I have a story stuck in my head:

Once upon a time, there was a gril who's father had died, leaving her in the care of her Stepmother. She lived as a servent to the step mother, and her daughter, both of whom were greedy, lazy and unkind.

One morning in december, the daughter decided that she wanted fresh strawberries. The step mother sent the girl out to pick them, and told her not to return until she found some. The girl spent the entire day searching the forrest for strawberries, but, as it was winter found none. She returned home at sunset, but the step mother would not let her in. The girl was told that she would neither be given food, nor let into the house until she returned with fresh strawberries.

The girl spent the entire night searching the forrest, she searched into the wee hours of the morning but still found nothing but snow. a few hours after the sun had cleared the horizon the girl happened upon an old woman who was sprawled on the ground in the middle of a pile of twigs and wood. The girl rushed over to make sure the woman was okay.

The Old woman explained that she was gathering wood for the stove back at her cottage and she had fallen and twisted her ankle. She asked the girl to help her gather the wood and asked if the girl might be able to carry both wood and woman back to the house.

The girl, having given up hope of ever finding strawberries, agreed to help the woman, and though the wood alone would have been heavy enough to have her breathing hard when she arrived where ever she was going, she carried both it and the old woman deeper into the forrest, without a word of complaint.

The girl arrived at the house, and set the old woman in a chair and proped up her ankle, then set about to stacking the wood and beginning a fire. When she had finished that, she turned to the old woman and found that there was no old woman at all, but a beatiful forrest spirit.

The spirit spoke to the girl and told her that she was to be rewarded for her kind and pure heart. The spirit told her that whenever she spoke she would be rewarded with riches. The girl did not understand, and when she questioned the spirit gold coins flowed out from under her words. she was delighted for a moment, but realized that she had still not found the strawberries, and told the spirit of this. the Spirit laughed and pointed the the girls basket, which was full of the ripest juciest strawberries she had ever seen.

The girl ran home laughing, and pearls slid down her chin.

When she returned home she handed the strawberries to her sister, who threw them into the fire exclaiming that the girl had taken too long, and she had no desire for strawberries anymore.

The stepmother asked where the girl has come across the strawberries, and the girl told her that she had happened upon the doorstep of a kindly old gnome, who, by his magic, had a garden that bloomed year round, and that he had given her them in exchange for her help in shoeing his horse. black diamonds spilt over the floor as she spoke. The mother scooped them up and questioned them. The girl awnsered that they had been an added gift because of her pure heart.

Both mother and daughter laughed at this. the mother forced the girl to give directions to the gnomes house, and sent her daughter out to find him, and told her to win the same reward.

The daughter went out and searched for the gnome. While she was looking, she happened upon an old woman sprawled out in the middle of scattered twigs and wood. The daughter laughed at the sight, and laughed even harder at the old womans request for help. The daughter scooped up some snow and tossed it at the old womans face saying that she had a gnome to fine, and had no time for foolish old women who couldn't keep an eye out for patches of ice.

She continued along the way until she happened upon a cottage, and just around the back, she caught a glimpse of bright blooming flowers. She knocked upon the doorstep, and sure enough, an ancient gnome awnsered the door.

The daughter explained that she had lost her way back to her home, and wondered if the gnome might let her stay with him for a few days, she was more than willing to help him with anything he needed. The gnome agreed that there were a few things he might need help with, and let the daughter in.

For the next two weeks, the daughter worked from the minute the first ray of sun appeard, to the minute the last left. grumbling to herself everynight, when the gnome was snoring loudly in the next room. After two weeks the daughter had had enough, and decided that surely the gnome would give her the same gift as her step sister when she left. As she left, the gnome pulled her aside, and told her how thankful he was for her help, and told her that he had a gift for her. the daughterclasped her hands together and prenteded to protest. The gnome insisted that she recieve his gift, and the daughter agreed. The gnome told her to go out to the barn, and wait for him.

The daughter did as he said, and could hardley contain her excitement at the thought of all the riches she would posess. There was a knock at the door and when it opened, it was not the gnome, but the forest spirit that the girl had seen before.

She smiled at the daughter, and told her that she was to be rewarded for the true character of her heart, that every word she spoke whould come straight from her spirit. The daughter opened her mouth to thank the spirit, but the words turned to a scream half way out of her mouth. spiders, and flies, and snakes, and rats all tumbled out of her mouth. She could feel them crawling up her throat, and could not bring herself to stop screaming...

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I've found this really great collection of short stories, they're all revamped fairytales, edited by Ellen Datlow, and Terri Windling. in one of them, there's a continuation of that story where the Girl gets married, and supports her stepmother and stepsister (both of whome have gon insane) with the money and gems that fall from her mouth. At first her husband is all charming, but then one day the get in a fight, and he pushes her a little and she falls on the corner of a table and cuts her forhead. she spits oout a large ruby, and the guy realizes that pain and darker emotions result in more valuable gems. He proceeds to beat her until she finally gets away, and she lives alone in an apartment, and doesn't do anything, or have any friends, because she's afraid that they'll hurt her so that they can get rich. At the end of the story her ex husband finds her, and tries to get her to come back to him, and all the hate that she's held pent up inside formes into the gigantic blood red ruby that comes shooting out of her mouth and crushes her husband, killing him. She never speaks again.