Deep in a big, green forest, lived a woodcutter and his wife. They were very poor, and one day, the woodcutter sighed, "We have a little daughter, but we have no more bread to feed her."

Just then, a beautiful lady dressed in shining light appeared before them. It was the kind Virgin Mary. She said, "I see you are sad. Give me your child. I will take her to Heaven and be a good mother to her." So, the parents, with heavy hearts but knowing their child would be safe, gave their little girl to the Virgin Mary.

In Heaven, the little girl had a wonderful time! She wore clothes of gold, played with little angels, ate sweet cakes, and drank yummy milk. Everything was joyful.

One day, when the girl was a bit older, the Virgin Mary said, "Dear child, I must go on a long journey. Here are the keys to twelve doors of Heaven. You may open them and see all the wonderful things inside. But this thirteenth little key, for this tiny door here, you must NOT open it. If you do, you will be unhappy."

The girl promised she would obey.

After the Virgin Mary left, the girl explored. She opened the first door, and oh! Such sparkling angels singing! The second door, more wonders! Each door was more amazing than the last. Soon, she had opened all twelve.

Only the forbidden thirteenth door remained. "Oh," she thought, "I really, really want to know what's behind that little door. Just a tiny peek?" The little key felt heavy in her hand.

She tiptoed to the thirteenth door, put the key in, and turned it. CRRREAK! The door opened, and inside was a dazzling, super bright light, so amazing she couldn't even describe it. She was so surprised that she poked her finger into the light. Instantly, her finger turned shiny gold!

Quickly, she slammed the door shut and felt a bit scared. She tried to wash the gold off her finger, but it wouldn't come off. She wrapped it in a little cloth, hoping no one would see.

Soon, the Virgin Mary returned. She looked at the girl and asked, "Did you open the thirteenth door?"
"No," whispered the girl, hiding her hand.
"Are you sure?" asked the Virgin Mary. "Let me see your finger."
The girl showed her finger, still wrapped in the cloth. But the Virgin Mary knew. "You opened the door," she said sadly. "And because you did not tell the truth, you cannot stay in Heaven anymore. And you will not be able to speak."

Poof! Suddenly, the girl found herself on Earth, in a wild, lonely forest. She was very sad and couldn't say a word. She found a hollow tree and lived inside it, eating berries and roots.

Years passed. One day, a king was hunting in the forest and saw the beautiful girl sitting by her tree. He was amazed by her beauty, even though her clothes were old. He tried to speak to her, but she could only shake her head. Still, the king fell in love with her quiet gentleness. He took her to his castle, gave her lovely clothes, and married her. She became the queen.

After a year, the queen had a sweet little baby. That night, the Virgin Mary appeared to her and said, "If you tell me the truth now, that you opened the forbidden door, I will give you back your voice and you can keep your child."
But the queen was still stubborn and shook her head, "No."
So, the Virgin Mary sighed and took the baby away. The next morning, the baby was gone! The people in the castle whispered that the queen must have done something terrible.

A year later, the queen had another baby. Again, the Virgin Mary appeared. "Tell the truth, dear child," she pleaded. "Say you opened the door, and all will be well."
But again, the queen silently said, "No."
And so, the second baby was also taken. Now the people were very angry and said the queen was a wicked witch who ate her own children! The king loved her, but he didn't know what to do.

When the third baby was born, the Virgin Mary came one last time. "This is your last chance," she said gently. "Confess you opened the door, and your voice and your children will be returned."
For the third time, the queen denied it. And the third baby vanished.

Now the people were furious! They dragged the queen to the town square and tied her to a wooden post. They were going to set it on fire! The king was heartbroken but couldn't stop them.
Just as the flames were about to lick her feet, the queen's heart broke with regret. "Oh, if only I could just say I did it!" she thought desperately.
And suddenly, a thought so strong burst from her that it became a sound! "YES!" she cried out loud. "YES, I DID OPEN THE THIRTEENTH DOOR!"

Instantly, rain began to fall from the sky, putting out the fire. The Virgin Mary appeared, smiling, with all three of the queen's children in her arms.
"Because you have finally told the truth," said the Virgin Mary, "you are forgiven."
She gave the children back to the happy queen, and her voice was clear and strong again.
The king rushed to her, and all the people cheered. From that day on, the queen, the king, and their children lived happily, and the queen always remembered how important it was to tell the truth.

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