FAIRY TALES

Part 3 P-W CONTENTS

The Peacock and the Crane...... 3 Pelops...... 5 Phaethon...... 7 Pinocchio...... 10 The Prince and The Frog...... 17 Puss in Boots...... 21 The Reckless Man and the Swallow...... 27 The Rooster, the Cat, and the Club...... 29 Rosie and the Peacock King...... 32 The Sacred Stone of Namuncura...... 40 The search for the most powerful being...... 42 The Seven Little Goats...... 45 Shake, My Satchel!...... 49 The Singing Flute...... 52 The Sleeping Beauty...... 55 The Snail and the Rose Tree...... 60 The Snow Queen...... 64 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs...... 71 The Soldier and the Horse...... 79 The Stag and the Lake...... 81 The Story of Wood...... 83 The Swan and the Crow...... 85 The Tale of the Lion and the Mouse...... 87 Three Bits of Wisdom...... 89 The Three-Blossomed Rose...... 93 The Three Coins...... 98 The Three Feathers...... 101 The Three Golden Hairs...... 105 The Three Piglets...... 112 The Three Sillies...... 117 Three trees...... 121 Thumbelina...... 125 The Tortoise and the Hare...... 132 The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse...... 134 The Ugly Duckling...... 137 The Vanishing Pond...... 140 Wise Matthew and the Fools...... 143 The Wolf and the Ram...... 147 The Wooden Boy...... 149 THE PEACOCK AND THE CRANE

Once there was a peacock living by a small pond. Every day, he proudly strolled along the shore, spreading his magnificent feathers whenever he met another bird. The giant fan full of colours and patterns shimmering in the sunshine was admired by everyone who lived nearby. When there was no admirer in sight, the fowl himself feasted his eyes on his reflection on the lake. Sometimes he even kicked a pebble into the water to ruffle the surface and admire his own beauty in movement. Over time his pride turned into arrogance and haughtiness. In his eyes, other birds were not beautiful enough to be worth talking to or, heaven forbid, pal around with. Everyone around was pretty much irked by it, so the other birds came up with a plan to play a joke on the puffed-up fowl. The task was given to a crane, the most mundane and unexceptional bird compared to the peacock, what with his scrawny body, grey colour and skinny legs. Far and wide, there was no bird so dull and forgettable as the crane. A beautiful morning came. Sparrows were chirping and the sun was shining. Once the crane noticed the peacock admiring his own reflection and smoothing out his colourful feathers, he set out for a little walk to meet the vain fowl. When they met, the peacock instantly started mocking the crane. “Oh, crane, why don’t you do something with those feathers of yours! Don’t

3 THE PEACOCK AND THE CRANE

you wish to look at least a bit more interesting? Look how boring and drab you are! Look at that dismal, bland colour, that drooping tail, those ridiculously bony legs,” he scoffed at the crane, knowing that his beauty must have been even more apparent now that he was standing right next to the grey bird. But the crane just kept walking patiently around, even coming back a few times to give the peacock enough opportunity to add some more of his snide remarks. After some time the crane paused for a bit and said: “You may have the most beautiful feathers in the world, and sure enough, everyone who meets you has to admire your tail, no doubt. But I have never seen you fly. I guess that’s because your feathers are as weak and fragile as they are beautiful. They could never keep you up in the air since they would break easily. My feathers may be grey as dust, but they are also strong enough to carry me high into the sky and wherever I want. You, however, are doomed to stay on the ground forever.” And as he finished, he fluttered his wings and disappeared.

4 PELOPS

A war started and the gods cast Pelops’s father into the deepest abyss of the Underworld and threw Pelops himself out of Olympus. The young man settled in Greece, and even though he was still very young, he decided to get married, choosing the beautiful daughter of king Oenomaus, Hippodamia. But many young men from all over the country desired her hand, and so her father announced that he would give his daughter only to a man that could defeat him in a chariot race. Those who would lose, though, would pay with their lives. These were the rules of the race: right after the start, the king would first sacrifice a ram to Zeus and only then he would begin pursuing the suitor. If he managed to catch up despite the suitor’s head start, he could pierce him with a spear. The suitors viewed the rules as too easy given the head start and the fact that the king himself was already very weak and very old. One by one, they arrived at the palace, bowed to Hippodamia and asked her father for her hand. The king politely received each one of them, gave them rest and refreshment and had a beautiful chariot with four horses called quadriga readied. After the starting signal with a suitor already on the track, the king would first make for the altar and set off on the race only after sacrificing a ram. But every single time, his

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horses, faster than the wind, caught up with the suitors long before reaching the finish line. By the time it was Pelops’s turn, twelve suitors had already lost their lives. Knowing the fate of his predecessors, Pelops set off for the seashore on the eve of the race where he called on Poseidon, the ruler of all seas: “Oh, mighty god! Please help me beat the king. Give me strength, so that he can never catch up with my chariot and pierce me with his spear. Show me the fastest route and grant me victory.” The water started boiling, a thunder roared and a beautiful golden chariot drawn by four winged horses emerged from the waves. Pelops expressed his thanks and got into the chariot. The divine horses were faster than the wind. Even though king Oenomaus saw that the new suitor arrived in a golden chariot pulled by divine horses, he did not take fright and gave Pelops a head start just like the other suitors. When he sacrificed a ram to Zeus, he got into his chariot and set off in pursuit after Pelops. The young man was only a stone’s throw away from the finish line when Oenomaus finally caught up with him and drew his spear, swinging it to deliver a mortal blow to his opponent. But in that moment, Poseidon, who kept a protective eye over Pelops, appeared out of thin air and intervened. The wheels on the king’s chariot tore off at full speed and the quadriga broke into a thousand pieces. Oenomaus could not survive such a terrible fall. A second later, Pelops crossed the finish line a won his desired bride.

6 PHAETHON

One day, young Phaethon, son of the sun god Helios came home very upset and complained to his mother: “No one believes my father is a god. They all laugh at me and tell me I’m making it all up!” “But your father is a god. Look up. The sun, rising from the horizon every morning and climbing the sky, that is your father. He’s looking at you from up there, watching you grow, learning new things and playing with your friends,” explained his mother softly. “Let me go see him. I want to meet my father,” insisted Phaethon. His mother finally agreed and showed him the way. “You have to keep going east until you reach a high rock. Then you take a winding path to the top of a mountain. There you will find the Palace of the Sun and inside your father Helios.” Phaethon quickly packed his things, shut the door behind him and departed on his long journey east. When he arrived at the rock, he could already see the shining palace from afar. Golden flames from its walls were blazing all the way up to the sky. Phaethon entered the palace gate and covered his eyes. The glaring golden light flooding the courtyard shone so bright, he thought it would blind him. Gods

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were passing by everywhere he looked and nymphs were playing divine melodies on their harps. When he entered the main hall, he saw the god Helios sitting on a throne in front of him. “Welcome, dear son. To what do I owe this pleasant surprise?” said his father and embraced him. The boy started explaining: “Everyone laughs at me. They say that I lie and that I am not your son at all. Please, do something to prove to them that you really are my father!” Helios approached Phaethon, caressed his hair and told him: “You are my son. You can ask me for anything and your wish will come true.” Phaethon clapped and rejoiced. He didn’t think long before saying: “You rise to the sky every morning in your sun chariot pulled by your golden horses. I want to ride the chariot once all the way from dawn to dusk. When they see me in the sky, everyone will finally believe I am your son.” “You can choose anything you want my son, but that chariot is way too dangerous for you. I always have my hands full steering the horses as they climb sharply to the sky in the morning. And at noon, when the chariot is the highest, even I get dizzy from the height,” discouraged him Helios. But Phaethon insisted and his father couldn’t take his promise back anymore. And so Helios walked his son to the chariot, rubbed magical ointment in his skin to protect him from the blaze and shared with him some last few words of advice: “Be careful not to fly too high or you could burn the sky itself away. But don’t fly too low either, or you will leave the ground scorched like a burning plain and the water in the seas and rivers will boil away.” Phaethon nodded, but his mind was already up in the skies and he was picturing himself waving to his friends from above. He jumped into the shining chariot and fiercely took off. At first, the horses trotted on their usual path and kept to their tracks. But soon they felt the inexperienced hand guiding their movement and deviated from the route. They galloped anywhere they wanted and young Phaethon lost all control over the sun chariot. The horses rose high to the stars and then sprinted all the

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way to the ground where they burned everything in their way. The earth twisted and writhed in the flames, cities burned to ash, fields lost all their crops and water disappeared from the rivers. But the king of gods, Zeus himself, couldn’t watch this mess anymore. He cast a lightning bolt at Phaethon and threw his lifeless body off the chariot and down to the burning ground. Every night since then Helios wept for his son and tears fell from his cheeks. To this day, you can still find them in the grass in the morning. People call them morning dew.

9 PINOCCHIO

There once was an old woodcarver who made his living by carving wooden toys. His name was Geppetto and he was the most skilled woodcarver for miles and miles around. But he was lonely, because he had no one except his little pet cat called Figaro, who was his best friend, but not a human being, of course. As an old man, Geppetto regretted just one thing: not having a son or a daughter to make him happy. Once on a stroll through the woods, he came across a beautiful piece of wood and just as he set his eyes on it he knew it was going to make for a marvellous marionette. He cut the wood and got down to work that very day. He was so happy when he finished. The marionette looked so lifelike! It could move its little arms and legs, and was dressed in beautiful clothes. Geppetto was delighted with his work and Figaro, sitting next to him, happily wagged his tail and cheerfully meowed. “I will call you Pinocchio,” said Geppetto merrily when he placed the wooden boy on a small cabinet next to his bed. As it was already quite late, Geppetto was getting ready for bed. Everything was dark outside and he looked out the window into the night. “Look at the beautiful sky, Figaro.” Geppetto said as he picked up his cat, and

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the two of them gazed at the starry night. “It’s such a shame, really, that I was never blessed with a son. If only Pinocchio was made out of real flesh and bones and not just carved from wood,” he said, praying to the brightest star in the sky, his favourite and lucky star. And indeed, it was. That night when every living soul had already left for the realm of dreams, the lucky star came down from the night sky and, swimming in the bright moonlight, turned into a fairy. She took a step closer to Pinocchio and said: “To a warm heart I will gladly grant a wish and turn this lifeless log into living flesh.” Then she waved her magic wand and brought Pinocchio to life. Pinocchio slowly opened his eyes and carefully stretched out one of his tiny hands. “I’m alive,” he said surprisedly, “I’m a real boy!” Then he stood up and happily jumped up and down all around the room. “Be careful, though, Pinocchio!” the fairy warned him. “You can keep your human form, but only as long as you are honest, fair and brave. You have to know right from wrong and help Geppetto whenever he needs.” “But how am I to know what’s right and what’s not?” said Pinocchio, squinting confusedly. “You have your own soul now, so decide wisely,” she added and disappeared, leaving just a few sparks behind her. Pinocchio quietly thanked her and then waited impatiently for the sun to rise and announce the new day. When Geppetto woke up that morning, Pinocchio greeted him immediately: “Good morning, daddy.” Confused Geppetto looked around the room but didn’t see anyone to whom the voice could belong. “Have you heard it too, Figaro?” he asked the cat, who just nodded. “I am here. It’s me who’s speaking,” continued Pinocchio. “That’s impossible! I must still be dreaming!” Geppetto couldn’t believe his eyes. “I am your son, daddy! The son you have always wanted. Your wish has come

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true,” said the boy cheerfully. Even though Geppetto still couldn’t wrap his head around it, he felt great joy engulfing him. At once he picked the boy up and hugged him lovingly, happiness filling the whole house up to the roof. Just a few days passed until the boy started wishing he could go to school just like every other child. “Daddy, I want to be an ordinary boy. I want to learn to read and write and count, so that I can help you make money,” said Pinocchio to the old woodcarver. Geppetto rejoiced at the wisdom and genius of his son, but he didn’t have enough money to pay for his schoolbooks. It didn’t take him long, though, to come up with a plan. He sold his favourite woollen vest and with that money, he bought his son all the school supplies he needed. When the woodcarver gave his son his books, Pinocchio asked in surprise: “But where’s your vest?” “I didn’t need it anymore,” lied Geppetto and smiled at the boy. “Here you are. I hope they serve you well.” Pinocchio was very grateful and threw his arms around his father’s neck. He set off to school the very next morning. Walking cheerfully, he suddenly heard loud music coming from behind the shrubs and found himself looking at a giant colourful tent. Naturally, he was very curious, just like every other little boy, and decided to take a closer look. Soon enough he found out that he was looking at a circus. “Excuse me, how can I get inside?” he asked a tall man in front of the tent. “Well, you would have to buy a ticket,” answered the man coarsely. “I don’t have any money, just these books,” he said and showed them to the man. With a sly look in his eye, the man took the books and gave Pinocchio a colourful ticket in return. “Now you can enter,” said the man and let Pinocchio in. Pinocchio worked his way to the very front, eying the scene at the stage, utterly astonished. Two wooden marionettes danced there on strings attached to their hands and feet, and Pinocchio, unable to resist, joined them delightedly, as if he

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had just found his long-lost friends. People started cheering, throwing money on the circus ring. When the owner saw it, he realized right away how much money a wooden puppet dancing on its own could make him, and once the show was over he quickly grabbed Pinocchio and locked him in a cage. “Please, sir, don’t leave me here! I must go to school,” yelled the boy at the well- dressed man. “What did you say? Well, why are you in my circus, then, when you’re supposed to be at school?” asked the man, confused. “I’m actually a real boy, not a wooden puppet. I sold my books to see your show, but now I really, really regret it,” said Pinocchio disappointedly, finally realizing what a mistake he had made. “Dear boy! Here’s your money. Now go, buy some new books and take good care of yourself. Not everyone is such a goodhearted fellow as I am,” the man warned Pinocchio, and let him out of the cage. “Thank you, sir, thank you!” said Pinocchio with a smile on his face and hurried off to school. ‘I was lucky this time,’ thought Pinocchio. “Now I will know better what is right” He hurried onward, but it didn’t take long until he met a fox. “Where are you going?” the fox asked as she wound around his legs. “To school, of course,” answered Pinocchio with a smile and walked on. “School is a waste of time. Why go to school when you can have all that you want without having to learn anything...” said the fox, trying to trick him. “What do you mean?” asked Pinocchio, taken aback. “Well, come with me and I’ll show you a place you will never ever want to leave.” Then she left the path, heading for a nearby grove. Pinocchio followed her without saying a single word, listening to her stories about this magical place. He couldn’t wait to finally get there, and when he did, he saw that she wasn’t lying at all. There were sweets and lollypops and chocolates and candies and toys everywhere! And also children his own age, so many new friends! Happy and smiling, he immediately ran to the other boys. Somehow several hours passed. The sun was slowly setting down, but Pinocchio

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was still playing with his new friends, the thought of Geppetto, worried at home, never crossing his mind. It was almost dark when Pinocchio finally stopped for a moment. He had a strange feeling as if he had something on his head, and as he touched his ears, he felt they were large and hairy. He quickly stood up and ran to the nearest mirror, seeing that all of a sudden, he had grown a tail and donkey ears. Pinocchio had no idea what was happening but knew for sure he had to put an end to it. Where exactly was he? Why was he changing into a donkey? He strayed from the right path yet again, fell prey to deception and didn’t know right from wrong. He blamed the cunning fox, of course, but the truth is it was his fault and nobody else’s. Pinocchio instantly took to his heels but the guards, whom he hadn’t even noticed up until that moment, started chasing him. He ran and ran as fast as his wooden legs would carry him. When he finally escaped the enchanted forest, both the tail and ears disappeared, but Pinocchio dared not stop. He had never been this scared in his entire life but decided to slow down a bit and turn around to find whether he was still being followed. That’s when he realized that he was standing on a seashore, not far from the port by the town. But then he heard voices and steps right behind him and so he swiftly jumped into the water. He swam for a while, easily floating on the waves since he was made of wood, and then, all of a sudden, a giant whale emerged from the water and he could see the inside of its huge mouth. Gulp! Gulp! It gobbled him up and Pinocchio found himself in its huge belly where he surprisingly bumped into poor old Geppetto. The old woodcarver got swallowed by the whale while out looking for his only son, who didn’t return from school. When he searched every nook and cranny of the land, he decided to start looking at sea where he came upon this monster. “Daddy? Is that you?” Pinocchio flung his arms around Geppetto. “What are you doing here, my dear boy? Where have you been?” asked Geppetto, hugging the boy tightly. “When I left for school in the morning, someone grabbed my hand and took me away. I couldn’t do anything about it,” lied Pinocchio, and before he could

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even finish, his nose started growing. He had no idea what was going on and kept lying and lying. “Later, they found I’m made of wood and threw me into the waves.” By then, his nose was much longer than a minute ago and he grasped it with both hands, terrified. “Are you sure this is what really happened?” asked Geppetto in disbelief. “Yes, I am,” lied the boy again and the nose kept on growing until it was so long he couldn’t even see properly. A voice in his head kept telling him that lying is bad and he finally decided to confess what really happened. Ashamed – and there was a lot to be ashamed of – he told Geppetto everything, realising he must tell the truth. And when he owned up to all his mischief, his nose shrank back to its normal size. Now they had to figure out how to get out of the whale’s belly. There were shipwrecks all around them as well as many long-lost things the whale had gobbled up. That’s when Pinocchio came up with a brilliant idea. “Daddy, what if we lit a fire? The smoke would make the whale sneeze and that would be our way out,” suggested the boy cheerfully. “Well, I hope it works, son. Let’s get down to it,” said Geppetto. They did as Pinocchio said and everything went as planned. After starting the fire, the whale sneezed and hurled them all the way to the shore. The father and the son hugged and cheered. They were so lucky, getting out of the beast’s belly! In the evening, the fairy appeared again in their house, asking Pinocchio how he fared. “Not very well. I couldn’t resist temptation, didn’t know right from wrong and also I lied,” he answered truthfully, looking sadly to the ground. He thought the fairy came back to turn him into a voiceless marionette once again. “Well, Pinocchio, you have done some wrong things but now you’re here, safe and sound. It took you a while to figure out what is right. You were brave and honest. You have learnt that lying is not the path you want to follow, am I right?” the fairy asked. “No, it’s not. Please, don’t turn me back into a wooden puppet,” begged the miserable boy.

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“Don’t worry. We spend our whole lives learning to tell right from wrong. You have discovered today that the world is not perfect and with that knowledge you have become a real human being,” said the fairy and pointed her magical wand towards Pinocchio, who suddenly turned into a real boy, flesh and bones. Pinocchio had learnt from his mistakes, discovering that you can’t trust just anyone you meet. And Geppetto, well, he was so terribly happy he didn’t even know how to express his thanks properly. His greatest dream had come true – he now had a son, Pinocchio

16 THE PRINCE AND THE FROG

Once upon a time there was a kingdom ruled by a very old king. The king had two twin sons, Ivan and Victor, but he couldn’t decide who should get the crown when he died. One day, he sent for them and said, “My dear sons, I am going to give you three tasks. Whichever of you can better accomplish the tasks will be king. Your first task is to call upon your future brides and bring me the most beautiful scarf t h e y h av e .” Victor was excited. This would be an easy task! He was engaged to a beautiful girl whose wardrobe was full of beautiful clothes, so he ran to her house as fast as he could. Ivan, on the other hand, was incredibly sad. He hadn’t found a girl he loved yet, so he had no one to ask for a scarf. He wanted so badly to be king, and he didn’t know what to do. He wandered into the garden, hoping to come up with an idea, but he couldn’t think of anything. He sat under a tree, and after a while he heard a frog croak and looked up to see it sitting on a stone near him. “Why are you so sad?” asked the frog. “My father is the king, and he said that he would give me and my brother three tasks and that whoever was more successful would get the crown,” Ivan

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explained. “He just gave us the first task, but I can’t do it. I’m supposed to ask my girl for the most beautiful scarf she has and bring it to him… but, you see, I don’t have a girl yet,” sighed the prince. “Stop worrying, prince! I can help, just follow me,” said the frog, and hopped away. Ivan followed the frog into a cave. “Once there was a pool here, but it dried up many years ago. I need you to bring me water,” the frog said. Ivan was confused about how this would help him, but he went out to the stream and brought as much water back as he could. When he finished filling the pool, the frog thanked him and said, “Look in the back of the cave, and you will find what you need.” Ivan ran to the back of the cave and found the most beautiful scarf he had ever seen. Thrilled, Ivan thanked the frog, took the scarf and ran home as fast as he could. The king called the boys into his chambers and they both ran in, impatient to show him what they had accomplished. Victor held out a splendid blue scarf. “Well done, Victor! That truly is a beautiful scarf. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a prettier scarf in my life!” said the king. Victor smirked, knowing his brother had no bride, but when Ivan held out the scarf he got from the frog, the whole chamber lit up with its beauty and even Victor had to admit it was the more beautiful scarf. “For your second task,” the king said, “Go to your brides and bring me the most beautiful ring they have.” Once again Victor ran to his girl and asked her for the most beautiful ring she had, while Ivan, who still had no bride of his own, sadly returned to the gardens. When he reached the tree he had last sat by, he once again saw the frog. “Prince, why are you still sad?” asked the frog. “The scarf was beautiful, but I can’t do the second task,” Ivan said. “I have to bring my father the most beautiful ring my bride has. But, as you already know, I don’t have a bride.” “Don’t worry,” the frog said, yet again. “Come with me.” The frog took him back to

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the cave and asked him to go to the forest and gather some wood for a fire. Without giving it a second thought, Ivan went out to the woods and started chopping. He gathered as much wood as the frog wanted and when he had collected enough, she gave him the most beautiful ring he had ever seen. Ivan thanked her over and over and ran home. Once again, the two brothers met in the royal chamber to show their father what they had brought. Victor gave his father a lovely golden ring inlaid with rubies. “Well done, that’s a very beautiful ring,” said the king approvingly. Then Ivan took his ring out of his pocket and held it out to his father. The lustre and splendour of the jewel overwhelmed them. “I’ve never seen such a marvellous jewel,” the king said, impressed. Then he gave his sons the last task: “Go to your brides and bring them back with you. Whoever has the more beautiful bride will get the crown.” Victor ran to fetch his girl. “This time,” he thought, “I will triumph! Ivan might have a better scarf and ring than me, but he doesn’t have a prettier girl!” Ivan went back to the gardens again, thinking, “The frog gave me the most beautiful scarf and then a ring so beautiful it lit up the whole chamber. But how could she give me the most beautiful bride? It can’t be possible.” All of a sudden, the frog hopped over to him and asked, “Why are you still so sad, my prince?” Ivan sighed and said: “The third task is the hardest. Father wants me to introduce my girl to him. The crown will go to whoever has the prettier bride. But I don’t have a bride, I only have you.” “Well,” the frog said. “I think I can help. When I asked you for water, you filled the pool to the brim. When I asked you for wood, you gathered heaps and heaps. I can help you, but I need you to take me to your hands and kiss me.” Ivan stared at the frog, confused. What help would it be to kiss a frog? But since he had already completed her other tasks and gotten exactly what he needed, he decided it couldn’t hurt to try. He picked the frog up and held her close to his lips, closed his eyes and kissed her. Suddenly, the ground trembled and the sky lit up with lightning. Startled, Ivan opened his eyes and saw the most beautiful girl he

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had ever seen standing right before him. He looked around for the frog, but only saw the girl. “It’s me,” the girl said. “I’m a princess, and I was cursed and turned into a frog many years ago. The only way to reverse the curse was a kiss from a good man. If you’ll have me, I will be your bride.” Ivan was so happy! He took her hand and brought her home to his father. Victor’s girl was very pretty and elegant, but she couldn’t compare to Ivan’s princess. “You have both found such beautiful brides,” the king said, “But it is Ivan –“ “Father,” Ivan interrupted, “I would like to concede to my brother. Victor should have the crown. I will marry my princess and we shall rule her kingdom, in the E a s t .” Victor and his bride were ecstatic, and the king was happy that he did not have to choose between his sons. And so the brothers lived happily ever after, loving their wives dearly and fairly ruling their kingdoms.

20 PUSS IN BOOTS

In a faraway land, a long time ago, there was a big mill. An old miller and his three sons lived there. Times were hard and they had to be very humble. From sunrise to sunset, the four of them had to work at the mill to make enough money to live. The miller made flour from grains and his sons helped him. Every day, they would load bags of flour on a carriage drawn by a horse and went to sell it to the village and to the castle, which was nearby. One day, the miller got very ill, and because he could feel the end coming, he called his sons to his sickbed. “Sons of mine, my time is coming to a close, and soon, you will have to take care of the mill by yourselves. There isn’t much I can leave you in this world, but I trust that you will divide everything fairly,” the miller told his three sons. Sadly, his premonition came true in only a few days, and so the sons began dividing what their father left them. The eldest kept his father’s mill, the middle one took the carriage and the horse, and so the youngest had to content with just a grey cat who always roamed around the mill. The two older brothers inherited enough to get by, while the youngest was worried about his future. How could he ever make do with just a useless cat that couldn’t do anything? And what’s more, his brothers didn’t want him at the

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mill anymore, and they soon sent him away. “Dear brother, there’s no way around it. We don’t need you anymore. You need to find a new place for yourself, and please, also take that cat, because he only gets in the way. And just so you don’t say we were mean to you, take these two coins for the road,” said the eldest one haughtily and threw two gold coins on the table. The youngest brother had no choice but to leave the mill. He thanked his brothers warmly, took the cat and set off into the world. As he was walking along, the grey cat suddenly said: “Finally a change, I was tired of the mill, I knew every last nook of it... what a boring life, meow.” “Oh my goodness, what magic is this? You can talk?” shouted the miller’s son, who could not believe his ears. “Talk? Oh, come on! Just you wait, you’ll see what else I can do and the skills that I have. Don’t be afraid. I can be very helpful to you,” answered this furry bragger. “And while we’re walking through the world, I wouldn’t say no to a pair of boots. That will make me look like a real lord. And lords are always better off in the world,” added the cheeky cat while the young man was still dumbfounded. “Well, aren’t you a brazen little cat? A talking puss in boots – people would stare their eyes out for sure. I only have two coins in my pockets that my brothers gave me. If you think I am about to waste them on some shoes, you’re mistaken,” snapped the young man. But the cat kept persuading him until the kind-hearted brother agreed... And so, their first stop was at a cobbler’s shop, who had made hundreds of shoes before, but never for a cat. “Well, I have never heard of a request like that, but the customer is king to me. And that is why I will make whatever you like. Even boots for your kitty cat,” said the wise old cobbler. “What do you mean, a kitty cat? I’m a proper puss, pff,” grumbled the offended cat. The cobbler measured his paws and got to work. They were finished in no time and they fit perfectly. The cat was ecstatic and ran out of the shop immediately.

22 PUSS IN BOOTS

By the time the miller’s son paid the cobbler and left the shop his feline friend was gone. The young man lost even the little bit he had left – his coins and his cat. “Oh dear, what a pickle. Well, serves me right, getting fooled by that sly old talking cat,” he sighed and walked on, even though he didn’t know where he was going. Meanwhile, the puss in boots ran over the hills and the valleys, until he reached the gates of the royal palace. He walked right up to a snoozing bearded guard, who was fast asleep, leaning on his pike and snoring. The puss greeted him respectfully and started chatting away. At first, the guard could not believe that there was a cat standing in front of him, wearing boots and talking. “Well, look what the cat dragged in! Boots! How is that even possible?” wondered the guard. “Yes, indeed, I’m a puss in boots. My lord has given me a proper outfit for this long journey,” purred the cat. “Your lord? And who is that? Is he a king?” asked the guard. “Well, not exactly a king, but certainly a count. A count with a good heart. And how gracious! I have nothing but praise for him,” boasted the cat. “Well, it would not be a good idea for him to meet our king, then. Our kingdom is going through very rough times. The king decided he wanted to eat roasted quail, but nobody could hunt any for him. He’s been miserable and angry at everyone,” complained the guard. When the cat heard that everyone had been searching for quail for the king to no avail, he started thinking about catching one to make the king happy. The clever cat soon got an idea. He prepared a trap with a bag and a handful of seeds, lured some quail into it and caught them. In a while, the cat was marching toward the palace with a bag full of birds. The guard was very happy when he saw the catch that the cat brought back. He went to announce this unusual guest to the king and so, the cat stood in front of His Royal Majesty himself. “I bow before you, Your Majesty. It is an honour to stand in front of you. I would like to send my lord’s regards and also a gift from him, as he is a noble count,” invented the cat and handed him the tied-up bag.

23 PUSS IN BOOTS

The king looked at him in suspicion for quite a while, because he had never had a cat in boots visit his kingdom before. But soon he was too curious, and so he looked into the bag to see what was inside. “But these are quail! So many and so big!” he smiled from ear to ear. That day in the kitchen, the cooks had a lot to do to prepare the feast that their king had wanted for such a long time, with many, many different quail dishes. The king wanted to repay this gift to the cat’s lord, and so he had the bag that the cat had used to catch the quails filled with golden coins. And so, the cat went to find his lord, the miller’s son, this time with a bag full of money. The man had already lost all hope of ever seeing his cat again. When the puss in boots came back, he was pleasantly surprised, especially seeing how much money he had brought. The cat told him all about the things that happened and how he had found all those riches. Time went by and the youngest son had built his own house with the money his feline friend had brought him. “Now, you only need a woman for this beautiful house. Well, but not just any woman... you should get a princess,” teased the cat, once the house was all finished. “But how could a man like me even think about a princess? Have you lost your mind?” the miller’s son said shaking his head. One day, it was sweltering hot, flies were buzzing outside, and they decided to go to the lake to cool down a little. When they arrived, the cat was afraid to even get a single paw wet, and so only the miller’s son got into the water. While the young man was swimming in the lake, the cat saw the royal carriage coming towards them from far away. Inside, the king was travelling together with his only daughter, the beautiful princess. The cat immediately had an idea, he took his master’s clothes from the shore and ran to hide them in the bushes. The carriage stopped, the king got out and recognized the cat at once. How could he ever forget something so unusual – a cat in boots who brought him a bag full of quail. “Good day to you, Your Majesty,” said the cat respectfully. “My lord went to refresh himself into the lake, but unfortunately, somebody stole his clothes. And

24 PUSS IN BOOTS

so, he cannot come to greet you, Your Majesty,” the clever cat said. “I’m glad to see you, servant. We could probably find some clothes in our carriage. After all, how could we just leave the noble count in the lake? Here you go, bring them to him and tell him to come see us after. I would like to meet him,” said the king and handed him a set of his own clothes. The puss in boots ran to the shore to see his master, gave him the king’s clothes and asked him to put them on and ask no questions. Then he led him to the carriage to meet the king and the princess. “My respects, Your Majesty... Princess,” the young man bowed. “So, there he is. Finally, we meet, noble count,” said the king. The miller’s son watched the king and then the cat, very surprised. He had no idea what the king was talking about and why he was calling him count. Luckily, the cat saved him once again. He changed the subject, started talking about the quail he brought some time ago, and they all chatted for a few moments. Then, the king invited the count to take a ride in nature with him. The young man was hesitant at first, but the cat pushed him to take a ride with the king and the princess. Quite quickly, he and the princess took a liking to each other, even the king noticed that the young count was making an impression on the princess. The puss in boots asked them which way they were going, and he ran ahead as fast as he could. He stopped by a field that belonged to a great wizard from a nearby castle. On it, a farmer was cutting the grass with a scythe. The cat started to persuade the farmer to tell the king that the field belonged to the young count instead, and in return, he promised the farmer a satchel of coins. Having many mouths to feed at home and never enough money, the farmer was quickly persuaded. The cat made a similar deal with a lumberjack who was cutting down trees in the wizard’s forest. If he told the king that the forest belongs to the count in his carriage, he would get a satchel of coins. And it happened exactly as the cat wanted. The king was very impressed with the wealth of the young nobleman – an enormous field, a beautiful forest, and still so humble.

25 PUSS IN BOOTS

The cat, pleased with himself next set his sights on the wizard’s castle. There was not a soul in sight, only the scary wizard, who appeared out of nowhere. “What are you looking for, cat? Are those boots on your paws? My word, I have never seen a cat wear boots before,” the wizard marvelled. “That’s right, I’m a puss in boots, great wizard. I have heard so much about your mighty magic that I decided to come and join you to learn something,” said the cat slyly. “Do you think it’s all that simple, doing magic? You don’t even have any power, so you could never become a real sorcerer,” said the wizard. “Well, that’s a pity. Could you at least show me a bit of your abracadabra? Just to see if it’s even true that you can do magic. Could you change into a lion? That would be something...” the cat provoked him. “A lion? Of course I could. Any time, just look,” and as soon as he said it, smoke started appearing from his feet. Suddenly, there was a lion in front of the cat, roaring loudly. “Wow, what a spell! And how about something different, something tiny? How about a mouse, for example? Could you turn into a mouse?” said the puss in boots very fast because he was afraid of the dangerous lion. “Big and small. I can turn into any animal I want,” said the wizard proudly and in the blink of an eye, he became a little mouse. Which was exactly what the clever cat wanted. He grabbed the mouse and that was it. The wizard’s castle was completely empty. The cat ran toward the royal carriage and he invited the king and the princess to have a glass of wine inside his young count’s castle. The miller’s son was confused because he had no idea what castle his cat was talking about, but he just followed silently. After the visit at the castle, the king was fascinated with the young count. So rich, and still so humble and gracious. A perfect match for his royal daughter. After they returned to his palace, he announced to everyone that the princess was marrying a noble count and he would pass the throne to him. The puss in boots became the chief advisor to the new king and he got a pair of brand new sparkling boots to boot. The end.

26 THE RECKLESS MAN AND THE SWALLOW

There was once a man who lived a humble life in a cottage at the edge of the village. He had one cup for his water, one bowl for his porridge and a wooden bed. Then one day, he was lucky enough to inherit a fortune from a distant relative. Suddenly, he could have anything he wanted and everything he ever dreamed of. And this changed him a lot. He started spending as if the money could never run out. He was alone, but he still moved into a big, fancy house. He bought expensive furniture and he lived like royalty. Every day he spent faster and faster. He wanted to have everything that caught his eye without even considering whether he needed it. But one day, he noticed that his money was running out. He thought about getting some more, but he didn’t feel like going to work. And so, he started to play cards and gamble, hoping to win more money and live on comfortably. But quite the opposite happened. He gambled everything away. The last of his savings and even his beautiful house with all the furniture. He was left with only one winter coat. He didn’t worry, though. He believed that it would get fixed and his luck would come back again. The long, difficult winter was over, and spring arrived. The man went out for a walk with the sun warming up his face. There were birds flying above his head

27 THE RECKLESS MAN AND THE SWALLOW

and when he saw that there were also swallows among them, he thought that the summer would come soon. “It will be summer, and this coat will soon be useless. If I sell it, I will get some money and live a good life again,” he said hopefully. And so, he did. He went to the merchant and sold him his winter coat for some spare change. But the spring was still too young, and so the weather changed the next day. It started freezing, a strong wind started blowing and the rain was lashing his face. As the reckless man went back to his hut all skinny and numb from the cold, he saw a frozen swallow lying on the ground. He smiled bitterly and muttered: “You fooled me. When I saw you, I thought you would bring the summer and I wouldn’t need my coat. But now, both of us will freeze to death.”

28 THE ROOSTER, THE CAT, AND THE CLUB

Once upon a time, there was a humble cottage at the edge of the dark forest. In it, three brothers lived together with their father, who was very old. They were very happy for many years. One day, the father died, and only left a rooster, a cat, and an old club. After their father’s funeral, the brothers had to divide their inheritance. The eldest brother took the rooster, the middle one took the cat and the youngest had to get by with the old club. They started thinking about how to use their inherited things. The eldest went to the market in town, wishing to sell the rooster for a few coins. But nobody wanted to buy it, and so, all upset, he returned home in the evening. He was just passing through a village, still quite far from the cottage by the forest where he and his brothers lived, when night came. Luckily, there were some nice people in the village who took pity on him and let him sleep in their barn on the straw with his rooster. He was happy to lie down and rest. It was still quite dark when he was woken up by the creaking of the gate. He looked around and saw the man of the house heading out. “But where are you going so late at night? Sunrise is still very far!” called his guest in surprise.

29 THE ROOSTER, THE CAT, AND THE CLUB

“It is true that sunrise hasn’t started yet. But I need to go over those hills and bring the morning into our village. We all take turns fetching it to get a morning every day,” replied the man and he was about to go toward the hills. “Wait a moment, Mr. landlord!” called the eldest brother, “why, I have a bird with me that knows how to call the morning. So you don’t need to go anywhere.” The landlord only shook his head in disbelief over this strange guest’s tales. But it did indeed happen. As soon as the rooster crowed loudly three times, he could see the sunrise starting beyond the hills. He ran to wake up the mayor to introduce him to his distinguished guest with the magic bird. The mayor did not hesitate for a minute and paid one thousand gold coins for the rooster. And so the brother went home very happy. When the middle brother saw that the eldest came home with no rooster but a satchel full of coins, he went out and took his cat to try and sell it too. But when he went from village to village, pushing his cat on anyone who would listen, nobody wanted to buy it. After some time, he reached an unknown village he had never been to before. He decided to get some rest in the local tavern. There, he saw a very strange scene. The hostess brought many delicious dishes to the table right next to him until it was creaking under all that weight. But then, all the people stepped away from the table as mice surrounded it. They started feasting on the delicious meals and only when they had had enough, did the people come back to the table to eat whatever the mice left. Our traveller couldn’t believe his own eyes when he saw this. After some time he told them: “I would rather starve than finish the leftovers after mice.” “And what are we to do?” cried the hostess, “there are so many mice here that we cannot fight them.” The middle brother pulled out his cat from his canvas bag. The cat was so famished after the long trip that he immediately started hunting down the mice one by one. When the people saw this, they were so excited they pulled out all the money from their pockets and gave the middle brother two thousand gold coins right on the table. The hostess brought him a plate of delicious food to boot, so that he had some strength before his journey. And so, the second brother went home content, because he got more than enough

30 THE ROOSTER, THE CAT, AND THE CLUB

money for the cat he inherited from his father. When the youngest brother saw how well his older brothers sold their inheritance, he also went into the world. He walked around for days with his club, but he could not sell it at all. He had been travelling for two years, when he heard some strange sounds coming from a valley. It sounded as if somebody was banging pots on the ground. He ran down to the valley and he came to a village where they were building a big fence. He took a closer look and saw that the people were banging the fence poles with pots. He couldn’t believe it, so he just stared at them while they were destroying their pots. He came closer and said: “I cannot watch you damage your pots like that. Let me help!” He took his club and hit the pole so strongly that it sank right into the ground at once. And then another one and another, until the fence was mended. The men around him just gasped in surprise, and when they realized how much this club could help them, they offered him three thousand gold coins for his club. And so, the youngest brother went home happily, because he had also managed to sell his inheritance well. When the three brothers met at home, they had a good laugh about the deals they made with the humble inheritance they got from their old father. With the money they had gained, each one bought a nice farm and they lived and worked there happily ever after.

31 ROSIE AND THE PEACOCK KING

Once upon a time there lived a king and queen. They had two handsome sons – the older was called Prince Biggus and the younger Prince Tinyus. One day the queen gave birth to a beautiful young princess. They had always longed for a daughter and named their little girl Rosie. Everyone was charmed by her beauty and a great celebration was held in her honour. The sound of celebratory trumpets echoed throughout the whole country and many guests arrived to see the princess, including the fairy godmothers, who were supposed to foretell the princess’s future. But when the time came for the godmothers to share the prophecy, the fairies just kept making excuses and avoiding the subject. However the queen was persistent, so one of the fairy godmothers finally told her, whispering: “Our dearest queen, we can’t tell you much except that both of your sons will suffer great misfortune because of the princess.” The queen’s throat suddenly tightened in fear and from that day, she sadly moped around, spending every waking minute thinking about what the fairy godmother had told her. The king saw that something was tormenting her, but despite his unending questions she didn’t say a word – until one day when the king lost all his patience and she had to spill the terrible news.

32 ROSIE AND THE PEACOCK KING

When the king heard the prophecy, he felt a pang in his heart. “If we want to keep our sons safe, Rosie needs to die as soon as possible. We don’t have any other choice,” he said after a moment of silence. But the queen wouldn’t hear of it. She would never allow that. Ever since then, the king roamed the castle halls with a terrible weight on his heart. One day, someone told the queen about an old hermit living in the woods. Everyone sought his advice, as he was most knowledgeable, and the next morning, she decided to do the same. Once she had a horse saddled up, she set off, galloping through the woods, and after a short while arrived at the wise hermit’s dwelling. The old man courteously greeted her and soon learnt why the queen had decided to go looking for him. She told him about the grave threat her family faced and asked him for advice. “You will have to lock Rosie in a tower, which she must never leave,” proposed the hermit. The queen thanked him, paid him generously and quickly rushed back to the castle. The king gave an immediate order to build a tower reaching to the sky as quickly as possible and in just a few weeks, little Rosie found herself locked inside. Her royal parents and brothers visited her every single day to keep her in good spirits because they all loved each other very much. The family lived like this for many years until the day of Rosie’s eighteenth birthday, when the older son, Prince Biggus, said to the king: “Father, our sister is a woman now, old enough to marry. Shouldn’t we find her a husband?” But the king and queen would have none of it. Before long, their parents fell gravely ill and passed away. The bells tolled sadly as the whole kingdom, covered in black, mourned for them. Rosie, too, was deeply sorrowed by the loss of her beloved mum and dad. The country soon got a new king when Prince Biggus ascended to the throne, and everyone joyously cheered for him. The brothers promptly decided to set their beautiful sister free, once and for all, and so they set out to rescue her from her long imprisonment in the tower.

33 ROSIE AND THE PEACOCK KING

Rosie was so happy! Now she was finally allowed to explore all the wonders of the world. The princess was completely stunned with the beauty of the blooming garden and the singing fountains, not knowing where to look first since everything around her was so magnificent and utterly new to her. Butterflies and birds fluttered around her, singing merrily, while her dog Long Tail bounced happily around – until he ran off towards the forest. Rosie went after him but then stopped short when a huge peacock appeared in front of her, to feast her eyes on its broad and beautiful fan of a tail. That’s when her brothers joined her and told her that these gorgeous fowls were bred for their tasty meat. This upset the princess and she cried out: “How could anyone have the heart to kill such a beautiful creature? I swear I won’t marry anyone else but the Peacock King, and then, then I will forbid this slaughter!” Her brothers watched her, completely dumbfounded. “Don’t be silly, Rosie, darling! A peacock king? Where do you think we would find him?” asked the older one after a while. “Well, if you look for him carefully, I’m sure you will succeed,” answered Rosie stubbornly. The two young men just shook their heads, running out of words. Rosie took the peacock into the castle with her where all the people had already gathered to welcome her back home, bowing and bringing her heaps of gifts. The princess was beaming and everyone was quite charmed with her beauty and kind heart. Her brothers kept racking their brains however, where could they find this peacock king, who may not even exist. At last they came up with a plan. They would have their sister’s portrait painted and then travel with it around the world. They were determined to find Rosie’s peacock king no matter what. The older brother passed his crown and responsibilities onto his sister, to take care of the kingdom and rule justly while he was gone. Rosie hugged each of her brothers tenderly before they set off on their adventure. Asking everyone along the road about the Peacock King, they made their way through the world, but not a single soul ever heard of him and so they tirelessly marched on, not knowing where to exactly, until they reached the kingdom

34 ROSIE AND THE PEACOCK KING

of the Mayflies. There were swarms of them everywhere, piercing the air with such an ear splitting buzz that the brothers couldn’t even hear themselves talk. Eventually, the older brother asked one of the mayflies about the Peacock King. “Your Majesty, you have taken the longest road possible, indeed. His empire is thousands of miles away.” was the reply he received. Prince Biggus first stared in amazement. How did the bug know all of this? But he quickly gave up on that thought, happy they had finally found some luck on their quest. Soon they embarked on their journey again and finally reached the empire. There were peacocks everywhere, their squawking echoing far and wide, and everybody was clad in fancy clothes heavily adorned with peacock feathers. Fortune smiled on the princes immediately. The Peacock King was passing by just then in his beautiful golden carriage set with precious stones. The king himself looked quite dazzling in his crown made of peacock feathers and as soon as he noticed the two brothers, he knew they were foreigners. He halted the carriage and sent for them. The brothers bowed before the king and the older one said: “Your Majesty, please, would you do us the favour and look at this painting?” they said, uncovering Rosie’s portrait, and the king’s eyes filled with love as soon as he set them upon her image. “What a beautiful girl you have just shown me! How gorgeous she is! But I don’t believe she is real,” said the Peacock King after a while. “I swear, the painting doesn’t even do justice to her real beauty,” replied the younger prince. But the Peacock King just kept staring at them inquisitively, so the prince went on: “My brother here is a king. I am a prince and the girl in the portrait is our sister, Princess Rosie. She’s not only beautiful, but also wise and kind-hearted. We are here to offer you her hand in marriage and a chest full of gold as her dowry.” “I will gladly marry such a beautiful girl,” said the king, delighted, “she will have everything her heart desires, I will shower her with love and wealth. But if she’s not as gorgeous as her portrait, I will have your heads cut off, you can count on t h at .”

35 ROSIE AND THE PEACOCK KING

The brothers nodded. “Well, since we agree, I am going to lock you up until your sister arrives,” said the king with a smirk. Both brothers were certain that Rosie is much prettier than the portrait and accepted the king’s proposal. They were well taken care of, even if imprisoned, and the king himself made time to visit them every now and then. They wrote a letter to Rosie immediately, telling her they found her Peacock King and that she should arrive as soon as possible to meet him. She was so happy when she read the news, telling everyone about her upcoming travels to the empire of the Peacock King whom she was soon going to marry. The whole kingdom cheered for her and there were even fireworks and a thirty cannon salute. Rosie entrusted the royal crown and her beloved peacock to the wisest elders, and with a chest full of gold and beautiful dresses, she set off on the long journey to the Peacock King, bringing with her only her maid, the maid’s daughter, and her dog Long Tail. Soon they sailed the high seas in a ship, laughing and singing merrily. At one point Rosie’s maid approached the captain and whispered into his ear: “Do you want to be rich?” Do you want a pouch full of golden coins?” “Well, of course, I do! Who wouldn’t want such a thing?” exclaimed the captain in response. “It’s yours if you help me throw the princess overboard tonight. Then I’ll dress my own daughter in her clothes, bring her to the Peacock King and he will marry her,” she said as she explained her dreadful plan. When the night came, the maid, her daughter and the captain brought their plan into action. At night when the princess fell asleep, the trio pushed the royal bed containing the princess and her dog into the waves. Luckily, the mattress in the bed was made of feathers from a special water bird, so it floated on the water just as if it were an ordinary boat. Both Rosie and Long tail were frightened when they finally woke up. The poor dog started barking and howling and a good many fish gathered around to see

36 ROSIE AND THE PEACOCK KING

the unusual boat and the strange wailing creature. Meanwhile the ship dropped the maid and her daughter ashore where they were welcomed by a group of the king’s men and dozens of beautiful carriages. Even though the maid did everything to dress her daughter up as a princess, she couldn’t hide her squinty eyes, crooked legs and especially her peevish and irritable character. Everyone gasped, completely dumbstruck, when the younger woman, dressed in the most amazing gown, disembarked from the ship. “What are you staring at? Well, stop gawking and get me something to eat,” snapped the daughter. Instantly, the bystanders started muttering: “Poor king! Such a hideous bag. He didn’t deserve this.” The procession soon started moving towards the palace and before long, everyone laughed at her, including the peacocks, shouting: “Phooey! Look at that ugly hag in the carriage!” The sham princess fumed and raged, yelling at the guards to kill the birds. The sea captain, worried how this would all play out, slowly came to realize that he may have made a huge mistake, partaking in something so cruel. The Peacock King was dying to finally meet the beautiful princess. He fell in love with her at first sight, even though he had only seen her portrait. The princess was about to appear any minute now and there was a lot of chaos and commotion at the courtyard. Then she finally arrived and the king, seeing the hag sitting in the carriage, went all stiff. Angered and shocked, he rushed at once to the two locked-up brothers. “This is outrageous! What nerve! Who do these two scoundrels think I am! Prettier than the portrait! Pah! Guards, follow me! Death is coming for them! And throw everyone from that carriage into the darkest tower!” Meanwhile the princes still waited for their dear sister, believing she would arrive shortly and set them free again. But instead of freedom, the deepest prison awaited them now, filled with water up to their necks, from which no one had ever come out alive. None of them had any idea what happened and why they were so cruelly punished, when finally three days later the Peacock King

37 ROSIE AND THE PEACOCK KING

appeared, accusing them of lying, treachery and wickedness. But the brothers still didn’t understand what the king was talking about. Their sister was certainly no ugly gargoyle as the king kept calling her, and they wanted to prove to him their innocence. However, Rosie was still sailing the sea in her bed with the dog and wailing helplessly. She thought it was the Peacock King, who ordered the crew to get rid of her. That he changed his mind and didn’t want to marry her anymore, and thus came up with a plan to drown her. They had been sailing for two full days and Rosie was chilled to the bone, her loyal dog Long Tail snuggled up against her, trying to warm her up a bit. They finally reached the shore the next morning, spotting a shack belonging to an old good-hearted man. He had lived there by himself for years and no living soul had strayed into these parts in ages. When the old man heard the dog’s barking coming from the beach, he went outside to see what was going on. Seeing there was a bed floating in the waves, he quickly grabbed a hook and pulled both the princess and the dog to the shore. Rosie was so relieved that they were rescued and able to finally stand on firm ground again. The kind man invited the visitors in so that they could warm up and gave Rosie some dry clothes which the man kept in memory of his late wife. Recognising the embroidery on the bed sheets the old man realised that Rosie was of noble birth, and with tears brimming in her eyes, she told him everything that had happened to her. The old man wanted to help the poor princess, but he didn’t know how. He wished to feed her but had nothing in the pantry except a bit of dry bread. “Oh, don’t worry, my good sir. If you have a basket, I could send my loyal dog to bring us some good food.” The old man was shocked that a dog would know how to do a trick like that but brought the basket anyway. The princess then turned to her four-legged friend: “Sniff out the best food around and then bring it back to the shack!” The dog immediately clenched his teeth around the handle and ran to find some food for his friends. It just so happened that the cook in the Peacock Kings palace kitchen was

38 ROSIE AND THE PEACOCK KING

preparing a magical feast, and Long Tail ran straight into the kitchen following the delicious smell. There were tons of delicacies to choose from! Once he filled the basket with every delicacy in sight, he quickly rushed back to the princess and all three of them stuffed their bellies with the delicious royal food. The next day, the princess sent her loyal dog with the basket once again to bring her food. Long tail ran as fast as he could and didn’t stop until he arrived at the palace pantry. When he got there, he put so much food in the basket he almost couldn’t pick it up. But as he was leaving the pantry, a royal adviser who was just passing by saw him. He couldn’t believe his eyes. He went after the sprinting dog and chased him all the way to the shore and to the old man’s shack. The advisor quickly hurried back to the palace to inform the Peacock King that some old fishmonger had sent his dog to steal the king’s food. Of course, the king didn’t like this one bit and ordered that the fisherman be brought to his palace. Without knocking, the royal guards broke into the old man’s house and tied everyone up, including Long Tail, and dragged them back to the palace. The old man begged for mercy and the Peacock King granted him one chance to explain himself. He began his tale, describing everything that had happened to him, telling the whole truth about Princess Rosie and the evil maid who wanted to take Rosie’s life. The Peacock King noticed right away that the girl standing before him and crying her eyes out was a spitting image of the beautiful girl from the painting. He immediately had her untied and embraced her lovingly. Then he sent the guards to quickly release both her brothers from their cells. By then, they were both convinced this would surely be their end, but instead, they would soon embrace their beloved sister too. They soon held a royal wedding and Rosie and the peacock king were married. They offered the good old man to come live with them in the palace. Princes Biggus and Tinyus returned to their kingdom and all our heroes lived happily in their lands. Rosie’s beloved dog Long Tail became a true royal hound and enjoyed the most amazing feasts day after day.

39 THE SACRED STONE OF NAMUNCURA

Hidden in the depths of the Amazon rainforest, somewhere along today’s border of Peru and Bolivia, there once lived an old tribe. The chieftain’s family possessed a sacred stone that was said to have magical powers. Long ago, an ancient chieftain found it as a child in the waters of the river Bio-Bio. According to many legends, this stone was able to perform miracles and it was worshipped every year by the whole village because the tribesmen believed that during these ceremonies, it came to life. The stone was passed on from generation to generation, along with the responsibility of taking care of it. One day, the responsibility fell into the hands of the chieftain’s oldest son, Namuncura. He spent many years taking good care of the stone and showing it respect. But as the time passed, Namuncura was more and more convinced that the stone is nothing but an ordinary rock and it seemed pointless to show it any devotion. And so he said to his father: “The stone isn’t any good. Everything has been revolving around it for years and yet it’s nothing but a curse for our family. I won’t take care of it anymore. I’ll leave with my wife and child and we’ll go somewhere far away, where the stone won’t have any power over us.” Namuncura and his family packed their things and set off to the mountains to find a new place to live. After a long journey, they reached the river Neuqen in Argentina. They were tired but happy, because they had faith in their new life

40 THE SACRED STONE OF NAMUNCURA

away from the influence of the stone. Two days after Namuncura and his family left, strange things started happening in their old house. The stone, kept in a sacred vessel inside a wooden box, started cracking and thudding. The chieftain and his wife were frightened because they had never seen the stone do anything like this. After a short while, the chieftain started feeling very ill. His heart was racing, his neck was swollen and before dawn, he passed away. The next morning, the stone appeared in front of Namuncura’s new house by the river Neuqen. Namuncura was furious because he thought his father had sent him the stone to make him take care of it, but in the evening he received a message of his father’s death. He got scared, as he was convinced the stone must have killed his father in its wrath and now it came to kill him and his family, too. He realised that he was the new chieftain now that his father was gone, and that he had to return to his village. He found his father’s house in ruins, as if nobody lived there in decades. Namuncura started repairing it and out of fear began worshiping the stone again and tending to it every day. The rest of the village also returned to all the ceremonies devoted to the miraculous stone. As the years went by, white men entered the Amazon rainforest. They heard the legend about the stone and wanted to see it with their own eyes. The new chieftain knew well about their taste for conquering and decided to hand the stone over to them willingly, even though he suspected the stone would be furious and defend itself. The white men knew the story of the stone well and had heard of its rage, so they brought an iron chest and locked the stone tightly inside before spending the night in Namuncura’s house. That night, a terrible thunderstorm struck, and the whole sky teemed with lightning. The earth shook and cracked. Something inside the iron chest thumped and thudded before the chest broke into tiny pieces. The stone was twice as big and red-hot, and skipping through the room as if it were about to explode. When the white people saw it, they fled in terror into the rainforest. Then the stone calmed down and Namuncura placed it back in the sacred vessel. Ever since then, no white man came to the village and Namuncura became a great and respected chieftain. He was later the chief negotiator in the peace treaty between the native tribes and the white people because wherever he went, he carried his magical stone, of which the white men were so very afraid of. 41 THE SEARCH FOR THE MOST POWERFUL BEING

Once upon a time, there was a small village. The tribesmen from this village were simple people who made their living with their craftsmanship. They forged iron and hunted wild game. Among these people lived a small girl who didn’t look anything like the rest of the little children in the village. She was so unimaginably beautiful that she looked almost divine. Her parents were very proud of their little daughter and they would very often boast about her. Years later, when she grew into a beautiful young woman, her parents started talking about marriage. They didn’t want to marry their daughter to just any man from the village because their girl deserved to marry the most powerful being in the world. Many days they kept racking their heads, trying to figure out who would be a fitting suitor for their daughter. They wondered about all the great people who roamed the world and who would be a good fit. Eventually they agreed that the most powerful being in the entire world was the god of the sun and that he would make the best husband for their daughter. Without hesitation they nailed their door shut and set out on the arduous quest to find the god of the sun. After several days of searching, they finally found him. The god of the sun greeted them: “Dear people, what brings you to my doorstep?” “Our daughter is very beautiful and we’re trying to find the best husband for

42 THE SEARCH FOR THE MOST POWERFUL BEING

her. Since you are the most powerful being in the world, surely you are deserving of our daughter,” said the father. “Your words flatter me but there is someone even more powerful than me,” responded the god. “And who would that be?” asked the surprised parents. “A cloud is more powerful than me, of course. It can hide my face and cut my rays of light whenever it pleases. All it has to do is cover me in the sky and I remain invisible,” replied the god of the sun. And so the parents walked on, looking for the god of the clouds. When they finally found him, they offered him their daughter, telling him he is the most powerful being in the world and none is greater than him. But the god of the clouds replied: “I can’t agree with you for there is someone yet more powerful than me. It is the wind. It blowsand it howls and it can tear me into a million pieces.” When the parents heard him, they left to continue in their pilgrimage, looking for the god of the wind. After a great ordeal, they finally found him and immediately told him their story and why they have sought him out. The god told them: “My power is great indeed. But there are some more powerful than I am, and those I cannot conquer even with all of my might. I could blow off almost anything, but the forests stand firmly in the ground, withstanding any strength I can muster. Indeed, with the forests, I can’t do anything at all.” Having no choice, the parents had to go looking for the god of the forests. When they found him, they explained why they had come all the way to see him. But the god of the forests said: “Oh, even I am not the most powerful being in the world. Mice dig their holes deep inside me and there is nothing I can do to stop them. Look, even now there are two mice biting into my bark and building their nest.” The poor parents felt hopeless after their long and unsuccessful search for a husband. But gritting their teeth, they decided to persist in their quest and find the king of the mice to offer him their beautiful daughter. But he too told the parents that he wasn’t the most powerful being in the world

43 THE SEARCH FOR THE MOST POWERFUL BEING

because the very people from the parents’ village could easily catch and kill his mice. The disappointed parents returned back home. They ended up right where they started. Although they despised the men from their village, who in their view weren’t strong and powerful enough for their daughter, the parents realised that one of them would make the best husband for her anyway. And so a man whom the girl had known since she was a little girl became her husband. The parents organised a beautiful wedding and together they lived in happiness and peace.

44 THE SEVEN LITTLE GOATS

Once upon a time, there was a little wooden house with a big green door in a meadow under the mountains, and in that house lived a goat named Elisa and her seven babies. The kids, which is what we call baby goats, had been born just a few weeks earlier, so they only ever left the house with their mom. They were still babies, but they already had tiny little horns and they liked to play games and pull stunts, so Elisa decided to teach them about the dangers they could meet in the world if they weren’t careful. Their mom led them beyond the babbling brook, right to the land where the old gamekeeper lived. He had an enormous garden with lots of fruit trees in bloom and currant bushes with young, crunchy leaves and tassels of currants waiting to be eaten. The kids had never tasted currants before, and they loved them. Elisa was about to scold her little gluttons for munching the gamekeeper’s currant bushes when they heard an angry barking very close by. It was so loud that the kids’ little legs buckled out of fright, and a moment later, when they saw what the gamekeeper’s dog looked like, they got even more scared. His name was Waggytail, which is not a frightening name, but he was as big as a bear, with long dark fur that stood on end in a ridge on his back. He was

45 THE SEVEN LITTLE GOATS

terrifying! Elisa stayed calm, however, because she knew that Waggytail was tied up and could only reach as far as the apple tree, which was far enough away for them to be safe. “So, my little kids,” she said, sternly. “I want you to remember how dangerous it can be in these parts, and promise me you will never come here.” “We promise, mom! We’re not about to forget a dog that big and scary,” said one of the kids, his voice shaking. “We’ll stay away from the gamekeeper’s house.” In the nearby forest, there was even more danger. Not only was there an old bear, but there was a pack of wolves roaming around, looking for young kids to prey on. Elisa reminded her little kids every day that the forest wasn’t a safe place to walk around or play. There were dangers worse than Waggytail in the forest, she told them. One day, however, Elisa had to leave her kids alone at home. As she left, she reminded them of the rules. “I’ll only be gone for a little while, so don’t leave the house and don’t open the door to anyone. Just lock yourselves in and wait for me. Not even a step outside. You know very well that a wolf has been sniffing around our house,” she said. “Yes, mommy,” they said. “We won’t let anybody in, and we’ll be good kids and wait for you to come back. Don’t worry!” Elisa gave everyone a kiss goodbye, closed the door, and waited to hear the sound of the key locking the door. Once she was sure they were locked in and safe, she went on her way. Almost immediately, the kids started arguing about how they should spend the time while they were waiting. They weren’t allowed to play outside, so they decided to dance around and sing for a while. Suddenly there was a steady knocking on the door, and a rough voice said, “Little kids, open up! It’s me, your mommy. I have some sweet, juicy clover for you.” The little goats got quiet and moved closer to the door, but they weren’t easily fooled. “No, we won’t open the door,” called out one of the kids. “You can’t be our mom, she has a much lighter voice. You sound just like a wolf!”

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“Yeah! You’re not our mommy, you’re the big bad wolf!” cried out another. Outside the door, the wolf slapped his forehead angrily with his paw. He’d been so excited about the idea of a tasty lunch that he forgot to change his rasping voice. No wonder the little goats didn’t believe him! He dropped his tail in disappointment and returned to the forest to practice talking in a lighter voice so that next time the kids would let him inside without any questions. He practiced and practiced, and as soon as he thought he sounded like a mommy goat he went back to the house, hoping that this time his plan would work. He knocked on the green door again and called out to the seven lone little goats in a high-pitched voice. “Little kiiids, your mommyyy is home. I brought you some fresh clover! Why don’t you open the door for meee, my tasty little kiiids?” The wolf smacked his lips and waited. The little goats ran to the door, excited to welcome their mom home. She was back so soon and even brought them something yummy to eat! But then, right before unlocking the door, one of them said, “Wait a second, something isn’t right. Mom never calls us tasty.” “You’re right,” said the oldest of the kids. “She’s never ever said that to us. And what’s more, she told us never to open the door for anyone. Nobody at all – not even her! She has her own keys.” “What if she lost her keys?” asked the youngest kid. “Or what if she has sooo much clover that she can’t open the door?” “Well… what if we just open the door a tiny bit, and if we don’t see mom there, we’ll slam it closed and lock it again!” suggested another. The wolf was shifting impatiently from paw to paw when he suddenly heard the door unlock. One of the kids stuck his head through the slightly open door to see if Elisa was there. He saw the wolf and tried to shut the door, but as soon as the wolf saw the little goat in the door he leapt at it and pushed his way inside. The seven scared little goats started screaming and bleating and running around to find a good place to hide, but there weren’t enough good hiding spots in the

47 THE SEVEN LITTLE GOATS

house for all of them! The wolf quickly opened his bag and started shoving the little goats into it, one by one. When he had five he looked around and couldn’t find more anywhere in the house, so he thought he had caught them all. He didn’t know that two kids had managed to hide! Satisfied, the wolf headed home to the forest with his bag full of little goats. Not long after he got to the forest, Elisa returned home. She found the door wide open, and the house was such a mess it looked as if a tornado had gone through it. Even worse, she couldn’t find her babies. She called out to them, worried, and when the two hidden, frightened kids heard her, they climbed out of their hiding spot and told her everything. Elisa ran into the forest as fast as she could to save her five kidnapped children. It didn’t take long before she caught up to the wolf. He was tired and didn’t feel like dragging the heavy bag all the way across the forest, so he had stopped at the first tree and put the bag down. Elisa took the tired wolf by surprise and kicked him so hard with her hooves that he lost his appetite for goat meat forever. He used his last bits of energy to run away, and Elisa freed her kids from the bag, hugged and kissed each of them, and led them back home. And, ever since that day, the little goats never opened their door for anyone.

48 SHAKE, MY SATCHEL!

A long time ago, when times were tough, people had to work very hard on their fields to grow some rye and mill some flour at the miller’s. One day, the farmer was sowing rye on his field, but suddenly a strong wind blew and took all his rye away. The farmer chased the wind as fast as he could, but he could not catch it, it was just too fast for him. He came home all upset, worying about what to do now. If he doesn’t sow, there will be no harvest. And without a good harvest, there will be no flour to mill. He was sad, sitting at his table with his head in his palms, and his wife said: “Pack some snacks in your satchel, go look for the wind, and ask it to give you back the rye it took away.” The farmer didn’t dawdle, he packed his bags and walked over the hills and hollows to search for the wind. Finally, he found it dancing on a meadow by the forest. When it saw a living person far away, it came to the farmer and asked: “What are you looking for?” And so, the farmer told him the whole story about the wind taking away the last of his rye to sow and that he didn’t know what to do in the winter without

49 SHAKE, MY SATCHEL!

his harvest. The wind listened carefully to the poor man and said: “I don’t have the rye anymore, but I can give you this satchel. When you come home, you just say shake, my satchel and your table will be full of tasty food.” The farmer bowed down, thanked the wind and ran home to his family. Back home, he sat by the table, he called his wife and all his children and said firmly: “Shake, my satchel.” The satchel shook right away and the table was suddenly full of various kinds of food. The whole family rejoiced. They feasted together until everything on the table was gone. The next day, the satchel again gave them food on command, so much that they couldn’t even eat it all. And so, the wife tells the farmer: “Why don’t you invite the pastor to feast with us, so he can enjoy this tasty food, too?” And so, the farmer invited the pastor. He ate until he was full and he asked this nice family to lend him the satchel, and that he would bring it back soon. The farmer obliged and lent the pastor his satchel. The pastor invited a lot of guests from all over and they feasted for three days and three nights without stopping. When the pastor didn’t bother returning the satchel over the next few days, the farmer went to find him at the parish. He knocked on the door politely. The pastor opened the door, but turned the farmer away saying that he wouldn’t give the satchel back because it was in better hands with him. The farmer sadly went home, head bowed, thinking about what to do. At home, they all grieved and racked their brains, when the wife said: “Go and find the wind again, to give you another satchel.” And so the man packed his bag and went to find the wind again. Once again, he found it very quickly and told him how he lost the satchel. The wind couldn’t believe that something like that could happen to the farmer. “Please, wind, give me another satchel, lest we all starve to death,” begged the farmer. The wind took pity on the farmer and gave him another satchel. The farmer ran home very happy, where several hungry mouths were waiting impatiently. When he came back, he put the satchel on the table and called: “Shake, my satchel!” The new satchel shook and to everyone’s surprise, nine wooden clubs came out

50 SHAKE, MY SATCHEL!

and started beating everyone left and right if they were standing in their way. When they all ran out to the courtyard, the clubs hid back in the satchel. There was much crying and bawling when they saw that this satchel gives out punches rather than food. But the farmer used his clever head. He hid the new satchel in his cloak and went to the parish. He banged on the pastor’s door and asked him for at least a bit of bread because everyone was starving back at home. So, unwillingly, the pastor went to find some bread. When he went into the kitchen and out of the farmer’s sight, he quickly switched the pastor’s satchel lying in the room for the one that beat everyone. When the pastor came out of the kitchen, his eyes immediately went to check whether the satchel was still in its place. He saw that everything was fine and handed the farmer a piece of bread. “Here you go. That’s in exchange for the satchel - so never come back here!” and he banished him from the parish. The farmer just bowed silently and went home with a smile. He put the satchel on the table, spoke the magic words and in a moment, the satchel was shaking. In an eyeblink, the table was hardly visible under all the food. Oh, how happy they all were, seeing that they would survive the winter without hunger. The days went by. In a week, the pastor invited guests to his parish from all around the world. He welcomed everyone, sat them in his dining room with nothing but a satchel on the table. “And now, I would like to present a treat I have for you all,” the pastor boasted. Then he called to the satchel: “Shake, my satchel!” The satchel shook and nine wooden clubs came hurtling out and began to beat all the guests. Terified, the guests started jumping out of the windows, as they couldn’t all fit through the main door. Since then, nobody would accept an invitation to the parish, even though the pastor promised feasts and dinner parties to everyone. The pastor avoided the farmer like the plague ever since and never asked him for anything again. And the farmer and his family lived happily ever after. The end.

51 THE SINGING FLUTE

Once there lived a king and his three sons – Pedro, Juan and José. They lived happily together in the royal palace, but one day the old king fell ill. He invited healers from all over the world, but no one was able to help him. He was quickly losing his sight. He was nearly blind when a healer from the far east visited his court, telling the king there was only one cure for him: a potion from olive blossoms. When the king heard him, he thanked the wise man and rewarded him with a pound of gold. At first, he was overjoyed – until he realised there were no olive trees growing anywhere in his kingdom. He called for his three sons and asked them to go find olive blossoms for his potion. The eldest son approached his father and said: “I’ll go and seek the olive blossom as you ask. But wandering across the world will cost me a fortune. Give me my inheritance money that’s rightfully mine and I’ll set off on my journey.” He travelled far and wide, weeks and months had passed, but he hadn’t come across a single olive tree. As he was roaming the world, one day he met a wrinkled old lady. She said to him: “Please, kind sir, give me a coin or two, or share a little of your food with me. I hadn’t eaten for two days.” But Pedro didn’t have a good heart. The only thing he gave her was a nasty look and then he just walked away. He kept on walking for weeks, but he didn’t find any olive trees.

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Time was passing and the king grew more and more restless and frustrated. He called for the middle son, Juan, and asked him for the same thing. But the second son also requested his inheritance before he left and the king had no choice but to pay him off. Juan, too, met the same old woman as his brother, but he didn’t have a good heart either. When she asked him for something to eat, he pushed her away and ran off. And just like his brother, Juan too wandered the world for weeks without coming across a single olive branch. Seeing that his two brothers still hadn’t returned and his father’s sight was getting worse by the day, the youngest son stepped in front of his father and said: “I’ll go looking for the olive blossom as well so you can get your sight back.” The king agreed and the youngest son set off to the world. When he chanced upon an old lady asking for food, he felt sorry for her and said: “I don’t have any money, but we can share the rest of the food I have left.” They sat down by a fire to eat and José told the old woman about his quest. “My dear boy, you need to go beyond that hill and over to a soaring mountain peak. An olive grove grows on the top. There you will surely find enough olive blossoms for your father,” advised him the old lady to repay him for his kindness. José didn’t waste a moment, he bid the kind woman farewell and made his way to the mountain. He walked for three days and three nights before he stood at its foot. He started climbing and when he reached the top, he found himself standing inside a blooming olive grove. He quickly collected as many blossoms as he could carry and headed back home, filled with joy. As he was walking, he ran into his two brothers, who still had no luck finding an olive tree. When they saw José bringing their father the olive blossoms, they were jealous and wanted to steal them from him. José didn’t want to let them take the blossoms, so they beat him so hard he fell to the ground motionless. The two brothers were afraid their terrible deed would be revealed, so they buried José by the road, took the olive blossoms and rushed back home. The king was almost dancing with joy when Pedro and Juan returned with the olive branches. He showered them with rewards and luxurious gifts. Deep inside he was troubled, though, that José still hadn’t returned. He had no idea his son

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was buried in the ground with hazel trees growing from his grave. One day, a shepherd was passing by José’s grave when he heard a divine melody coming from the hazel trees. He came closer and recognised a young man’s voice, singing: “Play me, shepherd, to the world, every hill and valley scour, let them hear on your path curled the truth about the olive flower.” The shepherd broke off a branch and carved out a flute. It was a peculiar flute indeed. Whenever he played it, José’s voice came out singing: “Play me, shepherd, to the world, every hill and valley scour, let them hear on your path curled the truth about the olive flower.” The shepherd walked the length and breadth of the world until one day he came across the royal palace. He stood before the king and when he played his flute, a young man’s voice sang: “Oh, dear father, give me strength, play me, let the true words sound, I’ll tell the tale in all its length about the olive trees I found.” The king took the flute from the shepherd’s hands. He put it to his lips and listened to the voice of his son, who told him how he had found the olive blossoms and how his brothers beat him up and buried him by the road. The king, drowning in sorrow, had Pedro and Juan thrown into a dungeon. Then he left the palace to look for José’s grave. When he finally found it, soldiers dug away the dirt and underneath they found José. Luckily he wasn’t dead as his brothers had thought. He stood up and embraced his father, crying tears of joy just like his old dad. When José finally came back home, they threw a magnificent feast and the king, grateful for his son’s safe and sound return, forgave the two spiteful brothers and released them from prison.

54 THE SLEEPING BEAUTY

Once upon a time, there was a kingdom far away and in it there was a beautiful royal palace. In that palace lived a king and a queen who had plenty of everything, except for one thing: a baby. Every day, they woke up hoping that this would be the day that they would have the joy of getting a little baby. One day, the queen was walking through the garden and listening to frogs croak, when she decided to go closer to the lake. She saw the frogs sunbathing on water lilies, and suddenly one of the frogs leaped toward her and croaked: “Your wish will come true. Within a year you will have a daughter.” Exactly one year later, the queen had a little daughter, who they named Marianne. The king was the happiest man alive, and to celebrate the birth of his daughter, he threw an enormous party to share his joy with everyone. As was customary, the guest list had to include the Fairies, whose job it was to determine the fate of the royal daughter. There were eleven fairies in total, but the king made a mistake and only invited ten. On the day of the celebration, everyone in the kingdom was joyful. The atmosphere was happy all around, and even the servants in the palace whistled cheerfully in the corridors. There was so much delicious food that the tabletops creaked under the weight. All the guests ate and danced and celebrated.

55 THE SLEEPING BEAUTY

At midnight, the Fairies arrived to declare their wishes for the Princess Marianne. They foretold a wonderful life for the little girl – wisdom, beauty, good virtue, riches and many other good things. But before the last of the ten Fairies could speak, an unexpected guest interrupted the celebration. The eleventh fairy, who they had forgotten to invite, appeared in the door. She wore a long black dress and as soon as she entered the room, everyone got quiet and all eyes were on her. She looked very angry. She knew she was the only one who hadn’t been invited. In a loud, dark voice, she declared, “When the princess reaches 15 years of age, she will prick her finger on a rose thorn and die.” Then she turned around and disappeared like a draught through the door. Everyone froze in fear. The queen turned pale and the king couldn’t say a single word. There is no way to undo a fairy prophecy, as everyone knows, but there was one fairy left, and she stepped forward and said in a kind voice, “She will not die, she will only sleep for one hundred years.” The next morning, the king ordered that every rose bush in the entire kingdom be destroyed. Not a single branch was allowed to remain, because even the smallest twig could grow a dangerous thorn. As Marianne grew, the king and queen watched all the prophecies come true one by one. She grew into a wise, beautiful, clever, kind young woman, and everyone she ever met liked her at first sight. The king and queen had made sure there was not a single rose in the entire kingdom, but even though they had prohibited rose bushes years earlier, they still worried. Then, before they knew it, the day of their daughter’s fifteenth birthday arrived. A big party was planned, but before the celebrations Marianne decided to take a walk through the palace. There were dozens of rooms, and as she wandered she found a door to a little tower she had never visited before. She was a curious girl, and so she couldn’t just walk by the door without trying to open it. It was unlocked! Behind it there was an old, intriguing spiral staircase. She climbed all the way to the top of the stairs, where she found another door. She tried to open it, but this time the door was locked. She was about to turn back when she noticed a big,

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rusty key in the lock. When she turned it, the lock grinded and the door opened with a creak. The princess cautiously entered the little chamber behind it. There was a single window and cobwebs were everywhere. The furniture was covered in dust, and everything looked like there had not been a single soul in this room for years. She was about to leave when she noticed a flower in the window. It was in a little pot and it had beautiful red petals. It seemed like it came from another world; Marianne spent almost all her free time in the royal garden, but she had never seen a flower like this in her life. She moved closer to the window to look at the pretty bloom, and she noticed how sweet it smelled. She wanted to touch it, but when she reached out to pick it up she felt a little prick on her finger and she collapsed to the ground, fast asleep. But that was not the only thing that happened. All over the palace, at the moment she pricked her finger, everyone in the palace fell asleep too. The royal parents, the servants, the guests who had come to celebrate Marianne’s birthday. Even the dogs in the yard, horses attached to carriages, and birds in the middle of songs fell asleep. The wind stopped blowing, and not a single leaf moved. The only movement in the entire palace was along the edges of the palace walls, as roses began to grow and thorny vines climbed up the stones. For years, nothing happened; roses had covered the palace entirely and it became hidden from the world. People forgot that the kingdom had existed, though they told stories about a cursed kingdom and a sleeping princess that everyone thought were legends. Children whispered stories to each other about a hidden kingdom far away beyond the mountains that nobody could see. Little boys played knights with swords and sticks in the meadows, and as they grew up they dreamed about someday searching for the cursed kingdom and saving everyone inside. They especially wanted to save the Sleeping Beauty, the princess who they said was the most beautiful girl in the world. Many village boys and even princes from other kingdoms had tried to get to the palace over the decades. All of them only managed to find a dense thicket of thorny roses, which they found to be impossible to pass. They would sharpen

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their swords over and over again, but it was in vain; no matter how hard they tried, the wall of rose branches would not let them pass. For a whole century, many different men, short and tall, weak and strong, nobles and peasants, tried to get through and failed. Until one day, when young Prince Julian was passing through the kingdom. His horse needed new shoes, so he stopped in a local village to look for a blacksmith. The blacksmith greeted the prince warmly, offering him refreshments while he waited for the new horseshoes. While the prince rested and ate freshly baked pies, he listened through the window as the blacksmith’s wife told some children the story of the cursed kingdom. “…And at that moment,” she told them, “the evil fairy’s prophecy came true! The beautiful princess fell fast asleep for one hundred years, and with her the entire palace and everyone and everything that lived there. And what’s more, an impenetrable wall of thick, thorny rose bushes grew up around the palace, guarding everyone inside. Not a single man, not even a prince, has managed to get to the cursed castle yet. Many have tried, but all of them in vain. And so the Sleeping Beauty, together with the king and the queen, is still fast asleep to this day. The blacksmith’s wife finished her story and the children stared at her with open mouths. On the other side of the window, Prince Julian was also awestruck; he jumped to his feet and with a few fast strides, he reached the blacksmith. He wanted to know everything the blacksmith knew about the story and asked for directions to the legendary cursed castle. “It’s a useless journey, sir,” the blacksmith said. “You’ll have to overcome many dangers before you even reach the palace, and no man has successfully overcome the briars.” The prince, however, was determined to save the Sleeping Beauty and nobody could stop him. And so he set off for a difficult journey toward the sleeping kingdom. He was very smart and very brave, and not a single obstacle he found along the way could slow him down. Before he knew it, he reached the palace. Or, rather, he

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reached a huge, dense, tall thicket of rose bushes, so high that he could only guess that the palace had very tall towers. He got off his horse and approached the overgrown thicket. Suddenly, it happened! The branches in the thicket started loosening right before his eyes, coming apart of their own accord to let him in. As soon as he walked through, the bushes snapped back to where they had been and created a thick wall again. The prince stood in the royal courtyard. It was completely silent. On the right, there were two hounds sleeping on the ground. Horses stood like statues next to their carriages and the carriage drivers were frozen in different positions. Cautiously, he entered the palace and saw the king sleeping on his throne, the queen next to him and many other people surrounding them, dressed in festive clothes and fast asleep. One by one, he walked through all the royal chambers, but he couldn’t find the Sleeping Beauty anywhere. Finally, he found a door leading to a little tower with a chamber at the top. He walked up the stairs and found the sleeping princess lying on the ground. He had heard that she was beautiful, but now that he saw her with his own eyes, he couldn’t stop looking at her. He felt his heart speed up, and he bent down, stroked her long, fair hair, and gently kissed her lips. The moment he kissed her, Marianne woke up, opened her eyes and gazed into the young prince’s eyes. He looked at her so sweetly that she knew it was his love that had saved her. In the distance they could hear dogs barking in the courtyard. Marianne took his hand and together they walked downstairs. The king and queen had also woken up from their slumber, just like all the other guests, and as everyone blinked off their long sleep the rose bushes began receding from the walls until, finally, they disappeared entirely. A few weeks later, the blacksmith’s family received the news that the prince whose horse had needed new shoes had actually found the hidden kingdom and saved it from its long sleep. Julian was forever grateful to the blacksmith for helping him get to the kingdom, and when Julian and Marianne got married, the blacksmith and his family were all invited to the wedding. The party lasted for three days and three nights, and Julian and Marianne lived happily ever after.

59 THE SNAIL AND THE ROSE TREE

Once upon a time, there was a garden surrounded by a row of hazel trees that bore a rich crop of hazelnuts every year. Outside the garden, there were fields and meadows where sheep and cattle grazed, large tin cowbells clanging around their necks. When the shepherd took his animals to the pasture, everyone would hear the bells and know what time it was. Right in the middle of the garden, there was a lovely blooming rose bush. Just at the foot of the bush, you could often spot a small snail named Louis, who was rather snooty and spent every day doing nothing but loaf around. He pronounced his name the French way – Louis! – and any time anybody came by he could be seen showing off and boasting about how great he was. “Just you wait,” he would say to the roses. “When my time comes, I’ll do so much more than bloom like you, or make hazelnuts like the trees, or give milk like the cattle and the sheep.” “I hope I’ll be there to witness all the great things you do,” the roses would reply, wearily. “But when do you think that time will come, if you don’t mind me asking?” “Don’t worry, you’ll surely live to see it.” Louis would retort. “I’m just taking my time. Why are you so impatient, anyway? Why is everyone in such a hurry?”

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This conversation happened almost every day for a year, and the roses found it hard to believe that Louis would ever stop lounging around long enough to do something great. One bright summer day, Louis was lying in on his favourite sunny spot under the rose bush. The bush was dotted with little buds, some of them already opening into wonderful new flowers. Every now and then, he could hear the buzz of a bee coming to the bush to admire the beautiful, sweet-smelling blossoms, and the lovely chiming voices of the roses saying hello to their winged friends. The snail poked his eyes out of his shell, looked around and wearily remarked: “Once again, there’s nothing new. Everything is just like it’s always been! Not the slightest change, no sign of any progress. The rose bush is just happy to be blooming again. That’s all it can do.” He glared at the happy roses, the pleasant bees, the new blooms, and thought about how one day he would do great things. Summer passed and turned into a windy, rainy autumn. Louis began to feel cold, but the rose bush still had flowers. When winter came, the wind got colder and snowflakes fluttered in the air. Winter can be cruel, and the rose bush bowed down to the ground under the weight of the snow and the snail burrowed underground, his shell shut tight. They waited out the winter like this, curled in on themselves, dreaming of warmer days. After what felt like a very long time, the snows melted and the sun came out. Joyfully, the rose bush woke up and burst into beautiful flowers. The winter had been long for the snail, though, and he crouched in his shell and resented the roses for being happy. When he poked his head out of his shell, the roses were happy to see him. “Hello, old friend!” they chimed. “Isn’t it a beautiful day?” Louis glared at them, angry that they were still so happy after such a long winter. “You’re an old shrub now, you know,” he said, spitefully. “Soon you’ll get too old and die and all you’ll be is bare, dry wood. You gave the world everything you had, but was it any good? Clearly you haven’t done anything to improve yourself – otherwise you could have done so much more.” “Why would you say that?” the roses said, hurt. “Aren’t our blooms beautiful, and

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good? Isn’t blooming what we’re meant to do?” Louis didn’t like this answer, and decided to make the roses feel as bad as he felt. “Haven’t you ever wondered why you bloom at all?” he asked, pompously puffing himself up. “Why is everything the way it is? And why couldn’t it be another way? What is your purpose?” “No,” said the rose bush firmly. “We’ve spent our life blooming happily and merrily because that is what roses do. The sun warmed us with its rays, wind blew through our leaves, and every morning we drank fresh morning dew and raindrops. We’ve breathed and we’ve lived! We’ve made friends with the bees and the butterflies! The earth and the air gave us strength and energy. We felt happiness inside – it was different each time but always so strong and vast that we had to bloom. We wouldn’t want to live any other way.” The roses were happy with this answer, even though Louis had upset them. “Well, you lived a very comfortable life, indeed,” said Louis, snootily. “But it sounds like an empty life to me, if all you did was bloom and sit in the sun.” He looked out the fields beyond the hazelnut trees and watched a goat chew contentedly on an apple without a worry in the entire world. Louis disliked that goat, he decided. “We’re happy with our lives,” the rose said. “But you don’t seem content. You have also spent your life sitting in the sun and enjoying the earth, but you’re not h appy.” “I’m not like you,” protested the snail, “One day I’ll accomplish big things. I won’t just sit in the sun all day and do nothing!” “Shouldn’t we all strive to be happy with ourselves?” the roses asked. “We may not do anything but bloom, but you have spent your life wanting to do more and never being happy with where you are in the moment.” “Why should I listen to you? I was meant to do great things, not have an empty life! You don’t know anything. I don’t care what you do anymore. Keep on blooming, if you want, you won’t be doing it much longer anyway,” Louis said, cruelly. “Let the hazelnut trees make hazelnuts and the cows give milk. I don’t care! I’ll lock myself in my house and let everyone do as they please.” And with that, Louis

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retreated into his shell and, had he had a door, he would have slammed it. “Oh, this is so sad,” thought the roses. Then, out loud, they chimed, “Louis, please come out.” But Louis would not. The roses were bothered by what the snail had said to them, but they began to remember the happy things that had happened to them over the years. Once, the wind lifted their petals high into the air and they had seen a person dance with joy. Another time, they had watched as a man pressed a blossom in his book and a girl wove roses into her hair. The roses had been delighted every time they had fed a bee or made a person smile. “It has been a good life,” thought the roses. “Even if Louis is right and we’re going to die, we have been happy!” And so the kind-hearted rose kept on blooming and the angry snail stayed sleeping in his shell, paying no attention to the world outside. But the roses did not die. What Louis didn’t know was that roses never really die, because as they grow old their seeds fall to the ground and they are reborn. And so, long after Louis’ time, there were still roses in the garden, and there was still laughter and beauty and, every now and then, a new snail to have a conversation with.

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Our story begins long ago, when the Devil was still young and spent his time creating evil things for fun. One day, he decided he would use a mirror in his newest experiment. It was a rather ordinary mirror at first sight, but he gave it extraordinary powers. Anyone who looked into it would see the darkest side of the world, and once they looked into it they could no longer believe in love and kindness. With one look, a person could turn into the most ruthless being, who could only see the world as a terrible and treacherous place. The Devil loved his new creation and he wanted to see what would happen if as many people as possible looked inside his evil mirror. He imagined that there would be great wars and lots of hatred and maybe some fire, and he liked that idea so he flew the mirror high up into the sky. His plan, of course, was that anyone who looked up into the sky would see it, but the higher he flew, the heavier the mirror became. Soon he couldn’t hold it anymore and it slipped from his grasp. It fell to the ground and smashed into a million tiny pieces. Part of the mirror fell on a small town that was home to two very good friends – a boy named Kai and a girl called Gerda. They had lived next to each other their whole lives and they were simply inseparable. They would play together all day long, share secrets and, best of all, care for their little garden. The morning after the mirror fell, Kai and Gerda were playing outside. It was

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a cold winter morning and they were throwing snowballs at each other. Even though it was freezing cold, they laughed and played and the merriness of a good snowball fight kept them warm. After a while, Gerda ran to another part of the garden to get some fresh snow, and she packed a snowball and threw it at Kai. Little did she know that there were pieces of the Devil’s mirror in it, and as soon as the ball hit him, the smile on his face vanished. He threw a mean look at Gerda and said, “It’s bloody cold, I’m going home. I don’t like playing with you anymore.” And he turned on his heel and left. “Kai, wait!” Gerda shouted. “I’m sorry I hit you! Come back to my house, I’ll make you hot chocolate. You know how much you love it!” But he didn’t turn around. She thought he must be angry with her because of the last ball she’d thrown at him. Had it been too icy? She was so sad and confused. They’d never fought before and she couldn’t stop thinking about what had made her friend so upset. A few days had passed, and Kai still wouldn’t talk to his friend. She tried again and again to get him to come play, but he told her ruthlessly that they weren’t friends anymore. She didn’t understand it at all. One day, she overheard Kai’s parents talking to hers. “He’s been acting so strange and indifferent,” they said. “It’s as if he’s a completely different person.”Gerda was beginning to get suspicious and wonder if her friend was pulling a prank, but there was no way she could find out. He still wouldn’t let her anywhere near him. A few days later, the other kids from town decided to have a sledge race down the street. Kai joined them, dragging his sledge to the top of the hill and whooshing down. There was a group of boys standing nearby, planning to tie their sledges to the first carriage that would pass by. They were arguing about which one of them should be the one to do it and when Kai heard them and volunteered, saying there was nothing in the world that could scare him. The Devil himself must have been pulling the strings on this prank, because the first carriage to pass them belonged to the Snow Queen. It wasn’t even a carriage;

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it was a huge, icy sleigh adorned with frost, dragging freezing clouds behind. Wherever the Snow Queen rode, a terrible chill followed. The other boys were immediately scared and ran away, but Kai confidently ran up to it with his sledge and took hold of the back. A sudden gust of ice cold wind swallowed him whole, and the sleigh stopped. The snow queen stepped out of the carriage and walked up to the boy. “You must be freezing,” she said. “Let me help you.” She kissed him on the forehead, and the boy stopped feeling cold. “See? You’re better already. Now, let me kiss you once more and you shall forget all your loved ones.” Kai had no time to resist before the queen’s lips touched his forehead again. And, just like that, he forgot everything. His parents, his friends, Gerda – he could remember none of them. “That’s enough for now,” the queen said. “A third kiss would kill you. Now come here and sit beside me.” He climbed into the carriage, deep under the queen’s spell, and she wrapped him in furs. Gerda knew something was wrong as soon as the queen kissed Kai the second time. She hadn’t seen Kai anywhere for quite some time, and she felt a strange chill through her bones. When she asked around, she found that no one had seen him. He’d disappeared completely and nobody knew if he’d run away, got lost or if someone had kidnapped him. The townsfolk thought he must have drowned in the nearby river, and though Gerda didn’t believe that, she went to the rushing river nonetheless. She was determined to find her friend and find out why he had stopped loving everything and everyone. “Tell me, river, was it you who carried Kai away from me?” She asked. “Please, tell me what you know!” She waited for an answer, but none came and so she walked on to look for him elsewhere. “Oh Kai, where are you?” sighed Gerda, making her way through the snowy forests. “Caw, caw,” a crow suddenly cried next to her. “I know wherre, I know wherre.”

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The black bird fluttered down and sat on her shoulder. “You do? Well, where is he?” she asked eagerly. “With an old crrone, an old crrone. In a house with a big garrden, a biig garden.” “Thank you, thank you!” Gerda cried out, joyfully. “When you crross the forrest, caw caw, it will be in the second village you see, caw caw.” Gerda walked and walked for what seemed like ages, until she finally passed the first village and entered the second one. When she reached the farthest end, she came across a big house in the middle of a large garden. Even though it was winter, the garden was lush and green as if it were summer. Gerda plucked up her courage and knocked on the door. An old woman opened the door and invited her in. Gerda told her everything, hoping she would find Kai here. She was very disappointed to learn that the woman had never even heard of the boy. The bird must have tricked her! “How is it that the flowers in your garden bloom even in winter?” asked Gerda, looking outside the window into the garden. “I take good care of them and I speak with them often,” the woman said. “They like to be talked to. Why don’t you go and take a closer look? Make sure you say hello.” The woman didn’t have to tell her twice. She’d barely finished her sentence before the girl excitedly rushed outside. She thought about all the moments she spent with Kai in their garden, tending to their roses. Then she kneeled down to smell one of the little red flowers. “Hello,” she said. “You’re all very beautiful.” “Run away, girl!” the roses responded. “The witch will keep you here forever, if you don’t leave quickly.” “But I have to find my friend!” Gerda said. “I don’t know where to go!” “Go north,” the rose whispered. “You might find your friend there.” The little talking flower seemed to tell the truth, and Gerda decided to trust it. She picked up her coat and walked quickly towards the gate. “Where are you going, dearie?” the witch called from the house. “Stay awhile,

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there’s no need to rush!” Suddenly the woman was next to her and grabbed her by the arm. Gerda managed to break free and ran away as fast as she could. “Thank you, little rose,” she whispered. Gerda walked and walked, making her way North and calling Kai’s name whenever she could. One day, an arctic fox heard her cries. “Are you looking for someone?” he asked. “Yes, please help me, I’m looking for my friend Kai.” “What does he look like?” asked the fox, and Gerda described him. “But that sounds just like our prince!” The fox said. “Come with me, I’ll take you to the palace.” The white fox broke into a light run and the girl, frozen in her bones, followed as fast she could. She remembered the deceitful crow and wondered if she could trust the fox, but she didn’t have much choice. Soon they arrived at a grand palace and found a way through the gate. Quietly, they climbed up onto a balcony and looked in through a window. First they saw a girl inside, but then they saw a boy. He was facing away from them, but he had brown curly hair and was shaped just like her beloved Kai. “That’s Kai!” she shouted with joy. The prince and the princess heard her and turned around and the sound, but it wasn’t Kai. Gerda’s heart sank. The royal family retrieved the girl from the balcony, gave her warm clothes and warmed her up by the crackling fire. They were very kind people, and they gave her food while she told them what had brought her to them. They felt very sorry for her, so they offered to lend her their golden carriage to help with her search. Once again, she was on the road. She spent many days in the carriage, but Kai was still nowhere to be found. One night a bandit hijacked Gerda’s carriage and locked her in a house nearby. The bandit was a lady, who lived in a pitiful shack with only one reindeer outside to keep her company. When she hijacked the carriage, she’d thought it would be a prince or a duke, or someone else with lots of money. She hadn’t expected to find a little girl. She was very lonely, and soon they started talking. Gerda told her everything about how she set out to find her lost friend. The woman felt terrible

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for the little girl, but she still didn’t want to give back the carriage. “I’m keeping your carriage,” the bandit said. “Selling that will feed me for a year. But you can take my reindeer, and I’ll let you keep your coat and mittens. My reindeer will take you to a wise witch I know in the mountains. I think she might know where to find your friend. She knows everything.” Gerda thanked her for letting her go, mounted the reindeer, and rode like the wind further up north. When she arrived at the witch’s hut, the woman was waiting at the door as if she’d been expecting the girl. “Dear child, you are wise to search for your friend,” the witch said. “He is under the spell of the evil Snow Queen. There are whispers about it all through the air. Kai is to become her successor. You must hurry if you want to save him before it’s too late.” Gerda would leave the next day, they decided, and when Gerda fell asleep, the woman spoke to the reindeer. “Do you know the way to the Ice Palace?” she asked him. He nodded and then asked, “Can’t you help her? Can’t you give her the strength to overcome the ice queen?” He feared for the little girl. “Can’t you see how strong she already is?” The witch asked him. “She got this far by herself. She doesn’t need any more power. I can only show her the way. She has a good and pure heart, and that’s the greatest power in the world.” When Gerda woke up, the woman gave her a knapsack of food and told her: “You should be on your way, there isn’t much time. The reindeer knows where to go, so just make sure you stay with him.” “Thank you for everything.” Gerda said. “Pray for me, please.” And she climbed on the reindeer’s back and together they rushed towards the Ice Palace. When they reached its gate, the animal let her climb down and hid behind a big wall to wait for the girl. Gerda entered the palace and immediately found herself standing in a colossal hall made entirely of ice. In the middle of the hall she saw Kai sitting on a mighty throne where the Snow Queen herself used to sit. He was deep in thought, moving

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pieces of ice in front of him just by staring at them. Gerda was so happy that she’d finally found him! She ran to him, full of joy, and wrapped him tightly in her arms. “I knew I’d find you,” she whispered. “Kai, I missed you so much.” But Kai didn’t even look at her. His empty eyes just kept staring at the ice in front of him. When Gerda realized her friend hadn’t even noticed her, she burst into tears. She cried and cried, and her tears fell onto Kai’s chest and melted the frozen crust the Snow Queen had built around his heart. “Gerda? Is that you?” asked Kai as if he was waking up from a terrible nightmare. He couldn’t believe his eyes! Suddenly he remembered everything. He felt so terrible about how he had treated his friend! He began to cry, too, and his tears washed the effects of the devil’s mirror out of his eyes. Kai and Gerda left the Ice Palace together and found the reindeer, who was ecstatic to find that the girl was safe and that she’d saved her friend. On their way home they stopped at the wise witch’s hut, the bandit’s shack, and the kind palace, thanking them all from the bottom of their hearts. Their journey back was very long, and when they finally arrived, it was already spring. Gerda and Kai never stopped being friends. Kai returned to his old, happy self, and for years to come they would sit in their garden, remembering their great adventure, laughing and, of course, talking to their roses, for everyone knows that roses love to be talked to.

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Once upon a time, there was a kingdom ruled justly and kindly by its king and queen. They had always dreamed of having children, and one day, they finally had a beautiful baby girl. Their daughter had hair as black as a raven, skin as white as snow and lips red as blood. She was born on a snowy day in the winter, and they decided to name her Snow White. For a while they were very happy, but one day the queen got very sick and died. Years passed and the king found himself a new wife. There was a lavish royal wedding. The new queen was very beautiful, but she was also arrogant and deceitful. No one saw her for the mean witch she really was. The queen’s most prized possession was a magic mirror that she had secretly brought to her chamber in the palace. Every evening before she went to bed, she would ask, “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest one of all?” And the mirror would always answer truthfully. “You, my queen, are the fairest in the land.” One day the king got suddenly ill and died. A great sorrow spread across the whole kingdom and everyone mourned for their beloved king. His wife, the queen, became a ruthless ruler.

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From that day on, Snow White lived alone in the palace with her evil stepmother. The queen did not like her stepdaughter, but mostly ignored her. On the eve of the girl’s eighteenth birthday, however, the queen went to her chamber as she always did, sat in front of the magic mirror, and started brushing her hair with a golden brush. As always, she looked at the mirror and said: “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest one of all?” “You are very beautiful, my queen,” the mirror said. “But Snow White is the fairest in the land.” The queen was furious. She flung her golden brush at the floor so hard it broke into a dozen pieces, and she decided she would get rid of Snow White as soon as she possibly could. She sent for her best hunter. “I want you to take Snow White deep into the woods and kill her,” she said. “Cut out her heart and bring it back to me so I know the deed is done.” The next evening, the hunter took Snow White into a dark forest. The girl realised something bad was about to happen and started begging for mercy. “Please, don’t kill me!” she said. “I’ll run away and no one here will ever see me again, just let me live, please!” She was so pure and kind that the hunter couldn’t bring himself to hurt her. He thought for a long moment. “Very well, but you will have to run and you mustn’t stop. You can’t ever come back here. Everyone needs to think you’re dead, or else the queen will have both of us executed.” Snow White thanked him and ran as far as she could into the dark forest. She ran and ran through the murky, mysterious trees and didn’t stop to look back even once. Fear started to seep into her bones. It sometimes looked as if the trees and shrubs were turning toward her, trying to get her attention. She ran until she couldn’t feel her legs anymore and she tripped over a branch, fell to the ground and started rolling downhill. When she finally stopped, she saw a small house completely covered with moss. Scared, she walked closer and knocked on the door. No one opened the door, so she decided to go inside. It was very cosy, indeed. She saw food and water on the table and her belly started to rumble very loudly. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d eaten. There were seven small plates and

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seven small clay cups on the table. She ate and drank a little bit from each, then entered the next room to find seven small beds next to each other. She stretched across them and immediately fell asleep. Now, the house belonged to seven dwarves, who had been at work all day and were just about to return home. As soon as they walked in they noticed something was amiss. “Who’s been eating my bread?” asked the first. “Who’s been drinking from my cup?” asked the second. Then the third: “Who’s been sitting in my chair?” The fourth: “Who’s been eating with my fork?” And the fifth: “Who’s been eating my vegetables?” And the sixth: “Who’s been cutting with my knife?” The seventh opened the bedroom door a crack and peeked inside. “Who’s this lying on our beds?” The dwarfs entered the room quietly and stared at the sleeping Snow White. “What is it?” one of them asked. “Who knows? She’s awfully lovely, though!” Said another. “Let’s wake her up!” suggested a third. “But why is it sleeping in our beds?” asked the fourth, frowning. “Let her sleep. I’m sure she’ll explain everything when she wakes up,” said the fifth. And so they waited impatiently for Snow White to wake up. When she finally opened her eyes, she saw seven small bearded men staring at her and she let out a frightened shriek. When she sat up and took a better look at their little faces, though, her fear melted away. They had kind eyes, and they seemed rather startled. “Who are you? How did you get here?” asked the fifth dwarf, who was the oldest and wisest. “What are you?” asked the second, who was rather silly. “My name is Snow White,” she explained. “My stepmother, the queen, ordered her hunter to kill me and cut my heart out, but I escaped. I ran through the

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woods until I came across your house. Please forgive me, I should never have intruded but I was so terribly hungry and tired.” “So you’re a princess?” asked the sixth dwarf. “I am. Please, don’t send me back. Can’t I stay here? I can cook and keep the house clean for you!” She was desperate to stay as far away from the castle as possible. “Alright, love. From now on, you can be one of us,” said the seventh dwarf, and he shook her hand. The dwarves’ house had never been so clean before! The dwarves loved having Snow White live with them – the house was squeaky clean, and they danced and sang and made merry. Every morning, when they left for work in the mines, she would see them out the door and hand them bags with their favourite lunches, and when they returned in the evening a tasty meal would already be waiting for them on the table. Secretly, though, they worried about leaving Snow White alone every day, and so they warned to be careful and never let anyone inside the house. Back in the palace, the evil queen held a box with her stepdaughter’s heart inside and felt triumphant. She had rewarded the hunter handsomely, and now she stood in front of her mirror once again and asked, “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest one of all?” “You are very beautiful, my queen, but still Snow White is the fairest in the land.” The queen screamed and threw the box with the deer heart to the ground. The hunter had tricked her! He hadn’t killed Snow White at all! She couldn’t live with the knowledge that her stepdaughter was more beautiful with her, and so she transformed herself into a wrinkled old woman and set out to the woods to find Snow White. When she came to the dwarfs’ house, she called out, “Come buy my wares! Come closer and take a look in my basket!” Snow White pulled aside the curtain and looked outside, but she couldn’t see what was inside the woman’s basket. She opened the door and went to admire the beautiful colourful bands and ribbons the woman was selling. “I will give you this one for free, dearie. It’s a gift, because you’re so very lovely!”

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said the disguised witch, and she held up a pretty red sash. “Here, let me tie it for y ou .” She stepped behind the girl and tied the ribbon around her waist so tight that poor Snow White couldn’t breathe. She fell to the ground, gasping for air. The queen turned to leave and cackled, “Who is the most beautiful now, Snow White?” Luckily the dwarves were already on their way home, and when they saw Snow White lying on the ground, they rushed to untie the ribbon. When she began to breathe normally and woke up, the dwarves implored her not to trust anyone who even passed their house. Obviously, the queen had found out that Snow White was alive and living there. The queen returned to the palace and resumed her normal face. She hurried to her mirror and asked, “Mirror, mirror, who’s the fairest of them all?” “You are very beautiful, my queen, but Snow White is still the fairest in the land.” The queen couldn’t believe her ears. How was the girl still alive? The next day, she disguised herself as an old woman again, but this time she came selling hair brushes dipped in poison. When she came to the dwarfs’ house, she started shouting: “New goods! Come take a look! Oh, what wonderful things I have for sale today!” “I don’t want anything from you, go away,” Snow White called out, and she quickly closed the window. “Won’t you at least take a look?” the old woman asked. She walked up to the window and held up a beautiful golden hairbrush. The girl let herself be fooled once again, enchanted by the beautiful brush, and opened the door. The old woman offered to brush Snow White’s hair, and as soon as the brush touched her head, the poison began to take effect and the girl fell to the ground. “There, that should do the trick!” the queen said, spitefully. Once again, the seven dwarves returned home to find Snow White collapsed on the ground. They rushed to her side, and one of them noticed the brush tangled in her hair. As soon as he pulled it out, Snow White woke up.

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“It must have been that evil queen, she’ll try anything to get rid of you!” shouted one of the dwarfs angrily. He dug a deep hole and carefully buried the poisoned brush deep underground. “Snow White, you can’t trust anyone but us,” they said. “Don’t open the door for anyone, and don’t take anything from anybody.” Snow White was ashamed that she’d let herself be fooled a second time. She promised the dwarves she really wouldn’t open the door for anyone again. That evening, the queen looked at herself in the mirror once again. “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?” And, once, again, the mirror replied that Snow White was the fairest of all. The queen raged, furious that she should have failed a second time. She wouldn’t rest until Snow White was dead. “I’ll have to poison her from the inside, this time, and make sure no one ever wakes her again” the queen muttered to herself, and she hurried to the kitchen to brew a terrible poison. The next morning, the dwarves again left for the mine and the queen changed into an old beggar. She was gaunt and wore ragged clothes, knowing that the kind-hearted Snow White wouldn’t be able to help but take pity on her. As she approached the dwarves’ house, she shouted: “Sweet apples! Buy one to help an old beggar.” Snow White looked out the window and saw a wretched old woman with a basket full of beautiful red apples. “Have an apple, fair lady,” offered the beggar. “No, thank you, I can’t,” replied Snow White from the kitchen window. “I’m not supposed to take anything from strangers.” “Oh dearie, you don’t think I would sell you a dangerous apple?” She took one of the apples from the basket, cut it in half and handed one of the halves to the girl. “Here, we can share this one.” The disguised queen smiled at the girl and ate her half of the apple. She knew just what she was doing, as she had poisoned only one half of the apple – the one Snow White was just about to bite into. Snow White didn’t think that half the

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apple might be poisoned, so chomp! She took a bite and – oh no! The bitter taste of the poison spread through her body and she fell into a deep slumber. When the dwarves returned from the mine, they tried to revive her, but the poor girl couldn’t be saved. They searched through her hair and clothes, but they couldn’t find anything suspicious. Snow White simply wasn’t breathing anymore. The devastated dwarfs cried for a whole day and that evening made her a coffin. It wasn’t just any coffin, though. The box was made of glass so that anyone could admire Snow White’s beauty, and instead of burying her underground, they carried her up a hill and built a shrine. On the side of the coffin, they inscribed the words PRINCESS SNOW WHITE. That night, the queen proudly asked the mirror, “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest one of all?” “You, my queen, are the fairest in all the land,” the mirror responded. The queen laughed wickedly and her voice echoed throughout the whole palace. She could finally rest, knowing that she was the most beautiful woman in the entire land! All the animals from the surrounding woods heard the evil laugh and knew that the queen must have triumphed. They gathered around Snow White’s coffin, where the dwarves spent every day sitting and mourning their friend. One day, a prince passed by the hill. He looked to the top and saw the crowd of mourners around the coffin. Curious, he decided to go and take a closer look. When he reached the coffin, he saw the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on. “I’ve never seen anyone so extraordinary,” he said. “How did she come to be here?” One of the dwarves explained what had happened, and the prince asked if perhaps he could bring her to his castle to have his wizard try to save her. The dwarves didn’t like the idea of moving her, but when they heard he might be able to help they eventually agreed. The eight of them picked up the coffin and began carrying it to the castle, but one of the dwarfs tripped suddenly over a stone. He dropped his corner of the coffin and everyone else lost their grip, but it turned

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out to be a lucky event as the coffin fell to the ground and the bump knocked the apple out from the girl’s mouth. The poison stopped working and, suddenly, she could breathe again. Slowly, she sat up and looked at her friends. “Where am I? What happened?” she asked, confused. The dwarves were overcome with joy when they saw that she was alive and well. It was a miracle! They thanked the prince for insisting they move the coffin, and introduced him to their beautiful friend. They immediately liked each other and he asked if she would do him the honour of marrying him. “I’ll take care of you and make sure nothing bad ever happens to you again,” he said. He had very kind eyes and said her friends the dwarves would always be welcome at the palace, and so she agreed. The evil queen, of course, had no idea that this had happened. That night, she once again sat in front of her magic mirror. “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest one of all?” “You are very beautiful, my queen, but the prince’s young bride is the fairest of them all,” the mirror said, perhaps a little smugly. The queen had no idea that the bride was Snow White, but she still wasn’t going to tolerate the existence of another beauty. She went to the prince’s castle just in time for the great wedding. When she saw Snow White in a magnificent wedding dress, she couldn’t believe her eyes. How was the girl alive? The dwarves, of course, were the first to see the queen lurking, and they immediately told the prince. He called his guards and banished the evil witch from his land forever. Back in her palace, her servants took the mirror off her wall and locked it up in a safe and dropped it into the ocean, never to be used again. From that day on, everyone in the land lived happily. Bells rang merrily to announce the new royal couple, and Snow While lived happily and safely ever after.

78 THE SOLDIER AND THE HORSE

A long time ago there was a brave soldier. He had a great, faithful horse that had been his friend for many years. They served together in the war, and fought together on the battlefield, overcoming all the challenges and dangers that they encountered. The soldier knew very well that it was mainly his horse’s courage that helped him get home from the battle safe and sound every time, and so he did all he could to give him the best life. He fed him the best food three times a day, and there was always plenty of straw to snack on whenever he felt like it. He drank litres and litres of water and the soldier refilled it several times a day. He combed his mane and cared for his coat to keep it soft and shiny. And even the blacksmith visited them regularly to keep the horse’s hooves healthy. In short, the soldier did everything for the horse, he pampered him and cared for him. The horse was always fit and lively and he neighed happily in his stable, which was so clean you wouldn’t find a single fly in it. And the horse repaid his master with his good service in battle and became his inseparable companion. After some time, the war was over, and the soldier no longer needed a horse for the battlefield. He became a farmer and started using his horse for very hard work. Every day, the horse had to help his master plough the field, dragging

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a very heavy plough behind him. Sometimes, the master made him drag some wood from the forest or bring a heavy load from town. The horse had to work very hard every day and he no longer got such delicious food as before. The master only fed him ordinary weeds and gave him no special care at all. The horse became weaker and thinner. Soon, this strong and noble steed became a poor, fragile animal. But as fate would have it, after some time, the country went to war again. When the soldier got the news, he started taking better care of the horse right away. He thought that if he started treating him better, his strength would come back, and he would be a reliable and faithful friend to him on the battlefield again. Well, it was too late. And they had to go to war in only a few days... The day he left for the battlefield, the soldier clad in heavy armour and carrying various weapons put a saddle on his sickly horse and got on his back. The horse could not carry such a heavy load and he fell to the ground under all that weight. When the tired horse tried to get up again, he said to his master sadly: “Now you have to go to battle alone, because your bad treatment changed me from a horse to a donkey. I cannot carry you like I used to.” Let this be a lesson that you should always think about others and never forget about your friends.

80 THE STAG AND THE LAKE

Once upon a time, there was a big, strong stag living in the forest. He was the most beautiful creature in the forest and when he strode through the pastures, all the other animals came to admire him. One day, when the stag came to drink from the lake, he saw his reflection in the water. He watched his big, branching antlers, which rose from his head like a king’s crown. He himself couldn’t take his eyes off that beauty. “My antlers are really pretty,” he thought to himself. But when he came even closer to the bank of the lake, he also saw his legs in the reflection. They seemed weak and thin to him. They didn’t go with the rest of his body at all, let alone those crown-like antlers. He kicked a stone into the water angrily, so that he didn’t have to see his ugly legs any longer. “Oh, what a shame that my legs aren’t also strong and beautiful. They are too thin and too weak,” the stag sighed. He watched himself in the lake surface for a while, trying to find an angle from which his legs would seem mightier. He was so absorbed that he didn’t notice there was a lion watching him. When he saw that the stag wasn’t paying attention, he slowly crept to him. He was just about to leap when the stag noticed and started running away. He ran into the open pastures, where he lost the lion quickly thanks to his long, slim legs.

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When he escaped the lion, he ran back into the forest to catch his breath. However, as he walked between the trees, his antlers got stuck in the branches. He tried to free himself, but he couldn’t move a bit. He shook his head as hard as he could, but the more he tried to get his antlers out, the more entangled they became. Soon, he saw the lion, who had caught up, and now he knew that the end was coming. “Oh boy, was I being dumb. I was unhappy with my legs, but they served me so well. And I was very proud of my antlers, but they betrayed me.” That is why you should remember that the most beautiful things aren’t always the best.

82 THE STORY OF WOOD

A long time ago, people had a much easier life than today. They didn’t know what poverty was and they didn’t mind long and cruel winters. It wasn’t that they didn’t feel cold, but they didn’t need to drag heavy carriages or carry heavy bundles of wood on their backs. They just came into the woods, they chopped down some trees and tied the trunks together. Then they took a magic stick, whipped it, and sent the wood all by itself into the village. Each to their yard. The wood would then walk the whole path from the forest to the village. Over hills, valleys, brooks, narrow tracks, and wide roads in the fields. Nobody had to give the wood directions, it just knew the way. And when the people came back from the forest, there was wood ready for them in their yards. After that, they just sawed up the trunks and used it all year round. Why is it no longer like that? Well, people are like that. When we’re doing fine, we’d like to be doing even better. In this case, the disaster was caused by a woman from the village. One day, when it was very windy and rainy, the men chopped down the trees, put them side by side and then, they could have just whipped the magic stick

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and the wood would have just travelled to the village as usual. But this woman didn’t feel like walking from the forest in the rain. And so, she got an idea! She sat down on the wood, expecting the wood to carry her back to the village, as it could walk so nicely all by itself. She took the stick and whipped it through the air. But the wood did not like her laziness and would not move. She whipped again and still nothing. No nice words, no curses, nothing helped. She climbed off and whipped the stick again, to at least get the wood to the village. But the wood just wouldn’t budge. And that’s how it stayed forever. And so now, people need to work very hard to get the wood from the forest into their house.

84 THE SWAN AND THE CROW

Once upon a time, there was a big lake. From far away, it looked like a huge mirror that reflected everything around. On the surface of the lake, there were beautiful, majestic swans. There wasn’t a more elegant, more graceful creature anywhere. They spent the whole day on the water, because their dense white feathers never got wet and they protected them from the cold. Around the lake, there were tall poplar trees with crows nesting in them. They would go hunting for food by the lake and their cawing could be heard far and wide. However, one of the crows didn’t come to the lake just for food. She also liked watching the swans, admiring their grace and beauty, until one day she decided she wanted to become one of them. Even though she had a comfortable life in a solid, dry nest with the other crows, she didn’t like the way she looked. She thought that only when she started living like the swans, she would be happy with herself. And so, she left her nest in the tree and started doing the same things the swans did. She got into the water and tried to learn to swim as they did. She tried to hold herself up the same way as them, to look like a swan from far away. Each day, she rubbed her feathers on the pebbles on the shore to make them whiter.

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She even started eating the same food as the swans. None of it helped. She was still not content with herself and she also started feeling quite unwell. Her wings felt very weakened, because she kept soaking them in water and her feathers fell out and became thin. Swan food gave her bellyaches and she was becoming sickly and weak. Soon, she couldn’t even fly properly. She could only hop around the lake. It took her too long to realize that she could never be a swan. But what was even more important, she understood that to be happy with herself, she needed to accept who she was. She was a crow, and not a swan. She came back to her nest with the other crows and began to recover and gain her strength back.

86 THE TALE OF THE LION AND THE MOUSE

Once upon a time, there was an old lion who ruled his entire forest. When he roared, the sound echoed throughout his entire kingdom. It told all the animals in the forest to be careful, because the lion was taking his daily stroll through the forest. Whoever didn’t hide, was at risk. Today, just like any other day, the lion was sleeping off a good lunch in the shade under the trees. But this time, he lay down by a small mouse hole that he had not noticed. When the mouse came out of his hole, he tickled the lion right under the nose with his tail. The lion woke up and roared so loud the ground shook. When he saw the mouse, he clutched it in his claws right away. “How dare you wake me from my afternoon nap, you little mouse.” He was angry and decided to eat the mouse. He could not just let him go, that would be ridiculous. That would make him a laughing stock for all the animals in the forest. “Stop, stop, please,” said a voice from the lion’s claws. “What will you even gain if you eat me? I would get lost in your enormous stomach, you wouldn’t even feel me. But if you let me go, I might be useful to you,” pleaded the little mouse. The lion listened to him with curiosity, he had to admit, that this little grey mouse wasn’t really much of a snack. So he took pity on the mouse and let him go. The days went by and the lion had already forgotten that he once freed a

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tiny little mouse. The mouse, however, was much more careful, making sure to never cross the lion’s path again, because next time it could cost him his life. The warm days of summer were coming to a close and the weather was getting colder. The forest was all abuzz because most of the animals were preparing for the winter. However, people prepare for the winter, too. And that is why the hunting season had also begun. The hunters walked around the forest all day, placing traps. And then they waited with their hunting dogs for their catch. One day, the lion was taking his stroll around his forest and was thinking about what he might eat for lunch. But suddenly, he stepped into a trap that had been set up by some hunters and found hanging on a tree trapped in a net. He was roaring like a madman, swinging his claws around, but there was no way out of the trap. The other animals were not brave enough to come close to the lion, because they thought he would eat them as soon as they helped him out. And so the lion was stuck in a net hanging on a tree all helpless, waiting for the end to come. But then the little grey mouse he once let go from his claws appeared right under him. He remembered that he had taken pity on him. “Now I can keep the promise that I gave to you,” the mouse squeaked in his tiny voice. “How could you. You’re so small and helpless,” the lion despaired. Right then, the mouse ran up the tree from which the net was hanging. He crossed the branches carefully, scuttled up to the knot that held the net and got to work. He started chewing on the rope that fastened the net with his tiny but sharp teeth. The barking of hunting dogs could already be heard in the forest. The hunters were coming to check their traps. “Hurry up,” he rushed the mouse in a frightened voice. Then, the little mouse finally bit off the last threads of the rope. This caused the net to become loose and the lion fell down from the tree like a rotten piece of fruit. The ground shook and the lion roared so loudly that the hunters’ dogs got scared and scattered. When it was over, the lion and the mouse stood face to face. The mouse wasn’t sure whether this was his end, because the lion could catch him and eat him right there. He, however, took the mouse in his big paw and thanked him for saving his life. Ever since then, the lion and the mouse have been the best of friends. The lion doesn’t care at all that the entire forest is laughing at him, when he lets the little mouse sit on his back during his stroll around the forest. The Lesson: Even someone weak can help someone strong. The end 88 THREE BITS OF WISDOM

There was once a young duke who was very unlucky indeed. No matter what he did, or how many ways he tried to become rich, he was always on the brink of poverty. One day, this unlucky fellow went to the king to get some advice on how to improve his life. The king wanted to help and thought about it very hard, but he couldn’t come up with a solution and sent the young man home. The king’s daughter had been eavesdropping, however. She thought the young duke was quite handsome and that, with a little work, she could help him turn his luck around. And so she hurried after the young man as he was leaving. “If you marry me, you know, you’ll be very rich,” she said. The princess was very pretty, so the duke didn’t hesitate. Soon enough, there was a big wedding and the newlyweds were given a large dowry. Finally, the young man was rich! He should have been happy, but he still wasn’t satisfied and started thinking about how to become even wealthier. He decided he would start to do business, but he was very bad at trading and one day he realized he had spent his very last coin. The princess went to her father for help, but the king had given them too much help over the years. He refused to give them any more money, and only gave

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them a small house to live in on the edge of town. They needed money, so the princess decided she would get a job like the normal people did. She worked as hard as anyone, learning how to work on a loom she’d borrowed from her neighbours, and soon she was weaving the prettiest fabric in the county. Every day she would fold the beautiful fabric as neatly as possible, wrap it in a linen bag, and send her husband to town to sell it. One day, the man went to the nearest town and offered to sell the fabric to a tailor. “I can give you a few coins for it,” the tailor said, “or I can give you a piece of good advice. You choose.” The young man was about to stretch out his hand to take the coins, but suddenly he remembered that as soon as he had money in his possession he would be sure to spend it too fast. He couldn’t hold onto money, but he could probably hold onto some good advice! “Alright… I will take your advice,” the young man said. “Where there are willows, there is also water,” the salesman said, taking the fabric. The young man had no idea what it meant, but he thought it must mean something valuable. When he got home home, the princess was awaiting him eagerly, curious to know how much money he’d gotten for her beautiful fabric. When she learned that he’d exchanged her work for a few nonsense words, she got very upset. “We can’t buy food with words!” she said. She went back to her weaving, and the next day gave her husband more fabric to sell, reminding him this time that he had to sell it for money. He took it to the same salesman, who once again offered him good advice instead of money again. The young man agreed, completely forgetting what his wife had told him, and the salesman said, “If you want peace, arguments won’t get it.” Once again, the young man had no idea what it meant, but was proud to possess such valuable words. When he came back home without any money a second time, his wife told him off properly. She started making fabric again and told her husband that if he didn’t sell it for money this time, he shouldn’t come back home at all. The young man went back to the salesman the next day, but this time he

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remembered his wife’s words. He didn’t want advice for the fabric, he said – just money! “But without the third bit,” the salesman said, “the rest of the advice will be useless!” The young man thought long and hard. He knew he needed to get the money, but he really wanted to know what the last piece of advice was! Finally, he agreed that he would take the advice. “Do not stab with your sword before you’re sure,” the salesman said. This made no sense to the poor young man, and so he gave the third piece of fabric to the salesman and, knowing he couldn’t go home, went to the port to become a sailor and make some money that way. He sailed the high seas for several years, working hard with the other sailors. After a long journey, the boat anchored close to an island that was full of soldiers. The soldiers were all exhausted and thirsty because nobody could find fresh water on the island, and the general, desperate for help, announced that whoever could find water for his troops would get paid his weight in gold. Suddenly the young duke remembered the salesman’s first piece of advice: Where there are willows, there’s also water. And so, he went ashore to look for willow trees. The young man wandered all over the island and was starting to lose hope when, suddenly, he saw willow trees! He started digging and soon freshwater started splashing out of the ground. He’d found a spring! The water went so high, the soldiers could see it from very far away. They whooped and hollered happily and ran toward the spring to finally quench their thirst. The general was a man of his word and immediately gave the young man his weight in gold. The next day, the ship set off again. The young man was very proud of himself and was determined to bring the gold home to his wife to prove that he was not as foolish as she believed, but the sailors decided they would steal the gold and share it amongst themselves. One night, while he was sleeping, they threw him overboard into the sea. The poor fellow couldn’t swim and he started sinking quickly. He sank and sank until he reached the deep sea kingdom of the water goblin Ahti. The goblin wasn’t a

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bad sort and rescued the drowning duke, but had two sons who fought all the time and he simply didn’t know how to reconcile them. “If you can get my sons to make up,” the goblin said, “I will bring you back to the ground alive and I’ll even throw in ten barrels full of gold coins.” The young man hesitated – he’d never had to convince two water goblins to stop fighting before – but then he remembered the second piece of advice from the salesman. If you want peace, he’d said, arguments won’t get it. In his calmest voice, he advised the goblin’s sons to let go of their old grievances and shake hands. They were very stubborn, but they were also very tired of fighting, and so they shook hands and agreed to forget about their arguments. Their father was overjoyed. He gave the young man ten barrels of gold and brought him right back up to the boat. You can imagine how shocked the other sailors were to see him again! He was quite wet, but somehow he was alive and had even more gold with him! After that, they never dared to touch him again and gave him back all the gold they’d stolen. It was another year at least before the boat came back to the young man’s home port, and as soon as the boat docked he hurried home to his wife. He’d managed to keep all the gold he had earned, so he bought a horse and a carriage and drove home to his house. It was dark when he arrived, and when he walked in he saw that there was someone else lying next to his wife in bed! He had been gone for so long, he thought, that she must have thought he’d died and gotten remarried! He whipped out his sword, ready to challenge the interloper, but suddenly he remembered the third piece of advice from the salesman: Do not stab with your sword before you’re sure. And so, instead, he quietly woke up his wife. She was ecstatic to see him, and as soon as she lit a candle he could see that there was no man sleeping next to her; it was a young boy – his son! And so they celebrated his return home and the end of his bad luck, and they lived happily ever after.

92 THE THREE-BLOSSOMED ROSE

Once upon a time, there lived a wealthy merchant and his three daughters. He often travelled to the faraway lands beyond the sea to buy his goods. One day he was preparing for such a voyage and before he left, he went to say goodbye to his family. “My dear daughters, what can I bring you from my trip? Tell me, what would make you happy?” he asked his daughters. His two older daughters didn’t have to think long. One of them asked for a beautiful expensive dress and the other for a ring inlaid with precious stones. Only the youngest daughter, who was always very quiet, stood silently and didn’t ask for anything. “And what can I bring for you, my girl? Tell me,” asked her father. “My dearest daddy, just make sure to come safely back home to us, that will make me happier than anything in the world,” told him the girl. But the merchant insisted, saying he wouldn’t leave until she asked for a gift. “Then bring me three rose blossoms growing from a single stem, if you come across any on your travels. That would make me happy.” Her sisters laughed at her. What a worthless thing she was asking for! But their father promised all three of them he would be back with their gifts. They said goodbye and he sailed out into the sea.

93 THE THREE-BLOSSOMED ROSE

After the merchant bought all sorts of odd and unusual goods in the distant lands, he headed back home again. He didn’t forget his daughters’ wishes and bought precious dresses and rings for them. But he couldn’t find a three-blossomed rose anywhere. It grieved him that he wouldn’t be able to keep his word, but no matter how hard he searched, there was not a single rose like the one his youngest daughter had asked for. The merchant’s ship was already nearing the shores of his home when suddenly a terrible storm broke out. All of his precious cargo rolled down into the sea and the ship broke into pieces. Luckily, the merchant managed to catch hold of a wooden plank and floated to the nearby shore. In the darkness of the night, he made his way through a thick forest. He walked for a long time, then all of a sudden the ground shook and he saw a castle in front of him. The merchant headed towards it to get a little rest inside. He noticed the guards standing at the gate and shouted at them from afar to let them know he had no bad intentions. But nobody answered. Silence was the only response he got. When he came closer, he found they had been turned to stone – as well as everyone else in the palace. There wasn’t a living soul in the entire castle. All the windows were dark and silent. All except one, where he spotted a shimmering light. The merchant went to take a look inside. Peeping in, he saw a set table and a bed right next to it. Suddenly a strange voice spoke to him: “Everything you see is prepared for you. Help yourself to all the food and drink you want and if you’d like, you can rest in the bed afterwards.” The merchant looked around, but he couldn’t see anyone. But since he was very hungry and tired, he plucked up courage and sat down at the table. After he ate as much as he could, he lay down in the bed and soon he was fast asleep. When he woke up in the morning, he found a full plate of food lying on the table. After finishing the breakfast, he wanted to get back on the road, but he also wanted to thank the mysterious stranger who took such good care of him. But who was it? He searched the whole castle once again, hoping to find somebody after all, but he was out of luck. When he went outside, he noticed a beautiful

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blooming garden next to the castle. He searched for his hosts in the garden as well, but he didn’t find a living soul. Instead, he noticed three rose blossoms growing from a single stem on one of the bushes. “Oh look! That’s the three-blossomed rose I was looking for! It’s so beautiful! I’m sure my little girl will love it. At least one of my daughters will get the gift I promised her,” rejoiced the merchant. He reached for the rose and carefully plucked it from the bush. As soon as he did so, a roaring thunder rumbled. He took such a fright, he nearly fell on the ground. A giant bear appeared in front of him and growled: “How dare you take what isn’t yours? You won’t leave here alive!” The merchant was scared to death, but he managed to mutter for whom he was taking the flower. “Fine, I’ll let you live, but only if you promise you’ll bring your daughter here and let me marry her,” said the bear. The merchant didn’t want to lose his life so he promised the bear everything he was asking for. Then he left the castle and headed back home. His two older daughters almost didn’t recognise him. The wealthy merchant now looked like a poor beggar. When they found out he returned without the promised gifts, they turned away, stamped their feet and walked away from him. Their younger sister welcomed him with a loving embrace. “I’m so glad you’re finally back, daddy. The roses are beautiful and I’m grateful for them, but most of all I’m just happy you’re safely home. Who cares about money and expensive clothes! I’m sure we’ll manage somehow,” she said. The merchant’s heart sank when he remembered he would soon lose his darling girl. He was filled with sorrow and grief for bringing her such a horrible fate. She noticed his troubled face and asked him why he looked so worried. At first, he didn’t want to tell her, but as time went by, the day was coming when he had to take his daughter to the bear. He had no choice but to tell the girl everything. “Don’t worry, dad. After all, a bear is God’s creature, too. I don’t mind going to him. It’s all my fault anyway, it was me, who asked you for that rose,” she tried to comfort him.

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She packed her things and together they set out to the bear’s dark castle. They waited there for a day, then another one, but the bear did not show himself. On the third day, the girl sent her father home and waited for the bear alone. The castle remained lifeless, only the table mysteriously set itself with different meals and drinks every day. One day, the girl went for a stroll in the garden and just as she was passing the prettiest roses, she heard a clap of thunder and a huge bear appeared in front of her. She was scared, but the bear gently spoke to her: “Welcome, dear girl. Are you going to stay here with me?” “Indeed, I am. You are a God’s creature after all,” answered the girl. The bear was happy to hear that and treated her kindly in the following days. They walked together in the garden and talked. But sometimes, the strange thunder rumbled and the bear disappeared. Day after day passed during which they enjoyed each other’s company and became good friends. The girl got used to her host so much, she would feel sad when he would disappear. One day the bear was gone and no matter where the girl looked for him, she couldn’t find him. She looked everywhere, but the bear had simply vanished. She was lonely in the castle and kept searching every corner to find her friend. She went to the garden, to the place where they had met for the first time, and there she saw the bear lying motionless on the ground. She leapt over to him: “My dearest bear, what happened to you? We were so happy together!” But the bear still wouldn’t move. She wept beside him for a long time. When she was finally going to stand up and go, she stroke his hair once more and gave him a kiss. Suddenly, a deafening scream shook the ground beneath her feet. When the noise faded away, a beautiful young lad was standing before her. “Thank you, my dear, for setting me free,” he said. He told her he was a prince cursed into a bear. Soon they noticed the castle around them waking up to life; the people started moving and cheering for their king and the girl who had saved them. Not long after, they got married. The wedding lasted for three days and three

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nights and the entire kingdom came to dance and feast. Then they rode in a beautiful carriage to the girl’s father to tell him the wonderful news. The merchant was overcome with joy when he saw his daughter was safe and sound and everything ended up well for her. Ever since then, the castle was not a dark and desolate stronghold anymore. Instead, it became the liveliest and happiest place anyone could ever find.

97 THE THREE COINS

There was once a poor man who made his living by digging ditches. One day, when he was digging on the side of the king’s road, the king himself passed by. The king stopped to watch the man work for a while and thought, “My goodness, this must be such tiring work, digging in this rocky, hard earth! This man must be very rich, because there’s no point doing this for only a few measly coins.” After watching for another minute, the king said, “Excuse me, how much money do you get paid for your work?” “I make three coins a day, sir,” the poor man said. The king was shocked. He couldn’t believe his ears. “How can you possibly live on just three coins?” he asked. “Oh, I don’t live on three coins. If I had three coins, my life would be easy. I have to return one, lend another and live on the third,” the man said. The king was so confused that his head started aching, but he still couldn’t see how it was possible for the man to live, so he said, “I don’t understand what you mean by that. I can’t seem to get my head around it.” “It’s very simple, sir,” the man said. “I take care of my father, who raised me, and I give one coin back to him because when he was bringing me up, he took care of me and gave me money. I also have a son, so I lend my second coin to him

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and someday, when I am old and unable to work, he’ll take care of me in return. And then I live on the one coin I have left.” “Unbelievable,” the king muttered to himself, terribly surprised. “I pay twelve advisors who keep asking me for more and more money, because they say they haven’t got enough to live on. If they’re that wise, let’s see if they can prove they deserve more money. I’m going to give them the riddle of the three coins to see if they can understand it. But if they come to you to ask for the answer, don’t tell them anything unless you see my face.” Then, still deep in his thoughts, he gave the man a satchel full of gold coins and continued on his way. Later that day, the king called for his twelve advisors. “I met a man today,” he told them, “who only gets paid three coins a day, and every day he returns one, lends another, and lives on the last. If you don’t explain to me how that’s possible in three days, I will fire you all.” The advisors went to their chambers, confused, and spent the rest of the day conferring and debating the riddle. They disagreed so much that they shouted at each other. They suggested one solution after another, but not a single advisor could properly explain how it could be possible to return a coin, lend a coin, and live on the third. The next day passed in the same way, and on the morning of the third day they were at the end of their wits. They decided to find the person who gave the riddle to the king. They searched and searched, but they couldn’t find anyone. Finally, as the day was coming to an end, they found a man who was digging on the side of the king’s road. “You, man!” They shouted. “Did you tell the king a riddle?” “I did,” he said. They insisted he tell them the answer, but he wasn’t scared of them and he held his tongue. “Only when I see the king’s face, can I tell you the answer. That was the king’s order,” he said. “How in the world can we find an image of the king to show you? Pick anything else! We can give you anything!” said one of the advisors. The others nodded in agreement, and they began bringing the man expensive things and promising him all kinds of favours so he would tell them the answer. The digger refused to

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say a word. Finally, one of them brought him a big wooden chest. “This can be yours. All you have to do is give us the solution to the riddle,” the advisor said, and he opened the chest to show the man that it was full of royal gold coins. As the man looked into the chest, he saw the king’s image on the coins. “Well,” he said, “Now that I have seen an image of the king, I can give you the answer! It’s very simple. I take care of my father and I give him one of my coins back because he used to take care of me and give me money. I lend my second coin to my son because someday, when I’m old, he’ll take care of me in return. And then I live on the last coin.” The advisors were very excited and hurried to the king’s chamber, all shouting the answer at the same time. They all felt very wise, now that the man had told them the answer, but the king didn’t believe they had come to the answer on their own and called the man to him. “How dare you break your word to me?” he asked. “Have you no respect for your king?” “I did nothing wrong, sir.” The man said. “I was silent as a grave while the advisors promised me the world, brought me their entire fortunes, just to get the answer. The thing that finally loosened my tongue was a chest full of royal coins, because I saw your image on them. Those were your terms, so I gave them the answer.” “That’s very smart, indeed,” the king said, and suddenly an idea came to him. “How would you like to be my chief advisor?” The man was humble and hardworking as well as wise, and the king wasted no time in making him the official Chief Advisor. Then, instead of giving his twelve other advisors more money, he dissolved their council entirely and gave them jobs digging ditches. After that, the man brought his father and son to live with him in the palace, and the twelve men never again went to the king to complain.

100 THE THREE FEATHERS

Once upon a time, there was a kingdom ruled by an old king who had three sons. The two older brothers were skilful and smart. The third son, however, had always lagged behind his brothers and had a simple mind. The two often mocked him for what they perceived as his stupidity and backwardness. One day the king, knowing he wouldn’t be around much longer, sent for his three sons and told them: “The time has come to pass the royal sceptre on to one of you so that I can spend the rest of my life in peace. Whoever brings me the most beautiful carpet will become the king.” To make the task even more difficult, the king picked up three feathers and threw them up in the air. When they landed, he said: “Now each of you has to choose one feather and follow its direction.” One feather was pointing east. The second shortly fluttered around and quietly settled on the ground, pointing to the west. The third feather falling right at the king’s feet didn’t show any direction. The older brothers quickly chose the two feathers pointing east and west, laughing spitefully at the youngest, who now had to sit at home on his backside since the last feather didn’t point in any direction. The two young men set off immediately, one heading east and the other west. The youngest son just

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flopped to the ground, still grasping his feather, thinking what to do. Brooding over his misfortune, he suddenly noticed an old trapdoor in the floor. It was all rusted and covered with dust as if no one had opened it in years. As soon as his brothers left and the king disappeared to take care of his royal duties from his chamber, the youngest decided to open the old trapdoor, revealing an old staircase full of cobwebs and dirt. He carefully climbed down the stairs until he came across a door, knocking heavily and waiting for someone to answer. A minute later the door swung open and a huge, ugly frog emerged from behind it. “What does your heart desire, young man?” asked the frog. “I... I’m... looking for... looking for the most beautiful carpet in the whole country,” said the young prince shyly. The frog took a long hard look at the prince, goggling him with her giant eyes, then turned around and with just one leap disappeared into the dark room behind the door. When she returned after a while, she was carrying a colourful carpet woven from the finest yarn ever imagined. The prince thanked her politely and went back upstairs to wait for his brothers. The other two, certain the youngest brother wouldn’t bring anything, hadn’t bothered to look hard for any pretty carpets and both brought old and dusty rugs they found on their way home discarded by the road. When all three brothers gathered in front of the king, everyone was shocked by the magnificent masterpiece the youngest presented to them. “Well, I do have to keep my word,” said the king. “My youngest’s carpet is the most splendid of all and I will pass the crown on to him.” The older brothers instantly started objecting and arguing that the youngest is too dull to become the king. “Give us one more task to prove ourselves,” suggested the two offended brothers in unison. The king eventually agreed: “Whoever brings the most beautiful ring will be the king,” he said, throwing three feathers up in the air again. They settled on the ground just as before. The youngest son yet again ended up with the feather pointing nowhere, ran down the stairs behind the trapdoor, hammered on the door and waited.

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The door flew open and the ugly frog asked: “What does your heart desire this time, young man?” “I am... I’m looking for... for the most beautiful ring in the whole country,” said the prince. The frog paused in thought for a bit, croaked and with just one leap disappeared back into the dark room, coming right back with the most magnificent ring the world had ever seen. Once again, the older brothers could not be bothered with searching for a ring, thinking a piece of coiled, hammered and polished iron would most certainly do. The brothers gathered in front of the king. Setting his eyes upon the youngest prince’s ring, he knew right away that he had never seen such a gem in his life. “My youngest son brought the most exquisite ring if I am to be truly impartial, and thus the crown belongs to him.” Spitting with anger, the older brothers started whining at once: “You can’t hand the kingdom to him, he is too dull to reign. Give us one last chance.” “All right, one last task. Whoever brings the most beautiful bride will be the king,” said their father and flung the feathers up in the air. Yet again, they landed just as before and the youngest prince was left with the one pointing at the king’s feet. The malicious duo sneered at him, knowing there was no bride for him at the castle. But the young lad went down the stairs and banged on the door. The door swung open, revealing the ugly frog. “What does your heart desire, dear?” “I... I am looking for the most beautiful bride in the world,” said the young prince timidly. “All right, but first, you have to do something for me. Go to the king’s chamber and bring me a burning torch. I need a little bit of light here.” The young prince didn’t hesitate and secretly sneaked into the royal chamber, stealing the torch burning the brightest and running back through the trapdoor. When he got downstairs, the whole room lit up and the lad found himself surrounded by countless golden chests, heaps of gems and piles of silk. At once,

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the ugly amphibian turned into the most beautiful bride he could have ever wished for. She was, in fact, a bewitched princess cursed to spend her entire life in infinite darkness, her only chance for rescue being the light of a torch coming from the royal chamber. And thus the prince took his beautiful bride out of the black dungeon. The king made up his mind without hesitation and handed the kingdom to his youngest son. The young lad wasn’t the smartest of the lot but the old king knew that he would spare no effort to be a good king.

104 THE THREE GOLDEN HAIRS

Long ago, even before your grandparents were born, there was a land named Fairyland. It was a magical land, of course, inhabited by fairies who were called the Fates. Every time a child was born, three Fates would visit and use their power to bestow a strength or a task upon the child. Those three Fates would then stay with the child forever and guide him through his life. The most famous Fates were Lia, Mia and Via, and this is their story. “Look at those lovely cheeks! And those beautiful green eyes!” “He looks like a prince!” A little boy had just been born to a coalman and his wife in a small shack in the woods, and the Fates loved him already. The parents were overjoyed that their child was so healthy and beautiful. The Fates took the boy by his hands and told him his fate. The oldest Fate, Lia, began, “My dear boy, you will do great things, but you will also run into a lot of danger in your life.” “I give you the strength to overcome all obstacles,” said Mia. “And I,” said Via, the youngest and silliest of them, “want you to marry a king’s daughter.” Then they drew a magic circle around the boy and powdered him with a

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memory-wiping powder. But just as they were telling the boy his fate, the king was passing by the house and overheard the words of the youngest Fate, floating out of the house like music. His little daughter, a princess, had been born that very day! “I can’t let my daughter marry some simple peasant!” raged the king. And so he waited until the middle of the night, snuck into the coalman’s house, and stole the baby away. When he brought the boy back to his castle, he ordered his most faithful servant to put the child in a basket and send him down the river. The servant felt sorry for the child, but he was too afraid of the king to argue, and so he took the baby from the king and pushed him out onto the raging river. Mia and Via were very angry with the king. Only Lia was content; the little boy was already going through the first dangerous adventure of his life, just as she had predicted. The river was fast and carried the basket carrying the crying boy far, far away. Mia was beside herself. “I must save him!” she thought. She took some magic powder and threw a little bit in the air. The river calmed down and the boy gently floated all the way to the house of a kind fisherman. His wife was drawing water from the river when she saw the basket and heard a child crying. She pulled it out of the stream, saw the baby, and ran home at once. “A miracle has happened!” she told her husband. “That’s wonderful, my love! We will finally have a child!” the fisherman exclaimed. From that moment, they raised the little boy as if he were their own. They loved him as much as any parents could love a child and taught him everything there was to know about the fisherman’s craft. Years passed, and one day Via went to check on the boy. He was a handsome young man now, but he was wet and dirty after a long day on the river, and she shook her head and laughed affectionately. “Oh, my boy, no princess is going to want you like this. I’ll fix it.” Via scattered magic powder over the boy and suddenly he wanted to take better care of himself. “Mum, can you hand me the brush, please?” he said, one night.

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“A brush? What for? You never brush your hair!” his mother said. “What do you mean, ‘never’? I always brush my hair!” he responded, stubbornly. He started combing out his tangled locks, but the comb got snagged and he yelled. “Ouch! It hurts mum, please, help me!” he cried. The fates once again scattered a little magic powder, and the king found himself passing by the fisherman’s shack. He heard the yelling young and went straight to the fisherman’s house. “Good day. What in the world was all that screaming about?” asked the king. The young man and his mum were struck completely speechless when they saw the king himself standing in their door. “W-what honour brings you to us, good sir?” asked the mother, and she curtsied awkwardly. She had never met a king before! “I heard yelling. But I see that everything is just fine. You look strong, lad! Is he yours?” the king asked the fisherman’s wife. “He is, or, well, not quite. The river brought him to us twenty years ago. He’s been our son since that day.” The king realised suddenly that this was the boy who was meant to marry his daughter and he quickly devised a new plan. He took a piece of paper and wrote: This boy is to be executed as soon as he enters the castle. He folded it, stamped it with the royal seal, and turned to the boy: “Son, I must be on my way. I cannot spare a guard currently, but I need this note to be delivered to the queen. Can you bring it to her for me?” Then he bid them all farewell and left. An order was an order. The young man packed his things, said goodbye to his parents and left for the royal palace. The journey began smoothly, and he walked along, happily listening to the singing birds and rustling leaves. “Let’s spice this up a little,” Lia said, and summoned a terrible storm. “Would you stop it already?” Mia shouted. “No, you stop it! All you do is help him all the time. He has to learn how to take care of himself!” Lia said. Meanwhile, Via flew in circles, trying to find a way to save the boy from the

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execution so he could fulfil the prophecy and marry the king’s daughter. As he passed an old shack, she found inspiration - and poof! She started doing magic. Quickly, she transformed into an old lady and walked out of the woods to talk to the boy. “Good evening, lad. Where are you going this late at night?” she asked. “I’m carrying an important letter to the queen.” “A noble journey! But it’s not safe outside this late at night, my dear boy! Come into my shack, you can have a bite to eat and get some rest. You can continue your journey in the morning.” “Well…very well then,” he agreed. It had been a long day and he was very tired, and he fell asleep quickly. Once he was sleeping, Via took the king’s letter and replaced it with a new one that said: My queen, as soon as this boy enters the castle, he must marry our daughter. He is a very good man. Two days later, the boy arrived safely at the royal palace. The queen was shocked to read the note, but she trusted her husband and introduced the handsome young man to her daughter. The princess liked him immediately, so the queen began to arrange a beautiful wedding. Everyone was wonderfully happy until the king returned. He was furious when he found out what had happened, and got into a terrible fight with the queen. “How could you do this? He’s nobody, he’s a peasant!” he shouted. “But you asked for it yourself!” protested the queen, and she handed him his letter. It was his handwriting, indeed, but the words were wrong. The king wasn’t going to accept this easily, but now that his daughter loved the boy he couldn’t have him executed. He went to the boy, who was now a prince, and said: “To prove to me that you’re worthy of my daughter, I want you to bring me three golden hairs from Grandfather Knowall.” The boy was happy to prove himself and the next day set out on his quest. “Ah, finally! Now my prophecy will come true!” said Lia excitedly. “Don’t you dare hurt him,” Mia said. Sometimes she sometimes doubted whether

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Lia was actually a good fairy. The boy walked for a day and a night, until he reached the wide shores of a giant lake. There he met a ferryman who offered to take him to the other side. “Where are you headed, boy?” asked the ferryman once they embarked. “I am going to see Grandfather Knowall. I need three of his hairs.” “Oh, you must be very brave, indeed!” the ferryman said. “Nobody has ever dared go there before. If you find him, can you ask him what I should do to escape this drudgery? I’ve been a ferryman all my life, but I’m not as strong as I used to be.” “I would be happy to ask him,” the prince said. When he got off the boat, he found himself in a strange city. As he roamed the streets, he noticed that all the people he met were quite old. After some time, he bumped into their king himself. “Who are you, lad? I’ve never seen you here before.” “Good day, your majesty. I’m a prince from the other shore. I’m looking for Grandfather Knowall.” The king was surprised. “Nobody has ever dared to go there before. I wish you all the luck. If you succeed, can you ask him something for me? We have an ancient apple tree here. Its apples used to keep us young, but years ago it stopped bearing fruit. Can you ask him what I can do about it?” “I would be happy to ask him,” the prince said. He continued on his path, until he reached another city where only sick people lived. He met their queen, who said, “Welcome, young man. What brings you to our city?” “I’m looking for Grandfather Knowall, Your Majesty.” The queen was amazed. “You must be truly courageous! If you find him, can you ask him something for me? We have a magical well here. In the past, whoever drank from it was instantly cured of all that ailed them. But lately, there is no water in the well. We don’t know what to do! Please, will you help us?” “I would be happy to,” said the lad, and he headed towards and over the mountains. The end of his journey was getting closer and closer and his fairies were starting to worry. Finally, the prince came to a towering palace. It was so bright and

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radiant his human eyes could barely stand to look at it. When he entered, the door creaked and shut behind him and a kind old woman approached him. “Hello, young man.” “Hello. I’m looking for Grandfather Knowall,” the prince said. The old woman gave him a long look, as though she were reading him like a sign. “Well I see there is no evil in you. Come in. What do you need from him?” she asked. “I need three of his golden hairs and three pieces of advice.” The boy explained everything to her about the quest set to him by his father-in- law and the three questions he had been asked on his journey. After he finished, she nodded thoughtfully. “Well, I will help you. You’re going to have to hide, though, because Grandfather Knowall doesn’t like having mortals in the house so we can’t have him finding y ou .” She hid him in a barrel, and he sat there for what felt like a long, long time. When Knowall returned home, he told the old woman: “Good evening, mother dear. I am so tired! You wouldn’t believe how much heat the humans wanted today.” Suddenly, the prince understood who Grandfather Knowall was and why his house was so bright: he was the sun himself! An hour later, the exhausted Knowall lay down on his bed and fell asleep. Quietly, his mother sat by him and pulled out one of his hairs. “Ouch! What did you do that for?” “Oh, you see, I was having a dream. There was a city with a well that used to give healing water, but now it’s dried up and I can’t understand why,” she said. “That’s because there’s an old toad inside it, drinking all the water. If they take the toad out, the well will fill up again,” answered Knowall, yawning. When he started snoring again, the woman pulled out another hair. “Ouch, you did it again!” “I’m sorry, honey. I had another dream… There was a city with an apple tree that used to turn people young, but it stopped giving any apples and everyone was terribly old.

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“There’s a snake under the tree,” he mumbled. “They just need to dig the tree out and plant it somewhere else.” Soon the woman pulled a third hair from Knowall’s head. This time he started to get really angry, but his mother quickly said: “I dreamed there was a ferryman somewhere on the sea. He spent his whole life carrying people over, but he can’t do it anymore.” “Oh, he’s a fool. As soon as he can, he should just shove his oars into someone else’s hands. Please, mother, will you let me sleep now?” She nodded, kissed him on the head, and quickly left. Knowall left the palace early the next morning, and the old woman gave the prince the three golden hairs. He thanked her profusely for her help and headed home, stopping in both cities on his way back to tell them what Knowall had said. The queen was joyous and gave him seven of her best horses, and the king was so grateful he gave him as much gold as the young man could carry. When he finally came to the ferryman, the old man asked him: “So you found him! What did he tell you?” The prince paused for a moment and then said: “I’ll tell you once you’ve taken me to the other side, if that’s okay.” When they reached the other side, he unloaded his horse and told the ferryman what Knowall had said, being sure to leave swiftly after so the old man wouldn’t have a chance to pass the oars to him. When he finally returned home and his father-in-law saw that the young man had not only succeeded in his quest but returned with seven steeds and a pile of gold, he admitted the boy was truly a good match for his daughter. The prince and his princess brought the fisherman and his wife to live with them in the castle and, later, he found his birth parents as well. Lia, Mia and Via had finally finished what they had foretold, and, content to know that he could take care of himself, they watched him happily from Fairyland, playing merry tunes on their flutes, and never had to meddle in his life again. Over the years, they’ve cared for many children all over the world and guided them through life. Perhaps they’re even guiding you now…

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Once upon a time, there were three piglets named Dip, Tip and Pip. Dip was the eldest and the most experienced piglet of the three. Because he was the eldest, his parents taught him to look after his younger brothers, who always played in the meadow without a care or a worry in the world. Dip also liked to play, of course, but sometimes he had to do some grown-up tasks, too. Dip had a black spot around his left eye, and his younger Tip and Pip always teased him about it. Sometimes they would ask him if he forgot to wash in the morning, because his eye looked dirty. Dip always got upset about it because he actually made sure to wash properly so he could be a good example for his younger brothers. Dip was also very wise and liked to give his brothers lessons. Tip and Pip hated lessons from their brother, so whenever they didn’t feel like listening to their brother preach they would start giggling and point at Dip’s spot. This usually led to a wild chase, which is what Tip and Pip wanted. They were faster runners because Dip was older and heavier than them, and when he chased them they could hear him stomping loudly behind them. Tip, the middle brother, was a little naughty, and he liked to come up with games and stunts that he could teach Pip. He hated chores and didn’t really

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enjoy learning, and he often wondered if it was really necessary for him to become a grown-up. Even listening to his older brother or his parents was hard for him, and he got in trouble so often that he had to listen to them a lot. Tip knew that he was supposed to always listen to grown-ups and do exactly as they told him, but sometimes a new adventure was just too good to miss out on! Pip, the youngest, was no better than Tip. What he liked to do the most in the world was sunbathe lazily in the grass, whistling his favourite song and watching the clouds. His favourite game was hide-and-seek, but his parents had banned it long ago because Pip always accidentally wandered toward the forest where a big hungry wolf lived. They had had to save Pip from the big bad wolf so many times that one day his parents declared that hide-and-seek was no longer allowed. The wolf was very clever, though, always scheming up new ways to catch the little piglets. He dreamed at night about what a tasty snack the piglets would be, but he knew he had to be smart about it. He’d already gotten a lesson from the shepherd who lived down the road, who had given him a good beating when he tried to catch a sheep from the fold by his hut. All the sheep stayed together, as close to the shepherd’s hut as they could, and when there was danger they would start bleating as loudly as possible to wake the shepherd up. As time passed, Dip, Tip and Pip grew up fast. Their family house started feeling rather tight for all of them, so one day their parents told them it was time they all moved into their own houses like grown-ups. “You are all old enough,” their father said. “It’s time for you to build your own houses.” The eldest, Dip, nodded in agreement and wasted no time getting started. He thought everything through. He made plans and prepared, exactly like his parents had taught him. “You need to do all your work properly,” they had always told him. He decided it would be most responsible to build his house with bricks, even though it was the most difficult way and took the longest. He decided to build his house in the meadow, and when he started construction the whole forest could hear the banging and knocking that came from his building site. Tip and Pip didn’t feel like putting so much work into building their own houses,

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however, because that would mean less time for fun! Tip, the middle brother, decided to make his house with wood. There was enough wood in the forest, he thought, and he wouldn’t need to work too hard on it. The youngest brother, Pip, was even lazier and decided to build a little house out of straw. He didn’t want to plan or think too much about anything except how the clouds passed by overhead, so Pip just took some dry twigs he found by the forest and propped them up, then grabbed some straw from the ground and threw it over the sticks. He was quite proud of his house, as the work was easy and the house was finished in no time. When Tip saw that Pip was done with his home, he shouted, “Wait just a moment, Pip! I only need to put a door on my house and then I can come over and we’ll finally be able to play!” Tip hammered in a few nails to hold the door, which held even though it was crooked and made horrible squealing sounds every time he opened and closed it. Tip and Pip went to play in the meadow while Dip finished building his brick house. His brothers ran to the construction site to tease him and try to persuade him to come play with them. “What do you even need a brick house for?” asked Tip. “Why don’t you just come play? You don’t need to work so hard!” shouted Pip from across the meadow. But Dip would not be distracted! He knew that he wanted a nice brick house and he was willing to put in the hard work to get it. After a while, Dip’s house was finally finished and he went to play with his brothers in the meadow. They had no idea that the big bad wolf was watching them. The wolf didn’t dare approach the sheep at the shepherd’s hut, because he was still sore from the last time the shepherd caught him and beat him up, but he was hungry and fed up with eating blueberries. He wanted to eat a proper meal! His mouth watered as he watched the plump little piglets run around. Suddenly, he sprinted out of the forest, straight at them! The piglets immediately ran to hide in their houses. Pip dove into his straw hut, scared, and a moment later, the wolf came sniffing. Pip could hear him breathing, and then he heard him take one

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deep breath and blow very hard at the straw house. The straw went flying in all directions, leaving only the stick frame of the house behind. “Gotcha! Haha! You can’t escape me!” shouted the wolf, gleefully. Pip didn’t wait for the wolf to grab him, though. Instead, he took off and ran as fast as he could to Tip’s house. “Come on, hurry up!” Tip shouted from the doorway. Pip just barely made it safely, and they slammed the door of the wooden house just in time. The wolf circled the house, trying to find a way in. His stomach rumbled as loud as a thunderstorm and he started picturing the little piglets on his dinner plate. He took a deep, deep breath and blew very hard at the wooden house. But the house didn’t budge. The piglets sighed with relief and shouted at the wolf, “Go away! You can’t get us! This house is strong and it won’t fall, no matter how hard you blow!” The wolf started to worry that they were right, but suddenly he noticed that the door was crooked. It was barely hanging onto its hinges! Pip had done a very lazy job of hanging the door and the nails it sat on weren’t even properly hammered in! The wolf ran at the door and bang! The door smashed into bits. “Gotcha! You won’t escape me this time!” cried the wolf. Pip and Tip took off and ran as fast as they could to Dip’s house. “Help us! Save us!” they shouted. Dip was already watching worriedly out of the window of his brick house. “Come on, hurry up!” he called. Tip and Pip made it just in time and they slammed the door behind them. Pip turned the lock and peeked out the window. The wolf was circling the house again, trying to find a way in. He was so hungry he could hardly see. He took the deepest breath he could and blew at the brick house. But the house didn’t budge. The piglets sighed with happy relief and shouted at the wolf: “Go away! You have no chance of getting in, this time. This house is strong and it’s not going to fall. You can blow as hard as you like!” The wolf thought hard about what to do. The door was nailed down firmly and

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he couldn’t see a way to move it, but the wolf ran at it anyway and hit it with all his force. Bang! “Ow, ow, that hurts!” he whined. He sat on the ground sadly, his shoulder aching from where he hit the door, and tried to think of another way to get in. Suddenly he saw the chimney and realized that was his chance. “They have no way of shutting down the chimney!” he thought. “I’ll climb up to the roof and slide down the chimney right into the h ou s e .” When the piglets saw what the wolf was doing, they all got scared. They hadn’t thought about this option. “What are we going to do?” asked Pip. “The wolf’s going to slide down the chimney and eat us all!” Dip was scared but he pulled himself together quickly. He put wood in the fireplace and made a fire. The wolf was already in the chimney, and when the thick smoke started coming up, he got stuck. “Help, help!” he screamed. The pressure in the chimney started building and, suddenly, there was a giant bang like a cannon had been fired. The wolf flew out of the chimney like a cannonball and when he landed he was all the way in the blueberry bushes in the forest. The piglets relaxed, finally, and started to laugh and celebrate their escape. “Now you need to build proper brick houses, too!” Dip said in his sternest voice. Tip and Pip agreed without a second thought. There would be time to play later! They’d learned first-hand how dangerous fast and sloppy work can be, so they asked Dip to teach them how to make their own houses. For the rest of their lives, they lived safely and happily in their meadow, and the big bad wolf never bothered them again.

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Once upon a time there was a farmer who lived with his wife and beautiful daughter. One day a traveller was passing by when he saw the lovely girl and fell in love. The girl fell for the young lad as well, and the happy family invited him for dinner. When the table was set and dinner was cooked, the farmer sent his daughter to fetch some beer from the cellar. The girl opened the heavy wooden door and went downstairs into the cold room. While she was drawing the beer into a jug, she looked up at the ceiling and noticed that there was an axe stuck in a beam. How long has that axe been there? She thought. I’ve never seen it before. Who could have left it here? Suddenly it struck her how dangerous it was to have an axe stuck in a ceiling. What if I marry the young man upstairs and we have a son? And then one day when he is older, we will surely send him to the cellar for beer, and the axe will fall and hurt him! A long time passed and the girl still hadn’t returned from the cellar, so the young man and her parents began to wonder what could possibly be taking her so long. Finally her mother got up and went into the cellar to look for her. She found her daughter sitting on a wooden bench, weeping silently while the beer flowed from the barrel and splashed all over the floor. The mother was very

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startled and a little worried, and she asked what had happened. The girl pointed at the axe in the wooden beam. She didn’t need to say another word; immediately, her mother pictured all the terrible things that could happen and began to weep. When the mother also didn’t return, the two men began to get very curious about what could be taking the women so long in the cellar. Finally the farmer couldn’t stand it any longer and he went to see what was going on. The beer was still flowing from the barrel onto the floor, and the girl and her mother were sitting on the bench and crying. The sight scared the farmer and he asked what had happened. The two women pointed at the axe in the beam. No more words were necessary. At once the farmer vividly pictured all the horrors and misfortunes that could strike them with that one axe. Meanwhile, the young lad was sitting alone in the kitchen. It had been a while since everyone went downstairs, and the dinner had gotten cold. Finally he decided to follow them down to the cellar to see what exactly was happening there. He was horrified when he got downstairs and saw all three of them sitting on the bench, their feet in a puddle of beer, crying their eyes out. “What in the world happened down here?” he asked. They pointed at the axe and, when he didn’t understand, told him all the terrible things that might happen because of the axe in the ceiling. Then their crying turned into proper wailing. The young man couldn’t hold back his laughter and he roared until his belly hurt. When he finally stopped laughing, he walked over to the axe, pulled it out of the ceiling, and put it on the bench. “See? All the dangers are now averted,” he said. “I must say, I’ve travelled many lands and met many people, but I have never met anyone as silly as you three. I’m going to set out again, and if I can find three fools sillier than you, I will return and marry your daughter.” And so he went back upstairs and left, shutting the door behind him. After a lot of walking, the traveller came across a house in the middle of nowhere. The roof was covered with grass, and there was a woman in front of the house trying to make a cow climb a ladder onto the roof.

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“Excuse me ma’am,” the young man said. “Can I ask what you’re doing? “I’m trying to get Bessie to go up to the roof for lunch!” she replied. “Look at all the sweet grass! There’s no better food for her. I just need to get her up there.” “How will you keep her from falling?” the young man asked. “If I can get her up there,” the woman responded, “I’m going to put a rope around her neck, throw the other end down the chimney, and tie it to my hand. That way Bessie will be safe and won’t take a tumble while she’s eating.” The traveller couldn’t believe his ears, so he stayed and watched until the woman finally managed to push the cow up onto the roof. The cow mooed happily and began to graze, and the young man, amused by what he’d seen, whistled merrily and headed back to the road. But before he could get too far, he heard a terribly loud crash! The cow had fallen off the roof, and because it was tied to the woman’s wrist, it tugged her up the chimney! Oh, I have never seen anyone sillier! thought the young man. He walked and walked until he reached an inn. The guests inside were feasting and celebrating, but the young traveller was too exhausted to join the festivities. He found the innkeeper and paid for a room, then took the key and headed upstairs. His room was in the attic, but he got lost going up the dark staircase. When he finally found his bed, he lay down and immediately fell asleep. He slept until morning, when a rooster crowed in the yard and woke him up. After he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, he noticed there was another man sleeping in his room. The inn was probably full, he thought. There must not have been enough rooms for everyone to sleep, so we’re sharing. When the stranger woke up, he immediately started moving chairs around the room. The young man watched him, completely confused about what the man was doing. The stranger dragged the chairs around until they were next to each other with a wide gap between them, and then he picked up his breeches with suspenders and hung them on the chairs, one strap over each. Then he took a few steps back, broke into a run and jumped. The man was obviously trying to jump into his breeches, but of course he fell on

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the ground instead. He didn’t give up, though, and tried again. He darted towards the chairs, then leaped off the floor. He missed again. Scraped and scratched, he picked himself up, put the breeches back on the chairs and jumped one more time. The traveller couldn’t watch this happen any longer without laughing, and so he asked the man what it was he was doing. “Well,” the stranger said, “I don’t know who the clever fellow is who invented breeches, but every single morning it takes me at least an hour to get them on!” The young man couldn’t help but burst out laughing. He’d never heard anything so silly in his whole life! He showed the man how to put them on properly. He couldn’t believe he’d already met two people sillier than the farmer and his family. Soon enough he was back on the road, whistling merrily, with a knapsack over his shoulder. As the sun set and the sky darkened, he arrived at a lake. Far off in the distance, he could see a crowd of people from a nearby village running around and trying to pull something out of the water. He quickly rushed to help them, but when he got closer he saw the strangest scene. They all had rakes in their hands and were frantically raking the surface of the lake. “Excuse me,” he said. “What is it, exactly, that you’re doing?” “The moon’s fallen in the water!” they cried out. “We’re trying to get it out!” The young man looked at the moon’s reflection on the surface of the pond, then at the moon up in the sky. He tried to explain to the villagers that the moon hadn’t, in fact, fallen into the pond, and that it was simply a reflection, but no matter what he said the villagers simply couldn’t understand. This is a whole village of sillies! He thought to himself. He suddenly felt very happy – he had found so many people who were even sillier than the farmer’s family! The young man spent the night in the village and, early the next morning, he turned back toward the farm so he could marry the lovely (and wonderfully silly!) farmer’s daughter.

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In a small village lived a poor couple and their three sons. The two older ones were smart and cunning, but they were rather lazy. The youngest one, called Jock, wasn’t the brightest of lads, but he had a heart of gold. However, no one paid much attention to him and therefore everyone considered him a fool. One morning the father called his sons to him and said: “Sons of mine, you’ve grown into real men now. As you know, we’re not exactly the richest family, we barely manage to scrape by. It would be best for you to go out into the world and look for a bit of luck and a nice woman to spend your days with.” The next morning all three of them set out into the world. They walked together for quite some time, not knowing where to until they reached a three-way fork. They stopped for a moment to consider which way to go. The older brothers suggested they should split up and each take one of the roads. He chose for himself the widest most travelled road and told the youngest one to take the narrow path into the woods. The younger brother listened and began working his way through the tall grass covering the path. He trudged through the thick dark forest, his body scratched all over from the branches, until a wide meadow opened before him. Three large trees were growing in the middle of the field. He set out towards them to enjoy a little rest in their shadow.

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As he was sitting there, looking around, suddenly he spotted a strange pile of rocks with what looked like an entrance. His curiosity pulled him towards it to take a look. His eyes weren’t deceiving him, it really was an entrance! He went inside. But then, out of the blue, a crippling fear fell over him, his heart pounded like a drum. But his curiosity was stronger than his fear, and he continued through a narrow corridor. At the end of the corridor, he found a peculiar light and a glass door. He opened them and walked into a small room. In the middle, there was a table with food on it and a bed next to it. But there wasn’t a living soul anywhere. The young boy was famished after his long journey, so he sat down at the table and dug in with zest. A small door by his side, which he hadn’t noticed before, suddenly opened and a beautiful young maiden came in. She greeted the lad: “Welcome, Jock, I’m so happy to finally meet you!” Jock stared at her, unable to speak, trying to understand how she could even know his name. Then the girl offered him to lie in her bed and get some rest. She didn’t need to tell him twice. Jock fell right onto the bed and soon he was sleeping like a log. When he woke up in the morning, there was breakfast waiting for him on the table and before long, the girl came to see him again. “I need to ask you for something, Jock. If you could cut down those three trees on the meadow, you’d be generously rewarded,” said the young woman. “Sure, I can cut them down right now,” agreed Jock and returned to the meadow. He began cutting the first tree, but the wood was so hard that the axe could barely scratch it. However, Jock wasn’t going to give up and he continued to work on the tree day and night. In the meantime, the girl kept bringing him food and before he knew it a whole month had passed. When the first tree finally fell down, a third of the forest around them fell with it. A month later, when the second tree followed, another third of the forest was gone, and when the last tree cracked, the entire forest was lying on the ground, uprooted. Then the girl asked him to chop the trees into logs, pile them up and set them on fire. Jock granted her this wish, too, doing everything just like the girl wanted. When the bonfire was finally in flames and the fire blazed from every side, strange monsters suddenly appeared all around him. Jock started flicking them with a

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whip and every monster he struck jumped right into the fire. He fought them for seven days and seven nights until all the wood burnt down and the flames died out. Exhausted, Jock collapsed to the ground and immediately fell asleep. He woke up after a few days in a white room, wearing clean white clothes. Scared and confused, Jock jumped out of bed. Then all of a sudden, a stranger came inside and said: “Good morning, your highness. Your wish is my command.” Jock just gaped, having no clue what was happening. Soon after that, another man came in with beautiful, hand-decorated clothes. When Jock put them on, thirteen women in white robes entered the room, each looking exactly like the rest. They all came to express their gratitude for releasing them from a curse. They told him to pick one of them to be his wife. At first he refused, but when they insisted, he said: “Well, if I am to choose one of you, let it be the one who took care of me all this time.” The girl standing in the middle jumped over to him and wrapped her arms around him in a loving embrace. The rest of the girls left the room and his chosen one told him everything about the trees and the forest, which was actually a kingdom under a terrible curse. He saved them from that curse and now they were going to make him their king. Later she showed him every corner of the land and soon after that, they got married. Because Jock didn’t know the first thing about ruling a kingdom, they called for the wisest people from all over the country, who soon taught him everything a good king needed to know. Jock became an impeccable king and the kingdom thrived under his rule. One day he decided he would visit his homeland and his family. The king and his queen rode in a beautiful carriage and the whole army marched along with them. Jock also packed his old clothes, those he was wearing when he left home. As they were approaching the village, Jock noticed his two brothers herding cattle in the field. He changed into his old clothes, jumped out of the carriage and ran towards them.

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“Look at him! Our fool is back. What brings you here after all this time?” they greeted their brother. “I’ve returned,” said Jock, took a whip from his brother and started whipping it in the air. Suddenly the royal carriage stormed towards them with the army marching right behind. When the brothers saw the army, they took to their heels while Jock hopped back in the carriage and changed into his royal clothes. Then they continued to the village where the curious commoners were already gathering for such a noble visit, bowing and bringing them all sorts of delicacies. Even Jocks parents came to pay their tribute to the king and queen. When the king asked his mother about her sons, she wept and told him how she had lost her youngest one: “He left a long time ago, but nobody has seen him ever since.” The king tried to comfort her, telling her not to worry, that her son would surely soon return. Then the merrymaking finally began with everyone preparing a delicious feast for the guests. Unnoticed, the king sneaked back in the carriage to change his clothes again and just like that, he appeared at his parents’ door as good old Jock. His mother burst into tears again, but this time they were tears of happiness because her beloved son had finally returned. After they welcomed him, he went outside, saying he wanted to warm up a little by the fire. Soon he was back, this time wearing the royal gown. He sat down at the table to enjoy the feast and as they were eating, he took off his crown and his coat, revealing the old, ragged clothes he was wearing beneath. Everyone at the table nearly fainted when they finally realised their foolish Jock had become the king. He took his parents and brothers to live with him in the royal palace where they all lived happily together for the rest of their lives.

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Once upon a time there was a lonely woman desperately yearning for a child. She lived far from the nearest village and spent most of her time tending to her garden and her orchard. She only had one friend, who happened to be a gifted witch. The witch knew how badly her friend wanted to be a mother, so one day she came to visit and gave the lonely woman a gift. When the woman opened the gift, though, all that was there was a tiny little seed. “Whatever happens,” the witch said, “You have to take very good care of the seed. Plant it in the best soil you can find, water it with the cleanest water, and more than anything, make sure you talk to it.” This was very confusing for the woman, but she was pleased to have something to care for even if it was very tiny. As soon as the witch left, the woman did exactly as she’d been told. She found the nicest flower pot she had, dug up a tiny hole in the dirt, and gently put the seed in. She watered it and told it about her day. Soon, she noticed that the seed was sprouting, and in fact the plant was growing significantly faster than all the others, and in two days the bud of a tiny flower had appeared. “What a lovely little flower you are!” the woman said to the bud, and as gently as possible she touched the tiny closed petals. Suddenly, the flower opened. Amazed, the woman looked closer and saw that inside the little yellow flower

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there was a tiny, sleeping little girl. “Is it possible?” the woman thought. “Is it possible that this is the daughter I’ve always longed for?” She picked up the tiny girl and held her in her palm. She was barely the size of a thumb, and so the woman decided to name her Thumbelina. “Hello, my dear child,” whispered the woman happily, and when the little girl mumbled the word mama, the woman wept with joy. That evening, the new mother set to work making the perfect little bed for her daughter. She took a walnut shell, padded it with moss and petals, and laid the tiny girl inside. Then she rocked her bed just a little and kissed her goodnight. Thumbelina was the sweetest little girl the woman could have imagined. As she got older, her golden hair grew long and her mother made her beautiful dresses from the petals of flowers in the garden. The woman spent all her time with Thumbelina. Her loneliness had finally gone. They sewed dresses together, read stories, looked after plants and sang songs. Thumbelina especially had a lovely voice and could never stop singing. And for a long time, they were very happy. Then, one night, as Thumbelina was getting ready for bed and singing, a giant toad noticed the tiny girl. “What a lovely creature! She would be a perfect bride for my son!” croaked the toad. She waited until the girl had gone to sleep, then snuck in, picked up the whole walnut bed, and carried it away with the girl inside. Thumbelina was too deep in her sweet dreams to notice she was being stolen away from her mum. And so the toad carried her off to the swamp where she lived with her warty son. “Look what I brought you, boy. This is going to be your bride,” said the toad and dropped the bed on the ground in front of him. Thumbelina woke up as soon as her bed hit the ground, but she thought she must be dreaming. “Oh, yes, very pretty,” croaked the young toad. “What’s happening, where am I?” asked the girl. “You’re going to live here from now on. Now be quiet while we prepare the wedding,” said the mother toad. “Wedding?” Thumbelina asked. “What wedding? I... I don’t want to marry a

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toad,” stuttered the frightened girl, shaking her head and pulling her blankets around her. “You cheeky little brat!” scolded the toad. She picked the girl up and put her on a lily pad in the middle of a stream. “Now shut your mouth and wait here while we set the swamp up for the wedding.” Poor Thumbelina didn’t want to marry a toad, of course, but she had no hope of escaping. There was water all around her, and it was moving too fast for her to be able to swim to shore. “Please, help me!” she cried out. “Someone please save me!” She shouted for help for what felt like hours, and finally she sat down and wept. Suddenly some fish passing by heard her whimpers and, learning what the situation was, decided they would help her. Determinedly, they chewed through the stem that anchored the lily pad in place, and when they got through it the lily pad began to float downstream. Thumbelina was free! She rejoiced, thanked her rescuers profusely, and waved them goodbye as she drifted away from the toads’ swamp. She floated for a long time, and once she was sure she had escaped without the toads noticing, she began to look around. The surrounding nature enchanted her. Everything was so green! There were flowers everywhere, colourful butterflies fluttering over her head, and birds twittering in the treetops. It was like she was in one of her very beautiful dreams. Soon enough, the stream washed her ashore and she set off to roam the country and try to find her way home. She wandered for a long time, until the heavenly summer turned into chilly autumn, and the autumn turned into a harsh, cold winter. Thumbelina was numb with cold, and even the mossy coat she had fashioned for herself couldn’t keep her warm. Then, finally, she came across a giant tree with a hole in the trunk. It seemed like a perfectly good place to hide from the wind and snow, so she hurried inside. As soon as she got in she saw a little grey mouse and realized she was in the mouse’s nest. “I’m so sorry to intrude!” the girl said. “Please, could I stay here for a night or two? It’s so cold and I’m sure if I stay outside a minute longer I’ll freeze to death.” “Of course you can, dear,” the mouse said, kindly. “You must be starving!”

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“Oh, yes, I’m so hungry I could eat a horse!” said Thumbelina. The mouse gave her some grains and when she saw how little the tiny girl had eaten, she laughed and said, “Well! If that’s your idea of eating a lot, then I don’t see why you mightn’t stay with me for the rest of the winter.” “Oh, I’d love to!” exclaimed Thumbelina gratefully, and she hugged the mouse with all her might. The two soon became very good friends. The mouse had a lot of food stored up for the winter, and in return for food and shelter Thumbelina would sing and keep her company. One day, the mouse brought Thumbelina some news. “My friend Mr. Mole is going to pay us a visit tomorrow,” she said. “He comes to visit quite often in the warmer weather. He’s very rich and has a big house, but sadly he’s also blind. He loves music though, so I’m sure he’s going to love your singing.” Thumbelina was delighted. She loved to meet new people, especially when they were friends of her friends. The next day, the mole arrived. He liked Thumbelina immediately. “I believe I could listen to her sing for the rest of my life, my friend!” he said to the mouse. And for a time it seemed that he would, for he began to visit every day to hear Thumbelina sing. She was happy for the company, but after a while, when he had just left, the mouse came to Thumbelina yet again. “Well, Thumbelina, I’ve heard that you are going to be a bride!” she announced, happily. “Mr. Mole tells me he is going to marry you!” This was news to Thumbelina. She didn’t want to marry him in the slightest. He was decent company, but most of the time he was a bit snotty and uppity, and just that morning she had learned that he hated flowers! “Oh no, my friend, I don’t want to be his bride!” said Thumbelina desperately, but the mouse had already begun wedding preparations and ignored all of Thumbelina’s protestations. The winter was finally coming to an end when Mr. Mole announced that he wanted to show his future wife the house where they would soon live together.

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Thumbelina didn’t know what to do. No matter how often she said she wouldn’t marry him, no one ever seemed to hear her. The mole’s house was underground, where there was absolutely no sunshine and no flowers. She couldn’t imagine living like that, but she agreed to go with him to look at it. As they approached the house, they came across a little bird lying on the ground. It was frozen stiff and completely motionless. “Oh, poor thing!” Thumbelina exclaimed, and knelt down to help. “Serves him right,” the mole said. “Stupid birds, with their bothersome twittering all summer. Serves them right, freezing to death in the winter! It’s what they get for being too lazy to gather food before the first snow.” And then he kicked the bird and continued walking home. Thumbelina couldn’t understand how the mole could be so heartless. She got closer to the bird and discovered that it was a swallow. When Thumbelina put her ear to its chest, she heard a weak beating. Thump thump. Thump thump. It was still alive! And with all her strength, she slowly dragged the bird back to the mouse’s nest. Thumbelina nursed the bird for days, covering it with her blankets and sleeping beside it to make sure it was never wanting for anything. Soon, the swallow could stand up, and within a few days she had recovered completely. When the swallow was finally ready to leave, she asked Thumbelina if she would like to go with her. The swallow had a feeling that the girl was not entirely happy, and thought perhaps she could help. “I can’t leave the mouse yet, I owe her too much for taking care of me. I suppose I have to stay with her for now. But you can come visit anytime!” said Thumbelina, and gave the bird a big hug. Thumbelina spent the whole spring with the mouse, helping her friend to gather more seeds and nuts for the next winter. They got along well, but the mouse talked more and more about Mole and Thumbelina’s wedding. Thumbelina still didn’t want to marry him, but the mouse just wouldn’t seem to believe her. On top of that, he had started spending most of his time with them, and Thumbelina was starting to feel as if she were locked up in a prison.

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When Autumn came and the wedding was just a few weeks away, Thumbelina started to get very worried. The mole was happier and happier every day, but Thumbelina was miserable and couldn’t find a way to get out of her predicament. Just in time, the swallow came for a visit. As soon as she heard what was happening with Thumbelina, she said, “I’m going to fly South for this winter, so if you want to come with me, now’s your chance.” This time, she didn’t need to ask twice. “Yes,” Thumbelina said. “I’d love to. Please, take me with you.” And so she climbed onto the swallows back and with a flutter of the bird’s wings, they took off. Thumbelina hadn’t been this relieved since she’d escaped the toads! They flew for a long, long time. They whooshed above green forests, mountains and seas, until finally they landed at a place so beautiful that Thumbelina thought it must not be real. The air was pleasant and warm, and there was a field full of flowers so vast she couldn’t even see the other side. The swallow offered to bring Thumbelina to her nest, but the girl loved the flower field so much she decided she would try to make her own home. “Be safe, my friend,” the swallow said. “And remember that if you ever need anything, all you have to do is sing a song of help and I will hear you and come to your aid.” They embraced and the bird took off. Thumbelina was terribly tired after the long journey, so she started looking for a flower to take a nap in. She looked around for a while before climbing a stalk up to a yellow flower that looked just like the one where she’d been born. But someone else was already lounging there! He had wings and a glittering crown on his head, and he was exactly the same size as her. Thumbelina thought he was very handsome, though she was still very surprised to find another tiny person in a flower. “Hello!” he said. He thought he’d never seen such a pretty girl in his life, but he wanted to be polite. “I’m Avens, the prince of the flowers. What’s your name?” “My name is Thumbelina,” she answered, shyly. “I’m sorry if I was intruding, I was just looking for a place to lie down for a while.”

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The prince laughed and explained that he, too, had been in the flower so he could take a nap. He was a fairy prince, he said, and he asked if she would like to come with him and meet the rest of the fairies. “I would love to!” Thumbelina said. And so the prince took Thumbelina to the land of the fairies, where everyone was her size. She saw flowers more beautiful than she had ever seen in her life, and before long, she fell in love with the prince. He was kind and warm-hearted, and cared about what she wanted. And the day Thumbelina married him, a pair of wings grew from her shoulders. She was, truly, a fairy! The couple visited Thumbelina’s mother as soon as they could. She had missed Thumbelina very much, but she was so happy to find that her daughter was not only safe, but happy. And, for the rest of her life, Thumbelina lived happily, singing and dancing with her fairy friends in her new, magical home.

131 THE TORTOISE AND THE HARE

Once upon a time, a tortoise and a hare were neighbours. Whenever the hare would go anywhere, he would stop at the tortoise’s house first to boast about how fast he could run or mock the tortoise for being so slow. “Jeesh, you must be the slowest animal in the world!” he would say. “Are you even capable of moving faster?” But the tortoise never paid attention to him. She was happy walking on at her own pace. One day, they bumped into each other outside of their houses and the hare immediately started throwing insults at the tortoise. Finally, she ran out of patience, pulled her long neck from her shell and said: “Fine, let’s have a race. Then we’ll see if you can really beat me to the finish line.” The hare was so amused by this proposal that he fell down laughing. He laughed so hard he cried, rolling around on the ground, and when he finally calmed down, he said, “I haven’t had a laugh like that in ages. You? Racing? You would really dare to race me – such an extraordinary runner?” The tortoise only nodded, so the hare said, “Okay, suit yourself! Let’s have a race.” The news of the race quickly spread all over the forest and when the day came, nearly all the animals had gathered to watch the event.

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They helped the two runners set up the start and the finish line and chose a referee. Then they fired the starting pistol, and the race began! The hare immediately took off like, fast like lightning, and left the tortoise in his dust. He quickly made it to the other side of the racing track, but as he approached the finish line he started to think about how to show up the tortoise even more. He decided to wait for her so she could see his glorious victory with her own eyes. And because he had a lot of time left, he hopped off the track to have a quick snack in a nearby meadow. The weather was lovely and warm, and after his snack, he decided to lie down for a little while and enjoy the sunshine. “I have so much time before that sluggish tortoise gets even halfway around the track,” he thought, and settled onto a cozy patch of moss under a tree. Within minutes, he was fast asleep. Meanwhile, the tortoise steadily shuffled towards the finish line. She took her time and moved very, very slowly, but she never slowed down and with every step she got closer and closer to the finish line. It was getting dark when the hare jolted awake to the sound of loud cheering and applauding. “What’s that sound? Good thing I woke up, it’s time to finish the race and claim my victory!” the hare thought. He stretched his legs and wiggled his nose, then hopped back onto the track and galloped like never before. He had never run this fast in his life! In what felt like seconds, he crossed the finish line. He started to celebrate, but what he saw made his jaw drop to the floor. The tortoise was already there! All the animals were cheering for her, not him! They were celebrating, and everyone was happy she had defeated such a puffed-up pig-headed hare. And after that day, the hare never again acted arrogantly or teased his neighbour the tortoise for walking slowly.

133 THE TOWN MOUSE AND THE COUNTRY MOUSE

Once upon a time, there was a small mouse who lived in a field. She had always lived in the field, and she couldn’t imagine ever living somewhere else. She thought it was the most beautiful place anyone could ever live. She spent her days digging in the dirt and running through vast wheat fields. She was very strong and could run so fast that she could move across a field in the blink of an eye. She knew every twist and turn and could, she thought, probably even run the whole path with her eyes closed and not fall down. Now, this country mouse had a very dear cousin who lived in a nearby town, and one day she invited him for a cup of tea and a stroll in the fields. Her cousin accepted the invitation immediately, packed a bag, and set off to the countryside. The country mouse loved her town cousin very much, so she prepared a heartfelt and wonderfully delicious welcome. She made tea and set out her best roots and beans and bread. It wasn’t a fancy meal, but she made it with love and there was plenty of everything so her cousin could eat his fill. The next day, the city mouse arrived at the country mouse’s humble house. The two friends hadn’t seen each other in ages, and they excitedly squeaked with joy as they hugged.

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“Come in, dear cousin! Have something to eat and get some rest after the long journey,” the field mouse said, and took her cousin to the food she had so carefully prepared. But when the town mouse saw the simple country food, he turned up his nose. “Oh cousin, how could you serve such disgusting food to anyone? I should have known not to expect anything better in a dump like this.” The snobby mouse looked around disdainfully. “You know what? Why don’t you come over to my place in town? I’ll show you what real life and proper food look like. I’ll show you what it means to have class. You can stay for a whole week if you want! You’ll fall in love with the town the moment you see it and you won’t be able to bear living in this wasteland anymore.” The country mouse was very upset, but she agreed to go to the city. She loved the countryside, and she wanted to prove that it was better than the big city. And so she packed a bag and the two of them set off together to the big city. Late that night, they arrived. The country mouse, who had spent her whole life in the fields, didn’t know where to look first. She was surrounded by huge, incredible things. Her eyes couldn’t take it all in. Everything was completely new to her. “What a long, excruciating journey!” The city mouse said. “Let’s go and have a bite to eat, I’m starving!” He led his country cousin to a massive dining hall at the bottom of a fancy house, filled with foods the country mouse had never even dreamt of. There were puddings and pies and fresh, crusty breads. Everywhere there were mice feasting merrily, filling their bellies with all the delicacies. The cousins joined them, but suddenly they heard a terrible noise – a furious snarl and rabid barking. “What on earth is that?” asked the frightened country mouse. “Oh, that’s just the dogs who live in this house,” the city mouse replied, calmly. “W-what? Just the dogs?” stammered the country mouse. “What do you mean just the dogs? They sound huge! How can you comfortably eat dinner while listening to that awful sound? I don’t like it one bit and if I’m being honest, I’m actually quite scared.”

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As soon as she finished speaking, the door to the dining hall crashed open with a loud bang and two giant, drooling hounds stormed into the room. “Uh oh. Quick, we need to get out! Run for your life,” the city mouse squeaked. The cousins took to their heels, following the other mice. They squeezed themselves through a tiny hole in the corner of the wall. Packed like sardines, they waited. The country mouse was so scared that she couldn’t move her tail, and her heart was beating so fast she thought she could hear it. They hid for a long time, and when the dogs finally left, the country mouse looked at the city mouse and said, “Cousin, I’m packing my things first thing in the morning and going home to the country.” “What? You would leave me so soon? I haven’t even shown you around town yet! You’re really going to go back to that tiny house and old dry food?” The city mouse was shocked. “Oh yes. This place is too scary and too dangerous. I love you, but I’d rather spend my days in the fields, safely nibbling on beans and bread than eating this fancy food while fearing for my life!”

136 THE UGLY DUCKLING

Once upon a time, there was a duck who lived on a little island in the middle of a lake surrounded by tall poplar trees. Many duck families lived on the lake, as well as swans, frogs, and fish. The duck was very excited to have her own little family, and she liked to imagine herself swimming proudly around the lake with a bunch of little ducklings trailing behind her. She sat on her eggs and waited anxiously for them to hatch. Soon, she heard a knocking sound from inside the eggs, and one by one, the eggs started cracking and tiny beaks started to push themselves out into the world. Mama Duck cheered them on with loud, excited quacking. Six eggs hatched and the ducklings were waddling back and forth, fluffy and yellow like tiny little shining suns. Each one was prettier than the next! They were very impatient and curious to see what was beyond the reeds, but Mama Duck reigned them in with her beak. There was one egg left, and she was waiting nervously for it to hatch. It was somewhat larger than the other six, and the duckling didn’t seem to want to come out. After a while, she heard knocking sounds coming from inside the eggs. First, the egg cracked a little bit, and then it opened as another head forced its way out. This head was bigger than the others, and grey like ashes. The duckling tumbled out of his egg and they saw

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that he was chubby, clumsy and stodgy, and had no trace of yellow feathers. As soon as the other ducklings learned to speak, they started to mock their grey brother. They told him he was ugly and strange. Mama Duck just sighed and hoped her ugly duckling would eventually turn yellow and look like the others. When old Mrs. Goose swam by, she gabbled loudly, “What pretty ducklings! Except that last one, he’s so ugly and clumsy! You should hide him, Mrs. Duck.” “No way! I don’t care if he’s grey; he’s mine! Someday he’ll be pretty,” Mama Duck said. The duckling sighed sadly and walked toward the others with his head bent. He was used to this treatment. Every time they crossed the yard, all the animals laughed at the duckling, poking him and teasing him. One day, the duckling couldn’t stand it any longer, so he stayed behind and hid in the bushes by the lake. He wanted to be alone. He was very upset about being so ugly. Every time he looked at his reflection in the lake, he saw a grey, chubby, ugly duck. He walked sadly along the lake, when suddenly he came across a family of wild ducks. When the duckling saw that they were as grey as he was, he asked to join them. They didn’t think he was ugly, and they welcomed him. He became friends with them, and they started to swim around and take little trips on the lake together. Then, one day, the wild ducks took off for a long flight to the south. The sky wasn’t as sunny anymore and the leaves were slowly disappearing and floating about through the air. Every day the wind grew stronger. The duckling didn’t dare fly so far, and so he stayed by the lake with the other animals. He missed his friends, and he started to feel ugly and misunderstood again. The days grew colder and rainier. One day the rain was slashing down on the feeble shelter the duckling had built for himself. He didn’t feel like going back to the yard, because he didn’t want to hear more teasing and insults from the mean animals outside. Soon, a cruel winter came. Snow swirled through the air. The wind was cold and the ugly duckling shivered all over. He snuggled up in the bushes and it felt like he would freeze when, suddenly, a farmer walked by. He saw the stiff little duckling on the ground, so he picked him up, wrapped him

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in a blanket and took him home. The farmer gave him food and water and the children started playing with him. It was warm by the oven and the duckling felt alive again! Then, one of the children proposed that they play a hunting game. The duckling got so scared that he ran away, escaping through an open window in the bedroom. It was freezing cold outside and the snow was so deep he almost couldn’t walk. He hid in a cave nearby filled with whistling bats. After a while, the sun started shining a little more every day and nature began waking up again. The ugly duckling didn’t spend all his time in a cave anymore, and he started to search outside for food. One day, he was swimming on a lake and met a family of swans. They were beautiful, with long white necks, and they swam gracefully in a group. “They’re going to laugh at me for being ugly,” the duckling thought, and started to swim away. “Hey, why don’t you swim with us?” one of the swans called out to the duckling. “We’d be glad to accept you.” The duckling couldn’t believe his ears. “Why do you want to be friends with me?” he asked, suspicious. “Are you going to laugh at me for being ugly? I’d rather be a l on e .” “You’re not ugly! Look at your reflection,” the swan said. The duckling hesitated and then looked at the water. He couldn’t believe his own eyes. He wasn’t an ugly grey duckling anymore - he was a beautiful white swan! Excited, he joined the other swans and swam with them toward the shore, where a group of children were playing. One of them looked at the swans and shouted, “Look, look! There’s a new swan on the lake! And it might be the prettiest of them all!” The young swan swam proudly on the lake, feeling like the happiest bird in the world. And from that moment on, whenever he saw a young animal who didn’t fit in, he made sure to be kind and tell them that they, too, were special.

139 THE VANISHING POND

Once upon a time there was a small valley and in the middle of that small valley there was a small pond. All the animals in the valley would gather by the pond every day to quench their thirst and take a swim. One day, however, as the animals splashed around in the refreshing water, one of the hares noticed that there was less water in the pond than before. “Do my eyes deceive me, my friends?” He asked his fellow animals. “Am I dreaming? Doesn’t the pond appear to be smaller now than it was before?” He must be imagining it, he thought, and so he took a dive into the water, thinking that perhaps he was just tired. “You know, I believe you’re right,” said the wise old turtle, who was sitting on the shore of the pond. “But no wonder, it hasn’t rained for several weeks now. The dry season is upon us, I fear. The longer it goes on, the less water there is in the pond.” “That’s terrible!” the hare exclaimed, swimming toward the turtle. “Where will we play if the pond goes dry? And what will we drink?” “I’m afraid we have no power over the weather, my friend. The dry season is arriving, and so, little by little, our pond will dry up in the hot sun.” The other animals gathered around him, afraid and confused by this news. “You see,” he continued, “What happens when it is very hot is that tiny invisible droplets

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of water will rise from the pond to the sky, and those will change into tiny little clouds of vapour and disappear. And I’m sorry to say that there’s nothing we can do to stop it.” Soon sadness fell over the valley. The rain still hadn’t come and before long the pond completely dried up. Thirst and drought came upon the animals. The sun burnt hot and dried out the whole valley. Every day the animals came to the pond, hoping something had changed and the water would be there so they could refresh themselves, but it was pointless. The water was gone. One day, the hare was so desperate that he looked up at the sky and shouted at the sun, “You drank all our water, you monster! Give it back right now! We don’t have anything left to drink and I can’t even wet my paws to ease the heat!” The other animals, seeing the hare’s outburst, also turned to the sun. They snarled and barked and shouted and cried, “Give us back our water! Give us back our pond!” But the sun didn’t even blink in the face of their pleas, and the animals had no choice but to curl up in the shade and wait for the rain to finally come. Day after day, they gathered by the pond to check if it had perhaps filled overnight. But it was still completely empty. They were out of luck. That is, until one day, when a strong wind suddenly rose up. Tree branches bent and swayed and creaked. Clouds covered the burning sun and banded together into one huge, dark cloud. Thunder clapped and lightning struck, and suddenly, just like that, a tiny raindrop fell and landed right on the hare’s nose. “The rain has finally come!” he shouted to his friends, jumping around joyfully. And, sure enough, it started to pour rain. Everyone scurried out of their holes and danced in the rain for hours and hours. It rained for days, and the hare couldn’t wait to finally be able to plunge into his beloved pond. Finally, as the rain began to let up and turned into a light drizzle, he decided he would go to the pond just to see how much it had filled up. It was completely full! There was a light mist coming off of it, and the hare’s friend, the wise old turtle, was already sitting on the bank and admiring the most beautiful

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view. Together they sat and watched the calm drizzle coming down, and soon the clouds began to part and the sun broke through the clouds. Suddenly, the hare noticed something he had never seen before. There was a marvellous arc in the sky, full of colours. “That’s a rainbow,” said the turtle, as if reading the hare’s mind. “When the sun shines through raindrops, the light splits into colours.” The hare thought he had never seen anything so beautiful. After some time, the rain slowed, then stopped. The pond was once again full to the brim and everything around it was the most marvellous green! The rest of the animals came out of their burrows, and the hare and his friends jumped into the pond and played happily once again.

142 WISE MATTHEW AND THE FOOLS

Once upon a time, a man named Matthew went to roam the world to look for a bride. As he was walking, he got lost and found himself in a picturesque village where he went to a dance and met a beautiful girl. The very next day he called upon her father to for her hand in marriage. Her father was a farmer. He greeted Matthew, sat him down in the kitchen and offered him some water. “Won’t you go and fetch us a bite to eat from the pantry, my dear?” the farmer asked his wife. She left immediately, but after several long minutes had passed, she still wasn’t back. “Could you go see what’s taking your mother so long?” the farmer asked his daughter. The girl went to the pantry and closed the door behind her, but she also didn’t return. “What in the world are they doing in there?” the father asked, annoyed. Another minute passed and he went to take a look himself. Matthew waited in the kitchen, sitting at the table. The cuckoo clock kept announcing the passing hours, but no one had come back yet and after a while Matthew decided it was time to go and see if something bad had happened to

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them. When he opened the door to the pantry, however, he found all three of them sitting on the floor, hugging each other and sobbing. “My goodness!” Matthew said. “What happened?” But the three were crying so loudly they didn’t even notice Matthew was in the pantry. He didn’t know what to do, but after a moment the mother raised her head and said, “Look, Matthew, over there! There’s an axe hacked into the beam just above your head. When you two get married and have a child, we’ll surely take it to the pantry for a nap. The axe will get loose and fall on the baby in the crib. Oh, what a tragedy! That’s why we’re crying. We’re mourning a nearly certain death!” Matthew couldn’t believe his ears. “These must be the three biggest fools in the world!” he thought. He didn’t know whether to laugh or sit down and cry with them. He calmed them down and brought them back to the kitchen. “If I can find at least three more people as foolish as you, I’ll return and marry your daughter,” he said. He picked up his hat and walked out, shutting the door behind him. Matthew walked day and night until he came across a large farmstead. He peeked over the fence, looking for the farmer, and noticed a woman standing by the henhouse, holding a hen and thrashing it against the ground. “Excuse me! What are you doing with that hen?” he shouted. “Oh, hello! Well, you see, she had chicks recently, but she refuses to give them milk,” the woman called back. “They’ll all die unless the blasted animal starts giving milk!” Matthew couldn’t believe what she was saying. Chicks don’t drink milk from their mothers! He hopped over the fence, took a handful of grains from a manger and scattered it on the ground. Immediately, the little chicks ran out of the henhouse and started pecking at the grains. “That’s how you feed chickens,” Matthew told the woman, but she just stared at them, marvelling at the fact that they didn’t need milk. “Well, it didn’t take too long to run into the first fool,” Matthew thought. He set off again and walked until he reached a small village nestled below a forest. He could hear its church bells from afar and saw what must have been the entire

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village walking towards him in a long funeral procession. The strongest men were at the front, carrying a coffin on their shoulders, and crying women in black veils followed behind. As he got closer, he saw there was a girl lying in the coffin – but she was perfectly alive. Matthew couldn’t help himself and asked a weeping passer-by, “What kind of a funeral is this, and why are you carrying a living girl in a coffin?” Tears streaming down her face, the passer-by responded, “That’s the daughter of our mayor. A great tragedy has befallen her – she dropped two coins in a clay jug and when she went to take them out, her hand got stuck. We did what we could to get it out, but it was all in vain. We don’t want her to suffer her whole life, so we’re burying her alive before she can become a laughing stock.” Now this was something else! Matthew just gaped at her, not knowing whether or not he should laugh. Quickly he hurried to the front of the procession and whacked the jug against the side of the coffin. The jug broke into a million pieces. The whole crowd whooped and rejoiced – the girl was saved! They turned back and went straight to the mayor’s house, where the funeral feast was immediately turned into a celebration of life. The townspeople carried Matthew on their shoulders while his hat was been passed around, and everyone gave him at least one coin for saving the mayor’s daughter from a certain death. “Well,” thought Matthew as he left the town. “This was a whole village of fools!” As he walked, he came across an inn standing beside the road. He was thrilled, since he had skipped the feast and his stomach was rumbling with hunger after all the walking. He went inside to have a bite of something good and rest his bones a little. As he sat there, he noticed the innkeeper bringing bowls full of food to the table next to his. Suddenly everyone at the table stood up and stepped away from the table. Matthew watched, confused, as mice scurried onto the table and around the food and started stuffing themselves. As soon as they finished and left again, the people sat back down and ate the remains. Matthew couldn’t help himself, and asked, “What on earth are you doing, my good people, eating only scraps of food after letting the mice eat their fill?” Everyone in the inn stopped talking and looked at

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Matthew. Finally, a grizzled old man spoke. “You’ll get used to it. We fought the mice a good long time, but they always beat us. This way we feed them and then they leave us alone.” Matthew stood up and went outside, returning an hour later with a large tomcat he’d found in a nearby barn. He sat back down where he’d been sitting before, put the cat down next to him, and called the innkeeper over. “Bring me the best food you have, please!” She filled the table with all sorts of delicacies. There were pies and puddings, cheeses and thick, freshly baked breads, still warm from the oven. Within seconds, the mice came running to the feast. They didn’t see the tomcat, but he saw them! He let out a loud meow and gave chase over tables and under chairs. Meanwhile, Matthew enjoyed his meal and happily watched the chase play out. As soon as the other people saw it, they all ordered heaps of food. They all wanted to know what it was like to enjoy their food without having to share it with mice! As soon as Matthew left, he headed right back to his bride so he could finally get married. If there were this many fools in the world, knowing that his wife would be no more foolish than anyone else!

146 THE WOLF AND THE RAM

Once upon a time, there was a little lamb, who liked to wander around and explore the world. One day, he wandered all the way into a deep forest. He felt very happy there, and so he didn’t even notice that he strayed from the path. When he realized that he was lost and couldn’t find his way back to the meadow, he got scared and began running wildly back and forth. His frightened bleating was so loud that a hungry wolf heard it. He went to the little lamb and when he saw him, he decided to eat him for dinner. But the lamb started pleading with the wolf: “Wolfie, my dear, don’t eat me now that I’m so small. What kind of dinner would I even be? You won’t even know that there’s anything in your belly at all. Wait until I grow up, I will make a much better dinner then.” “Well, you’re right. I will wait until you grow up and become plump, and I will eat you then,” said the wolf and he let the lamb go. Time went by and the little lamb grew into a big, strong ram. One day, he met the wolf who spared his life. “Well, ram, have you forgotten about your promise?” asked the wolf. “I haven’t forgotten at all,” said the ram, “but now I’m too muscly and firm, it would only hurt your teeth.” The wolf became very angry. He howled furiously because he understood that

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the ram was fooling him. He insisted that promises have to be kept, and he was determined to eat the ram no matter what. But the ram got an idea: “Alright then. But I have one last wish. Beyond the forest, there is a big hill. I will climb up and you just wait on the bottom with your mouth wide open. I will roll down and fall straight into your belly. You won’t have to chew my meat, you won’t break your teeth and it will make it easier on me, too.” The wolf was quite happy with this idea. He wasn’t a young cub anymore, his teeth were no longer the best, and he really didn’t want to break them. And so, they went to the hill. The wolf waited with his mouth wide open under the hill and the ram went to the top. On the hill, he looked around breathed in, breathed out, and he ran as fast as he could and came flying at the wolf at full speed. His horns bashed straight into the wolf who immediately fell unconscious from the blow. The lamb happily got up and hurried away before the wolf could see him. When the wolf woke up, he thought that he had eaten the lamb and passed out from all that food, and so he shrugged and told himself that for such a big meal, he had recovered remarkably fast.

148 THE WOODEN BOY

Far, far away, there was a little wooden house by the edge of the woods. A skilled woodcarver lived there with his beloved wife. They had no children and they felt lonely in their house. One night, the wife said to her husband: “Listen, you have such skilled hands and you have made so many different things out of wood, how about you carve us a little baby?” The woodcarver thought it was a great ideat, he got up early the next morning and started fulfilling his wife’s wishes. He took a nice piece of wood, sanded it down and in a few moments, he carved out a little baby boy. When he was finished, he brought the baby to his wife, and even though it was made of wood, she treated it like a real live baby. She held him lovingly, she rocked him in a little cradle and sang to him. And then, suddenly – a miracle! Something incredible happened – the song brought the little boy to life. His parents gave him the best name they could think of – they decided to call him Woody. The boy was growing like a weed, and when he was almost a young man, he asked his father to make him a fishing boat out of wood. His father started working on it right away and soon the boat was finished. Woody could go out on his boat to get food and be helpful to his parents. He fished in the sea every

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morning where the birds would sing to him and his caring mother would bring him lunch every day, singing from the sea shore: “Come, my Woody, my dear boy. Come to the shore and eat some more.” And when Woody heard this tune, he would rush to meet her on the shore, greet her, eat his soup, and go out into the sea again. But then one day, an evil witch who lived in a hut beyond the rocks heard the mother singing to her son. She listened in very carefully to remember all the words and then she spied some more to see at what time they ate lunch together. One morning, she went to the shore and started hollering the song. When Woody heard it, he thought that his mother was quite early that day, and also her voice sounded different. But he didn’t want to disappoint her by being late, so he headed to the shore anyway. As soon as he got out of his boat, the witch ran out from behind the rocks and threw herself on the surprised boy. She grabbed him very tightly because she was as strong as a bull, and she dragged him into her hut, where she lived together with her old warlock husband. When they came home, she ordered: “Go and start a roaring fire. Today, we will have something delicious for lunch. We haven’t roasted anyone for a while.” The warlock started loading wood into the oven, rubbing his hands impatiently. “Watch this yummy boy, until the oven is scorching hot. I will be right back,” said the witch to the warlock and zoomed out of sight. The warlock just kept throwing the wood into the oven, thinking about their delicious meal. Soon, the oven was burning hot, but the witch still wasn’t coming back. The warlock didn’t feel like waiting, so he took a shovel and said: “Come here, Woody. You just sit down right here.” But the boy knew very well what the ugly warlock was up to. He gave him a baffled look, as if he really didn’t know how to properly sit on a shovel. He tried both sides, but he wouldn’t sit down, as if he didn’t know how. He asked the warlock to show him how it’s done. The warlock was losing patience, and so he sat down on the shovel to show Woody

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how to do it. Woody didn’t hesitate, he grabbed the shovel and threw the warlock right into the oven. He shut the oven door and ran away from the hut. When he was outside, he heard the witch’s cackling voice coming from far away. He looked around, saw a very tall tree and climbed up. He sat on a branch and waited. The witch entered her hut, looked around, but couldn’t see the warlock or the boy. She started to suspect that something wasn’t right, which turned out to be true when she found out that instead of Woody, her husband was roasting inside the oven. She was fuming and raging and stomping her feet and beating her broom on the ground, but she couldn’t do anything. She ran out to catch that naughty little rascal. She could sniff him with her enormous nose and then she saw him sitting on a branch and swinging his feet. That made her even angrier and she became as red as a pepper. She wasn’t about to climb a tree at her age! So she took an axe from the hut and started chopping down the tree without mercy. “Just you wait, you imp. I will show you what I can do. Don’t you start thinking you can escape me!” she threatened and kept hitting her axe on the trunk of the mighty tree. Woody wasn’t calm at all. He was scared and tried to reach the uppermost branches at the top of the tree. The tree was already swinging when a flock of geese flew above his head. Woody called them asking for help. “Geese, geese, please, take me with you, so I can reach my mom on your wings.” The geese flew on but they told him: “There’s another flock behind us, they will t a ke y ou .” Woody searched the blue sky and saw more geese flying far away. When they got closer, he implored them: “Geese, geese, please, take me with you, so I can reach my mom on your wings.” But this flock wouldn’t stop for the poor boy, either. They just said: “There is one more goose flying behind us, she’ll take you.” The tree was already swinging dangerously when the last goose reached Woody. He shouted at her desperately: “Goose, goose, please, take me with you, so I can reach my mom on your wings.”

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The goose flew down to Woody and in the last second, she took him on her wings. As soon as he sat down on her, the tree came cracking down to the ground. They flew above the woods and the fields, and then he finally saw his home yard with the wooden house. The grey goose let him down on the roof of the house and took off to be with the rest of her friends. But there was nobody in the yard. Woody climbed down the ladder and looked through the window into the house. Both his parents were sitting at the table with plates full of soup but they weren’t eating one bit. They were just sitting there, silently gazing at their plates. Indeed, his mother even had tears rolling down her cheeks. ‘Are they that sad for me or did something worse happen to them?’ thought Woody and went into his family home. “Mom, dad, why are you sitting so quietly? Don’t tell me you are mourning me. Stop crying, I’m back, safe and sound. And also quite hungry,” announced Woody. His parents could not believe their eyes. His mother’s eyes filled with tears again, but now they were tears of joy, because her beloved son was back home. And ever since then, they lived happily together. And they didn’t need to be afraid of the evil witch because the tree she chopped down to get to Woody crushed her along with her hut.

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