One-Eye, Two-Eyes, and Three-Eyes

In a cottage at the edge of a small village lived a most unusual family - a mother and her three daughters, each of whom had been born with a remarkable and mysterious difference.

The Three Unusual Sisters

The eldest daughter, Adelheid, had been born with only one eye in the center of her forehead, and she was called One-Eye. The youngest daughter, Brunhild, had been born with three eyes - two in the normal places and a third in the center of her forehead, and she was called Three-Eyes.

But the middle daughter, Margarete, appeared perfectly ordinary with two eyes like most people, and she was called Two-Eyes. Strangely, in this family where being different was normal, it was Two-Eyes who was considered odd and was treated as an outcast.

The Unkind Treatment

One-Eye and Three-Eyes, along with their mother, believed that they were special and superior because of their unusual appearance. They treated Two-Eyes as a servant, forcing her to do all the hardest work while they lived in comfort.

“You look just like common people,” One-Eye would sneer. “You’re nothing special at all. You should be grateful we let you live in our house.”

Three-Eyes was equally cruel. “With your ordinary eyes, you can’t see as much as we can. You’re practically blind compared to us!”

Two-Eyes was given the poorest food, the worst clothes, and was made to sleep in the coldest part of the house. Despite this treatment, she remained kind and gentle, never responding to her family’s cruelty with meanness of her own.

The Mysterious Goat

Each day, Two-Eyes was sent to watch the family’s old goat as it grazed in the fields. She was given only dry bread and water for her meals, while her sisters and mother ate fine food at home.

One day, while Two-Eyes sat sadly by the grazing goat, wishing she had something more to eat, an old woman appeared as if from nowhere.

“Why do you look so sad, child?” asked the old woman kindly.

Two-Eyes told her about her life with her family, and how she was always hungry and lonely. The old woman listened with compassion and said, “I can help you, but you must promise to keep this secret.”

The Magic Table

“Say these words to your goat,” the old woman instructed: “Little goat, bleat! Little table, appear!” Two-Eyes repeated the magic words, and immediately a small table appeared, set with the most delicious food she had ever seen.

“When you have finished eating,” the old woman continued, “say ‘Little goat, bleat! Little table, away!’ and everything will disappear. But remember - this must remain our secret.”

Two-Eyes thanked the kind woman, who vanished as mysteriously as she had appeared. From that day forward, Two-Eyes was no longer hungry, for she could summon the magical table whenever she needed food.

The Sisters’ Suspicion

After several weeks, One-Eye and Three-Eyes noticed that Two-Eyes no longer seemed thin and weak despite receiving so little food at home. They became suspicious and decided to spy on her.

“She must be getting food somewhere,” Three-Eyes declared. “We need to find out what she’s doing in those fields.”

One-Eye volunteered to follow Two-Eyes and discover her secret. The next day, she hid herself and watched as Two-Eyes took the goat to graze.

One-Eye’s Failed Mission

Two-Eyes suspected she was being watched, so she began to sing a gentle lullaby: “One-Eye, are you awake? One-Eye, are you asleep?”

The song was so soothing that One-Eye’s single eye grew heavy and closed. Soon she was fast asleep under a shady tree. While One-Eye slept, Two-Eyes summoned her magical table, ate her fill, and made everything disappear before waking her sister.

When One-Eye returned home, she had to admit that she had seen nothing unusual. “Two-Eyes just watched the goat all day,” she reported. “I don’t know where she could be getting extra food.”

Three-Eyes’ Attempt

The next day, Three-Eyes decided to spy on Two-Eyes herself. “With my three eyes, I’ll surely catch whatever she’s doing,” she boasted.

Again, Two-Eyes suspected she was being watched. She began to sing her lullaby, but this time she made a crucial mistake: “Three-Eyes, are you awake? Three-Eyes, are you asleep?”

The song put two of Three-Eyes’ eyes to sleep, but she forgot about the third eye in the center of her forehead. Through this eye, Three-Eyes saw everything - the magic words, the appearing table, and Two-Eyes eating the wonderful food.

The Secret Revealed

When Three-Eyes returned home, she told her mother and One-Eye everything she had witnessed. They were furious that Two-Eyes had been hiding such a wonderful secret from them.

The next morning, the mother confronted Two-Eyes. “You wicked girl! You’ve been keeping magic food for yourself while we go without! We’ll put an end to this immediately.”

Without waiting to hear Two-Eyes’ explanation, the mother took a knife and killed the poor goat, believing this would end the magic.

The Wise Woman’s Gift

Two-Eyes wept bitterly for her goat, both because she had loved the gentle creature and because she feared she would go hungry again. As she sat crying, the mysterious old woman appeared once more.

“Why do you weep, child?” she asked kindly.

When Two-Eyes explained what had happened, the old woman said, “Ask your family if you may have the goat’s heart. Bury it in the earth in front of your house, and something wonderful will grow there.”

The Magical Tree

Two-Eyes asked her family for the goat’s heart, and they gave it to her readily, thinking it was worthless. She buried it exactly where the old woman had instructed.

The next morning, a magnificent tree had grown in that spot. It was unlike any tree anyone had ever seen - its leaves were pure silver and its fruit was purest gold. The tree was so beautiful that people came from far and wide just to look at it.

The Fruit That Cannot Be Picked

One-Eye and Three-Eyes immediately tried to pick the golden fruit, thinking of all the wealth it would bring them. But every time they reached for a golden apple, the branches moved away from their hands. No matter how hard they tried, they could not pluck even a single piece of fruit.

“This is impossible!” Three-Eyes exclaimed in frustration. “Why won’t the tree let us pick its fruit?”

The mother was equally puzzled and angry. “There must be a way to get that gold,” she muttered.

Two-Eyes’ Magic Touch

While her family struggled unsuccessfully with the tree, Two-Eyes quietly approached and reached out her hand. Immediately, the branches bent down toward her, and she was able to pick the golden fruit as easily as picking flowers from a garden.

When her family saw this, they were both amazed and jealous. They realized that Two-Eyes had some special connection to the magical tree, but they were too proud to admit they needed her help.

Instead, they became even crueler to Two-Eyes, hoping to force her to give them the golden fruit. But the tree would respond only to Two-Eyes’ touch.

The Visiting Knight

One day, a handsome young knight was traveling through the region when he saw the magnificent tree with its silver leaves and golden fruit. He had never seen anything so beautiful, and he immediately rode to the house to ask about it.

The mother and her two daughters saw the knight approaching and quickly hid Two-Eyes in a large barrel, not wanting him to see their “ordinary” daughter.

“Good day,” said the knight politely. “I have never seen such a wondrous tree. Might I have one of its golden fruits as a remembrance of this place?”

The Failed Attempts

One-Eye stepped forward eagerly. “Of course, noble knight! I will pick the finest fruit for you.” But when she reached for the golden apples, the branches moved away from her just as they always did.

Three-Eyes pushed her sister aside. “Let me try - I can see better than she can!” But she had no more success than One-Eye had.

The knight watched these failed attempts with growing curiosity. “How strange,” he said. “Such a beautiful tree, but its fruit seems impossible to reach. Are you certain it can be picked?”

The Barrel’s Secret

Just then, the knight noticed that the barrel in the corner of the yard was moving slightly. Being a kind and observant man, he investigated and discovered Two-Eyes hidden inside.

“Why are you hiding this young lady?” he asked the mother with disapproval.

The mother stammered, “Oh, she’s… she’s not important. She’s just our servant. She’s very ordinary, not worth your attention.”

But the knight looked into Two-Eyes’ gentle face and kind eyes, and he immediately felt that there was something special about her. “May I ask you to try picking a fruit from the tree?” he requested politely.

The Tree’s True Owner

Two-Eyes stepped shyly toward the tree, and immediately the branches bent down to her. She picked the most beautiful golden apple and offered it to the knight with a curtsy.

The knight was amazed and delighted. As he looked at the simple, kind girl who had such a magical connection to the wonderful tree, he realized that true beauty came from the heart, not from unusual appearance.

“Would you do me the honor of coming to my castle as my bride?” he asked Two-Eyes gently. “I can see that you have a good and magical heart, and I would be blessed to have you as my wife.”

The Happy Departure

Two-Eyes looked at the kind knight’s face and saw genuine love and respect there. She gladly accepted his proposal, and they prepared to leave together.

As they departed, Two-Eyes dug up a small part of the magical tree to take with her. When they planted it at the knight’s castle, it grew even more beautiful than before, providing them with silver and gold for all their needs.

The Sisters’ Fate

One-Eye and Three-Eyes were left behind, bitter and envious. They had lost both the magical tree and their servant. Without Two-Eyes to do all the work, they discovered how difficult life could be.

Years later, when they were old and poor, they came to the castle as beggars. Two-Eyes, now a happy princess, received them kindly and gave them food and shelter, for she had never lost her gentle heart.

The Lesson of True Sight

The story of the three sisters became a beloved tale about the danger of judging others by their appearance. It taught that being different on the outside doesn’t make someone special, and being ordinary on the outside doesn’t make someone worthless.

Two-Eyes’ true beauty came from her kindness, patience, and gentle spirit. These qualities were far more valuable than any unusual physical feature, and they attracted both magical blessings and true love.

The Moral for All Time

The tale reminded everyone that real magic lies in having a good heart and treating others with kindness, even when they treat you poorly. It showed that those who appear most ordinary often possess the most extraordinary gifts.

And so Two-Eyes lived happily ever after, not because she looked different from others, but because she had learned to see the world with eyes of kindness and compassion - the most magical sight of all.