00:00with his three sons.
00:02All three of them were young and handsome.
00:05The farmer was proud of his sons.
00:08Once he thought it was time for them to get married.
00:11Look sons, you're old enough to get married.
00:15I want you to find a sweetheart for yourself.
00:19I want you all to have a good life with your partner.
00:24But father, how can we find our brides?
00:28Yes father, it will be difficult to find a bride by ourselves.
00:32I shall obey you father, but please guide us first.
00:37Of course I will.
00:39We have a family tradition to find a bride.
00:42And you all must follow it.
00:45Take an axe and cut a tree in our farm.
00:48See where the tree falls and search for your bride in that direction.
00:53But before cutting a tree, you should plant one in the farm
00:57and promise me to take good care of it.
01:01Yes father.
01:03Father, why are we doing this?
01:05Planting a tree before cutting one?
01:08Because trees are very important for us.
01:11We shouldn't just cut them.
01:13We should plant and grow more and more trees.
01:17The sons obeyed their father.
01:20Each one of them planted a tree first and then cut one.
01:25The eldest son cut a tree that fell into the north direction.
01:30Oh north, it's good for me.
01:32The girl I like stays in that direction.
01:35I'll go to the north and propose to her.
01:39The second son cut a tree which fell to the south.
01:43Aha, how did this tree know that I love a girl and often dance with her?
01:48Stays in the south direction.
01:50I'll start my journey to the south soon.
01:53The youngest son's tree fell in the direction of the jungle.
01:57Both his elder brothers laughed at him.
02:00Look at this. Are you going to follow this direction?
02:04Hey, Vako, whom will you marry from the jungle?
02:08A wolf or a deer?
02:12I'll follow the direction where the tree has fallen.
02:16I'm sure I'll find my bride in this direction.
02:20All the three brothers started their journey.
02:24The elder son went to the girl in the north and proposed to the girl he always loved.
02:30She accepted his proposal at once.
02:33The second son went to the south and proposed to his girlfriend for marriage.
02:38She readily said yes to him.
02:42Vako went to the jungle and walked a long way.
02:46But he couldn't find any humans.
02:49He was disappointed and tired too.
02:52So he looked for a shelter and found a small hut in the jungle.
02:58Vako was surprised to see it.
03:00He entered in that hut to find it empty.
03:03There was nobody present but a mouse.
03:08Oh, nobody is here.
03:10How can you say that? I'm here.
03:12You're just a mouse, not a human being.
03:15What are you doing in this jungle?
03:17I'm searching for my sweetheart.
03:19In this jungle?
03:21Do you think this is a place to find your sweetheart?
03:24No, but if I try my best, I might just find her.
03:28But I'm worried as there are no humans here.
03:31It'll be shameful if I return home without a bride.
03:35There is no girl in this jungle.
03:38Why don't you take me as your sweetheart?
03:41You're a mouse.
03:42How can I take you as my sweetheart?
03:45Don't stress me, Vako.
03:47Now I'm a mouse.
03:48I'll love you and be true to you.
03:50Yes, but…
03:52The mouse started convincing Vako.
03:55She danced for him.
03:57She sang a beautiful song for him.
03:59The tired Vako was well entertained by the mouse.
04:03As the dance and the song were over,
04:05The mouse waited for Vako's decision.
04:08She was looking at him lovingly.
04:11I like you.
04:12I'll take you as my sweetheart.
04:14The mouse was very happy to know this.
04:17She promised Vako that she will wait for him until he returns.
04:23All the three brothers had returned home.
04:27Tell me, sons.
04:28Have you found your brides?
04:31I found a beautiful girl as my bride.
04:34She has got rosy lips.
04:37My bride too is very beautiful.
04:39She has got long golden hair.
04:42Um…
04:44What happened, Vako?
04:46Your bride must have sharp teeth and long pointed ears.
04:51Please don't laugh, brother.
04:53My sweetheart is a gentle, dainty little thing,
04:56Gowned in velvet.
04:58She must be a princess then.
05:00Yes, and when she sings for me,
05:03I feel perfectly happy.
05:05The two brothers were not so happy for Vako.
05:09A few days passed,
05:11and their father decided to put the brides to a test.
05:14He called his sons and said,
05:17I want you to know if your sweethearts are good at kitchen or not.
05:22Request them to bake a loaf for me.
05:25Both the elder brothers agreed to it,
05:27but Vako was silent.
05:29He was worried for he knew that a mouse cannot bake a loaf.
05:35He went to the jungle.
05:37The mouse was very pleased to see him.
05:40I knew you will return soon.
05:42Oh, what happened? You seem to be worried.
05:45My father wants each of our sweethearts to bake a loaf of bread,
05:49but you cannot.
05:50My brothers will laugh at me.
05:53What if I say I can?
05:55Your brothers won't laugh at you.
05:57I've never heard of a mouse baking a bread.
06:00But I can.
06:04The mouse rang a small silver bell thrice.
06:09Listening to the sound,
06:11hundreds of mice came out from nowhere.
06:14They all gathered around the mouse.
06:16The mouse sat in front of them straight and dignified.
06:20Each of you fetch me a grain of finest wheat.
06:24And to Vako's surprise,
06:26all the mice vanished.
06:28When they returned,
06:30they had a grain of fine wheat with them.
06:33Collecting those grains,
06:35the mouse baked a beautiful loaf of wheat bread.
06:41All the three brothers took their loaf to their father.
06:44The eldest son presented the rye bread.
06:48Very good.
06:50This bread is good for hardworking people like us.
06:55The second son brought the bread made up of barley.
06:59Barley is also very good.
07:02And Vako presented his white bread.
07:06What? White bread?
07:08Vako, your sweetheart must be very wealthy.
07:14Of course.
07:15Didn't he tell us that she is a princess?
07:17So, Vako, how does a princess get fine wheat?
07:22She rings a silver bell thrice.
07:24And her servants get anything for her.
07:27I'm happy with all the three brides.
07:30But they've baked a very good loaf.
07:32But before you get them home,
07:35I want each of them to weave something for me.
07:39My sweetheart is a good weaver.
07:42Mine too.
07:44Vako didn't utter a word,
07:46as he was sure the mouse can't weave.
07:50He went to the hut in the jungle.
07:52The mouse felt that he was worried.
07:55She asked the reason.
07:57I'm afraid you can't do it.
07:59I've never heard of a mouse weaving.
08:01Can you?
08:02Of course.
08:04Vako's sweetheart can do anything for him.
08:08Again, the mouse rang the silver bell thrice.
08:11And hundreds of mice came in.
08:13And sat in front of her waiting for her order.
08:18Each of you will get me the finest fiber of flax.
08:22Obeying her order, all the mice vanished.
08:25And when they returned,
08:26they had the finest fiber of flax with them.
08:29The mouse weaved a beautiful piece of fine linen.
08:33It was so sheer that she kept it in an empty nutshell.
08:37Take this, Vako.
08:39Hope your father will like it.
08:41Vako took the nutshell with him and came home.
08:45His two brothers presented the piece woven by their sweethearts.
08:50A coarse cotton.
08:52Not very fine, but good.
08:54Then the second son gave his father what his sweetheart has woven.
08:58A mix of cotton and linen.
09:00A little better.
09:02What about you, Vako?
09:05Vako put forward the nutshell.
09:07His brothers laughed at him.
09:10Father has to weave a piece of cloth, not a nutshell.
09:15Their laughter faded away as their father opened the nutshell.
09:19He brought out the finest fabric of linen.
09:22Wow! How did she manage this?
09:26She rang the silver bell and ordered her servants to get her the finest fiber.
09:30Then she wove the fabric for you.
09:33Vako, your sweetheart seems to be a princess.
09:36Now you three may bring your sweethearts home.
09:39I want to meet them all.
09:41Bring them tomorrow.
09:43The mouse was overjoyed to know this.
09:46She dressed well, rang the silver bell,
09:49rang the silver bell, and ordered for a coach and five coachmen.
09:54Soon there arrived a coach of a nutshell and five mice drawing it.
09:59Vako was surprised to see this.
10:02The mouse sat in the coach with the coachmen in front and footmen at the back of the coach.
10:07They started their journey to Vako's home.
10:11Vako was walking beside the coach.
10:14Don't worry. I'll take good care of you.
10:17And don't worry about my father, too. He is a gentle person.
10:22Walking through the jungle, they came near a town.
10:26There was a river flowing in between.
10:28They had to cross the bridge over the river.
10:32As they were crossing it, a man came from nowhere in the opposite direction.
10:37He saw a bunch of mice coming on his way.
10:40He laddered and shook them all into the river.
10:44What have you done? Why did you do this?
10:49You've drowned my sweetheart into the river.
10:52Your sweetheart? Those mice?
10:56He laughed loudly and went away.
10:59Vako was very sad for the mouse.
11:02He looked down into the river, but he found them nowhere.
11:06Oh, my poor little sweetheart. How sorry I am that you've drowned.
11:12Saying this, Vako turned and saw a beautiful coach standing at the other bank of the river.
11:19It was being carried by five glossy horses.
11:23The most beautiful girl was seated in the coach.
11:26Vako was pleased to see the beauty of the coach.
11:30He started walking to his home.
11:32As he came near the coach,
11:35Vako, won't you sit beside me?
11:38Me?
11:40You took me for your sweetheart when I was a mouse.
11:44I'm sure you won't desert me when I'm a princess again.
11:48Were you the mouse?
11:50Yes. I was a princess under an evil curse.
11:55It could never have been broken if you wouldn't have accepted me as your sweetheart.
12:00And if that man hadn't drowned me...
12:03The curse is over now.
12:04Now we can meet your father, get married, and go to my kingdom.
12:10And they traveled to Vako's home.
12:13Vako's father and both his elder brothers were mesmerized to see a princess as Vako's sweetheart.
12:20Father, this is my sweetheart.
12:23Your sweetheart is really a princess.
12:27Where did you find her?
12:29Out there in the forest, where the tree plants grow.
12:32Out there in the forest, where the tree pointed me to go.
12:36Where your tree pointed?
12:38I've always heard that's the best way to find a bride.
12:42If our trees would have pointed us to the forest, we would have found the princess too.
12:48But they were wrong.
12:50Vako got the princess because he was kind even to a little mouse.
12:56Vako's father blessed them, and they got married.
12:59And they were happy because they were kind and true to each other.
13:04They loved each other dearly.
