there was once upon a time a rich king who had three daughters, who daily went to walk in the palace garden, and the king was a great lover of all kinds of fine trees, but there was one for which he had such an affection, that if anyone gathered an apple from it he wished him a hundred fathoms underground. and when harvest time came, the apples on this tree were all as red as blood. the three daughters went every day beneath the tree, and looked to see if the wind had not blown down an apple, but they never by any chance found one, and the tree was so loaded with them that it was almost breaking, and the branches hung down to the ground. then the king’s youngest child had a great desire for an apple, and said to her sisters, "our father loves us far too much to wish us underground, it is my belief that he would only do that to people who were strangers." and while she was speaking, the child plucked off quite a large apple, and ran to her sisters, saying, "just taste, my dear little sisters, for never in my life have i tasted anything so delightful." then the two other sisters also ate some of the apple, whereupon all three sank deep down into the earth, where they could hear no cock crow.