The Juniper Tree

A long time ago, a pious woman wished for a child as white as snow and as red as blood while peeling an apple under a juniper tree. Her wish was granted, but she died of joy and was buried beneath the tree. Her husband eventually remarried a woman who had a daughter named Marlinchen. The stepmother, consumed by jealousy, hated the man's young son. One day, she lured the boy to a heavy chest and slammed the lid, decapitating him. To hide her crime, she cooked the boy into a stew and fed it to his father, who found it strangely delicious. Marlinchen, weeping, gathered her brother's bones and laid them under the juniper tree. Suddenly, a mist arose, and a beautiful bird emerged from the branches, singing a haunting song of his fate. The bird flew to a goldsmith, a shoemaker, and a miller, singing his tale and collecting a gold chain, red shoes, and a millstone. Returning home, he gave the chain to his father and the shoes to Marlinchen. When the stepmother came outside, he dropped the millstone on her, crushing her. In a flash of fire, the boy was restored to life, and the family lived in peace.