Let me tell you about a girl named Lily. Lily was a sweet girl, but she had a secret: she did NOT like to spin flax. Not even a tiny bit! Her mother, though, thought spinning was the most wonderful job in the world.

One sunny morning, Lily was supposed to be spinning, but she was actually watching a ladybug crawl up the windowpane. Her mother came in and saw the untouched flax. "Lily!" she said, quite loudly, "Why aren't you spinning?" Lily started to cry, and her mother got even more upset.

Just then, a grand carriage stopped outside. It was the Queen! She heard the noise and poked her head in. "Goodness me," said the Queen to Lily's mother, "why is your daughter so sad?"

Lily's mother, thinking fast, said, "Oh, Your Majesty! My Lily loves spinning SO much, she wants to spin all day and all night! I just don't have enough flax for her, and that's why she's crying!"

The Queen's eyes lit up. "A girl who loves spinning? How marvelous! I have three whole rooms in my castle filled with flax. If she can spin it all into thread, she can marry my son, the Prince!"

So, Lily was taken to the castle. The rooms were enormous, piled high with fluffy flax. Lily sat down on a stool and started to cry again. "I can't spin all this," she whispered. "I can't even spin a little!"

Suddenly, there was a gentle tap-tap-tap at the window. Three rather unusual-looking women were peering in.
The first woman had a very, very wide, flat foot. "Hello, dear," she said. "My foot is so big from all the treading I do on the spinning wheel pedal."
The second woman had a lower lip that drooped down almost to her chin. "And my lip," she mumbled, "is like this from licking the thread to make it smooth."
The third woman had a thumb that was as big and round as a juicy apple. "My thumb," she chuckled, "got this way from twisting the thread all day long!"

"Don't worry," said the woman with the flat foot. "We can spin all this flax for you, quick as a flash!"
"Oh, would you?" cried Lily, her eyes wide with hope.
"We will," said the woman with the droopy lip, "if you promise to invite us to your wedding."
"And call us your aunts," added the woman with the big thumb.
"And most importantly," they all said together, "you must not be ashamed of us!"

Lily promised with all her heart. "Of course! You'll be my special guests!"

So, the three women set to work. Whirr, whizz, hum went the spinning wheels. Faster and faster they spun, and in just a few days, all three rooms were filled with beautiful, fine thread.
The Queen was absolutely delighted! The Prince thought Lily was wonderful. And soon, it was time for the wedding.

Lily remembered her promise. She sent a special invitation to her three "aunts."
At the wedding feast, the three women sat at a place of honor. The Prince was very polite, but also very curious.
He turned to the first woman. "Dear Aunt," he said, "why is your foot so very wide?"
"From treading, Your Highness, from treading the spinning wheel!" she replied cheerfully.
Then he asked the second woman, "And your lip, dear Aunt, why does it droop so?"
"From licking, Your Highness, from licking the thread!" she mumbled happily.
Finally, he asked the third woman, "And your thumb, good Aunt, why is it so big and round?"
"From twisting, Your Highness, from twisting the thread!" she said with a proud wiggle of her thumb.

The Prince looked at his new aunts, then at his beautiful bride, Lily. He turned a little pale. "Goodness gracious!" he declared. "If spinning does that, then my lovely Lily shall never, ever touch a spinning wheel again!"

And Lily, who still didn't like spinning one little bit, smiled the biggest smile you ever did see. She lived happily with the Prince, and she never had to spin another thread for the rest of her days.

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