Fairytales of Famous Authors Compared to Disney Cartoons with proper respect etc

Story 29: Little Brother and Little Sister Brothers' Grimm 1812

Little Brother and Little Sister

Little Brother took his little sister by the hand and said: "Since our Mother died, we haven't had a happy hour. Our Stepmother beats us every day, and when we go to see her, she kicks us and drives us away. We get hard breadcrumbs to eat, and the dog under the table is better off, for now and then she throws him something good. The pity of it! Oh, if our poor Mother knew! Come, let's go into the wide world together." All day they walked, over meadows, fields, and rocks, and when it rained, Little Sister said: "God and our hearts are weeping together!" At nightfall they came to a large forest, and they were so worn out with misery, hunger and their long journey that they crawled into a hollow tree and fell asleep.
When they woke up the next morning, the sun was high in the sky and shone straight on the hollow tree. Little Brother said: "Little Sister, I am thirsty. If there were a spring, I'd go and drink. I think I hear one now." Little Brother stood up and took Little Sister by the hand and they went looking for the spring. But their wicked stepmother was a witch. She had seen the children go away and had crept after them steadily, as witches do, and had put a spell on all the springs in the forest. When they found a spring that leaped glittering over the stones, Little Brother wanted to drink, but Little Sister heard the spring speak as it gurgled and flowed: "If you drink of me, you'll be turned into a tiger, if you drink of me, you'll be turned into a tiger." And Little Sister cried out: "I beg you, Little Brother, don't drink. If you do, you'll be turned into a ferocious tiger and you'll tear me to pieces." Little Brother didn't drink, though he was very thirsty, and he said: "I'll wait till the next spring." When they came to the next spring, it spoke too, Little Sister heard it. "If you drink of me," it said. "you'll be turned into a wolf; if you drink of me, you'll be turned into a wolf." Little Sister cried out: "Little Brother, I beg you don't drink. If you do, you'll be turned into a wolf and you'll eat me up." Little Brother didn't drink and said: "I'll wait until the next spring, but then I'll have to drink, whatever you say. I'm just too thirsty." When they came to the third spring, Little Sister heard it speak as it gurgled and flowed. "If you drink of me, you'll be turned into a deer. If you drink of me, you'll be turned into a deer." Little Sister said: "Oh, Little Brother, I beg you, don't drink. If you do, you'll be turned into a deer and run away from me." But Little Brother had already knelt down and leaned over and taken a drink of water, and no sooner had the first drops touched his lips than he was turned into a fawn.
Little Sister wept over her poor bewitched little brother, and the fawn wept too, and was very sad. Finally the little girl said: "Don't cry, dear fawn, I shall never leave you." She undid her golden garter and tied it around the fawn's neck, and she gathered reeds and plaited them into soft rope. She fastened the rope to the garter and led the fawn by it, and they went deeper and deeper into the forest. When they had gone a long, long way, they came to a hut, and she looked in. It was empty and she thought: "Here we can stop and live." With the leaves and the moss she made a soft bed for the fawn, and every morning she went out and gathered roots and berries and nuts, and for the fawn she brought tender grass. He ate it out of her hand and gambled merrily about. At night when Little Sister was tired and had said her prayers, she'd laid her head on the fawn's back. That was her pillow and she fell into a sweet sleep. If Little Brother had only been his human shape, it would have been a glorious life.
For a time they were all alone in the forest. But it so happened the King of the country held a great hunt. The forest rang with the sounds of horns, the barking of dogs, and the joyous cries of the hunters. The fawn heard the sounds of the hunt and longed to join in.
"Oh, please," he said to Little Sister, "let me go. I can't bear it any longer." And he pleaded and pleaded until she finally gave in. "But be sure to come home at nightfall," she said. "I'll shall lock my door against the cruel hunters. You must knock and say: "Little Sister, let me in; then I'll know who it is. If you don't say that, I won't open my door." Then the fawn ran off into the forest, and he was so glad to be out in the open that he bounded with joy.