The Milkmaid and Her Pail

In a village there lived a cheerful girl named Perrette. One morning she got up early, milked her cow, poured the milk into a big pail, balanced the pail on her head and set off for the market.

The road was long, and as Perrette walked she began to daydream. "When I sell this milk," she said to herself, "I'll buy a hundred eggs. Chicks will hatch from the eggs. The chicks will grow into hens. When I sell the hens I'll buy a piglet. When the pig is fat I'll sell it and buy a calf. The calf will grow into a cow and have a calf of its own..."

In her dream the calf was hopping and skipping in the meadow. Perrette was so delighted that she skipped too! At that very moment the pail slid off her head, fell to the ground, and all the milk spilled across the road.

Perrette stared at the spilled milk. The eggs, the chicks, the hens, the pig, the calf... all of them soaked into the earth with the milk. Her eyes filled with tears.

But then she took a deep breath. She picked up the pail, wiped it and went home. When she told her mother what had happened, her mother smiled: "My girl, dreaming is a fine thing. Nothing happens without dreams. But while you dream, don't forget to keep your feet on the ground. Look after what is in your hands first, then think about what comes next."

The next morning Perrette milked her cow again, put the pail on her head and set off. She dreamed again, of the eggs, the chicks, the calf. But her feet stayed on the road and her eyes stayed on the pail. She reached the market safe and sound, sold the milk and bought her first eggs.

Years later there really were hens, a pig and a calf on Perrette's farm. Because she never stopped dreaming, and she never dropped the pail again.