Deep in a shadowy forest, where the trees whispered secrets, lived a strange old man. He wasn't a friendly grandpa type, oh no! This old man was actually a sorcerer, and he had a sneaky trick. He would dress up like a poor, tired beggar, carrying a big basket. When a pretty girl walked by, he’d just touch her, and poof! She’d have to jump right into his basket. Then, he’d carry her off to his castle, which was surprisingly shiny and grand inside.

One day, he came to a house where three lovely sisters lived. First, he caught the eldest sister. He took her to his castle and gave her everything she could wish for. "You'll be happy here," he said. Then, he gave her a tiny, perfect egg and a shiny key. "You can explore every room in the castle with this key," he told her, "except for *that* one room at the end of the hall. And whatever you do, don't lose this egg, or something terrible will happen!"

Of course, as soon as the sorcerer left, the girl’s curiosity tickled her like a feather. "What could be in that room?" she wondered. She took the key and the egg and tiptoed to the forbidden door. She unlocked it and peeked inside. Oh dear! Inside was a huge basin filled with... well, it looked like red paint, and it was not a pretty sight. Startled, she dropped the egg, and it fell right into the basin! She quickly fished it out and tried to wipe it clean, but the red stain wouldn't come off.

When the sorcerer returned, he asked for the key and the egg. The moment he saw the stained egg, his eyes flashed. "You went into the forbidden room!" he roared. And with that, he shoved her into the very room she wasn't supposed to enter.

Soon after, the sorcerer, disguised as a beggar again, caught the second sister. The same thing happened: the castle, the warning, the key, the egg, and her unstoppable curiosity. She, too, dropped the egg into the basin in the forbidden room, and she, too, met a very unhappy end.

Now, it was the third sister's turn. She was a clever cookie. When the sorcerer brought her to the castle and gave her the egg and the key with the same warning, she listened very carefully. "Hmm," she thought, "this egg seems very important. I'll put it somewhere super safe *before* I do any exploring." So, she tucked the little egg safely away in a drawer.

Then, with the key in hand, she went straight to the forbidden room. When she opened it, her heart sank. There, she found her poor sisters, cut into pieces! But this clever girl didn't panic. She carefully began to put her sisters back together, piece by piece, like a tricky puzzle. And as she joined the last piece, poof! Her sisters blinked, stretched, and were alive again! They hugged each other tightly, overjoyed. The clever sister told them, "Hide quickly, and don't make a sound!"

When the sorcerer came back, he asked for the key and the egg. The clever sister handed him the perfectly clean egg. The sorcerer was amazed! "You are a clever one indeed!" he said. "You have passed the test. You shall be my bride."

"Alright," said the clever sister, "but first, you must do something for me. Take this basket full of gold to my parents. And you must carry it yourself, without stopping to rest even once!"

The sorcerer grumbled but agreed. The clever sister filled a huge basket with gold, but secretly, she hid her two sisters inside, right at the bottom, and then piled the gold on top. The basket was incredibly heavy! The sorcerer huffed and puffed as he carried it. Whenever he tried to stop for a little rest, one of the sisters inside the basket would shout, "I can see you! You're resting! Keep going, keep going! Fitcher's Bird is watching!" The sorcerer, thinking it was his bride calling out magically (he didn't know her name was Fitcher's Bird, but it sounded important), would groan and struggle on until he finally delivered the basket to the sisters' home.

Meanwhile, back at the castle, the clever sister was getting ready for the "wedding." She found a big pot of honey and a feather pillow. She dipped herself in the honey from head to toe, and then rolled in the feathers until she looked like a very strange, fluffy bird. No one would recognize her now!

She started to walk away from the castle. Soon, she met some of the sorcerer's wedding guests. "Hello, strange bird!" they said. "Where are you going?"
"I'm going to Fitcher's wedding!" she chirped.
"And where is the bride?" they asked.
"Oh, she's up in the castle, sweeping it clean for the party!" the feather-bird replied, and hurried on.

A little further, she met the sorcerer himself, returning from his tiring trip. "Well, hello, Fitcher's Bird!" he said, not recognizing her at all. "Where have you come from?"
"I've come from Fitcher's castle," she chirped.
"And what is my bride doing?" he asked.
"Oh, she has finished cleaning the whole house," said the feather-bird, "and now she is standing at the window, waiting for you!"

The sorcerer hurried to his castle. But by the time he and all his wicked friends were inside, the clever sister's brothers and relatives (who had been alerted by the two rescued sisters) had arrived. They quickly locked all the doors of the castle from the outside, and then, they gathered wood and set the castle on fire!

The wicked sorcerer and all his naughty friends were trapped inside, and that was the end of them.

But the three sisters, now safe and sound, were reunited with their family. They had lots of gold, and the clever sister was known far and wide for her smart thinking and bravery. And they all lived happily, remembering to always be cautious, but also to be very, very clever.

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