Imagine a little mill, its big wheel usually spinning merrily. But one day, the miller who owned it was very sad. His flour sacks were empty, and his pockets had no coins. He sat by the big, still millpond, sighing.

Suddenly, a beautiful lady with long, green, watery hair rose from the water. Her skin shimmered like fish scales. "Why so glum, miller?" she asked, her voice like bubbling water.

The miller told her his troubles. The water fairy smiled. "I can help! I'll make you rich. Just promise me the first new thing that appears in your house."

The miller thought, "Maybe a new kitten or a puppy! That's not much to give for riches." So he said, "Yes, I promise!"

He went home, and guess what? His wife had a brand new baby boy! Oh dear. The miller was rich now, with gold and silver everywhere, but his heart was heavy. He knew the water fairy would want his son.

Years passed. The boy grew into a fine young hunter, strong and brave. He even married a kind and clever young woman, and they were very happy. The miller had almost forgotten his promise.

One sunny afternoon, the young hunter was chasing a deer near the millpond. The deer was quick, and as the hunter leaned over the water to get a better aim, SPLASH! The water fairy’s green arms shot out, grabbed his hand, and pulled him under the shimmering water. He was gone!

His wife waited and waited. When he didn’t come home, she knew something was terribly wrong. She ran to the pond, crying his name, but only saw ripples on the water.

As she wept, a kind old woman with twinkling eyes and a pointy hat appeared. "Don't cry, dear," she said. "I know about the water fairy. I can help you."

She gave the young woman three special things: a tiny golden comb, a little golden flute, and a small golden spinning wheel. "Go to the pond when the moon is big and round," the old woman advised. "Use these, one by one, on three different nights."

The next full moon, the wife went to the pond. She took out the golden comb and began to comb her long hair by the water's edge. As she combed, her husband’s head popped out of the water! He looked at her sadly, then a wave washed over him, and he disappeared.

The next month, under another full moon, she returned. This time, she played a sweet, sad tune on the golden flute. Her husband rose up out of the water to his waist! He reached for her, his eyes full of longing, but then another wave pulled him back down.

The third month, with the moon shining like a silver coin, she took out the golden spinning wheel. She sat by the pond and began to spin golden thread. This time, her husband rose completely out of the water! He stepped onto the bank, free at last!

But just as they were about to hug, the water fairy shrieked from the pond! She was furious! She sent a giant wave crashing over them! WHOOSH! The water covered the entire meadow.

When the water finally went down, the husband and wife were gone. In their place, on opposite sides of the flooded field, sat a little green frog and a bumpy brown toad. They were far apart and very sad. They couldn't talk, only croak and hop.

They lived like this for a long time, always missing each other. But every night, they looked at the moon. One night, the moon shone extra bright. The little frog hopped, and the little toad hopped. They hopped closer and closer, drawn by a strange feeling, until they met by the edge of what was once the pond.

As they touched, POOF! They turned back into themselves, the hunter and his wife! They hugged tightly, overjoyed. They quickly ran far away from the millpond and the tricky water fairy. And they lived happily, always remembering to be very, very careful about what they promised, especially near a sparkling, mysterious pond.

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