Short Stories 2
15/1/2008 -Kategori: Short Stories For Young Learners
Thumbelina BASED ON THE STORY BY HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN ...
Once upon a time there was a woman who longed to have a little girl of her own to love and care for. As time passed, and she had no children, she became very sad.
Then one day she heard of a wise old woman who could help, and she went to see her.
The wise old woman smiled. “Take this tiny seed and plant it in a flower pot,” she said, “and you will have your little girl.” The woman took the seed home and planted it. Soon green shoots appeared, and then a flower bud grew between them.
At last the bud opened out into a beautiful yellow flower. And right in the centre was a little girl, no bigger than the woman’s thumb.
The woman looked down at the little girl. “How pretty you are!” she said. “You are so small and dainty, I’m going to call you Thumbelina.” The woman was happy to have a little girl at last, and she took good care of Thumbelina.
Thumbelina was happy too. She sang songs in her soft, clear voice as she played on the kitchen table. At night she slept in a bed made from a tiny walnut shell.
Then one day a big toad heard Thumbelina’s singing and hopped in through the window. “What a pretty wife you would make for my son!” she said. And she carried Thumbelina away to the stream where she lived.
The toad left the tiny girl all along on a lily leaf and went off to find her son.
Thumbelina didn’t want to marry an ugly toad at all, but she didn’t know how she could escape.
After a while some friendly fish came swimming by. “Please help me,” Thumbelina begged. “The toad wants me to marry her son. I must find a way to escape!”
All the fish felt sorry for Thumbelina. So they spent the whole day nibbling through the stem of the lily leaf, and at last Thumbelina was able to float away.
As she drifted down the stream, Thumbelina met a beautiful butterfly. It took her to a pleasant wood where she could make a home for herself.
Thumbelina was happy in the wood eating the nuts and berries that she found, and playing with her friends the butterflies.But soon the days grew colder. When winter came, it was harder for Thumbelina to find food. Her friends the butterflies disappeared, and she was alone.
Then one day Thumbelina met a friendly fieldmouse who was just going into her little house.
“I’m so hungry,” Thumbelina said. “Please can you help me?”
The fieldmouse took pity on the girl. “Of course,” she said. “You can stay with me in my warm house and share my food.” Thumbelina lived happily with the fieldmouse for a long time. But one day the fieldmouse said, “I can’t keep you here much longer. Why don’t you marry my friend the mole, who lives next door? He has a much bigger house than mine. And he will look after you next winter.”
Thumbelina did not want to marry the mole. He lived under the ground and knew nothing of the sunny world outside.
Next day the mole visited Thumbelina. “Please come and see where I live,” he said.
Thumbelina did not want to hurt the mole’s feelings, so she followed him into the tunnel that led to his dark underground home.
“Be careful,” said the mole. “There is a dead bird just here.”
Thumbelina saw that the bird was a swallow. He was not dead, just very cold and weak.
Thumbelina felt sorry for the swallow. She covered him with dried leaves and grass to keep him warm.
Thumbelina looked after the swallow all through the long, cold winter. By summer he was strong and well and ready to go back to his own home.
Thumbelina said goodbye to the swallow as he flew off with his friends. She was happy that he was well, but she knew that she would miss him. And she was sad to think that before the next winter came, she would have to marry the mole and live underground.
When summer ended, Thumbelina looked up at the sky for the last time with tears in her eyes. Birds were flying overhead, and suddenly one of them swooped down to her. It was the swallow she had saved!
“I am going to a warm country,” he told her. “Come with me.”
Thumbelina was overjoyed. She climbed onto the swallow’s back and flew with him to a faraway land where it was always summer.
This land was full of flowers. And inside every one lived a tiny person, just like Thumbelina!
“We are the Flower People,” they said, “and this is your true home. We will call you Maia.”
Maia loved her new home. Before long, she married the handsome prince of the Flower People and lived happily ever after.
Presented by Öznur Yılmaz
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Short Stories 1
15/1/2008 -Kategori: Short Stories For Young Learners
THE TRAVELLING MUSICIANS
An honest farmer had once an ass that had been a faithful servant to him a great many years, but was now growing old and every day more and more unfit for work. His master therefore was tired of keeping him and began to think of putting an end to him; but the ass, who saw that some mischief was in the wind, took himself slyly off, and began his journey towards the great city, 'For there,' thought he, 'I may turn musician.'After he had travelled a little way, he spied a dog lying by the roadside and panting as if he were tired. 'What makes you pant so, my friend?' said the ass. 'Alas!' said the dog, 'my master was going to knock me on the head, because I am old and weak, and can no longer make myself useful to him in hunting; so I ran away; but what can I do to earn my livelihood?' 'Hark ye!' said the ass, 'I am going to the great city to turn musician: suppose you go with me, and try what you can do in the same way?' The dog said he was willing, and they jogged on together.
They had not gone far before they saw a cat sitting in the middle of the road and making a most rueful face. 'Pray, my good lady,' said the ass, 'what's the matter with you? You look quite out of spirits!' 'Ah, me!' said the cat, 'how can one be in good spirits when one's life is in danger? Because I am beginning to grow old, and had rather lie at my ease by the fire than run about the house after the mice, my mistress laid hold of me, and was going to drown me; and though I have been lucky enough to get away from her, I do not know what I am to live upon.' 'Oh,' said the ass, 'by all means go with us to the great city; you are a good night singer, and may make your fortune as a musician.' The cat was pleased with the thought, and joined the party.
Soon afterwards, as they were passing by a farmyard, they saw a cock perched upon a gate, and screaming out with all his might and main. 'Bravo!' said the ass; 'upon my word, you make a famous noise; pray what is all this about?' 'Why,' said the cock, 'I was just now saying that we should have fine weather for our washing-day, and yet my mistress and the cook don't thank me for my pains, but threaten to cut off my head tomorrow, and make broth of me for the guests that are coming on Sunday!' 'Heaven forbid!' said the ass, 'come with us Master Chanticleer; it will be better, at any rate, than staying here to have your head cut off! Besides, who knows? If we care to sing in tune, we may get up some kind of a concert; so come along with us.' 'With all my heart,' said the cock: so they all four went on jollily together.
They could not, however, reach the great city the first day; so when night came on, they went into a wood to sleep. The ass and the dog laid themselves down under a great tree, and the cat climbed up into the branches; while the cock, thinking that the higher he sat the safer he should be, flew up to the very top of the tree, and then, according to his custom, before he went to sleep, looked out on all sides of him to see that everything was well. In doing this, he saw afar off something bright and shining and calling to his companions said, 'There must be a house no great way off, for I see a light.' 'If that be the case,' said the ass, 'we had better change our quarters, for our lodging is not the best in the world!' 'Besides,' added the dog, 'I should not be the worse for a bone or two, or a bit of meat.' So they walked off together towards the spot where Chanticleer had seen the light, and as they drew near it became larger and brighter, till they at last came close to a house in which a gang of robbers lived.
The ass, being the tallest of the company, marched up to the window and peeped in. 'Well, Donkey,' said Chanticleer, 'what do you see?' 'What do I see?' replied the ass. 'Why, I see a table spread with all kinds of good things, and robbers sitting round it making merry.' 'That would be a noble lodging for us,' said the cock. 'Yes,' said the ass, 'if we could only get in'; so they consulted together how they should contrive to get the robbers out; and at last they hit upon a plan. The ass placed himself upright on his hind legs, with his forefeet resting against the window; the dog got upon his back; the cat scrambled up to the dog's shoulders, and the cock flew up and sat upon the cat's head. When all was ready a signal was given, and they began their music. The ass brayed, the dog barked, the cat mewed, and the cock screamed; and then they all broke through the window at once, and came tumbling into the room, amongst the broken glass, with a most hideous clatter! The robbers, who had been not a little frightened by the opening concert, had now no doubt that some frightful hobgoblin had broken in upon them, and scampered away as fast as they could.
The coast once clear, our travellers soon sat down and dispatched what the robbers had left, with as much eagerness as if they had not expected to eat again for a month. As soon as they had satisfied themselves, they put out the lights, and each once more sought out a resting-place to his own liking. The donkey laid himself down upon a heap of straw in the yard, the dog stretched himself upon a mat behind the door, the cat rolled herself up on the hearth before the warm ashes, and the cock perched upon a beam on the top of the house; and, as they were all rather tired with their journey, they soon fell asleep.
But about midnight, when the robbers saw from afar that the lights were out and that all seemed quiet, they began to think that they had been in too great a hurry to run away; and one of them, who was bolder than the rest, went to see what was going on. Finding everything still, he marched into the kitchen, and groped about till he found a match in order to light a candle; and then, espying the glittering fiery eyes of the cat, he mistook them for live coals, and held the match to them to light it. But the cat, not understanding this joke, sprang at his face, and spat, and scratched at him. This frightened him dreadfully, and away he ran to the back door; but there the dog jumped up and bit him in the leg; and as he was crossing over the yard the ass kicked him; and the cock, who had been awakened by the noise, crowed with all his might. At this the robber ran back as fast as he could to his comrades, and told the captain how a horrid witch had got into the house, and had spat at him and scratched his face with her long bony fingers; how a man with a knife in his hand had hidden himself behind the door, and stabbed him in the leg; how a black monster stood in the yard and struck him with a club, and how the devil had sat upon the top of the house and cried out, 'Throw the rascal up here!' After this the robbers never dared to go back to the house; but the musicians were so pleased with their quarters that they took up their abode there; and there they are, I dare say, at this very day.
By PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm
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