Once upon a time, there was a girl whose mother died and her father married again, bringing home a stepmother who really didn’t like her stepdaughter. Her stepdaughter was pretty and this made the woman dislike her so much that she finally decided to get rid of her. She told the girl that she needed water from the Well of World’s End and it must fill a sieve to the brim. The girl was dismayed for she didn’t know where the well was and how could one carry water in a sieve? But her stepmother simply gave her a sieve and sent her out. She wandered about asking many people where to find the Well of World’s End, but no one could tell her anything at all. Then she came upon a very old woman, bent double with age, who told her the way to reach the well. The girl followed her instructions and reached there.
The Frog Helps
The girl kept trying to fill water in the sieve, but it just kept running out. Tired and frustrated, she burst into tears. Suddenly a croaky kind of voice spoke to her, “What’s the problem?” She looked up to find a large ugly green frog sitting on the wall of the well. Sobbing, the girl told him the task for which her stepmother had sent her. “That’s easy,” croaked the frog, “But I’ll help you only if you agree to obey me for a whole night. Do you promise?” The girl promised and the frog said, “Take some moss and clay and spread the paste on the holes. They’ll be plugged and you can fill the sieve!” The girl did as he suggested and the water stayed in the sieve. She thanked the frog and turned to leave, when he called out, “Don’t forget your promise!” She laughed and went away. ‘What could he ask for?’ she thought.
The Promise Kept
Her stepmother was angry and upset, seeing the girl return safely. But she hid her anger under a false smile. That night as they sat down to dinner, there was a knock at the door and a croaky voice said, “Open the door, pretty maid, and keep your promise!” The girl realised it was the frog and had to tell her stepmother about the promise she had given him for his help. Her stepmother was delighted that she would have to obey an ugly frog and sent her to fetch him. The frog hopped into the room and asked to be picked up and put on the girl’s lap. Against her will, she picked him up and put him on her lap and, as demanded by him, fed him a bowl of milk and bread from the table. Then, he wanted to sleep on her bed beside her. The girl was upset but had to obey!
The Prince
Before dawn, the frog woke the girl up with a fantastic request. “You must chop off my head immediately,” he said. The girl refused, but the frog reminded her of her promise and insisted on it. Much against her wish, because he had helped her at the well, she was forced to carry out his orders. She brought an axe and chopped off his head. Then she stood amazed for in place of the frog was a handsome Prince! “Thank you, my dear!” said the Prince, “You have broken the spell under which I had been turned into a frog by an evil sorcerer. It could only have been broken by a girl who obeyed me unquestioningly for a whole night and then chopped off my head!” He married her and took her to his father’s castle. Her stepmother comforted herself by telling the neighbours, “She married a Prince because of me!”
