There once was a dad who had seven speedy sons, but oh, how he wished for a little daughter! Finally, his wish came true! A baby girl arrived. But oh dear, she was tiny and weak.

"Quickly, boys!" said the dad. "Run to the well and bring back special water to make your sister strong."

The seven brothers grabbed a jug and raced off. They were so excited and maybe a little clumsy, because oops! The jug tumbled right into the deep well. Splash!

They didn't know what to do. They were afraid to go home empty-handed. Back home, the dad waited and waited. He got worried about his little girl, then a little bit grumpy waiting for the boys. He looked up at the sky and shouted without thinking, "I wish those slow boys were noisy ravens!"

And poof! Just like that, high above the house, seven black ravens circled once and flew far, far away.

The little girl didn't know about any of this. She grew up healthy, strong, and happy. But one day, she heard people whispering about her seven brothers who had disappeared long ago because of her. She felt very sad and thought, "It's my fault. I must find them!"

So, she packed a little loaf of bread for when she got hungry, took a tiny stool for when she needed to rest, and wore a special little ring her parents had given her. Then, she started walking. She walked and walked, a very, very long way, past towns and forests, right to the edge of the world.

First, she came to the Sun. "Ouch!" she cried, shielding her eyes. "You are much too hot!" and she hurried away.

Next, she found the Moon. "Brrr!" she shivered. "You are too cold and a little bit scary!" and she hurried away again.

Finally, she reached the twinkling Stars. They were much kinder. The bright Morning Star listened to her story and felt sorry for her. "Your brothers are inside the Glass Mountain," the Star twinkled softly. "Here, take this little chicken bone. It's a special key to unlock the mountain gate."

The girl thanked the Morning Star and traveled on until she saw it – a huge mountain sparkling like it was made of pure glass! She reached the gate, but oh no! She searched her pockets. The little bone key was gone! She must have lost it on the long journey.

What could she do? She looked at the locked gate, then at her own hand. She was a very brave girl. She took a deep breath and decided to use her own tiny little finger as a key. She carefully put it into the lock. Click! The gate swung open!

Inside, it was quiet. A friendly little dwarf peeked out from behind a rock. "Hello!" he whispered. "You must be the sister! The raven masters will be home soon. They are flying back for their dinner."

The dwarf quickly set a table with seven tiny plates and seven tiny cups. The girl quickly hid behind a big chair. She was a little hungry from her long walk, so she secretly nibbled just one tiny crumb from each little plate and took just one tiny sip from each little cup. Into the very last cup, plink! She carefully dropped her special ring.

Suddenly, flap, flap, flap! In flew the seven black ravens. They landed and looked around.
"Hey!" squawked one raven. "Someone nibbled my bread!"
"Someone sipped from my cup!" croaked another. They went from plate to plate, cup to cup. "Someone's been here!"

The seventh raven looked into his little cup. He saw something shiny at the bottom. He picked it out with his beak. It was the little ring!
"Look!" he called out. "This ring! It looks just like the one our dear sister had! Oh, I wish our sister was here! Then we could be free!"

Just then, the girl stepped out from her hiding place. "I am here, dear brothers!" she smiled.

And in that magical moment, the black feathers vanished! The ravens changed back into her seven wonderful, smiling brothers. They hugged their brave little sister tightly.

There were cheers and happy shouts inside the Glass Mountain! Then, all eight of them journeyed back home together, a whole, happy family once more.

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