The Girl and the Bear

Three sisters went berry picking one summer day. The eldest noticed a little hut among the fir trees and went in to ask for water. The middle sister followed to…

Three sisters went berry picking one summer day. The eldest noticed a little hut among the fir trees and went in to ask for water. The middle sister followed to call her back. A huge bear lived in the hut. He was kind, but very absent-minded. He invited his visitors to wait for their youngest sister and gave them a bunch of keys to the pantry, garden and guest rooms.

Soon the youngest sister reached the hut too. At supper she shared her porridge with a little mouse and learned that her elder sisters could not work out which key fitted which door. Everyone gathered around the table, but the absent-minded bear accidentally caught the bunch with his paw, and the keys scattered and became mixed up.

The mouse suggested tying coloured ribbons to the keys. The sisters tried them one at a time and marked them: green for the garden gate, blue for the pantry and red for the guest rooms. Soon three clearly marked groups of keys lay on the table, while the bear held a basket of raspberries and thanked his guests for putting things in order.

Meanwhile, the bear was preparing an unusual bed. He laid a soft mattress on level logs, placed warm stones wrapped in cloth at the foot and used an old mortar as a bedside table. Seeing his guests' surprise, he explained what each thing was for. The sisters helped smooth the blanket, and the mouse hung a quiet little bell nearby so they could call their host at night.

In the morning, the bear walked the young women to a familiar path and put up a sign at the fork. The sisters gave him embroidered labels for all the doors, and the youngest left the mouse a small bag of grain. From then on, the keys never got mixed up, travellers could easily find their way, and the bear always explained his house to his guests in advance. The forest hut became a place of peaceful rest for berry pickers.