The Little Lamb and the Little Fish

Once upon a time, in a small village surrounded by meadows and clear streams, there lived a brother and sister who loved each other more than anything else in the world. The brother’s name was Heinrich, a boy of twelve with golden hair and eyes as blue as summer sky. His sister was called Gretchen, a gentle girl of ten with dark curls and a smile that could brighten the gloomiest day.

Heinrich and Gretchen had lived alone with their kind father since their mother’s death several years earlier. Their father, Wilhelm, was a simple merchant who traveled to nearby towns to sell his wares, but he always made sure his children were well cared for and surrounded by love.

“Remember, my dear children,” he would say each morning before leaving for work, “take care of each other always. The greatest treasure in this world is the love between family members.”

Heinrich and Gretchen took their father’s words to heart. When Heinrich helped with the household chores, Gretchen would assist him cheerfully. When Gretchen struggled with her reading lessons, Heinrich would patiently help her with difficult words. They shared everything - their toys, their treats, their secrets, and their dreams.

But their peaceful life changed dramatically when their father announced that he was going to remarry.

“Children,” Wilhelm said one evening as they sat by the fire, “I want you to meet someone very special. Her name is Brunhilde, and she will soon become your new stepmother.”

When Brunhilde arrived at their home, she appeared to be a pleasant woman with red hair and green eyes. She spoke kindly to the children and brought them small gifts - ribbons for Gretchen and a wooden whistle for Heinrich.

“What lovely children you have, Wilhelm,” Brunhilde said sweetly. “I’m sure we’ll all be very happy together.”

But Heinrich and Gretchen sensed something strange about their new stepmother. When their father was present, Brunhilde was all smiles and gentle words. However, when Wilhelm was away on his trading journeys, her demeanor changed completely.

“You children make too much noise,” she would snap when they were playing quietly in their room. “And you eat too much food. Do you think money grows on trees?”

Worse still, strange things began to happen around the house when Brunhilde was present. The milk would sour unexpectedly, tools would disappear and reappear in odd places, and the children sometimes heard her muttering strange words under her breath late at night.

One day, when Wilhelm had been away for several days on a particularly long trading trip, Brunhilde’s true nature was finally revealed.

“I’m tired of pretending to care for you troublesome children,” she declared, her eyes flashing with an unnatural green light. “Your father’s attention should be focused entirely on me, not divided between a wife and ungrateful children.”

Heinrich stepped protectively in front of his sister. “We’re not ungrateful! We’ve tried to be kind to you, and we’ve done everything you asked.”

Brunhilde laughed, but it was a cold, cruel sound. “Kind? You call it kind when you take your father’s love away from me? When you remind him every day of his first wife with your presence?”

Gretchen began to cry, and Heinrich put his arm around her shoulders. “Please don’t speak to us that way. We just want our family to be happy.”

“Happy?” Brunhilde’s voice rose to a shriek. “I’ll show you what will make me happy!”

The stepmother raised her hands and began to chant in a language that neither child recognized. The air in the room grew thick and heavy, and a strange purple light began to emanate from Brunhilde’s fingertips.

“You want to be together always?” she cried. “Then let’s see how you manage when you’re no longer human children!”

Before Heinrich and Gretchen could move or cry out, the purple light engulfed them both. Heinrich felt his body growing smaller and changing shape, while soft white wool began to sprout all over his skin. His hands and feet transformed into hooves, and when he tried to speak, only a gentle bleating sound emerged.

Gretchen experienced an equally dramatic transformation. Her legs fused together and became a sleek tail, her skin turned silver and developed scales, and gills appeared on the sides of her neck. When she tried to call out to her brother, only bubbles came from her mouth.

Heinrich had been transformed into a little white lamb, and Gretchen had become a beautiful silver fish.

Brunhilde looked at her handiwork with satisfaction. “Now let’s see how much your precious father loves you when he returns to find his children replaced by barnyard animals!”

She picked up the fish that was Gretchen and carried her to a large basin of water in the kitchen, while Heinrich the lamb was pushed outside into the small garden behind the house.

Even in their transformed states, the brother and sister’s love for each other remained unchanged. Heinrich spent his days grazing near the kitchen window so he could see his sister swimming in her basin. Gretchen would swim close to the edge of her basin whenever she heard her brother’s bleating, trying to communicate with him through the glass.

Days passed, and their father Wilhelm returned from his journey. When he saw the lamb in the garden and the fish in the kitchen, he was puzzled.

“Brunhilde, my dear,” he said, “where are Heinrich and Gretchen? And where did these animals come from?”

Brunhilde had prepared her story carefully. “Oh, Wilhelm, I have terrible news. The children ran away while you were gone. They said they didn’t want a stepmother and that they were going to find relatives in the next village. I bought these animals to help fill the emptiness they left behind.”

Wilhelm was heartbroken by this news, but something about the animals struck him as strange. The little lamb seemed to recognize him and would bleat mournfully whenever Wilhelm approached. The fish would swim frantically whenever Wilhelm came near her basin, as if trying to tell him something important.

“It’s almost as if they’re trying to communicate with me,” Wilhelm mused to his wife.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Brunhilde replied quickly. “They’re just animals. You’re imagining things because you miss the children.”

But the animals’ behavior became more and more desperate as time went on. Heinrich the lamb would stand on his hind legs and paw at the kitchen window when he saw his sister. Gretchen the fish would leap out of the water whenever her brother was nearby, creating splashes that formed patterns in the water.

One evening, a wise old woman came to the village selling herbs and remedies. When she passed by Wilhelm’s house, she noticed the unusual behavior of the lamb and fish.

“Strange,” she murmured to herself. “These animals show signs of human intelligence and emotion.”

The old woman knocked on the door and asked Wilhelm if she might examine his animals, claiming she was studying unusual animal behavior.

“Certainly,” Wilhelm agreed, grateful for any distraction from his sorrow over his missing children.

As the old woman observed Heinrich and Gretchen, she noticed things that Wilhelm had missed. The lamb’s eyes held an unmistakably human intelligence and sadness. The fish moved in patterns that seemed deliberate and meaningful, not random like typical fish behavior.

“Tell me,” the old woman said to Wilhelm, “when exactly did your children disappear, and when did these animals arrive?”

Wilhelm recounted the story as Brunhilde had told it to him, but the old woman’s expression grew more serious with each detail.

“And your wife was alone with the children when they supposedly ran away?” she asked.

“Yes,” Wilhelm replied. “Brunhilde says they seemed upset about having a stepmother.”

The old woman studied Brunhilde carefully, noting the woman’s nervous fidgeting and the way she avoided eye contact. More importantly, the old woman sensed the residual magical energy that still clung to Brunhilde’s clothing and hands.

“I believe,” the old woman said quietly to Wilhelm, “that your children have not run away at all. They are much closer than you think.”

That night, the old woman returned secretly to the house and observed Brunhilde when she thought no one was watching. She saw the stepmother talking to the lamb and fish with cruel satisfaction.

“How does it feel to be trapped in animal bodies?” Brunhilde taunted. “Your father believes you abandoned him. Soon he’ll forget about you entirely, and I’ll have him all to myself.”

The old woman had seen enough. She was actually a wise fairy who traveled the world helping those in need, and she recognized the type of transformation magic that Brunhilde had used.

The next morning, the fairy revealed herself to Wilhelm and told him the truth about what had happened to his children.

“Your wife is a witch,” she explained, “and she has transformed Heinrich and Gretchen into the lamb and fish you see before you.”

Wilhelm was shocked and horrified, but as he looked at the animals with new understanding, he began to see the truth in their eyes and behavior.

“My poor children!” he cried, kneeling beside the lamb and the fish basin. “Can you forgive me for not recognizing you sooner?”

Heinrich bleated softly and nuzzled his father’s hand, while Gretchen swam in excited circles, creating splashes that seemed to say “yes.”

“Can you restore them?” Wilhelm asked the fairy desperately.

“The magic that binds them is powerful,” the fairy replied, “but it can be broken. The spell was cast in anger and hatred, so it can only be undone by an act of pure love and sacrifice.”

The fairy explained that the transformation could be reversed, but only if someone who truly loved the children was willing to take their place temporarily.

Wilhelm didn’t hesitate for even a moment. “Tell me what I must do. I would gladly take on any burden to restore my children.”

“The sacrifice required,” the fairy said gently, “is that you must be willing to give up your own human form for one full day and night. During that time, your love for your children will grow strong enough to break the witch’s spell.”

“I accept willingly,” Wilhelm declared.

Before Brunhilde could interfere, the fairy waved her hand and spoke words of true magic. Wilhelm felt himself changing, becoming a large, protective sheepdog. In this form, he could communicate with his transformed children and share in their experience.

For twenty-four hours, Wilhelm the sheepdog stayed close to Heinrich the lamb and Gretchen the fish. He comforted them with his presence and showed them through his actions that no curse could ever diminish his love for them.

As the sun set on the second day, the fairy’s magic reached its full power. The love between father and children had grown so strong and pure that it shattered Brunhilde’s transformation spell like sunlight breaking through storm clouds.

In a cascade of golden light, all three family members were restored to their human forms. Heinrich and Gretchen ran to their father’s arms, tears of joy streaming down their faces.

“Father!” Gretchen cried. “You saved us!”

“We knew you loved us,” Heinrich added, “but we never imagined you would be willing to share our curse to free us.”

As for Brunhilde, her evil magic turned back upon her. Without the power of her transformation spell, her true nature was revealed for all to see. Her beauty faded, replaced by the ugliness of her cruel heart, and she fled from the village, never to be seen again.

Wilhelm and his children moved to a new home in a different village, where they lived in peace and happiness. The experience had taught them that their love for each other was stronger than any magic, and that family bonds could overcome any obstacle.

Heinrich grew up to become a kind and wise merchant like his father, always remembering the importance of protecting those he loved. Gretchen became known for her gentle nature and her ability to help others in need, never forgetting the compassion that had sustained her during her darkest hours.

And whenever they told the story of their adventure to their own children years later, they would always emphasize the same lesson: “True love between family members is the most powerful magic in the world. It can overcome any curse, survive any trial, and triumph over any evil.”

The wise fairy visited them once more before disappearing forever, leaving them with a final gift: a small silver fish pendant for Gretchen and a tiny white lamb charm for Heinrich, to remind them always of the experience that had strengthened their family bond beyond any earthly power.

From that day forward, whenever they saw a lamb in a meadow or a fish swimming in a stream, Heinrich and Gretchen would smile and remember that love, patience, and family devotion could transform even the most difficult circumstances into opportunities for growth and deeper understanding.

Moral: The love between family members is stronger than any magic, and those who sacrifice for others out of pure love will always triumph over evil.