The Twelve Brotherspage 2 / 5
When the boys heard this they became angry and cried out, "Are we to suffer death for the sake of a girl! We swear that we will take revenge. Wherever we find a girl, her red blood shall flow."
Then they went deeper into the woods, and in its middle, where it was darkest, they found a little bewitched house that was empty.
They said, "We will live here. You, Benjamin, you are the youngest and weakest. You shall stay at home and keep house. We others will go and get things to eat."
Thus they went into the woods and shot rabbits, wild deer, birds, and doves, and whatever they could eat. These they brought to Benjamin, and he had to prepare them to satisfy their hunger. They lived together in this little house for ten years, but the time passed quickly for them.
The little daughter that their mother, the queen, had given birth to was now grown up. She had a good heart, a beautiful face, and a golden star on her forehead.
Once on a large washday she saw twelve men's shirts in the laundry and asked her mother, "Whose are these twelve shirts? They are much too small for father."
The queen answered with a heavy heart, "Dear child, they belong to your twelve brothers."
The girl said, "Where are my twelve brothers? I have never even heard of them."
She answered, "Only God knows where they are. They are wandering about in the world."
Then she took the girl, unlocked the room for her, and showed her the twelve coffins with the wood shavings and the coffin pillows.
"These coffins," she said, "were intended for your brothers, but they secretly ran away before you were born," and she told her how everything had happened.
Then the girl said, "Dear mother, don't cry. I will go and look for my brothers."
Then she took the twelve shirts and went forth into the great woods. She walked the entire day, in the evening coming to the bewitched little house.
She went inside and found a young lad, who asked, "Where do you come from, and where are you going?"