A young girl took her flock of sheep to graze near a grove of birches. In her pocket there was a spindle for spinning flax into thread. One day, a beautiful woman suddenly appeared before her. She wore a long white dress. “Come, dance with me! I will teach you some steps!” she said to the girl. So, the girl danced with the lady. After the dance, the lady gave a pouch with a mysterious pattern embroidered on the outside to the girl. Then she went away. The girl peeked inside and saw that the pouch was filled with dried yellow birch leaves. When the girl went home, she told the whole story of meeting up with the beautiful lady dressed in the long white dress. When the girl emptied the pouch for her mother, her mouth fell open in astonishment. The birch leaves were made of solid gold. They became very rich.
The Birch Leaves
