Hard by a great forest dwelt a wood-cutter with his wife, who had an only child, a little girl three years old. They were so poor that they no longer had daily bread.
One morning, while the wood-cutter was at work, a tall and beautiful woman with a crown of shining stars appeared. She said, "I am the Virgin Mary. Thou art poor and needy; bring thy child to me. I will take her with me and be her mother." The wood-cutter obeyed, and the Virgin Mary took the girl up to heaven.
There, the child lived well, eating sugar-cakes, drinking sweet milk, wearing clothes of gold, and playing with angels. When she was fourteen, the Virgin Mary said, "Dear child, I must go on a long journey. Take the keys to the thirteen doors of heaven. You may open twelve and behold their glory, but the thirteenth is forbidden. Beware of opening it, or thou wilt bring misery on thyself."
The girl promised obedience. After Mary left, she opened the twelve doors one by one, each revealing an Apostle in great light. She rejoiced in the splendour. Only the forbidden door remained. A great desire to know its secret grew within her. "I will not open it fully," she told the angels, "just unlock it to peek." The angels warned, "Oh no, that would be a sin."
Yet, the desire gnawed at her. One day, when alone, she thought, "No one will ever know." She found the key, put it in the lock, and turned it. The door sprang open. Inside, she saw the Trinity sitting in fire and splendour. In amazement, she touched the light with her finger, and it turned golden. Terrified, she slammed the door and ran. But her heart beat wildly, and the gold on her finger would not wash off.
Soon, the Virgin Mary returned and asked for the keys. "Hast thou not opened the thirteenth door?" she asked. "No," the girl replied. Mary felt her pounding heart and saw the golden finger. Twice more she asked, and twice more the girl lied. Then Mary said, "Thou hast not obeyed me and hast lied. Thou art no longer worthy to be in heaven."
The girl fell into a deep sleep and awoke in a wilderness, unable to speak. Thick thorn hedges imprisoned her. An old hollow tree became her dwelling. She lived a miserable life, eating roots and berries, weeping for her lost happiness in heaven. Her clothes turned to rags, and her long hair became her only mantle. Years passed.
One spring, the King was hunting in the forest. Forcing his way through a thicket, he saw a wonderfully beautiful maiden under a tree, entirely covered by her golden hair. "Who art thou?" he asked. She could not answer but nodded when he asked if she would go with him. He took her to his castle, dressed her in beautiful garments, and soon married her, loving her dearly despite her silence.
A year later, the Queen bore a son. That night, the Virgin Mary appeared. "If thou confess that thou openedst the forbidden door, I will restore thy speech and give back thy child. If thou deniest, I will take the child." The Queen remained hard and said, "No." Mary took the child. In the morning, people whispered the Queen had killed her own child, but the King would not believe it.
The next year, she bore another son. Again, Mary appeared with the same offer and warning. Again, the Queen denied and lost her second child. The people now declared loudly that she was a man-eater, but the King still protected her.
The following year, a daughter was born. For the third time, Mary appeared, led the Queen to heaven, and showed her the two lost sons playing. "Is thy heart not yet softened? Confess, and I will return thy sons." But the Queen denied for the third time. Mary returned her to earth and took the daughter.
Now, the people demanded justice. The Queen, unable to speak in her defense, was condemned to be burnt alive. As the flames rose around her at the stake, the ice of her pride finally melted. In repentance, she thought, "If I could but confess..." Then her voice returned. She cried out, "Yes, Mary, I did it!"
Immediately, rain extinguished the flames. A light broke forth, and the Virgin Mary descended with the three children. She spoke kindly, "He who repents his sin and acknowledges it, is forgiven." She returned the children, restored the Queen's speech, and granted her happiness for life.