Once upon a time, there was a shepherd boy who tended the goats and sheep on the mountain pasture every day. As he did so, he sang and yodelled so loudly that it could be heard all the way down in the valley. One hot day, whilst he was tending the flock again, he became very thirsty and searched for a long time until he finally found a clear little pond beneath a tall fir tree. He knelt down and quenched his thirst with big gulps. But as he gazed into the water, he saw in the reflection that there was a bird’s nest high up in the fir tree. The boy was a good climber, so he scrambled up the tree like a squirrel, searching for the branch he had seen in the water. But he couldn’t find the nest, so he climbed back down the tree.

Once he was back on the ground, he looked into the water again, and lo and behold! Once more he saw the nest quite clearly. He quickly climbed back up the tree, but this time too he couldn’t spot the nest. This happened twice more, and finally it occurred to him that he could count all the branches in the water, right up to the nest. No sooner thought than done, and now he climbed up as many branches as he had counted, and when he was at the top, he reached into the nest and held a snow-white pebble in his hand. He liked the pebble and put it in his trouser pocket before climbing down from the fir tree.

In the evening, he drove his goats and sheep home, singing and yodelling so merrily that is was a joy to hear. But when he reached the village, the people stood there with their mouths agape; they could hear the shepherd boy singing, but no one could see him. And when he came to his parents’ house, his father rushed out and cried, ‘For heaven’s sake, what have you done? Come quickly into the parlour.’

But the shepherd boy didn’t realise he was invisible until his father told him.

“Have you perhaps been to an enchanted place?” asked his father.

“No,” said the boy, and told them about the bird’s nest.

“Quickly, hand over the little stone!” cried his father and mother.

So he handed it to his father, but what happened? 

“Father, where are you?” cried the mother and the boy. For now the boy was visible again, but the father was nowhere to be seen.

The father, however, was so startled that he quickly threw the little stone onto the table. But what happened? 

The table vanished and became invisible! The father stood up, looked for the table and finally found the little stone. Quick as the wind, he ran out of the house with it and threw it down into the middle of the well. Whoosh! How it flashed and crashed down there, just as if heaven and earth were about to come crashing down.

What will you give me if I fetch the little stone from the well?