My two daughters and I are very poor. We live in a small village near the sea, and we seldom leave the house. We work all day long making veils for ladies. Every morning, I take the veils over the bridge and sell them in the city. I buy our food for the day and then I return home to do my share of veil-making.
One morning, I rose a little earlier, and set off for the city. I was crossing the bridge when my feet knocked against a human head. It said, “Take me home with you, good mother!” I was terrified, and I turned on my heels and ran home as fast as I could, but this thing rolled and bounced after me. When I arrived at the house, it bounded through the door, stopped in front of the fire, and begged me to allow it to stay.
We had no food in the house that day, and worse still, we had another mouth to feed!
The Old Veil-Maker in The Enchanted Head, Brown Fairy Book