The Swan Geese

Once there lived a mother and father with two children: an older daughter and a little son. One day the parents were getting ready for work. They asked their…

Once there lived a mother and father with two children: an older daughter and a little son. One day the parents were getting ready for work. They asked their daughter to look after her little brother, stay close to home and wait for them together. The girl promised to be careful, and the boy picked up his favourite wooden toy.

The children were playing in the sunny garden when three white swan geese flew over the apple trees. They did not attack; they simply circled high in the sky. A white feather drifted down beyond the gate. The little brother ran after it while his sister was gathering apples from the ground. When she turned around and saw that he was no longer beside her, she went to look for him at once.

At a fork in the forest path, the girl met a little hedgehog. She politely asked whether he had seen a boy with a white feather. The hedgehog turned towards a path between the birches and pointed the way with his nose. “Thank you,” said the sister. She hurried along the path, remembering the way back.

In a birch grove stood a bright log cottage. Her little brother was sitting by the porch, looking at the golden apples the geese had brought. There was no one inside the cottage. His sister came quietly up to him, took his hand and explained that he must not go away without telling anyone. He nodded and put the feather on the doorstep. Then the children set off home together.

By sunset, brother and sister were back at their own garden gate. Their mother and father had already returned from work and were delighted to see both children safe and well. Everyone hugged. Then the children told them honestly about the white geese, the forest cottage and the kind hedgehog. From then on, they remembered to stay together on walks and always tell a grown-up where they were going.