The World of Fairy Tales. The Scarlet Book/ Мир волшебных сказок. Алая книга. Книга для чтения на английском языке

© Гацкевич М. А., 2018

© КАРО, 2018

Hans Christian Andersen

The Princess & The Pea

Once upon a time there was a prince who wanted to marry only a princess but she should be a real princess. So he travelled around his kingdom and all over the world to find his real love.

His kingdom was rather big and there were a lot of nice princesses but every time when he came to their palaces he understood that they weren't real princesses. It was very difficult to find her out but his heart always said to him. There was always something wrong with them what shouldn't be.

Years passed, some journeys were very long. Sometimes it took him weeks to reach some overseas kingdoms.

So the prince returned home sad but he wasn’t going to give up. The young man believed that one day his dream would come true and he would get married and live happily with his beloved princess ever after. Very often he saw this fantastic life in his dreams.

One night a terrible storm happened there. There was a very loud thunder and a very light lighting. The sky turned into black and the darkness came to the ground. The rain was streaming down in torrents.

Suddenly the old king heard that somebody was knocking the city gate. Really he was a very loving father and wanted very much his son to be happy. So he looked forward to seeing areal princess too. I don't know why but he believed that she should appear when the ground was shaking of thunder.

So he had a special feeling and hurried to the city gates. When the kind king opened the gate, he saw a very pretty girl. You can believe or not but his heart said to him that the poor wet child was a real princess.

The water ran down from her hair and clothes. The cheerful king asked her immediately if she was a real princess. He was sure that the answer would be, «Yes». Her answer sounded so nice that he was ready to listen to this voice all his life. So he took the girl to the palace where the queen was waiting for them. She wasn't so trustful like her sensitive husband. Only facts could prove her who was who.

But she said nothing and went to the bedroom for the guests. There she put off all the bedding and laid a small pea on the bottom. Then she took twenty mattresses and laid them on a small pea.

On this the princess had to lie all night. In the morning she was asked how well she had slept. The princess was a very polite and shy girl and at first she looked confused. The king and queen were so kind to her and she was very grateful to them but the queen insisted and asked again how well the princess slept the last night. So the girl didn't have any choice and told everything. It turned out that she couldn't sleep the whole night. Something very hard was lying in her bed. It was horrible! She complained that she was black and blue all over her body.

The queen was happy when she heard these words, only a real princess could feel a small pea through the twenty mattresses. Only a princess could be so sensitive!

It was that wonderful moment when the prince saw his future wife. To tell you the truth he forgot about everything. It wasn't important to him if she was a princess or not, he just fell in love at the first sight. At once the young man understood that his dream came true and it was his real love for all his life.

Of course, the pea was put in the museum and now you can see it there. The people like to tell this story about twenty mattresses and a small pea but we, of course, know the real truth.

Hans Christian Andersen

The Snow Queen

Once upon a time there lived two poor children named Gerda and Kay. Their parents lived opposite one another and they were great friends. All summer long they played together happily in the sunshine.

Then winter came, and it was too cold to play outside. One winter's day they sat by the stove while Kay's Granny told them about the Snow Queen. She was a dangerous woman who lived in the icy north. In winter she flew around and looked through windows frosting up the glass.

That night, Kay glanced out of his window. A few snowflakes were still falling. One flake grew bigger and bigger, until it turned into a beautiful woman made of shining ice and dressed in starry snow. Kay was frightened and suddenly she disappeared.

The weather cleared the next day. Spring was just around the corner. Kay played happily with Gerda and helped her to look after the roses. Soon many rose bushes were full of lovely flowers.

One day, the children were sitting outside when Kay suddenly felt something in his eye. Gerda tried to help him but she couldn't see anything. From that day Kay became a different boy. He hated everything and everybody. He was cruel to all his friends, including Gerda.

When winter came Kay and Gerda didn't play any more, he just ignored Gerda. One evening, Kay was playing in the market place when a large white sleigh appeared in the square. A beautiful lady dressed in white fur sat there. It was a Snow White.

She called Kay but this time he wasn't frightened. He jumped into her sleigh and they flew up into the sky and far away. For many days and weeks his friends and parents looked for him everywhere. His grandmother wept thinking Kay was drowned. Only Gerda believed that her true friend was alive and needed her help.

One spring morning she packed some food and clothes and went to look for him. In the forest Gerda met a kind reindeer who knew where the Snow Queen lived. She had a palace made of ice and snow in the magical country called Lapland. The strong reindeer asked Gerda to jump on his back and they began their long journey to the Kingdom of the Snow Queen.

Meanwhile, poor Kay sat alone in the palace playing with pieces of ice. He was blue of ice but he didn't feel it. His kind heart was frozen.

At this moment the brave reindeer landed outside the palace. The little girl rushed bravely into the icy magical structure. She wasn't afraid of anybody and anything and even the Snow Queen!

Inside the palace she found Kay who didn't recognise her at all. The little girl didn't know what to do. She was full of sorrow and burst into tears. Her warm tears dropped on her friend and melted his frozen heart. Kay burst into tears too! He cried so much that the ice splinter fell out of his eye and Kay became a kind boy again. The kids hugged happily and rushed to the reindeer who was waiting to take them back home.

You can't imagine how happy all the citizens were to see our wonderful kids.

They lived happily and never cried again.

Hans Christian Andersen

The Wild Swans

In one far away country, there lived a king and a queen with their eleven sons and one daughter, called Elisa. The children lived happily until the day their mother died. Soon the king married again, but he couldn’t imagine that his new wife was a witch. She hated the children and decided to get rid of them. The evil queen sent her stepdaughter to live with peasants in the poorest village. She told terrible things about the sons and as a result the king disinherited them. But this wasn’t enough for her. She turned the princes into eleven handsome wild swans who flew away at once.

When Elisa was fifteen years old, her father wanted to see her again. But the cruel queen stained the girl’s face with walnut juice so terrible that even her father couldn’t recognise Elisa.

The poor girl was very sad and went crying to her village through the forest. On the way home, Elisa didn’t notice how she lost her way and found herself at the seashore. It was a real miracle, eleven wild swans were flying in the sky and looked like a long white ribbon. At once Elisa understood that they were her beloved brothers. As soon as the sun set, they landed and became her handsome brothers. They told her that they lived in a land across the sea and could come back to their homeland only for eight days each year.

The brave princess decided to fly with her brothers to their country. They made a hurdle to carry Elisa and the next day they flew away with their wonderful sister.

During one of the stops when they were resting, Elisa saw a fairy Morgan-le-Fee in her dream. The kind fairy told Elisa how she could save her brothers. The girl should make a coat of armour from nettles for her brothers. There was only one condition, Elisa did not speak until the work was finished or her beloved brothers would die.

Elisa went to work immediately and very soon her hands were badly stung by the nettles. At the same time a young handsome king was passing and saw a very beautiful girl working hard. He asked Elisa what she was doing but there wasn’t any answer. Something said to him that he should take her away to his castle. Soon after, they married and lived happily but Elisa’s eyes were often sad. One day the king had an idea of bringing the coats of armour made from nettles. He hoped that it would please his beloved wife.

So he did it and Elisa could work on the coats of armour. One day, she ran out of nettles and decided to visit the cemetery to pick more. One king’s courtier saw Elisa picking the nettles near the cemetery, where the witches usually caught toads for their magic potions. The suspicious courtier was sure that the mute queen was a witch. It is unbelievable but he could persuade the trustful king that Elisa must be a witch.

So our poor girl was put into the prison and very soon Elisa should be executed as a witch. Luckily, she could continue her work in her prison cell. Even on the day of her execution the brave girl didn't stop her work. You can't imagine how strong she wanted to save her brothers.

Crowds of people came to the stake to see how the witch would be burnt. The silly people demanded to take away the nettle cloth from Elisa's hands. Suddenly, eleven swans flew down and started to fly around Elisa. The hardworking girl threw them all the eleven coats of armour and they immediately turned back into handsome young men.

They hugged their sister and told the king the whole story. At last Elisa could prove her innocence. The king was so delighted to be again with his wife that he couldn't stop kissing her.

All together they went to the castle and had a great celebration which lasted for eleven days and eleven nights.

Hans Christian Andersen

The Magic Tinderbox

There was once a brave soldier who was coming home from the war. On the way home, he met an ugly witch with a hooked nose and heavy lips. He didn't know that she was a wicked witch and greeted her very politely.

The ugly witch pretended very unhappy and asked the soldier for help. She needed her tinderbox which had fallen into the well. The kind soldier agreed to help at once and climbed into the bucket. The witch warned him to talk gentle to three dogs, which he would meet, and they wouldn't do any harm to him. After these words of warning she let him down.

So the brave soldier found himself in a huge, shadowy cave where there were three angry dogs staring at him. They guarded the treasures and were ready to tear our soldier into pieces. Remembering the witch's warning he kindly saluted each dog and took so many copper, silver and gold coins as he was able to carry. Of course the grateful soldier picked up the tinderbox lying on the floor and was ready to climb up. He got into the bucket and shouted the witch to pull it out. The bucket was practically near the top when the cunning witch demanded to pass her tinderbox. Many times suddenly suspicious soldier promised to give her tinderbox but first she should take him out. It didn't work. The furious witch threw the rope and the bucket with a soldier flew down into the dark.

Luckily, the soldier had the tinderbox and could have some light. So he struck the tinderbox and a huge dog appeared in front of him ready to realise all the master's wishes. The hungry and cold soldier wished only two things, a tasty dinner and a comfortable bed. In a flash he found himself in the inn sitting at the table and eating a delicious meal. The bags with copper, silver and gold coins were just near his soft big bed.

Since this day his life was completely different. He could afford to visit a theatre, buy everything what he preferred. Frankly speaking, the soldier wasted his money. But the kind soldier never forgot poor people and always gave them alms.

One day he heard about a beautiful princess who was imprisoned in a copper castle somewhere in the kingdom. When she was born, the magician predicted that she would marry a mere soldier. That's why the king ordered to lock his daughter and not to allow to visit her.

One day our generous soldier had only two pennies and nothing to eat. But he suddenly remembered the tinderbox from the dark well. This time he asked the ugly dog to give him some money and to bring a princess to his room.

Everything was done immediately and the stunning princess appeared in front of him. You can believe or not but this girl was not only beautiful but a very clever. So the young people were able to talk and laugh for hours every day and very soon they fell in love.

Unfortunately, the king learned about these visits and ordered to arrest the soldier. He was thrown into prison and sentenced to death.

On the day of the execution a huge crowd of people came to the capital square. Even the king and queen wanted to see how the soldier would be hanged. The resourceful soldier begged or the last wish to smoke a pipe. Luckily his tinder-box was with him. The king couldn't refuse, it was the rule.

Once, twice, thrice! The soldier struck his tinderbox and three huge dogs appeared in front of him ready to realise any his wishes.

At once the wise king understood that it wasn't a mere soldier and allowed his beloved daughter to marry him.

Very soon the happy young people got married and had a very merry wedding and lived happily ever after.

Hans Christian Andersen

The Shepherdess & The Sweep

In the sitting room there was a very old wooden cupboard. It was carved with roses and tulips and heads of deer with large antlers. At the top there was a picture of a funny little man with goat’s hoofs and horns and a very long beard. The children of the house called him the Grand-General-Commander-in-Chief Goatfoot. Really, he looked like a devil.

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