I'm just getting into trying to read Japanese literature and I came across
this sentence on the opening page of ゆきの物語第一章.

> [昔々]{むかし}、ある[小]{ちい}さな[村]{むら}にゆきという[娘]{むすめ}がおばあさんと[二人]{ふたり}で[暮]{く}らしていました。

I have roughly translated this as:

> _Once upon a time, a daughter, called Yuki, and her grandmother lived
> together in a small village._

However, I have no idea why ある is required in this sentence. (Any help with
the translation would also be greatly appreciated)
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question
meaning words
What purpose does ある serve in the sentence?