This is the Crystal Mountain Story in English. Once upon a time, there were two brothers, one of whom became very rich but was wicked and cruel. The other one remained so poor that sometimes he and his family had to go to bed hungry.
One winter night, the poor brother’s family had nothing to eat, so he begged his rich brother to give him a loaf of bread.
But the rich brother pushed him out and slammed his door shut.
Shivering with cold, the younger brother remembered that there was usually a fire on the Crystal Mountain. ‘That will keep me warm for a while,” he thought.
He struggled up the mountain, and reaching the top, he saw the huge blazing fire.
To his surprise, there were twelve men seated around the fire. Every few minutes, they would move one place, going around the fire till they returned to their own places. He decided to approach them for help.
“May I warm myself at your fire, good sirs?” he asked the twelve men, “I am very poor and feeling cold!”
They asked him to come and keep warm. When the twelve men had returned to their places, an old man with a beard arose out of the fire.
He said, “Take embers from this fire to keep your cottage warm, and live honestly and wisely!”
The twelve men put embers into a sack and gave it to him.
When he opened it at home, it was full of gold coins! He sent his wife to his brother’s house to bring a measuring jar.
The suspicious fellow rubbed a little oil on it, so when it was returned, he found a gold coin there!
He got the secret of the Crystal Mountain out of his brother.
The greedy fellow went to get gold. But the man drew him into the fire and he vanished forever!
