The Three Cottages

A poor woman who was dying called her three daughters to her bedside and said, "Dear daughters, it won't be long now before I die and leave you all by yourselves. When I'm gone, call on your uncles to build you each a little house. Love one another. Farewell." She then drew her last breath, and the three girls burst into tears.

They went out on the street, where they happened to meet one of their uncles who wove mats. Catherine, the oldest daughter, said, "Uncle, our mother has just died. Since you are so kind-hearted, will you build me a cottage out of rushes?"

So the uncle who wove mats built her a cottage out of rushes.

The other two sisters walked on until they met another uncle, who was a carpenter. Julia, the middle girl, said, "Uncle, our mother has just died. Since you are so kind-hearted, will you build me a wooden cottage?"

So the carpenter uncle built her a wooden cottage.

Now there was only Marietta, the youngest girl, who continued down the street until she met her uncle who was a blacksmith. "Uncle," she said, "my mother has just died. Since you are so kind-hearted, will you build me an iron cottage?"

So the blacksmith uncle built her an iron cottage.

At dusk the wolf came out. He went to Catherine's cottage and knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" asked Catherine.

"A poor little thing drenched to the bone. Please let me in."

"Get away from here. You're the wolf and want to eat me."

The wolf gave the rushes a push, walked in, and gobbled up Catherine.

The next day the two sisters called on Catherine. They found the rushes pushed in and the cottage empty. "Oh, how awful!" they exclaimed. "Our big sister has surely been eaten by the wolf."

Toward evening the wolf came back and went to Julia's cottage. He knocked and she asked, "Who is it?"

"A poor little thing that's lost its way. Please give me shelter."

"No, you're the wolf and you would eat me next."

The wolf gave the wooden cottage one punch, flung open the door, and gobbled up Julia.

In the morning Marietta called on Julia, found her gone, and said to herself, "The wolf has eaten her up too! Poor me, now I'm all by myself in the world."

At dusk the wolf went to Marietta's cottage.

"Who is it?"

"A poor little thing half frozen to death. Please let me in."

"Get away from here, wolf! You ate my sisters and now you want to eat me, I know!"

The wolf threw himself against the door, but the door was iron like the rest of the cottage, so he only broke his shoulder. Howling with pain, he ran to the blacksmith.

"Fix my shoulder," he ordered.

"I fix iron, not bones," said the blacksmith.

"But I broke my bones on iron," argued the wolf, "so you're the one that has to fix them now."

The blacksmith therefore took his hammer and nails and fixed the wolf's shoulder.

The wolf went back to Marietta and called through the closed door, "Oh, Marietta dear, you caused me to break my shoulder, but I love you all the same. If you'll come with me tomorrow morning, we'll go for peas in a patch near here."

"Fine. Come by for me when you're ready."

But, smart girl that she was, she realized the wolf was only trying to get her out of the house so he could eat her. The next day she got up before dawn, went to the pea patch, picked a mess of peas, and carried them home in her apron. She put the peas on to cook and threw the pods out the window. At nine o'clock the wolf arrived. "Marietta dear, let's go for the peas."

"No, indeed, you dummy, I'm not going. I've already picked peas. Can't you see the pods under the window? Take a deep breath and you'll smell them cooking and lick your lips."

The wolf was fit to be tied, but he replied, "Oh, that's all right. I'll come by for you tomorrow morning, and we'll go out for lupins."

"Fine," said Marietta, "I'll expect you at nine."

But this time too she rose early, went to the lupin patch, picked an apronful, and took them home to cook. When the wolf appeared, she showed him the pods under the window.

The wolf swore to himself he would take revenge, but he said to her, "Naughty girl, you fooled me! And to think I'm so fond of you! Why don't you come with me tomorrow to a certain patch I'm familiar with. There we'll find wonderful pumpkins and have a real feast."

"Of course I'll come," said Marietta.

The next morning she ran to the pumpkin patch before daybreak, but this time the wolf didn't wait for nine o'clock. He too ran to the pumpkin patch to gobble up Marietta.

As soon as Marietta saw the wolf in the distance, she rapidly hollowed out a large pumpkin and squeezed inside, for there was absolutely nowhere else to hide or to flee. Smelling human flesh, the wolf went up and down and back and forth sniffing the pumpkins, but no Marietta could he find. He then thought, She must be back home already. I'll feast on the pumpkins by myself. And he began eating pumpkins right and left.

Marietta shuddered as the wolf approached her pumpkin, almost certain he would eat it too with her inside. But when he reached Marietta's pumpkin, the wolf was no longer hungry. "I'll take this big one home to Marietta," he said, "so that she will be my friend." He sank his teeth in the pumpkin and ran all the way with it to the iron cottage, where he threw it through the window.

"Marietta, my dear!" he called. "Look what a fine present I've brought you."

Back in safety, Marietta slipped out of the pumpkin, slammed the window, and made faces through the panes at the wolf. "Thank you, my friend," she said. "I was hiding in the pumpkin, and you carried me all the way home."

When he heard that, the wolf beat his head on the rocks.

That evening it snowed. Marietta was keeping warm at the fireside when she heard a noise in the chimney. That's the wolf coming to eat me, she thought to herself. She filled a kettle with water and hung it over the fire to boil. Little by little the wolf lowered himself through the chimney, then made a bound for what he thought was Marietta, but landed in the boiling water instead and scalded to death. So sly Marietta was rid of her enemy at last and lived in peace for the rest of her life.