The Golden Goose Girl – A Tale of Greed, Betrayal, and Magic

Once upon a time, in a prosperous kingdom far away, a queen cherished a gaggle of geese that laid golden eggs. These creatures were the pride of the realm, their precious eggs a symbol of wealth and status. The queen’s son, Prince Alaric, was tasked with overseeing the royal geese, but unlike his mother, he harbored only resentment for them. He cared nothing for the geese themselves — only the gold they produced, and even that no longer brought him joy.

He despised the endless banquets celebrating the geese, where golden eggs adorned every dish and guests feigned delight. He loathed the meticulous care they demanded — nests kept at a precise warmth, the finest grain imported from distant lands. Worst of all, he hated The Golden Goose Girl, a life-sized statue of a maiden standing sentinel near the stables. Legend whispered that the statue could grant fortune if honored or even speak in riddles when the night was still — though no one ever proved it.

Tired of the obligations and the overshadowing fame of the geese, Prince Alaric sought an escape — and it arrived in the form of his betrothed, Princess Evelina, traveling from a neighboring kingdom. Evelina adored the tales of the golden geese, so much so that her fascination had become known across kingdoms. Alongside her journey, her personal maid, Serena, seethed with envy, for she knew she’d be cast aside when her mistress married into royalty. A wicked thought hatched in Serena’s mind: what if she could take Evelina’s place?

A Wicked Scheme

Serena secretly exchanged Evelina’s belongings with her own and sent a letter ahead to the prince, feigning Evelina’s handwriting. In it, she praised the geese yet lamented her maid’s disdain for them. When the prince read the letter, a dark idea formed. If the princess loved the geese so much, she couldn’t possibly be guilty of any harm to them — yet what if harm were to come?

Upon their arrival, the prince warmly welcomed the disguised maid as his bride-to-be. That night, under the cover of darkness, Prince Alaric and Serena slaughtered every golden goose, their lifeless feathers strewn across the stables. They then smeared blood on Evelina’s sleeping hands, stuffed her bed with feathers, and killed her horse to prevent escape.

At dawn, Alaric summoned the court, declaring that Evelina was no princess at all but an impostor and a murderer, presenting the pre-written letter as evidence of her supposed love for the geese — a love that made the crime unthinkable. Stripped of her title and dignity, Evelina was condemned to life as a scullery maid, while Serena was proclaimed the new princess.

The Living Statue’s Mercy

Heartbroken, Evelina stumbled to the statue of The Golden Goose Girl, her fingers still stained with blood. She wept at its feet, pleading for justice. Suddenly, the statue’s cold gold softened, a warm hand stroking Evelina’s head.

“Why do you grieve, true princess?” the statue asked, its eyes glimmering with life.

Through tears, Evelina recounted her plight. The statue — now a golden maiden of ethereal beauty — whispered:

“There is yet a way. Gather the bodies of the slain geese. Bury them behind me in the fields and water them with the blood of your fallen horse. Return here under the cloak of night.”

Evelina obeyed, her heart heavy with each painful task. Upon her return, the Golden Goose Girl clasped her hand.

“Wait three days and nights, dear one. Fortune shall favor the wronged.”

The Prince’s Demand

Meanwhile, Prince Alaric and Serena’s joy faded. Without the golden eggs, visitors stopped coming; wealth without admiration was a hollow prize. Desperate, Serena sneered:

“Fetch the scullery maid! She adored the geese — she’ll bring them back.”

Summoned, Evelina faced the prince. She barely concealed her amusement at his desperation.

“The geese are gone, Your Highness. But I can restore them — for a price. Bring me a perfect golden egg, two strands of hair as fiery as dragon’s breath, and three tears of pure joy.”

The prince balked but accepted. Finding the golden egg was the easiest — one remained hidden in the treasury. The strands of fiery hair came from Serena, whose locks burned red as flame. But the tears of pure joy proved elusive — their hearts had long forgotten such feeling.

Only when a neighboring prince and his pregnant wife visited with joyous news of their child did Serena manage to collect such rare tears, capturing them with a silk kerchief.

The prince returned to Evelina, delivering the items. She took them to the Golden Goose Girl, who performed a solemn ritual — wrapping the egg in the strands of hair, anointing it with the tears, and burying it at the statue’s base.

For a heartbeat, nothing happened. Then, the golden statue melted, its liquid form trailing to the fields. From the earth, the geese resurrected, honking as they returned to life. And where the statue once stood, a radiant woman, the Golden Goose Girl herself, emerged.

The Poetic Justice

The Golden Goose Girl scooped golden dust from her former pedestal.

“Bring the prince and his false bride,” she instructed Evelina.

When they arrived, gloating and eager for their promised admirers, the golden maiden blew the dust upon them. Before they could flee, their bodies stiffened, transforming into intertwined golden statues, forever trapped in their greed and deceit.

The Golden Goose Girl smiled.

“Now, they shall have admirers eternally.”

Evelina was restored to her rightful title, but her heart was already entwined with the living statue who had saved her. The kingdom prospered once more, the geese thriving under Evelina’s and the maiden’s care. Visitors came not just for the golden eggs but to gaze upon the double golden statue of the prince and his wicked bride — a timeless warning that greed and betrayal bring only hollow glory.

Moral of the Story:

True worth is not measured by gold, but by kindness, courage, and honesty. Deceit may win the day, but justice always prevails — sometimes with a golden touch.