Three poor brothers set out into the world to earn a living. At the city gates, they went their separate ways. The eldest came to a mountain range. There, a fairy had a beautiful marble castle perched on a rock. This fairy, a kind woman, took him into her service, and he lived well and was given whatever he wanted. After a year, the fairy said she had to go away and gave him the golden keys to three rooms. ‘Open only the rooms on the right and left, but the one in the middle, where all the splendour of the world lies, you must not open if you value your life!’ she said at last, and then she vanished. The lad stood there bewildered. He thought long and hard about what the fairy had said, and then he slowly opened the door on the right. What splendour! Everything was made of gold or silver! Later he went into the room on the left; there were only emeralds and rubies there. He stood for a long time in front of the door in the middle, wavering between opening it and obeying the fairy. As he wavered back and forth, greed suddenly seized him, and he had the audacity to open the door. At once he saw everything that is beautiful, but in that very moment he was turned into a block of marble.

After many days and years, the other brother came to the fairy and entered her service. She gave him the three keys too and said the same as she had to his elder brother. But he too was turned into a block of marble because of his curiosity. Finally, the youngest also arrived at the fairy’s castle, and she took him on. This lad, however, knew his place, and he obeyed the fairy after receiving the keys. When the fairy appeared, she herself opened the room in the middle. With a rod she struck the marble blocks, and at that very moment the brothers came back to life. As a reward, the fairy gave all three as many treasures as they could carry. The three lucky brothers blessed the fairy and left the castle gratefully. But when they looked back, they saw only a large, barren rock. The castle, along with its vast riches, had vanished.