Once there was an old farmer.

He lived in a village with his three sons.

All three of them were young and handsome.

The farmer was proud of his sons.

Once he thought it was time for them to get married.

Look sons, you're old enough to get married.

I want you to find a sweetheart for yourself.

I want you all to have a good life with your partner.

But father, how can we find our brides?

Yes father, it will be difficult to find a bride by ourselves.

I shall obey you father, but please guide us first.

Of course I will.

We have a family tradition to find a bride.

And you all must follow it.

Take an axe and cut a tree in our farm.

See where the tree falls and search for your bride in that direction.

But before cutting a tree, you should plant one in the farm and promise me to take good care of it.

Yes father.

Father, why are we doing this, planting a tree before cutting one?

Because trees are very important for us.

We shouldn't just cut them.

We should plant and grow more and more trees.

The sons obeyed their father.

Each one of them planted a tree first and then cut one.

The eldest son cut a tree that fell into the north direction.

Oh, north, it's good for me.

The girl I like stays in that direction.

I'll go to the north and propose to her.

The second son cut a tree which fell to the south.

Aha, how did this tree know that I love a girl and often dance with her, stays in the south direction.

I'll start my journey to the south soon.

The youngest son's tree fell in the direction of the jungle.

Both his elder brothers laughed at him.

Look at this, are you going to follow this direction?

Hey, Vako, whom will you marry from the jungle, a wolf or a deer?

I'll follow the direction where the tree has fallen.

I'm sure I'll find my bride in this direction.

All the three brothers started their journey.

The elder son went to the girl in the north and proposed to the girl he always loved.

She accepted his proposal at once.

The second son went to the south and proposed to his girlfriend for marriage.

She readily said yes to him.

Vako went to the jungle and walked a long way, but he couldn't find any human.

He was disappointed and tired too.

So he looked for a shelter and found a small hut in the jungle.

Vako was surprised to see it.

He entered in that hut to find it empty.

There was nobody present but a mouse.

Oh, nobody is here.

How can you say that?

I'm here.

You're just a mouse, not a human being.

What are you doing in this jungle?

I'm searching for my sweetheart.

In this jungle?

Do you think this is a place to find your sweetheart?

No, but if I try my best, I might just find her.

But I'm worried as there are no humans here.

It'll be shameful if I return home without a bride.

There is no girl in this jungle.

Why don't you take me as your sweetheart?

You're a mouse.

How can I take you as my sweetheart?

Trust me, Vako.

Though I'm a mouse, I'll love you and be true to you.

Yes, but… The mouse started convincing Vako.

She danced for him.

She sang a beautiful song for him.

The tired Vako was well entertained by the mouse.

As the dance and the song were over, the mouse waited for Vako's decision.

She was looking at him lovingly.

I like you.

I'll take you as my sweetheart.

The mouse was very happy to know this.

She promised Vako that she will wait for him until he returns.

All the three brothers had returned home.

Tell me, sons.

Have you found your brides?

I found a beautiful girl as my bride.

She has got rosy lips.

My bride, too, is very beautiful.

She has got long golden hair.

Um… What happened, Vako?

Your bride must have sharp teeth and long pointed ears.

Please don't laugh, brother.

My sweetheart is a gentle, dainty little thing, gowned in velvet.

She must be a princess then.

Yes, and when she sings for me, I feel perfectly happy.

The two brothers were not so happy for Vako.

A few days passed, and their father decided to put the brides to a test.

He called his sons and said, I want you to know if your sweethearts are good at kitchen or not.

Request them to bake a loaf for me.

Both the elder brothers agreed to it, but Vako was silent.

He was worried for he knew that a mouse cannot bake a loaf.

He went to the jungle.

The mouse was very pleased to see him.

I knew you will return soon.

What happened?

You seem to be worried.

My father wants each of our sweethearts to bake a loaf of bread, but you cannot.

My brothers will laugh at me.

What if I say I can?

Your brothers won't laugh at you.

I've never heard of a mouse baking a bread.

But I can.

The mouse rang a small silver bell thrice.

Listening to the sound, hundreds of mice came out from nowhere.

They all gathered around the mouse.

The mouse sat in front of them straight and dignified.

Each of you fetch me a grain of finest wheat.

And to Vako's surprise, all the mice vanished.

And when they returned, they had a grain of fine wheat with them.

Collecting those grains, the mouse baked a beautiful loaf of wheat bread.

All the three brothers took their loaf to their father.

The eldest son presented the rye bread.

Very good!

This bread is good for hardworking people like us.

The second son brought the bread made up of barley.

Barley is also very good.

And Vako presented his white bread.

What?

White bread?

Vako, your sweetheart must be very wealthy.

Of course.

Didn't he tell us that she is a princess?

So Vako, how does a princess get fine wheat?

She rings a silver bell thrice, and her servants get anything for her.

I'm happy with all the three brides, but they've baked a very good loaf.

But before you get them home, I want each of them to weave something for me.

My sweetheart is a good weaver.

Mine too.

Vako didn't utter a word, as he was sure the mouse can't weave.

He went to the hut in the jungle.

The mouse felt that he was worried.

She asked the reason.

I'm afraid you can't do it.

I've never heard of a mouse weaving.

Can you?

Of course.

Vako's sweetheart can do anything for him.

Again, the mouse rang the silver bell thrice, and hundreds of mice came in and sat in front of her waiting for her order.

Each of you will get me the finest fiber of flax.

Obeying her order, all the mice vanished, and when they returned, they had the finest fiber of flax with them.

The mouse weaved a beautiful piece of fine linen.

It was so sheer that she kept it in an empty nutshell.

Take this, Vako.

Hope your father will like it.

Vako took the nutshell with him and came home.

His two brothers presented the piece woven by their sweethearts.

A coarse cotton.

Not very fine, but good.

Then the second son gave his father what his sweetheart has woven.

A mix of cotton and linen.

A little better.

What about you, Vako?

Vako put forward the nutshell.

His brothers laughed at him.

Father has to weave a piece of cloth, not a nutshell.

Their laughter faded away as their father opened the nutshell.

He brought out the finest fabric of linen.

Wow!

How did she manage this?

She rang the silver bell and ordered her servants to get her the finest fiber.

Then she wove the fabric for you.

Vako, your sweetheart seems to be a princess.

Now you three may bring your sweethearts home.

I want to meet them all.

Bring them tomorrow.

The mouse was overjoyed to know this.

She dressed well, rang the silver bell, and ordered for a coach and five coachmen.

Soon there arrived a coach of a nutshell and five mice drawing it.

Vako was surprised to see this.

The mouse sat in the coach with the coachmen in front and footmen at the back of the coach.

They started their journey to Vako's home.

Vako was walking beside the coach.

Don't worry.

I'll take good care of you.

And don't worry about my father, too.

He is a gentle person.

Walking through the jungle, they came near a town.

There was a river flowing in between.

They had to cross the bridge over the river.

As they were crossing it, a man came from nowhere in the opposite direction.

He saw a bunch of mice coming on his way.

He laughed and stooped them all into the river.

What have you done?

Why did you do this?

You've drowned my sweetheart into the river.

Your sweetheart?

Those mice?

He laughed loudly and went away.

Vako was very sad for the mouse.

He looked down into the river, but he found them nowhere.

Oh, my poor little sweetheart.

How sorry I am that you've drowned.

Saying this, Vako turned and saw a beautiful coach standing at the other bank of the river.

It was being carried by five glossy horses.

The most beautiful girl was seated in the coach.

Vako was pleased to see the beauty of the coach.

He started walking to his home.

As he came near the coach, Vako, won't you sit beside me?

Me?

You took me for your sweetheart when I was a mouse.

I'm sure you won't desert me when I'm a princess again.

Were you the mouse?

Yes.

I was a princess under an evil curse.

It could never have been broken if you wouldn't have accepted me as your sweetheart.

And if that man hadn't drowned me.

The curse is over now.

Now we can meet your father, get married, and go to my kingdom.

And they traveled to Vako's home.

Vako's father and both his elder brothers were mesmerized to see a princess as Vako's sweetheart.

Father, this is my sweetheart.

Your sweetheart is really a princess.

Where did you find her?

Out there in the forest, where the tree pointed me to go.

Where your tree pointed?

I've always heard that's the best way to find a bride.

If our trees would have pointed us to the forest, we would have found the princess too.

But they were wrong.

Vako got the princess because he was kind even to a little mouse.

Vako's father blessed them, and they got married.

And they were happy because they were kind and true to each other.

They loved each other dearly.