Once upon a time, there was a man whose wife had passed away, leaving him with their only daughter, Lina. Not far away, lived a widow who also had one daughter, named Klara. One day, the widow said to Lina,
“Tell your father that if he marries me, you'll live in comfort - milk baths and fresh juice - while my daughter will get only plain water.“

Lina went home and told her father, and he sighed,
“What should I do? Should I marry again or not?“
At last he pulled off his boot with a hole in the sole and said,
“Hang this on a nail and pour water into it. If it holds the water, I shall remarry. If it leaks, I shall not.“

Lina did as he said. The water made the leather swell and close up the hole, so when the man looked at the boot, it was full to the brim.
Soon after, he went to the widow, and they married.

At first, all seemed well. On the first day, Lina had milk to wash with and juice to drink. Klara had only water.
But slowly, the stepmother began treating the girls differently. Klara received fine clothes and sweet cakes, whilst Lina got worn dresses and hard bread. Lina's father travelled often and did not notice how things had changed.
The stepmother grew to resent Lina, for the girl was gifted in song and needlework and she was kinder than Klara. Everyone praised her kindness, character and talents. However, each day, she found some new cruelty handed to her by the stepmother, and Lina endured it all without complaint.

Winter came at last, covering the ground with snow and ice. One bitter morning, the stepmother called Lina and said,
“Put on this thin cloak and go into the forest. Bring me a basket full of fresh strawberries, for I will have strawberries and nothing else.“
“But mother,“ said Lina, “how can I find strawberries beneath the snow? And I will freeze in this thin cloak.“
“No more words!“ the woman snapped, and pushed her out with only a crust of bread.

Lina stood crying and shivering in the cold, wondering what to do. Snow stretched as far as she could see. She thought of knocking at the miller's door or the baker's, but feared they would not believe her plight.
So she wrapped her cloak tight and walked into the forest, hoping the trees would shelter her from the wind. She walked until her fingers were numb and her feet ached, then she saw smoke rising from a cottage.
“I'll go to that cottage,“ she told herself. “At least I can warm myself there.“

Lina knocked upon the door, and a kind voice called,
”Enter, child!”
Inside sat three little men by a warm fire.
”Good morning, sirs,” Lina said. ”Might I warm myself by your fire whilst I eat my lunch?”
”Gladly,” they replied.
She sat and took out her crust of bread, and one of the little men said,
”Will you share your bread with us?”
Though Lina was hungry, she broke the bread into four pieces, keeping the smallest for herself and giving the rest to her hosts.
”You are generous with what little you have,” one said warmly.

After a moment, another asked,
”But tell us, why does a young maiden wander the frozen forest so poorly dressed?”
Lina's eyes filled with tears, and she told them everything - the unkind stepmother, her travelling father, and the impossible task.

The three little men looked at one another with knowing eyes. They said nothing more until she finished eating.
Then one handed her a broom and said,
“You have shown great courage. Before you go, will you help us with a small task? We are old, and our backs pain us. Would you sweep the snow from our back doorstep?“
“Gladly, with all my heart,“ said Lina, and she took the broom and went outside to sweep.

Whilst Lina worked, the three spoke amongst themselves.
”She has a true heart,” said the first. ”Though she had barely enough for herself, she shared her bread freely and helped us without complaint.”
”Then let us grant her blessings,” said the second.

“I grant that she shall grow in courage and wisdom with each passing day,“ said the first.
“I grant that when she speaks true words, good fortune shall follow her like gold,“ said the second.
“And I grant,“ said the third, “that she shall find those who will treasure her for her true self, and know happiness in time. She will meet a king who will love and value her for who she is.“

As they spoke, Lina was sweeping the doorstep. Beneath the snow, she discovered something wondrous - ripe red strawberries growing in a warm patch of earth, as if summer itself had been hidden there.
She gasped and filled her basket with joy.
When Lina came inside, the three little men smiled.
”The strawberries are for you,” they said. ”But remember this, dear child: you are worthy of kindness. What happens in your home is not right, and it is not your doing. When you can, seek help from those you trust - a neighbour, a village elder, anyone with a good heart. Promise us.”
”I promise,” Lina said, feeling something brave stir within her.

Lina hurried home through the snow, her heart warmer than it had been in many months. When she entered the house and showed the strawberries, her stepmother and Klara stared in wonder.
“Good evening,“ Lina said as she stepped inside.
As she spoke with a new confidence, a gold coin fell from her lips. Her stepmother and Klara stared in shock. Lina told them everything that had happened in the woods. And with every word, more gold pieces fell.
Soon the whole room glittered. And by fortune, her father had just returned from his travels and heard every word. He saw his daughter's thin face and poor cloak, and shame filled his heart.

Klara, seeing her stepsister receive such attention, felt a sharp jealousy.
“I shall go to the forest too!“ she declared. “I want magical strawberries of my own!“
“Oh no, dear,“ said her mother, “it is far too cold.“
But Klara begged and whined until at last the mother said,
“Fine - go. But dress in fur from head to toe. And take this big basket of food for when you get hungry.“

Klara set off. She followed Lina's footprints through the snow until she came to the cottage.
Without bothering to knock, Klara walked straight in and sat by the fire. She unwrapped her food and began to eat.
“Will you share some with us?“ asked one of the little men politely. “We are quite hungry.“
“I have only enough for myself,“ Klara replied coldly, and ate every crumb.

When she finished, one said,
“Will you help us sweep our doorstep? We are too old and our backs pain us.“
“Do it yourself,“ Klara snapped. “I am no servant.“
But then she remembered that Lina had found strawberries behind the cottage. So she snatched the broom and went outside, sweeping carelessly and grumbling all the while.

Inside, the three little men shook their heads sadly.
“She is unkind because she has been taught poorly,“ said one. “But she may yet learn, though the lessons will be hard.“
They granted her different gifts.

“She shall see how her deeds affect others,“ said the first.
“Her true nature shall be revealed to all who meet her, and she cannot hide it,“ said the second.
“And she shall face the consequences of her choices, until she finds it in her heart to change. Whenever she speaks, frogs and toads will fall from her mouth,“ said the third.
Klara swept the snow and searched for strawberries, but found none. She went home angry and frustrated.

From that day on, Klara's poor character and selfishness became plain for all to see. In time, her friends began to avoid her. People in the village no longer smiled when she passed.
She heard whispers:
”She was pleasant once, but now there is only bitterness in her.”
The words pierced her heart, and for the first time, Klara truly saw herself as others did.
Meanwhile, Lina's father had at last opened his eyes to the truth. He made a difficult choice and ended the marriage, taking Lina to live elsewhere.
Life was not easy afterwards, but Lina could breathe freely again. She began to speak up when she saw injustice and helped others who were suffering. Her gifts in art and music blossomed.

Years passed, and Lina grew into a wise and talented woman, renowned throughout the land for her beautiful embroidery and enchanting songs.
One winter day, the young king came to the village festival and saw Lina's magnificent needlework displayed at the market - tapestries of such beauty that they seemed to shimmer with magic.
”Who created these wonders?” he asked.
When Lina stepped forward, the king was amazed not only by her artwork but by the kindness in her voice. With every word she spoke, gold coins fell from her mouth. Lina radiated confidence, as she had found true magic in her own voice and her own strength.
The king visited the village many times after that, speaking with Lina about art and music and their dreams. Over time, their friendship deepened into love. At last the king asked Lina,
”Will you marry me and be my queen?”
”Yes,” Lina said, ”with all my heart.”
And they married and lived happily ever after.