Imagine a winding path, deep in a forest where sunlight dappled through the leaves. On this path, a little old woman struggled with a very heavy bundle of sticks. She huffed and puffed, her back bent low.

Along came a young count, riding a fine horse. He had a kind heart. "Good day, dear woman!" he said. "That looks too heavy for you. May I help?"

The old woman smiled. "Oh, thank you, young man!" With his help, the bundle felt much lighter. As a thank you, she gave him a small, carved wooden box. "Inside is a special emerald," she whispered. "Take it to the Queen of the nearby castle, but do not show it to the King."

The count was curious. He rode to the grand castle and asked to see the Queen. The Queen looked very sad. "My youngest daughter, the princess, is lost!" she cried. The count remembered the old woman’s words and gave the Queen the box. When the Queen opened it, the emerald glowed! She dropped it into a bowl of water, and an image appeared: a beautiful girl, tending geese by a well.

"That's my daughter!" exclaimed the Queen. She begged the count to find her.

So, the count rode off again, following the image in his mind. Soon, he found a clearing with an old well, and there she was – the princess! She was even more beautiful than in the picture, but her eyes were full of tears. And guess what? Each tear that fell to the ground turned into a shiny pearl!

And who was sitting by the well, making the princess fetch water and pluck feathers from geese? It was the same little old woman from the forest! The princess looked tired and unhappy, but she did her chores without complaining.

That night, the count hid near the old woman’s tiny cottage by the well. He peeked through a crack in the wall. Inside, a magical thing happened! The old woman stood up tall, and her wrinkled face smoothed out. She became a lovely, kind-looking lady! She was comforting the princess. "Don't worry, my dear," she said softly. "Your sadness will end soon."

The count couldn't wait any longer. He knocked and went inside. The princess gasped! The kind lady smiled. "The time is right," she said. It turned out the old woman was a good fairy, who had been watching over the princess. She had brought the princess to the well to keep her safe and to see if anyone with a kind heart would help her.

Because the count had been kind to her in the forest, and because he had come to find the princess, the fairy knew he was good.

The count took the princess back to the castle. Oh, what a happy reunion! The Queen hugged her daughter, and the King was overjoyed. The princess told them all about the kind old woman who was really a fairy, and how her tears turned into pearls.

The princess and the kind count soon fell in love and had a wonderful wedding. Everyone in the kingdom celebrated. And the good fairy? Her little cottage by the well transformed into a sparkling little palace, and she lived there happily, always remembering the kind count and the goose girl whose tears became pearls.

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