Once upon a time there was a poor woman who lived with her two daughters in a small house at the edge of the forest. Every day she would go into the forest to collect wood so that she could make a fire at home to keep her family warm.
One day, as she was returning home with her baby on her back, she saw a small kitten by the side of the road. It was huddled by the fence, meowing weakly and all wet and exhausted. The woman felt sorry for him, so she carefully picked him up, wrapped him in her apron and carried him home.
When she reached her cottage, her two daughters ran to meet her. They immediately noticed that their mother was hiding something in her arms and curiously asked what it was. When she showed them the little kitten, they both laughed excitedly and begged to play with it.
But the woman shook her head. “The kitten is sick and weak. It needs to get strong first,” she explained. She laid him in old rags and brought him some milk. The daughters looked on in disappointment, but understood that he needed to be cared for.
A few days later, the kitten grew stronger and one morning it was gone. The woman assumed it had gone back out into the world, and after a while she almost forgot about it.
One day she went into the woods again. Returning the same way, a beautiful, noble lady in a dress as fine as a spider’s web suddenly stood where she had found the kitten. She smiled at her, came closer, and put knitting needles into her apron.
“This is for your good heart,” said the mysterious lady, and disappeared.
The woman looked at the needles in surprise, but had no idea what could be special about them. She took them home and put them on the table.
When she woke up the next morning, she was in for a big surprise. On the table was a perfectly knitted pair of stockings. She couldn’t believe her eyes! The next night she left the needles in the same place – and in the morning there was another pair of stockings.
So the woman realized she had received a magical gift. Each night the needles worked themselves and the stockings grew. She began to sell them, and soon had enough money so that her family would never again be in need. And so it turned out that compassion and kindness are the greatest riches a person can have.
