eat but what they leave over. Today they have given me so little that I am still quite hungry." Said the wise woman, "Two-eyes, dry your face, I want to say something to you, that you should not go hungry any more. Speak only to your goat
"Kid, meck,
little table, deck,"
then there will be a neatly laid table in front of you and the most beautiful food on it, so that you can eat as much as you like. And when you are full and no longer need the little table, just speak
"Kid, meck,
little table, away,"
then it will disappear before your eyes.” Then the wise woman went away. Two-eyes, however, thought, "I must try right away whether what she said is true, for I am very hungry," and spoke
"Kid, meck,
little table, deck,"
and she had hardly spoken the words when there was a little table covered with a white cloth, on it a plate with a knife and fork and a silver spoon, the most beautiful dishes were lying around, smoking and still warm, as if they had just come from the kitchen came. Then Little Two-Eyes said the shortest prayer she knew, "Lord God, be our guest at all times, Amen," reached out and savored it. And when it was full, it spoke, as the wise woman had taught,
"Kid, meck,
Little table, gone."
The little table and everything that was on it soon disappeared. "That's a nice household," thought Little Two-Eyes and was very happy and in good spirits.
In the evening, when she came home with her goat, she found an earthenware bowl with food that the sisters had put in front of her, but she didn't touch anything. The next day he went out again with his goat and left the few crumbs that were handed to him. The first time and the second time the sisters didn't notice it at all, but as it happened every time, they noticed and said, "It's not right with the two-eyes, it leaves the food every time and has eaten up everything else that was given to it: that must have found other ways.” But in order that they would discover the truth, One-eye should go with them when Two-eyes drove the goat out to pasture, and should see what he was doing there and whether anyone brought him anything to eat or drink.
When Two-eyes got up again, One-eye came up to him and said, "I want to go into the field and see that the goat is well looked after and driven into the fodder." But Two-eyes noticed what One-eye was up to and drove the goat out into the high grass and said, "Come on, One-eye, let's sit down, I want to sing something to you." One-eye sat down and was tired from the unaccustomed way and from the sun's heat, and Two-eyes always sang
"One-eye, are you awake?
One-eye, are you sleeping?”
Then One-eye closed one eye and fell asleep. And when Two-eyes saw that One-eye was sound asleep and could tell nothing, it spoke
"Kid, meck,
little table, deck,"
and sat down at his little table and ate and drank until he was full, then he called again
"Kid, meck,
little table, away,"
and everything was gone in an instant. Two-eyes now woke up One-eye and said, "One-eye, you want to tend and fall asleep doing it, meanwhile the goat could have run into the whole world; Come on, let's go home." So they went home, and Two-eyes again left his little bowl untouched, and One-eye couldn't tell her mother why she didn't want to eat and said as an excuse, "I fell asleep outside."
The next day the mother said to Little Three-Eyes, "This time you should go with her and see if Two-Eyes eats outside and if anyone brings him food and drink, because she has to eat and drink secretly." Three-Eyes went up to Little Two-Eyes and said, "I want to go with you and see if the goat is being looked after properly and driven into the fodder.” But Little Two-eyes noticed what Three-eyes had in mind and drove the goat out into the tall grass and said, “Let’s sit down there, Little Three-eyes, I want to sing something to you.” Little Three-eyes sat down and was tired from the walk and the heat of the sun, and Little Two-Eyes resumed the previous little song and sang
"Three eyes, are you awake?"
But instead of having to sing
"Three eyes, are you sleeping?"
sang it inadvertently
"Two-Eyes, are you sleeping?"
and always sang
"Three eyes, are you awake?
Two-eyes, are you sleeping?”
Then the two eyes of the little three eyes fell shut and fell asleep, but the third, because it was not addressed by the saying, did not fall asleep. It is true that she closed Three-Eyes, but only out of cunning, as if she were sleeping with them too: but she blinked and could see everything quite well. And when Two-Eyes meant Three-Eyes was fast asleep, it said his saying
"Kid, meck,
little table, deck,"
ate and drank to his heart's content and then told the little table to go away again,
"Kid, meck,
little table, away,"
and Three-eyes had seen everything. Then Two-eyes came to him, woke him up and said, "Oh, Three-eyes, have you fallen asleep? You are good at guarding! Come on, let's go home." And when they got home, Two-eyes didn't eat again, and Three-eyes said to the mother, "I now know why the haughty thing doesn't eat: when she talks to the goat outside
"Kid, meck,
little table, deck,"
there is a small table in front of her, it is set with the best food, much better than we have here: and when she is full, she speaks
"Kid, meck,
little table, away,"
and everything is gone again; I watched everything carefully. She put two of my eyes to sleep with a little saying, but fortunately the one on my forehead stayed awake.” Then the envious mother called out, “do you want it better than we do? You shall lose your desire!” She got a butcher's knife and thrust it into the goat's heart, so that it fell dead.
When Two-eyes saw this, she went out full of sorrow, sat down on the edge of the field, and cried her bitter tears. Suddenly the wise woman stood next to him again and said, "Two-eyes, why are you crying?", was stabbed to death by my mother; Now I have to suffer hunger and sorrow again.” The wise woman said, “Two-eyes, I want to give you some good advice, ask your sisters to give you the entrails of the slaughtered goat and bury it in the ground in front of the house door, and that’s how it will be be your happiness." Then she disappeared, and Two-eyes went home and said to the sisters, "Dear sisters, please give me something from my goat, I don't ask for anything good, just give me the entrails." Then they laughed and said, "You can have it if you don't want anything else." And Two-eyes took the entrails and buried it quietly in the evening according to the advice of the wise woman in front of the front door.
The next morning, when they all woke up and went to the front door, there was a wonderful, magnificent tree that had silver leaves and golden fruits hanging between them, so that there was probably nothing more beautiful and precious in the wide world. But they did not know how the tree had gotten there that night, only Two-eyes noticed that it had grown out of the goat's entrails, for it stood exactly where it had buried them in the earth. Then the mother said to One-Eye, "Climb up, my child, and break the fruit off the tree for us." One-Eye climbed up, but when she wanted to grab one of the golden apples, the branch fell out of her hands: and that happened each time, so that she could not break a single apple, whatever she might do. Then the mother said, "Three-eyes, climb up, you can look around you better with your three eyes than One-eye." One-eye slipped down and Three-eyes climbed up. But Little Three-Eyes was no more skillful, and no matter how she looked, the golden apples always drew back. Finally the mother became impatient and climbed up herself, but she could no more grasp the fruit than One-Eye and Three-Eyes and always reached into the empty air. Then Two-eyes said, "I want to climb up, maybe I'll be able to do it sooner." The sisters cried, "You, with your two eyes, what do you want?" But Two-eyes climbed up, and the golden apples did not retreat from him, but let themselves down into his hand, so that he could pick one after the other and brought down a whole little apronful. The mother took them from him, and instead of saying that they, One-eye, and Three-eyes should have treated poor Two-eyes better, they became jealous that she could fetch the fruit on her own, and treated her even more harshly.
It so happened that once they were standing together by the tree that a young knight came up. "Quick, Little Two-Eyes," cried the two sisters, "crawl under, so that we don't have to be ashamed of you." it had broken off, including underneath. When the knight came nearer, it was a beautiful gentleman who stopped, admired the magnificent tree of gold and silver and said to the two sisters, "Who does this beautiful tree belong to? Whoever would give me a branch of it could charge whatever he wanted for it.” One-eye and Three-eyes answered that the tree belonged to them, and they probably wanted to break off a branch. They both tried very hard, but they were not able, because the branches and the fruit each time receded from them. Then the knight said, "It's amazing that the tree belongs to you and you don't have the power to break something off it." They insisted that the tree was their property. But while they were thus speaking, Two-eyes rolled out some golden apples from under the barrel, so that they ran to the knight's feet, for Two-eyes was angry that One-eye and Three-eyes did not tell the truth. When the knight saw the apples, he was amazed and asked where they came from. One-Eye and Three-Eyes replied that they had another sister, but she shouldn't show up because she only had two eyes, like other common people. But the knight demanded to see her and called out, "Two-eyes, come out." Then Two-eyes came out quite confidently from under the barrel, and the knight was amazed at his great beauty, and said, "You, Two-eyes, can certainly give me a branch of that." Break off the tree." "Yes," answered Little Two-eyes, "I want to be able to do that, for the tree belongs to me." And climbed up and, with slight effort, broke off a branch with its silver leaves and golden fruits, and handed it to the knight. Then said the knight, "Two-eyes, what shall I give you for it?" I am happy." Then the knight put Two-Eyes on his horse and brought her home to his father's castle: there he gave her beautiful clothes, food and drink to his heart's content, and because he loved her so much, he had himself blessed with her. And the wedding was celebrated with great joy.
When Two-Eyes was carried away by the handsome knight, the two sisters envied his good fortune all the more. "The wonderful tree remains for us," they thought, "even if we cannot pluck fruit from it, everyone will stop before it and come to us and praise it; who knows where our wheat still blooms!” But the next morning the tree was gone and her hope was gone. And when Two-eyes looked out at his little room, to his great joy he stood in front of it and had followed him.
Two-eyes lived happily for a long time. Once two poor women came to him at the castle and asked for alms. Then Two-eyes looked them in the face and recognized their sisters One-eye and Three-eyes, who had fallen into such poverty that they had to go about and look for their bread outside the doors. Two-eyes, however, welcomed them and did them good and cared for them, so that both of them heartily regretted what they had done to their sister when they were young.