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In a land where the mountain and the valley meets, there once lived a boy who had a star on his forehead. He was the son of a poor tailor who was never happy with his life. His wife left him long ago, shortly after their only child was born, and so he had to raise their son by himself.

He despised the child, his own flesh and blood, and treated him like a servant. The boy grew up longing for his father's love. All he wanted in the world was for his father to be proud of him.

But despite his father's obvious indifference, the boy remained polite and obedient. Never once had he talked back or questioned his father's authority. Instead, he worked hard so that someday, he might be able to provide for their daily needs.

But the tailor had something else in mind. Due to the long famine, the supply of food had become scarce. Everything in the market was expensive and they didn't have enough resources to afford all of their necessities. The tailor thought that he can no longer support the child, and so, he had to send him away.

One day, the tailor instructed his son to go to the mountain to gather some feathers from a rare bird for the gown that he was making. That bird was very difficult to find, but because of his eagerness to win his father's favor, the boy obeyed at once. His father smiled to himself, knowing that the task was too impossible, and the boy won't be able make it back.

But the heavens seemed to have favored the boy, for as soon as he reached the peak of the mountain, the bird he was looking for landed on the lowest branch of a tree that was right in front of him. The boy approached the bird and asked if he could have three of its feathers.

"A boy with a star on his forehead,

May the angels favor thee.

I have feathers of green, blue and red

And because you are polite, I'll give you each for free."

The bird flew and shook its wings wildly above the ground, and soon, three lovely feathers landed on the boy's head.

"Thank you, Mister Bird. My father will be glad," the boy said gratefully, and soon he was on his way home.

The tailor didn't expect his son's immediate return, and was surprised when the boy handed him three magnificent feathers -- green, blue, and red. He then proceeded to work on it, and the next morning, he sold the fancy gown in the market at an expensive price. He earned a huge sum that day, and decided to let the boy stay a bit longer.

But soon enough, their food were almost out, and the tailor decided that it was time to send the boy away. He told his son to go back to the mountain to get him another set of feathers from a different bird, and never to come home unless he had it. Finding that bird will be too dangerous, for the bird had claws as sharp as knives. But still, the boy would do anything for his father, so he went off as soon as he can.

The winds must have told his tale to everyone, for when he reached the peak mountain, the bird was already there. It was gliding freely among the trees with its bright, silver wings.

Once again, the boy approached the bird and asked politely for its feathers. The bird was touched by the boy's honest intentions and agreed to give him what he needed.

"An honest lad, so sweet and pure

Where did you come from, I wonder

For that I shall reward you with

Three of my silver feathers."

With that the bird soared above the trees and shook its wings, just as the first one did before. And soon, three silver feathers landed on the hands of the lucky boy.

"Thank you! Thank you! I appreciate your kindness. My father will be very happy," he said to the bird and ran all the way home.

The tailor was surprised once more, for he didn't expect to see his son. And when the boy handed him the silver feathers, his heart had nearly jumped out of his chest, for he knew that each feather costs a fortune. He rushed to the market first thing the next morning and sold the precious feathers, and got himself a huge sum of money. Again, he decided to let his son stay.

But money doesn't last forever, especially when it wasn't hard-earned. After a year, their money ran out, and the tailor was convinced that it was time to send the boy away for good. This time he gave his son the most difficult, most impossible task -- to bring him the only golden bird from the mountain. "And don't ever come back unless you have it!," he said.

Now this bird was not ordinary, for aside from the fact that it was the only one who had golden feathers, the bird was also believed to be enchanted. No one has ever dared to catch the bird, despite the unimaginable amount of money it would cost in the market, so the boy was quite hesitant to do the task.

But for the love of his father, he went to the mountain with a heavy heart, with only a piece of stale bread and a waterskin. He reached the peak of the mountain and waited for the bird to appear, but the bird was nowhere in sight. "I must have used up all of my luck," he thought. But before the day was over, the boy heard a beautiful voice, singing softly somewhere above him. He looked around to see where it was coming from, and froze on the spot when he found the owner of the voice. There, on the highest branch of a tree, sat the most beautiful bird he had ever seen. It was no other than the golden bird itself.

For almost an hour, he just stood their, listening to the bird as it sang. He found himself mesmerized, and soon realized that he could never get himself to hurt such gentle creature. The impossiblity of the task struck him, and he had to accept the consequence. And as soon as the bird had stopped singing, the boy began to cry.

"What's the matter? Didn't you like my song?" the golden bird asked.

"I did! You sang beatifully, I swear. It's just that, I will never be able to go home again," the boy replied, and soon he found himself telling the bird about his previous tasks and how his father wanted him to catch the golden bird.

The creature listened to every word, and felt sorry for the boy. It was clear that his father didn't care about his son, and would gladly send him away that easily. The enchanted bird knew that the boy had a pure heart and decided to help him.

"Take me to your father," the bird said after she'd made her decision.

"But he will sell you and you'll never be free again. I can't let that happen."

"Don't worry. We'll see what we can do."

And so, the boy and the golden bird set off on their journey. They reached the tailor's house before dawn and the man couldn't believe what he was seeing. The bird flew around him, its wings made of glittering gold. The tailor was amazed by it's beauty, and thought of all the money he would get once it was sold. He reached out to take the bird, and alas!, as soon as his hand had touched its golden feathers, he himself had turned into gold.

No one ever looked for the grumpy tailor, or his son, but everyone in the land soon found out about the golden castle that stood at the peak of the mountain, and the boy with a star on his forehead who lived in it. 

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