Ideas, thoughts, words, lines, tales and all things mysterious, innovative, inspirational and simply beautiful. Let us whisper together now!
Wednesday, 31 October 2012
A Halloween tale for the little ones
The Old Witch
by The
Brothers Grimm
There was once a little girl who was very wilful and who never obeyed
when her elders spoke to her - so how could she be happy?
One day she said to her parents, "I have heard so much of the old
witch that I will go and see her. People say she is a wonderful old woman, and
has many marvellous things in her house, and I am very curious to see
them."'
But her parents forbade her going, saying, "The witch is a wicked
old woman, who performs many godless deeds - and if you go near her, you are no
longer a child of ours."
The girl, however, would not turn back at her parents' command, but went
to the witch's house. When she arrived there the old woman asked her:
"Why are you so pale?"
"Ah," she replied, trembling all over, "I have frightened
myself so with what I have just seen."
"And what did you see?" inquired the old witch.
"I saw a black man on your steps."
"That was a collier," replied she.
"Then I saw a grey man."
"That was a sportsman," said the old woman.
"After him I saw a blood-red man."
"That was a butcher," replied the old woman.
"But, oh, I was most terrified," continued the girl,
"when I peeped through your window, and saw not you, but a creature with a
fiery head."
"Then you have seen the witch in her proper dress," said the
old woman. "For you I have long waited, and now you shall give me
light."
So saying the witch changed the little girl into a block of wood, and
then threw it on the fire. When it was fully alight, she sat down on the hearth
and warmed herself, saying:
"How good I feel! The fire has not burned like this for a long
time!"
Halloween: a more adult tale
The Black Cat
A short story for
Halloween
FOR the most wild, yet most homely narrative which
I am about to pen, I neither expect nor solicit belief. Mad indeed would I be
to expect it, in a case where my very senses reject their own evidence. Yet,
mad am I not - and very surely do I not dream. But tomorrow I die, and today I
would unburden my soul. My immediate purpose is to place before the world,
plainly, succinctly, and without comment, a series of mere household events. In
their consequences, these events have terrified - have tortured - have destroyed
me. Yet I will not attempt to expound them. To me, they have presented little
but horror - to many they will seem less terrible than baroque. Hereafter,
perhaps, some intellect may be found which will reduce my phantasm to the
commonplace - some intellect more calm, more logical, and far less excitable
than my own, which will perceive, in the circumstances I detail with awe,
nothing more than an ordinary succession of very natural causes and effects.
From my infancy I was noted for the docility and
humanity of my disposition. My tenderness of heart was even so conspicuous as
to make me the jest of my companions. I was especially fond of animals, and was
indulged by my parents with a great variety of pets. With these I spent most of
my time, and never was so happy as when feeding and caressing them. This
peculiarity of character grew with my growth, and in my manhood, I derived from
it one of my principal sources of pleasure. To those who have cherished an
affection for a faithful and sagacious dog, I need hardly be at the trouble of
explaining the nature or the intensity of the gratification thus derivable.
There is something in the unselfish and self-sacrificing love of a brute, which
goes directly to the heart of him who has had frequent occasion to test the
paltry friendship and gossamer fidelity of mere man .
I married early, and was happy to find in my wife a
disposition not uncongenial with my own. Observing my partiality for domestic
pets, she lost no opportunity of procuring those of the most agreeable kind. We
had birds, goldfish, a fine dog, rabbits, a small monkey, and a cat .
This latter was a remarkably large and beautiful
animal, entirely black, and sagacious to an astonishing degree. In speaking of
his intelligence, my wife, who at heart was not a little tinctured with
superstition, made frequent allusion to the ancient popular notion, which
regarded all black cats as witches in disguise. Not that she was ever serious
upon this point - and I mention the matter at all for no better reason than
that it happens, just now, to be remembered.
Pluto - this was the cat's name - was my favourite
pet and playmate. I alone fed him, and he attended me wherever I went about the
house. It was even with difficulty that I could prevent him from following me
through the streets.
Our friendship lasted, in this manner, for several
years, during which my general temperament and character - through the
instrumentality of the Fiend Intemperance - had (I blush to confess it)
experienced a radical alteration for the worse. I grew, day by day, more moody,
more irritable, more regardless of the feelings of others. I suffered myself to
use intemperate language to my wife. At length, I even offered her personal
violence. My pets, of course, were made to feel the change in my disposition. I
not only neglected, but ill-used them. For Pluto, however, I still retained
sufficient regard to restrain myself from maltreating him, as I made no scruple
of maltreating the rabbits, the monkey, or even the dog, when by accident, or through
affection, they got in my way. But my disease grew upon me - for what disease
is like alcohol? And at length even Pluto, who was now becoming old, and
consequently somewhat peevish - even Pluto began to experience the effects of
my ill temper.
One night, returning home, much intoxicated, from
one of my haunts about town, I fancied that the cat avoided my presence. I
seized him; when, in his fright at my violence, he inflicted a slight wound
upon my hand with his teeth. The fury of a demon instantly possessed me. I knew
myself no longer. My original soul seemed, at once, to take its flight from my
body and a more than fiendish malevolence, gin-nurtured, thrilled every fibre
of my frame. I took from my waistcoat-pocket a pen-knife, opened it, grasped the
poor beast by the throat, and deliberately cut one of its eyes from the socket!
I blush, I burn, I shudder, while I pen the damnable atrocity.
When reason returned with the morning - when I had
slept off the fumes of the night's debauch - I experienced a sentiment half of
horror, half of remorse, for the crime of which I had been guilty; but it was,
at best, a feeble and equivocal feeling, and the soul remained untouched. I
again plunged into excess, and soon drowned in wine all memory of the deed.
In the meantime the cat slowly recovered. The
socket of the lost eye presented, it is true, a frightful appearance, but he no
longer appeared to suffer any pain. He went about the house as usual, but, as
might be expected, fled in extreme terror at my approach. I had so much of my
old heart left, as to be at first grieved by this evident dislike on the part
of a creature which had once so loved me. But this feeling soon gave place to
irritation. And then came, as if to my final and irrevocable overthrow, the spirit
of PERVERSENESS. Of this spirit philosophy takes no account. Yet I am not more
sure that my soul lives, than I am that perverseness is one of the primitive
impulses of the human heart - one of the indivisible primary faculties, or
sentiments, which give direction to the character of man. Who has not, a
hundred times, found himself committing a vile or a silly action, for no other
reason than because he knows he should not? Have we not a perpetual
inclination, in the teeth of our best judgment, to violate that which is Law ,
merely because we understand it to be such? This spirit of perverseness, I say,
came to my final overthrow. It was this unfathomable longing of the soul to vex
itself - to offer violence to its own nature - to do wrong for the wrong's sake
only - that urged me to continue and finally to consummate the injury I had
inflicted upon the unoffending brute. One morning, in cool blood, I slipped a
noose about its neck and hung it to the limb of a tree; - hung it with the
tears streaming from my eyes, and with the bitterest remorse at my heart; -
hung it because I knew that it had loved me, and because I felt it had given me
no reason of offence; - hung it because I knew that in so doing I was
committing a sin - a deadly sin that would so jeopardize my immortal soul as to
place it - if such a thing wore possible - even beyond the reach of the
infinite mercy of the Most Merciful and Most Terrible God.
On the night of the day on which this cruel deed
was done, I was aroused from sleep by the cry of fire. The curtains of my bed
were in flames. The whole house was blazing. It was with great difficulty that
my wife, a servant, and myself, made our escape from the conflagration. The
destruction was complete. My entire worldly wealth was swallowed up, and I
resigned myself thenceforward to despair.
I am above the weakness of seeking to establish a
sequence of cause and effect, between the disaster and the atrocity. But I am
detailing a chain of facts - and wish not to leave even a possible link
imperfect. On the day succeeding the fire, I visited the ruins. The walls, with
one exception, had fallen in. This exception was found in a compartment wall,
not very thick, which stood about the middle of the house, and against which
had rested the head of my bed. The plastering had here, in great measure,
resisted the action of the fire - a fact which I attributed to its having been
recently spread. About this wall a dense crowd were collected, and many persons
seemed to be examining a particular portion of it with very minute and eager
attention. The words "strange!" "singular!" and other
similar expressions, excited my curiosity. I approached and saw, as if graven
in bas relief upon the white surface, the figure of a gigantic cat. The impression
was given with an accuracy truly marvellous. There was a rope about the
animal's neck.
When I first beheld this apparition - for I could
scarcely regard it as less - my wonder and my terror were extreme. But at
length reflection came to my aid. The cat, I remembered, had been hung in a
garden adjacent to the house. Upon the alarm of fire, this garden had been
immediately filled by the crowd - by some one of whom the animal must have been
cut from the tree and thrown, through an open window, into my chamber. This had
probably been done with the view of arousing me from sleep. The falling of
other walls had compressed the victim of my cruelty into the substance of the
freshly-spread plaster; the lime of which, with the flames, and the ammonia
from the carcass, had then accomplished the portraiture as I saw it.
Although I thus readily accounted to my reason, if
not altogether to my conscience, for the startling fact just detailed, it did
not the less fail to make a deep impression upon my fancy. For months I could
not rid myself of the phantasm of the cat; and, during this period, there came
back into my spirit a half-sentiment that seemed, but was not, remorse. I went
so far as to regret the loss of the animal, and to look about me, among the
vile haunts which I now habitually frequented, for another pet of the same
species, and of somewhat similar appearance, with which to supply its place.
One night as I sat, half stupified, in a den of
more than infamy, my attention was suddenly drawn to some black object,
reposing upon the head of one of the immense hogsheads of Gin, or of Rum, which
constituted the chief furniture of the apartment. I had been looking steadily
at the top of this hogshead for some minutes, and what now caused me surprise
was the fact that I had not sooner perceived the object thereupon. I approached
it, and touched it with my hand. It was a black cat - a very large one - fully
as large as Pluto, and closely resembling him in every respect but one. Pluto
had not a white hair upon any portion of his body; but this cat had a large,
although indefinite splotch of white, covering nearly the whole region of the
breast. Upon my touching him, he immediately arose, purred loudly, rubbed
against my hand, and appeared delighted with my notice. This, then, was the
very creature of which I was in search. I at once offered to purchase it of the
landlord; but this person made no claim to it - knew nothing of it - had never
seen it before.
I continued my caresses, and, when I prepared to go
home, the animal evinced a disposition to accompany me. I permitted it to do
so; occasionally stooping and patting it as I proceeded. When it reached the
house it domesticated itself at once, and became immediately a great favorite
with my wife.
For my own part, I soon found a dislike to it arising
within me. This was just the reverse of what I had anticipated; but - I know
not how or why it was - its evident fondness for myself rather disgusted and
annoyed. By slow degrees, these feelings of disgust and annoyance rose into the
bitterness of hatred. I avoided the creature; a certain sense of shame, and the
remembrance of my former deed of cruelty, preventing me from physically abusing
it. I did not, for some weeks, strike, or otherwise violently ill use it; but
gradually - very gradually - I came to look upon it with unutterable loathing,
and to flee silently from its odious presence, as from the breath of a
pestilence.
What added, no doubt, to my hatred of the beast,
was the discovery, on the morning after I brought it home, that, like Pluto, it
also had been deprived of one of its eyes. This circumstance, however, only
endeared it to my wife, who, as I have already said, possessed, in a high
degree, that humanity of feeling which had once been my distinguishing trait,
and the source of many of my simplest and purest pleasures.
With my aversion to this cat, however, its
partiality for myself seemed to increase. It followed my footsteps with a
pertinacity which it would be difficult to make the reader comprehend. Whenever
I sat, it would crouch beneath my chair, or spring upon my knees, covering me
with its loathsome caresses. If I arose to walk it would get between my feet
and thus nearly throw me down, or, fastening its long and sharp claws in my
dress, clamber, in this manner, to my breast. At such times, although I longed
to destroy it with a blow, I was yet withheld from so doing, partly by a memory
of my former crime, but chiefly - let me confess it at once - by absolute dread
of the beast.
This dread was not exactly a dread of physical evil
- and yet I should be at a loss how otherwise to define it. I am almost ashamed
to own - yes, even in this felon's cell, I am almost ashamed to own - that the
terror and horror with which the animal inspired me, had been heightened by one
of the merest chimaeras it would be possible to conceive. My wife had called my
attention, more than once, to the character of the mark of white hair, of which
I have spoken, and which constituted the sole visible difference between the
strange beast and the one I had destroyed. The reader will remember that this
mark, although large, had been originally very indefinite; but, by slow degrees
- degrees nearly imperceptible, and which for a long time my Reason struggled
to reject as fanciful - it had, at length, assumed a rigorous distinctness of
outline. It was now the representation of an object that I shudder to name -
and for this, above all, I loathed, and dreaded, and would have rid myself of
the monster had I dared - it was now, I say, the image of a hideous - of a ghastly
thing - of the GALLOWS ! - oh, mournful and terrible engine of Horror and of
Crime - of Agony and of Death!
And now was I indeed wretched beyond the
wretchedness of mere humanity. And a brute beast - whose fellow I had
contemptuously destroyed - a brute beast to work out for me - for me a man,
fashioned in the image of the High God - so much of insufferable woe! Alas!
neither by day nor by night knew I the blessing of rest any more! During the
former the creature left me no moment alone; and, in the latter, I started,
hourly, from dreams of unutterable fear, to find the hot breath of the thing
upon my face, and its vast weight - an incarnate Night-Mare that I had no power
to shake off - incumbent eternally upon my heart !
Beneath the pressure of torments such as these, the
feeble remnant of the good within me succumbed. Evil thoughts became my sole
intimates - the darkest and most evil of thoughts. The moodiness of my usual
temper increased to hatred of all things and of all mankind; while, from the
sudden, frequent, and ungovernable outbursts of a fury to which I now blindly
abandoned myself, my uncomplaining wife, alas! was the most usual and the most
patient of sufferers.
One day she accompanied me, upon some household
errand, into the cellar of the old building which our poverty compelled us to
inhabit. The cat followed me down the steep stairs, and, nearly throwing me
headlong, exasperated me to madness. Uplifting an axe, and forgetting, in my
wrath, the childish dread which had hitherto stayed my hand, I aimed a blow at
the animal which, of course, would have proved instantly fatal had it descended
as I wished. But this blow was arrested by the hand of my wife. Goaded, by the
interference, into a rage more than demoniacal, I withdrew my arm from her grasp
and buried the axe in her brain. She fell dead upon the spot, without a groan.
This hideous murder accomplished, I set myself
forthwith, and with entire deliberation, to the task of concealing the body. I
knew that I could not remove it from the house, either by day or by night,
without the risk of being observed by the neighbors. Many projects entered my
mind. At one period I thought of cutting the corpse into minute fragments, and
destroying them by fire. At another, I resolved to dig a grave for it in the
floor of the cellar. Again, I deliberated about casting it in the well in the
yard - about packing it in a box, as if merchandize, with the usual
arrangements, and so getting a porter to take it from the house. Finally I hit
upon what I considered a far better expedient than either of these. I
determined to wall it up in the cellar - as the monks of the middle ages are
recorded to have walled up their victims.
For a purpose such as this the cellar was well
adapted. Its walls were loosely constructed, and had lately been plastered
throughout with a rough plaster, which the dampness of the atmosphere had
prevented from hardening. Moreover, in one of the walls was a projection,
caused by a false chimney, or fireplace, that had been filled up, and made to resemble
the red of the cellar. I made no doubt that I could readily displace the bricks
at this point, insert the corpse, and wall the whole up as before, so that no
eye could detect anything suspicious. And in this calculation I was not
deceived. By means of a crow-bar I easily dislodged the bricks, and, having
carefully deposited the body against the inner wall, I propped it in that
position, while, with little trouble, I re-laid the whole structure as it
originally stood. Having procured mortar, sand, and hair, with every possible
precaution, I prepared a plaster which could not be distinguished from the old,
and with this I very carefully went over the new brickwork. When I had
finished, I felt satisfied that all was right. The wall did not present the slightest
appearance of having been disturbed. The rubbish on the floor was picked up
with the minutest care. I looked around triumphantly, and said to myself -
"Here at least, then, my labor has not been in vain."
My next step was to look for the beast which had
been the cause of so much wretchedness; for I had, at length, firmly resolved
to put it to death. Had I been able to meet with it, at the moment, there could
have been no doubt of its fate; but it appeared that the crafty animal had been
alarmed at the violence of my previous anger, and forebore to present itself in
my present mood. It is impossible to describe, or to imagine, the deep, the
blissful sense of relief which the absence of the detested creature occasioned
in my bosom. It did not make its appearance during the night - and thus for one
night at least, since its introduction into the house, I soundly and tranquilly
slept; aye, slept even with the burden of murder upon my soul!
The second and the third day passed, and still my
tormentor came not. Once again I breathed as a freeman. The monster, in terror,
had fled the premises forever! I should behold it no more! My happiness was
supreme! The guilt of my dark deed disturbed me but little. Some few inquiries
had been made, but these had been readily answered. Even a search had been
instituted - but of course nothing was to be discovered. I looked upon my
future felicity as secured.
Upon the fourth day of the assassination, a party
of the police came, very unexpectedly, into the house, and proceeded again to
make rigorous investigation of the premises. Secure, however, in the
inscrutability of my place of concealment, I felt no embarrassment whatever.
The officers bade me accompany them in their search. They left no nook or
corner unexplored. At length, for the third or fourth time, they descended into
the cellar. I quivered not in a muscle. My heart beat calmly as that of one who
slumbers in innocence. I walked the cellar from end to end. I folded my arms
upon my bosom, and roamed easily to and fro. The police were thoroughly
satisfied and prepared to depart. The glee at my heart was too strong to be
restrained. I burned to say if but one word, by way of triumph, and to render
doubly sure their assurance of my guiltlessness.
"Gentlemen," I said at last, as the party
ascended the steps, "I delight to have allayed your suspicions. I wish you
all health, and a little more courtesy. By the bye, gentlemen, this - this is a
very well constructed house." [In the rabid desire to say something
easily, I scarcely knew what I uttered at all.] - "I may say an
excellently well constructed house. These walls - Are you going, gentlemen? -
these walls are solidly put together;" and here, through the mere phrenzy
of bravado, I rapped heavily, with a cane which I held in my hand, upon that
very portion of the brick-work behind which stood the corpse of the wife of my
bosom.
But may God shield and deliver me from the fangs of
the Arch-Fiend ! No sooner had the reverberation of my blows sunk into silence,
than I was answered by a voice from within the tomb! - by a cry, at first
muffled and broken, like the sobbing of a child, and then quickly swelling into
one long, loud, and continuous scream, utterly anomalous and inhuman - a howl -
a wailing shriek, half of horror and half of triumph, such as might have arisen
only out of hell, conjointly from the throats of the dammed in their agony and
of the demons that exult in the damnation.
Of my own thoughts it is folly to speak. Swooning,
I staggered to the opposite wall. For one instant the party upon the stairs
remained motionless, through extremity of terror and of awe. In the next, a
dozen stout arms were toiling at the wall. It fell bodily. The corpse, already
greatly decayed and clotted with gore, stood erect before the eyes of the
spectators. Upon its head, with red extended mouth and solitary eye of fire,
sat the hideous beast whose craft had seduced me into murder, and whose
informing voice had consigned me to the hangman. I had walled the monster up
within the tomb!
Tuesday, 30 October 2012
Peter Pan
Peter Pan
James Matthew Barry
Wendy, John, and
Michael Darling lived in London. One night, Wendy woke to find a strange boy
sitting on the floor who was crying.
"My name is
Wendy," she said. "Who are you? Why are you crying?"
"I'm Peter
Pan," the boy replied. "I'm crying because my shadow won't stick to
me."
"Don't
cry," Wendy said. "We can fix that." And she sewed Peter's
shadow to the tips of his shoes. Peter was delighted.
"Fly back to
Neverland with me and my fairy, Tinker Bell," Peter begged. "You
could be our mother and take care of us."
"Can you teach
me to fly?" Wendy asked. Peter nodded.
"Let's wake John
and Michael," Wendy said. "You can teach us all to fly and then we will leave for
Neverland!"
The children were
soon flying around the room. Then—Swoosh! Out the window they all flew.
Wendy, John, and
Michael flew behind Peter Pan and Tinker Bell, following the golden arrows that
pointed the way to Neverland. Finally, they were flying over the island.
"The lost boys
live with me and Tinker Bell. I'm their captain," Peter said. "The
Indians live over there, and the mermaids live in the lagoon. And there are
pirates too, led by Captain Hook."
"Pirates?"
exclaimed Wendy, John, and Michael, all in the same breath. Wendy was
frightened, but Michael and John wanted to see the pirates right away.
"Hook's the
meanest pirate ever," Peter warned. "But he's afraid of the
crocodile. The crocodile bit off Hook's hand and liked the taste so much that
it follows him, hoping for more. Luckily for Hook, the crocodile swallowed a
clock. It goes 'Tick, Mock, and warns Hook when the crocodile is nearby."
"Oh, my God!" cried Wendy, not sure if she really wanted to stay in Neverland after
all.
Peter led Wendy,
John, and Michael to his house under the woods. They entered through a door
hidden in an old tree stump. When the lost boys saw Wendy, they shouted, "Hooray!
Will you be our mother?"
"I'm only a
little girl," Wendy answered. "I have no experience." But the
lost boys looked so sad that she said, "I'll do my best."
That night Wendy
tucked the boys into bed and told them the tale of Cinderella.
Life was pleasant in
the cosy house under the woods.
Wendy took care of
the boys, who explored the island during the day. At night, they gathered for
meals, played make-believe games, and listened while Wendy told them stories.
One day, Peter and the
children went exploring near the mermaids' lagoon. Suddenly Peter yelled,
"Pirates! Take cover." The boys ran away, and Peter and Peter and Wendy hid.
Peter and Wendy could
see that the pirates had tied up Tiger Lily, the Indian princess. The pirates
had left her on a rock in the lagoon.
Peter was afraid that
Tiger Lily would drown when the tide came in. He had to save her! In a voice
that sounded just like Captain Hook's, he shouted, "Set her free!”
"But,
Captain," the pirates yelled, "you ordered us to bring her here!”
"Let her go!”
Peter roared, still sounding like Hook. "Aye, aye," the pirates said,
and set Tiger Lily free. She swam quickly back to the Indian camp.
When Captain Hook
found out what had happened, he knew Peter had tricked his pirates. Hook became
furious!
That night, Wendy
told the boys a story about three children who left their parents and flew to
Neverland. Their mother and father missed them very much. The children loved
Neverland, but they never forgot their home.
"Did they ever
go back?" the lost boys asked.
"Oh, yes,"
Wendy replied. "They flew home to their mummy and daddy, and everyone was
happy."
The story made Wendy,
John, and Michael homesick. They decided to fly home the next morning. "If
you come back with us," Wendy told the lost boys, I'm sure our mother and
father would adopt you."
"Hooray!"
shouted the boys, jumping with joy.
Wendy asked Peter if
he and Tinker Bell would come home with them too. But Peter didn't want to live
where grown-ups could tell him what to do.
Peter was sad that
his friends were leaving. Still, he wanted the children to arrive home safely,
so he asked Tinker Bell to guide them on their trip.
Early the next
morning, Tinker Bell and the children left the house under the woods. But
Captain Hook's pirates were hiding nearby. They captured all the children, tied
them up, and marched them towards the pirate's ship.
Tinker Bell escaped,
and hurried back to tell Peter what had happened.
"It's Hook or me
this time!" yelled Peter to Tinker Bell as they flew off to save Wendy and
the boys.
On the pirate's ship,
Captain Hook demanded, "Who wants to become a pirate?" The boys shook
their heads.
"Then make them
walk the plank!" Hook roared. The boys tried to look brave, but they were
afraid.
Suddenly, they heard
the "Tick, Tock" of the crocodile. Now it was Captain Hook's turn to
be afraid.
Peter lunged with his
sword, and Hook fell into the sea, where the crocodile was waiting for him. And
that was the end of Captain.
When Peter was
certain that Hook was gone forever, he and Tinker Bell set off for London with
Wendy and the boys.
Wendy's parents were
happy to see their children again. Mr and Mrs Darling hugged Wendy, John, and
Michael, and agreed to adopt the lost boys. They asked Peter to stay with them
also, but he said, "I'm going to stay in Neverland where I never have to
grow up."
"Goodbye then,
Peter. We'll miss you," everyone called. Peter Pan and Tinker Bell waved
goodbye and flew home to Neverland.
Monday, 29 October 2012
No tale today! Aww...
On my way out- will post a fairy tale tomorrow, promise!
Leaving you with images to whet your appetite!
Sunday, 28 October 2012
The Snow Queen
The Snow Queen
There is a legend that, once upon a
time, a beautiful fairy, the Snow Queen, lived on the highest, most solitary
peaks of the Alps. The mountain folk and shepherds climbed to the summits to
admire her, and everyone fell head over heels in love with her.
Every man would have given anything,
including his life, to marry her. Indeed, their lives are just what they did
give, for Fate had decided that no mortal would ever marry the Snow Queen. But
in spite of that, many brave souls did their best to approach her, hoping
always to persuade her.
Each suitor was allowed to enter the great
ice palace with the crystal roof, where the Queen’s throne stood. But the
second he declared his love and asked for her hand, thousands of goblins
appeared to grasp him and push him over the rocks, down into bottomless
abysses.
Without the slightest emotion, the
Queen would watch the scene, her heart of ice unable to feel anything at all.
The legend of the crystal palace and the beautiful heartless Queen spread as
far as the most distant alpine valley, the home of a fearless chamois hunter.
Fascinated by the tale, he decided to set out and try his luck. Leaving his
valley, he journeyed for days on end, climbing the snow-clad mountain faces,
scaling icebound peaks and defying the bitterly cold wind that swept through
the alpine gullies.
More than once he felt all was lost,
but the thought of the lovely Snow Queen gave him new strength and kept him
moving onwards. At last, after many days climbing, he saw glinting in the
sunshine before him, the tall transparent spires of the ice palace.
Summoning all his courage, the young
man entered the Throne Room. But he was so struck by the Snow Queen’s beauty
that he could not utter a word. Shy and timid, he did not dare speak. So he
knelt in admiration before the Queen for hours on end, without opening his
mouth. The Queen looked at him silently, thinking all the while that, provided
he did not ask her hand in marriage, there was no need to call the goblins.
Then, to her great surprise, she
discovered that his behaviour touched her heart. She realised she was becoming
quite fond of this hunter, much younger and more handsome than her other
suitors. Time passed and the Snow Queen dared not admit, not even to herself,
that she would actually like to marry the young man.
In the meantime, the goblins kept
watch over their mistress; first they were astonished, then they became more
and more upset. For they rightly feared that their Queen might be on the point
of breaking the Law and bringing down on the heads of all the Mountain People
the fury of Fate.
Seeing that the Queen was slow to
give the order to get rid of her suitor, the goblins decided to take matters
into their own hands. One night, as dusk fell, they slipped out of the cracks
in the rock and clustered round the young chamois hunter. Then they hurled him
into the abyss. The Snow Queen watched the whole scene from the window, but
there was nothing she could do to stop them. However, her icy heart melted, and
the beautiful cruel fairy suddenly became a woman.
A tear dropped from her eye, the
first she had ever shed. And the Snow Queen’s tear fell on to a stone where it
turned into a little silvery star.
This was the first edelweiss … the
flower that grows only on the highest, most inaccessible peaks in the Alps, on
the edge of the abyss and precipice . . .
Saturday, 27 October 2012
Bambi
BAMBI
This story takes place once upon a time, a very long time ago, deep in
the forest. Now you remember what a forest is, don't you? Right, it is a place
where there are lots of trees. OK, so in just one tiny part of a forest, a baby
deer was born (a baby deer is called a "fawn"). Oh my, there was so
much excitement that day. All the animals wanted to come and see the new fawn.
Do you know why? It is because this was a special fawn. He was a young Prince.
That means that one day, this tiny baby, would be all grown up and become the
leader of all the deer in the forest. The birds sang the happiest song.
"Drip drip drop little April showers." What a beautiful,
beautiful Spring day it was.
Thumper, he was a cute little rabbit, asked the mama deer what she was going to call her baby. She smiled and looked down at her son and then at Thumper. “I am going to call him Bambi," she said. Thumper stood there for a moment, thumping his foot. "That's a funny name", he said at last. Thumper's mommy scolded him, very gently, "Thumper", she said, "What did you father tell you this morning?" Thumper hung his head down, just a bit, and replied, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all!" And you know, that is really what we should all remember. We should always remember to say nice things about each other.
It was a happy time for Bambi. He soon learned to do many things. Thumper was his very best friend; they did all kinds of fun stuff together. Why, in no time at all Bambi was standing up. Oh yes he was really wobbly at first. Thumper just had to laugh at him. But that was ok because it was a nice kind of laughter, and Bambi did not mind it a bit. Of course he could not understand why Thumper laughed so hard when another animal popped up out of the flowers, and Bambi called him "Flower". It really was funny though, because you see, Flower was a skunk. And skunks are not the sweetest smelling of animals, especially not when they get excited. Oh my, most certainly not when they get excited.
Then one morning, real early, Bambi's mother took him to a wonderful place. It was called "the meadow". What a nice place that was for a young fawn to romp around and have fun. It was there that Bambi met Faline. Faline was very cute to be sure. At first Bambi was a little afraid of her, well, maybe not so much afraid as he was shy. But soon they were racing around and having a grand time chasing one another. When, all of a sudden, there was a horrible, loud noise. Like thunder! Only louder! All the animals were running very swiftly. They were being led by "The Prince of the Forest". He was very old, and very strong. But he was also very, very wise. He knew he had to lead all the animals in the forest to safety. The one word that would do that was "MAN". Oh yes, all the animals knew that word. They knew it meant there was danger close by. So they did not waste any time, they ran as fast as they could. When it was safe, they all returned to their homes, and Bambi lay comfortably, safe and protected by his mother.
Thumper, he was a cute little rabbit, asked the mama deer what she was going to call her baby. She smiled and looked down at her son and then at Thumper. “I am going to call him Bambi," she said. Thumper stood there for a moment, thumping his foot. "That's a funny name", he said at last. Thumper's mommy scolded him, very gently, "Thumper", she said, "What did you father tell you this morning?" Thumper hung his head down, just a bit, and replied, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all!" And you know, that is really what we should all remember. We should always remember to say nice things about each other.
It was a happy time for Bambi. He soon learned to do many things. Thumper was his very best friend; they did all kinds of fun stuff together. Why, in no time at all Bambi was standing up. Oh yes he was really wobbly at first. Thumper just had to laugh at him. But that was ok because it was a nice kind of laughter, and Bambi did not mind it a bit. Of course he could not understand why Thumper laughed so hard when another animal popped up out of the flowers, and Bambi called him "Flower". It really was funny though, because you see, Flower was a skunk. And skunks are not the sweetest smelling of animals, especially not when they get excited. Oh my, most certainly not when they get excited.
Then one morning, real early, Bambi's mother took him to a wonderful place. It was called "the meadow". What a nice place that was for a young fawn to romp around and have fun. It was there that Bambi met Faline. Faline was very cute to be sure. At first Bambi was a little afraid of her, well, maybe not so much afraid as he was shy. But soon they were racing around and having a grand time chasing one another. When, all of a sudden, there was a horrible, loud noise. Like thunder! Only louder! All the animals were running very swiftly. They were being led by "The Prince of the Forest". He was very old, and very strong. But he was also very, very wise. He knew he had to lead all the animals in the forest to safety. The one word that would do that was "MAN". Oh yes, all the animals knew that word. They knew it meant there was danger close by. So they did not waste any time, they ran as fast as they could. When it was safe, they all returned to their homes, and Bambi lay comfortably, safe and protected by his mother.
Winter soon came to the forest. At first Bambi had lots of fun. Thumper
tried teaching him to slide on the ice. And as Bambi learned, Thumper just
watched and laughed till he was rolling on his tummy. Poor Bambi, his four thin
legs just went every which way, and down he would go again. Even though it was
fun, it was also a hard time for Bambi and all the other animals, because the
cold had rid the ground of its soft green, tender carpet of grass, and sweet
tasting flowers. There was little to eat, except tree bark. "BAM"
there it was again. The same deafening sound Bambi had heard before. His mother
yelled for him to run for the thicket. "Quick!" she yelled. Bambi
reached the thicket. But...but where was his mother. She had been right behind
him, and now... she was not there.
Once again Bambi saw the Great Prince of the Forest. "Your mother can no longer be with you. You must learn to walk alone." What did that mean? What was the Great Prince telling him? Did he mean Bambi would never see his mother again? Yes, he knew that was what the Great Prince was saying. Bambi was alone.
At last winter left, and spring returned. Everything was green again. Bambi had grown much bigger. He was no longer a fawn, now he was a "Buck". A buck is a male deer, much older than a fawn. As the spring went on to summer, Bambi roamed the forest and the meadow. Until one day he met Faline again. She had grown into a very beautiful graceful doe. Yes, that is what a grown up girl deer is called, a "doe". Just as they were beginning to enjoy being friends again, another buck came charging between them. He did not want Feline to stay with Bambi; he wanted Feline to stay with him. A terrible fight began. They kept charging at each other, bumping their foreheads against the other real hard. Until finally, the mean old bully was hurt and limped off all alone. Bambi and Feline walked off into the forest together.
As spring and summer had gone. Autumn arrived in the forest. The trees took on a breathtaking array of colours. And the air had a very special crispness to it. But sadly, all this beauty did not last. For one day Bambi began to smell something. And as he ran to find Feline, The Great Prince came. He told them to run very quickly, for the forest was on fire. Feline raced for protection, as Bambi and the Great Prince ran to warn all the other animals. At last the fire was over. Bambi, Feline, and the Great Prince looked on at the terrible thing that the fire had done. All the colours were gone. There was a terrible smell of burned wood, and blackened trees. A fire is a terrible thing, it destroys everything it touches. As they stood there, gazing at what remained of the smouldering forest, it was then that the Great Prince told Bambi, that when the forest was green again, he would be very old, and Bambi would have to take his place.
At last Spring arrived again. Green leaves, green grass, and wild flowers began to cover up some of the damage the fire had done. And now, do you know what was happening? All the animals were running to see. Not one new fawn, but two of them. They were cuddled next to their mother, Faline. And where was Bambi? Why, he was high on a hillside, looking down. His chest was puffed out, and he was standing there as proud as he could be. For not only was he a new father, but now Bambi was the new Prince of the Forest.
Once again Bambi saw the Great Prince of the Forest. "Your mother can no longer be with you. You must learn to walk alone." What did that mean? What was the Great Prince telling him? Did he mean Bambi would never see his mother again? Yes, he knew that was what the Great Prince was saying. Bambi was alone.
At last winter left, and spring returned. Everything was green again. Bambi had grown much bigger. He was no longer a fawn, now he was a "Buck". A buck is a male deer, much older than a fawn. As the spring went on to summer, Bambi roamed the forest and the meadow. Until one day he met Faline again. She had grown into a very beautiful graceful doe. Yes, that is what a grown up girl deer is called, a "doe". Just as they were beginning to enjoy being friends again, another buck came charging between them. He did not want Feline to stay with Bambi; he wanted Feline to stay with him. A terrible fight began. They kept charging at each other, bumping their foreheads against the other real hard. Until finally, the mean old bully was hurt and limped off all alone. Bambi and Feline walked off into the forest together.
As spring and summer had gone. Autumn arrived in the forest. The trees took on a breathtaking array of colours. And the air had a very special crispness to it. But sadly, all this beauty did not last. For one day Bambi began to smell something. And as he ran to find Feline, The Great Prince came. He told them to run very quickly, for the forest was on fire. Feline raced for protection, as Bambi and the Great Prince ran to warn all the other animals. At last the fire was over. Bambi, Feline, and the Great Prince looked on at the terrible thing that the fire had done. All the colours were gone. There was a terrible smell of burned wood, and blackened trees. A fire is a terrible thing, it destroys everything it touches. As they stood there, gazing at what remained of the smouldering forest, it was then that the Great Prince told Bambi, that when the forest was green again, he would be very old, and Bambi would have to take his place.
At last Spring arrived again. Green leaves, green grass, and wild flowers began to cover up some of the damage the fire had done. And now, do you know what was happening? All the animals were running to see. Not one new fawn, but two of them. They were cuddled next to their mother, Faline. And where was Bambi? Why, he was high on a hillside, looking down. His chest was puffed out, and he was standing there as proud as he could be. For not only was he a new father, but now Bambi was the new Prince of the Forest.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)