1 Once upon a time, there was a farmer who had three sons. One day, when all three were grown to manhood, he said to them :
2 “My sons, it is time for you all to get married. To-morrow I wish that you all go out and find brides for yourselves.”
3 The father asked each of them to chop down a dried branch of a tree and travel in the direction the chopped branch falls to find a suitable bride.
4 The sons did as their father bid. The oldest son traveled North as pointed by the branch he chopped down. He found a very pretty girl on a farm and married her.
5 The second son had to travel South. He had often danced with a pretty girl who lived on a farm in the South direction. He found her and married her.
6 The youngest son whose name was Veikko had to travel in the direction of a forest. The older brothers made fun of him saying: "You will only find a Wolf girl or a fox as your wife."
7 But Veikko said he was willing to take chances and go where his branch pointed.
8 He walked and walked till he came to a little hut. He opened the door and found that the hut was empty. Just as he was above to go back, he found a little mouse sitting on a table. The mouse asked Veikko "Why are you here?"
9 Veikko said: “I was hoping to find my bride.” Veikko then told her the whole story of his brothers and the branches.
10 The little mouse said, “why don’t you take me for your wife?”
11 Veikko laughed merrily.
12 “But you’re only a mouse!" said Veikko, "Whoever heard of a man having a mouse for a wife!”
13 The mouse convinced Veikko that she would be a very good wife. She was a dear dainty mouse, and Veikko started to like her. He decided to marry her.
14 The mouse sat in a nutshell, and five black mice carried the nutshell. When Veikko neared a footbridge close to the village, a man seeing the procession laughed and pushed the coach into a river. As Veikko sat crying, he heard the voice of his bride calling out to him. The mouse had turned into a beautiful princess. She was enchanted and had turned into a mouse. The enchantment was now broken.
15 Veikko and the Princess then lived happily ever after.
