The next day the task was to grind some corn, and again Shahzadah’s heart was heavy, for how could a squirrel turn a heavy stone handmill, and grind corn? But the squirrel said as before: “Tell them to do their work, and to leave mine alone. I will do it when I have finished my bath.”
When night came, she went into the room, and with her sharp little teeth, kutter, kutter, kutter, soon reduced the corn to powder.
Shahzadah was very pleased with her, and so were they all, and nothing more was said until the next day, when the allotted task was to make a native dish called goolgoolahs. This is done by mixing goor, or molasses, with flour and water, and frying it in ghee, or oil, like fritters.
The poor little squirrel was indeed at her wits’ end how to perform the task, for how could so small an animal make so difficult a dish? She tried, and she tried, but failed each time in her attempts, until it was nearly morning.
Just then the God Mahadeo and his wife Parbatti were taking a walk in the dawning light of day. Parbatti saw the poor little squirrel’s efforts, and said to Mahadeo: “I will not rest content till you turn that small creature into a human being, so that she can perform her task.”
At first Mahadeo refused, but, after a time, he took out a knife, and, making a cut in his finger, took the blood from it, and sprinkled it upon the squirrel, who forthwith turned into a most beautiful Princess.
Just then, as she sat finishing her task, other members of the Royal Family awoke, and came in; they were greatly amazed at her beauty, and led her by the hand to their own apartments.
Meantime, Shahzadah, her husband, was stricken with grief, thinking his poor little squirrel had been burnt to death. He sought her everywhere, and when he could not find her, began to cry: “O my Ghose, my Ghose, where are you?”
The women standing there scolded him for this, and said: “Why do you call your beautiful wife a young squirrel? She is not dead, but has at last been found by us, and is with the other Princesses in the Palace.”
But Shahzadah, who knew nothing of what had happened, only wept the more, for he thought they were making fun of him, so he went to his own room, where he flung himself on his couch, and continued to weep. At last he looked up and saw, standing beside him, a beautiful girl, who said: “Do not weep, O Prince, for I am your squirrel.” Then she told him all that had happened.