When my six brothers shake off their swan feathers, I am so glad to see them! But there isn’t much time. They will only be in their human forms for a quarter of an hour.

“If you wish to free us, you must sew us six shirts from starwort,” they say. “For seven years you must not speak a word, or laugh. It’s the only way to undo the witch’s curse!”

They do not think I can do it, but I will. I will show them I can.

The Swan Sister in The Six Swans, Grimms. Illustration by Adrienne Segur.