Os dejamos los relatos que se han leído y creado durante la semana
RELATO ENCADENADO
Tendré que
soportar dos o tres orugas si quiero conocer a las mariposas. Eran las mariposas que
Gustavo dijo que me salvarían de la tristeza que me provocó. ¿Eran las
mariposas las que decían aquello de tener o no tener? ¿Cómo era?
Era una
duda, como la que tuvo aquel personaje literario. Dudaba entre decir la verdad
o mentir, dudaba entre pararse o seguir, odiar o amar con locura, caminar con
los razonamientos vendados, tirando atrás brújulas y mapas, mirando al frente
sin detenerse, en compañía de los que quiero, sintiendo lo que dices, y
diciendo lo que siento.
Y yo me sigo
preguntando ¿Por qué? ¿Por qué? ¿Por qué? ¿Por qué? ¿Por qué? ¿Por qué? ¿Por
qué los colegios parecen cárceles y no nos miramos a los ojos? ¡Miraros a los
ojos! ¡Menos deberes y más excursiones!
Levantarse
de la cama es el primer paso de conseguir los sueños. El segundo paso es saltar
al vacío, sentir el vértigo y superar el miedo. Y en cada paso que das, te
acercas más y más al autoconocimiento de tus propios monstruos.
Cuando
salimos del armario sin “mountruos” ni miedos, nos dejamos ver a tal cual
somos, y entonces ocurre algo sorprendente que no esperábamos. De hecho, no
teníamos ni idea de que algo así pudiera suceder.
Se oyó un
gran estruendo, y una luz de un color nunca visto iluminó cada uno de los
rincones de agua salada en un mar lleno de incertidumbre. Nadie sabía su
historia. Agua dulce, un río de esperanza que te lleva al futuro, y sigue hacia
un camino sin destino fijo, tropezando con las piedras, pero sabiendo que cada
una de ellas le haría más fuerte y muchísimo más auténtico, con ganas de ser
quien de verdad era y no otro.
Haz el bien
sin mirar a quien, y preocúpate por tu ser, porque al final, la sonrisa de los
demás también depende de cómo mires tú el mundo. Una sonrisa verdadera te ayuda
a cambiar tu visión del mundo.
Y el amor
surgirá de los juncos, y entre los juncos, sus bragas empezaron a deslizarse
por sus piernas, y en ese momento, un hombre apareció entre los juncos y gritó:
¡Hagas lo que hagas, quítate las bragas! Así te dará el aire, estarás mucho más
agusto, te sentirás liberada.
Porque el
alma dejará de estar encadenada, y la música hará que los sentimientos
florezcan. Cuando las palabras faltan, la música habla, y guiará tu camino
hacia la felicidad. Porque la felicidad es el camino correcto, aunque a veces
te encuentras algún pedrusco, siempre podrás levantarte, desayunar y sacar una
sonrisa a la vida.
“Eguzkia
ikusteko egunero zure aupergian” (Todos los días para ver el sol en la cara),
puesto que el sol dejaba en su rostro las marcas sugerentes de la libertad.
La libertad,
esa que nos permite sacar nuestro verdadero yo. Y yo me pregunto, ¿por qué no
en vez de aprender varios idiomas aprendemos a escucharnos en uno?
Deberíamos
escucharnos en un idioma universal que es el idioma de los besos. Esos besos
que me gustaban cada mañana al despertar, y las caricias por debajo de las
sábanas, y los besos por su piel que resbalan. Porque que bonito es si te miro
de reojo y te pillo mirándome.
Entonces yo
quiero caminar contigo en el bosque con los pies descalzos y la mirada perdida.
Doy largos paseos por la playa pensando en ti. Te imagino cada noche asomado a
tu ventana ¿qué harás mañana?.
Luchar por
mis batallas como un campeón. Y llegó su amada y la besó en los labios.
Y se miraron
y se pusieron a llorar, y ella le secó la lágrima a su amada con una caricia y
le contó que la vida es algo más que una caricia.
Y buscó un
tesoro cerca, y lo encontró dentro de una preciosa caja de música y colores que
le regaló a su abuelita.
Un vídeo de
toda su existencia llenó el corazón de todos los animales del bosque, y
entonces descubrió la belleza de la naturaleza, pudiendo apreciar todos sus
maravillosos componentes.
Comprendió
que la felicidad se encuentra en las cosas más pequeñas, y la encontró en un
dedal, y metió el dedo, pero después no lo pudo sacar. Y lloró y lloró. ¿Sabéis
cómo lo sacó? Le pidió ayuda a un niño que pasaba por allí ¡y lo consiguió!
Seguidamente,
vió una chica que le gustó mucho y la persiguió, hasta que llegó a un parque y
la perdió de vista. Pero eso era mejor, porque todos sabían que en el fondo
nadie la soportaba. Nadie soportaba al mono de ese gran circo. Pero la
desgracia es que estas tres cantantes siempre se encontraban con el barbudo
mono. Lo peor del barbudo, no es que fuera mono… eso lo podría haber soportado.
Lo peor, lo que realmente no se podía soportar era ¡que era Papa Noel!
Se quedó
sorprendido al ver que fue su amigo, con unos valores únicos, para poder vivir
en amor y armonía, queremos calor y sangría por la noche y por el día, en
cualquier lugar del mundo, en cualquiera, tendrás que soportar orugas si
quieres conocer a las mariposas.
-RocioGomez 1EIN A
-Sergio, Pablo, Alba; Tania 1EIN B
Four Aesop Fables
A story that comes with a spoonful of moral
medicine doesn’t always go down nicely – unless, of course, it’s by Aesop.
Aesop’s fables are loved pretty much everywhere. Perhaps it’s because animals
with human foibles always strike a chord. In these four adaptations the animals
themselves tell you about the lessons they’ve learned from life in their own
voices. Thefourwe’vechosenthis time are:
- The Rat And the Elephant – Told
by the Rat
- The Grasshopper and the Ants –
Told by the Grasshopper
- The Fox and the Crow – Told by
the Fox
- The Little Mouse – Told by the
Mouse
The Rat and the Elephant
Some
people say that rats are ugly creatures. When they see a rat running a long,
they go ee-yuck ! Well I don’t know about you, but I’ve always thought that
this was rather rude. Rats can have hurt feelings too you know ! In any case,
When I catch sight of my reflection in a stream, I think I’m rather cute.
Just
recently, I was trotting along the King’s Highway, in my sweet little way, when
I heard a great commotion on the road up ahead. Who or what is causing all that
fuss? I wondered.
When
I got closer, I saw the king himself, riding along on top of a great fat lump
of an elephant. The crowd of onlookers was ooo-ing and aah-ing full of
admiration for that stupid beast with a nose that’s far too big for her face.
She’s much uglier than me, I thought. And I so I started to spring up and down
and say, hey every one, Why not look at me ! I’m such a cutie-pie! I could join
the king’s household and be a Royal Rat, if only there was any justice in the
world.
At
first, nobody noticed me. They were all too busy oggling that stupid elephant.
And little did I know, but riding behind the elephant in a carriage, was the
princess, and she was holding a beastly cat in her arms. When he caught sight
of me, the cat lept out of the carriage and started to chase me. I had to run
for my life, and just popped down a hole in time before the cat could eat me
up.
And
so now I’ve changed my mind about wanting people to notice me and admire me.
I’ve decided that sometimes, it’s far better not to draw attention to yourself,
but just to get on quietly with your own business.
The Grasshopper and the Ants
I’m
an artist, and as everyone knows, artists are usually rather poor. But
normally, I don’t mind about that. When the sun is shining, I sit on my
favourite blade of grass and play music for everyone to listen too. I have lots
of friends, and together we’ve formed an orchestra.
Everyone
loves our music and says how cheerful it makes them feel. Well almost everyone.
There’s a family of ants who never stop to listen. They take themselves far to
seriously for music or enjoyment. All they do is work, work, work, even when
the sun is shining.
“Hey
You Ants” I said to them. “It’s a lovely summer’s day, Why don’t you rest your
feet for a while, and listen to my sweet music?”.
“No
time to stop,” one of them said, panting away. “We’re far too busy stocking up
food for winter.”
The
months went by, and the days got shorter and colder. I was shivering so much
that I couldn’t even sing. A hard frost was on the ground, and there wasn’t a
crumb to eat. I was so hungry ! So I went to see that busy family of ants and
said, “Please Sirs, I’m a poor starving musician. Spare me a few crumbs from
your store of food.”
But
do you know what? Those ants just turned their noses up at me. They were so
stingy that that they wouldn’t share any of their food. Oh Well, I’ll just have
to go hungry this winter. In the New Year I’ll make a resolution. When the
times are good, I’ll remember to save some food for a rainy day.
The Fox and the Crow
I bet you can’t guess what I like to eat best
of all? Yes, I knew that you would say that foxes like to eat hens best, and
stolen ones at that. And I don’t mind admitting that I wouldn’t ever say no to
a nice fat chicken wing once in a while. But not many people know that what
foxes appreciate even more than chicken, is a nice piece of cheese once in a
while.
Well
today I ate a wonderfully rich and creaming slice of cheddar for my breakfast.
It was kindly given to me by a beautiful black-feathered bird whose voice is
even more wonderful than her looks. No, I don’t mean a sky-lark, or a fancy
bird of paradise. I’m talking about Miss Crow up in that tree.
It
was a fine bright morning, and I was following my sharp nose through the woods
in search of a bite to eat, when I caught a cheesy smell on the breeze. I
looked up into the tree and there on the branch I saw Miss Crow, looking
terribly pleased with herself, for in her beak she held a large piece of
cheese. It was stolen, no doubt, from the farmer over the hill, but I’m not one
to go around accusing people of this and that. And so I called up to my
neighbour and said,
“Good
Morning Miss Crow, You are looking very lovely today, If I may say so.” And
Miss crow cocked her head on one side and looked at me with her beedy little
eye, but she kept her beak firmly closed on the cheese.
“Such
a charming creature,” I mused to myself, making sure nevertheless that she
could overhear. “Such a fine sheen on those wonderous black feathers. What
wings !what Legs ! And the beak! Exquisite! ”
I
could see that Miss crow was paying close attention to my words, even though
she was pretending ever so hard not to hear.
So
I gazed up at the tree with admiration and love in my eyes and said, “Ah, my
heart is smitten by this wonderful bird. If only I could hear her voice. I’m
sure that such a charming creature must sing most sweetly!” If I could but hear
one line of her song, I would hail her as the Princess of The Forest !”
And
now I could see my words had hit home. Swelling with pride, Miss crow puffed up
her feathers and began to sing the most lovely music I have ever heard.
“CAAWWWWWWWWW!!
Well
alright, I know that you are saying that Miss Crow’s voice is not exactly star
quality, but to me that “cawww!” was just the sound that I’d been waiting for.
Because as soon as she opened her beak, the cheese fell to the ground and I
snappped up my breakfast.
Which
only goes to show that
Flattery
will get you everywhere.
Alba Gonzalez
“Mummy
! Mummy! Thank goodness it’s you! I’ve just escaped by a whisker from the most
frightful scary monster that there ever was !”
“Just
now, I was strolling along minding my own business when, as I turned into the
farm yard, I saw two strange creatures. One of them looked very kind and
fluffy, and had lovely whiskers, but the other was a scary, scary monster! Woww
!
“On
top of his head and in front of his neck hung pieces of red raw meat. He walked
about this way and that, tearing up the ground with his toes, and beating his
arms against his sides. The moment he caught sight of me he opened his pointed
mouth as if to swallow me, and then he let out a cry that frightened me almost
to death.”
“If
it had not been for that terrible monster, I would have made friends with the
pretty creature, who looked so good and gentle. He had thick, velvety fur, a
soft face, and his eyes were bright and shining. As he looked at me he waved
his fine long tail and smiled.
“I
am sure he was just about to speak to me when the monster I have told you about
let out a screaming yell, and I ran for my life.”
Mother
Mouse
“My
little mouse, that gentle creature you saw was none other than the Cat. Under
his kindly appearance, he bears a grudge against every one of us. The other was
nothing but the Corkrel, who wouldn’t harm you in the least. As for the Cat, he
eats us. So be thankful, my child, that you escaped with your life, and, as
long as you live, never judge people by their looks.
Dominika M.(1EIN
A)
Circe the Beautiful Witch
Circe
ranks as one of the greatest witches from all story-telling. A beautiful
enchantress, she likes nothing better than to turn men into pigs. (Some have
seen her as a bit of a feminist). It is only when the wily Odysseus lands on
her island that she finally meets her match.One of our Greek Myths in the Trojan War series. As you may recall,
Odysseus was on his way home from the war. He survived a nasty brush with a one
eyed giant, the Cyclops, but not all of his men were so lucky. The Sea God
Poseidon was angry with him, and destroyed all his ships except the one he was
sailing in.
Now
he and his men sailed on across the wine dark sea, until once again they caught
sight of an island. They slipped their boat into a snug little harbour, and
there they slept for two whole days.
The
following morning, Odysseus said they should explore the island and discover
who lived there. At these words, his men grew afraid. They remembered the
terrible Cyclops who had kept them prisoner in his cave, and had devoured some
of their companions.
Odysseus
divided his men into two groups, so that if one should get into trouble, the
other could come and help. He was leader of one group, and Lord Eurylochus
(Yuri-Locus) was the leader of the other. They drew straws to see which group
should go and explore first, and as Eurylochus drew the short straw, he and his
men had to set out and explore the woods.
After
walking two or three hours, the men came to a clearing. They saw a little house
surrounded by wild beasts – wolves, leopards, and lions. One of the leopards
sprang towards Eurylochus. He thought that he was about to die, but instead of
eating him, the leopard rubbed up against him like a cat and purred.
The
window of the house was open, and inside a woman was singing. Her voice was
mysterious but very beautiful, and the men felt themselves being drawn towards
the house, for they all longed to see if the woman was as wonderful as her
voice. They walked past the fierce looking beasts, who in fact were really
quite tame. Inside they were greeted by tall and elegant woman, her black hair
done up in braids. She did indeed look very lovely.
Her
name was Circe (Sir-see) and she invited the men to sit down at her table and
drink some of her soup. They readily agreed.
As
they drank the soup, Eurylochus said: “When I drew the short straw I cursed my
bad luck, but how wrong I was! Our hostess is not so terrible after all, eh
men?”
But
they did not realise that though she was beautiful, Circe was, in fact, a
witch. She had slipped a magic potion into their soup, and when they had
finished drinking it, she rapped the table with a magic wand and
said, “Now you swine, be off to the pigsty where you belong.”
The
men looked up astonished. “Madam. Did you just call us pigs?” asked Eurylochus.
But Circe just laughed in reply, for the nose of Eurylochus was already growing
into a pink snout, and his hands were becoming hairy trotters. In fact, all his
men were swiftly turning into pigs. They tried to weep and cry out, but all
they could do was to snort and squeal.
“Now
do as I say,” cried Circe. “Pigs belong in the sty, not in my Kitchen. Be off
with you!” And off they trotted to their new home.
When
the men did not return to the ship, Odysseus grew worried, and he decided to go
and search for them. He set out across the island in the direction of the smoke
he had seen from the cottage. While he was walking through the woods, he met a
young man – more of a boy whose beard was still soft and downy on his face.
“Stranger
– what are you doing here?” asked the young man.
“I’m
going in search of my men who are lost,” said Odysseus.
“No
doubt they are guests of the lovely Circe. You won’t find them in her house,
but outside in the pigsty. For beautiful though she is, she is really a witch
and she turns men into beasts. And if you step inside her house, she will turn
you into a pig too.”
“My
men – turned into pigs !” exclaimed Odysseus. “Is this how you treat guests on
this island?”
The
young man did not reply, but he took small plant out of his knapsack and handed
it to Odysseus. Its stem was black and its flower as white as milk. “Eat this,”
he said. “ It will make you safe against all magic tricks and potions. The name
of this plant is molly. It is dangerous for mere mortals to pluck, for only
gods can take it out of the ground safely.”
And
when he spoke these words, Odysseus realised that this was no ordinary young
man, but Hermes the messenger of the gods. And so he ate the molly plant and
went on his way.
Soon
he came to the house in the woods that was guarded by wild beasts. Circe’s
lovely singing voice drifted out through the window, and Odysseus walked boldly
past the beasts and into the house. Inside he was greeted by the beautiful
witch, who told him to sit down and try some of her soup. While she was heating
it, she slipped some magic potion into the broth, for she intended to turn
Odysseus into a pig like the others. She gave the soup to him, and he drank it
all down, and then she took out her wand and rapped the table with it.
“Now
be off with you to the sty, pig-face” she cried.
But
Odysseus did not turn into a pig. Instead, he leapt to his feet, drew his sword
and rushed at Circe. She, terrified, let out a shriek and fell to his feet
begging for mercy.
“Please
great lord. Do not take such offence. It was just my strange sense of humour.
It comes from living alone for so long, here in the woods, with nothing but
wild beasts for company. It is many years since I have seen a strong brave man
like you. Come, let me kiss you…’
Odysseus
let the beautiful witch kiss him, but all the time he was watching to see that
she did not try any more of her tricks. She called her servant-girls and
commanded them to prepare a bath for their visitor. They brought hot and cold
water and mixed the bath until it was just right. And when Odysseus had bathed
and rested, he found that they had prepared a delicious meal for him.
“Come.
Why do you look so sad?” asked Circe. “Let us eat together and wash the food
down with honeyed wine.”
“How
can a leader eat?” asked Odysseus, “When he knows that his companions are
living outside in the muddy pigsty?”
And
when he spoke these words, Circe knew that it was no use pretending any longer
that she was anything other than a witch. She went out to the pigsty and rubbed
a magic ointment into the animals. Then she waved her wand and they began to
change back into men, only younger and better looking than they were before.
And then they began to weep, for what they had been through was truly terrible.
When
they had recovered, Odysseus went back to the ship to fetch the rest of his
men. They were all united at Circe’s house and sat down to a wonderful feast of
celebration.
The
Greeks stayed with with witch Circe for an entire month – and she didn’t try
any more of her magic tricks on them. One morning Odysseus spoke to
her, “Oh Beautiful enchantress – too long have we enjoyed your
hospitality. We must continue our journey to our home on the rocky island of Ithaca
And
Circe replied, “Lord Odysseus. If it were up to me, I would keep you here
always – but I understand that you must be on your way to your home and your
lovely wife, Queen Penelope. There is no safe route for you and your men to
return home. For when you leave here, you must pass through a narrow straight
between the rocks of Scylla and the whirlpool of Charybdis. Both are are
perilous – for Scylla is a many armed monster who yelps like a dog. If you sail
close to her cliffs, she will reach down and grab some of your men and shove
them into her mouth. But if you sail too close to the whirlpool of Charybdis,
your entire boat will be sunk down to the bottom of the sea and all of you will
drown. It is a terrible choice to make but you are a leader – so plot your
course as you see best. Next, if the gods permit you to pass through that dire
strait, you will come to the Island of the Sun
where the great sun god, Lord Apollo, keeps his herd of sacred cows. Do as I
say – steer clear of the Island and do not land there. Nothing and nobody
escapes the eyes of Apollo as he looks down from the sky. If you value your
lives, avoid his island!”
And
so Odysseus and his men said farewell to the lovely Circe and sailed on their
way. After three days, just as she had foretold, they reached the narrow
passage that she had described. Up on the cliffs they could hear the monster
Scylla, yelping like a dog that has been left tied up for too long. As they
drew nearer, they could hear the terrible gurgling sound of the whirlpool,
Charybdis.
“This
is indeed a terrible choice”, thought Odysseus. “But is the lesser evil is to
lose some of my men, than for all of us to drown. Therefore, I must chart my
course closer to the cliffs than the whirlpool.’
He
did not tell his men about Scylla, in case they lost heart and put down their
oars. All his mens’ eyes were on the dreadful whirlpool, gurgling
like a cauldron The men rowed as hard they could, but as they passed
beneath Scylla, she reached down to the ship. Odysseus fought her with his
spear, desperately trying to stab at her arms, but he could not prevent her
snatching up six of his men. The others rowed on, crying for their companions.
Once
they passed through the strait, they saw the Island
of the Sun, just as Circe had predicted.
‘Thank
heavens for land!” cried the men. But Odysseus tried to tell them it was no
good. The must not land, but sail on – for Circe had warned him of terrible
danger should they set foot on the island belonging to the great sun god, Lord
Apollo.
“Are
you a slave-driver?” cried out Lord Eurylochus. “In your rush to reach home,
you deny us all rest. We are still grieving for our six lost companions. You
cannot order us to sail on. We will surely die of sadness and exhaustion.’
And
seeing that the men meant rebellion, Odysseus allowed the ship to land with
great misgiving in his heart. They found that the island was covered in green fields,
and that fat cattle were grazing. The men waited for Odysseus to fall asleep
and then they killed two cows and ate roast meat on the beach. But when the sun
rose in the morning, bright Apollo saw what they had done, and said to Zeus,
who is Lord of all the gods.
“Great
Lord – I am wronged. Those rascals and ruffians who crew the ship of that
tricky Greek, Odysseus, have killed the scared cattle that bring joy to my
heart. If you will not punish them, I shall go down to the land of the dead and
light up the gloomy underworld. No more shall I shine in the skies above the
world.”
And
when Zeus heard these words.he replied, “It is indeed a crime to take what
rightly belongs the gods. When these men set sail tomorrow, I shall hit their
boat with a burning thunderbolt.’
The
next day, Odysseus told his men to set sail. When they were out out at sea, the
sun disappeared behind a black cloud. The dark skies filled with lightening and
an electric flash shot down from the hand of Lord Zeus and hit their boat, ripping
it into two. All the men fell into the raging sea. Odysseus clung for his life
to the broken mast of the ship, and somehow survived the storm. The sun shone
once again on the now calm waters, and Odysseus saw land. Using his last
strength, he swam into the shore and staggered onto the beach, where he fell
down, exhausted.
FlorenciaMussio
or MaríaPascual
Noah’sArk
Adam
and Eve had sons, and their sons had sons, and the sons of the sons had sons.
By that time there were lots of people on the world. God sat back and watched
them. He saw them hurting each other, being selfish, and not thinking about him
very much.
But
God saw Noah, who was a very good man, and said, ‘I like Noah, but I don’t like
the others much.’
The
world had not turned out quite as well as he had hoped, so he decided to have a
great storm, which would cause a flood, so he could start again. The flood
would soon get rid of all the bad men, animals and everything that lived.
Before
God started the storm he told Noah how to build a great boat – the ark. He told
him how long it should be, how many rooms it should have, and how many windows
and doors.
God
said, ‘Now listen, Noah, when your ark is finished, I want you to get two of
every animal, two of every bird, and all the insects and bugs you can lay your
hands on. Then get your wife, your sons, and their wives, and put the whole lot
in the ark. Right?’
Noah
said he would do it, and the ark was built. Just as the last nails were
hammered in, the sky went black and the lightning started flashing. God had
turned on the storm.
‘Quick,’
shouted Noah, ‘everybody in. No pushing, you lions. Hurry up at the back,
tortoises.’
Just
in time, the door was shut and locked. For nearly six weeks it rained and
rained and rained. All the ground was covered with water, and even the trees
and mountains were covered.
But
the ark sailed on. It bounced up and down a bit in the rough sea, but all the
animals, all the birds, all the family, even old Noah, were safe and happy
inside.
After
a while the rain stopped banging on the roof, and sunlight started to shine
through the cracks in the door and windows. Noah knew it was time to find out
if the water had gone down.
He
thought, ‘If I send out one of the doves it will soon tell me if there is any
land showing yet.’
***
So
that day, nearly a year after the ark had started its journey, Noah opened the
window and the dove flew out into the clear blue sky. Noah looked round. He
certainly couldn’t see any land, just sea, sea, sea. (As far as he could see.)
The dove came back looking a bit fed up. ‘No good,’ it said.
A
week later, Noah sent out the dove again. This time it came flying back,
proudly carrying an olive twig in its beak.
That
told Noah the water had gone down enough for some land to appear, so he left it
a few days and then opened the door of the ark. Al the animals ran out on to
the dry land; the horse prancing about, the kangaroos jumping up and down, and
the lions growling happily.
They
all thanked Noah for the lift, and went on their way.
God
spoke to Noah. He said, ‘ I promise I won’t flood the world again. Go now, and
let all your children and grandchildren make the world a really nice place to
live in.’
God
went away again, leaving a lovely rainbow to show that he was going to keep his
promise.
Miriam y Cristina Saez (1EIN B)
St. Valentine
2000
years ago, the most powerful army in the world belonged to the Romans. The
Romans were so strong, that they conquered almost all of Europe, and parts of
Asia and Africa . But then they began to grow
rich and a little bit lazy. Life in the army was harsh, and many of the
soldiers longed for the comforts of home. They wanted to get married and set up
families. The Emperor, whose name was Claudius the Second, was worried that his
army was growing soft. And so he made a law that no soldier was allowed to get
married.
By
that time, many of the Romans were Christians. And one of their leaders was a
Bishop called Valentine.
He
believed that if a man and woman fell in love with each other, they should get
married – and so he decided to let soldiers get married in his church, even
though it was now against the law. The soldiers’ weddings were meant to be kept
secret, but as you know, all secrets are hard to keep, and soon the word got
out. Valentine was arrested and brought before the emperor who demanded that he
stop helping soldiers to marry, and instead that he pray to the gods of Rome
While
Valentine was in prison, the jailer’s daughter used to bring him his food. She
was a young woman who unfortunately was blind. She and Valentine used to spend
long hours talking to each other, and they fell in love. One day, Valentine put
his hand through the bars of his cell and touched the lids of her closed eyes.
When she opened them again, she could see. It was a miracle.
Valentine’s
execution was set for February the 14th. On his last night on earth, he wrote
his final message to the girl. He signed his love letter, “From Your
Valentine”. This took place in the year 270, and ever since, lovers has sent
each other messages on February the 14th with the same signature.
And
that’s the story of St. Valentine. And Bertie told me another piece of
interesting information about the history for St. Valentine’s day.
In
the year 1415, while the French Duke of Orleans
was imprisoned in the Tower
of London
On St. Valentine’s day, the
lovely sun,Carrying along its lighted candle,
Made its way that fine dawn, not long ago,
Into my locked chamber, all in secret.
I
hope that every February 14th, you receive a special Valentine’s card. But if
you don’t, don’t feel left out. One day you will find your true love. ThatI’msure
of.
Claudia Carracedo (1EIN A)
TheElephant’sChild
IN
the High and Far-Off Times the Elephant, O Best Beloved, had no trunk. He had
only a blackish, bulgy nose, as big as a boot, that he could wriggle about from
side to side; but he could not pick up things with it.
The
young elephant hero is full of questions. Why is his tall uncle the giraffe so
spotty? Why are the eyes of his broad aunt the Hippopotamus so red? Above all,
he wants to know what the crocodile has for dinner. And in the end we learn how
the elephant got his trunk.
This
masterpiece by the author of the Jungle Books is full of language that evokes
Africa – the banks of the great grey-green, greasy Limpopo River
In
the Bertie introduction, Tim the Tadpole is full of questions too.
Read
by Natasha. The duration is 25 minutes.
IN
the High and Far-Off Times the Elephant, O Best Beloved, had no trunk. He had
only a blackish, bulgy nose, as big as a boot, that he could wriggle about from
side to side; but he couldn’t pick up things with it. But there was one
Elephant–a new Elephant–an Elephant’s Child–who was full of ‘satiable
curtiosity, and that means he asked ever so many questions. And he lived in
Africa, and he filled all Africa with his
‘satiable curtiosities. He asked his tall aunt, the Ostrich, why her
tail-feathers grew just so, and his tall aunt the Ostrich spanked him with her
hard, hard claw. He asked his tall uncle, the Giraffe, what made his skin
spotty, and his tall uncle, the Giraffe, spanked him with his hard, hard hoof.
And still he was full of ‘satiable curtiosity! He asked his broad aunt, the
Hippopotamus, why her eyes were red, and his broad aunt, the Hippopotamus,
spanked him with her broad, broad hoof; and he asked his hairy uncle, the
Baboon, why melons tasted just so, and his hairy uncle, the Baboon, spanked him
with his hairy, hairy paw. And still he was full of ‘satiable curtiosity! He
asked questions about everything that he saw, or heard, or felt, or smelt, or
touched, and all his uncles and his aunts spanked him. And still he was full of
‘satiable curtiosity!
One
fine morning in the middle of the Precession of the Equinoxes this ‘satiable
Elephant’s Child asked a new fine question that he had never asked before. He
asked, ‘What does the Crocodile have for dinner?’ Then everybody said, ‘Hush!’
in a loud and dretful tone, and they spanked him immediately and directly,
without stopping, for a long time.
By
and by, when that was finished, he came upon Kolokolo Bird sitting in the
middle of a wait-a-bit thorn-bush, and he said, ‘My father has spanked me, and
my mother has spanked me; all my aunts and uncles have spanked me for my
‘satiable curtiosity; and still I want to know what the Crocodile has for
dinner!’
Then
Kolokolo Bird said, with a mournful cry, ‘Go to the banks of the great
grey-green, greasy Limpopo River
That
very next morning, when there was nothing left of the Equinoxes, because the
Precession had preceded according to precedent, this ‘satiable Elephant’s Child
took a hundred pounds of bananas (the little short red kind), and a hundred
pounds of sugar-cane (the long purple kind), and seventeen melons (the
greeny-crackly kind), and said to all his dear families, ‘Goodbye. I am going
to the great grey-green, greasy Limpopo River
Then
he went away, a little warm, but not at all astonished, eating melons, and
throwing the rind about, because he could not pick it up.
He
went from Graham’s Town to Kimberley, and from Kimberley to Khama’s Country,
and from Khama’s Country he went east by north, eating melons all the time,
till at last he came to the banks of the great grey-green, greasy Limpopo
River, all set about with fever-trees, precisely as Kolokolo Bird had said.
Now
you must know and understand, O Best Beloved, that till that very week, and
day, and hour, and minute, this ‘satiable Elephant’s Child had never seen a
Crocodile, and did not know what one was like. It was all his ‘satiable
curtiosity.
The
first thing that he found was a Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snake curled round a
rock.
”Scuse
me,’ said the Elephant’s Child most politely, ‘but have you seen such a thing
as a Crocodile in these promiscuous parts?’
‘Have
I seen a Crocodile?’ said the Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snake, in a voice of
dretful scorn. ‘What will you ask me next?’
”Scuse
me,’ said the Elephant’s Child, ‘but could you kindly tell me what he has for
dinner?’
Then
the Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snake uncoiled himself very quickly from the rock,
and spanked the Elephant’s Child with his scalesome, flailsome tail.
‘That
is odd,’ said the Elephant’s Child, ‘because my father and my mother, and my
uncle and my aunt, not to mention my other aunt, the Hippopotamus, and my other
uncle, the Baboon, have all spanked me for my ‘satiable curtiosity–and I
suppose this is the same thing.
So
he said good-bye very politely to the Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snake, and helped
to coil him up on the rock again, and went on, a little warm, but not at all
astonished, eating melons, and throwing the rind about, because he could not
pick it up, till he trod on what he thought was a log of wood at the very edge
of the great grey-green, greasy Limpopo River, all set about with fever-trees.
But
it was really the Crocodile, O Best Beloved, and the Crocodile winked one
eye–like this!
”Scuse
me,’ said the Elephant’s Child most politely, ‘but do you happen to have seen a
Crocodile in these promiscuous parts?’
Then
the Crocodile winked the other eye, and lifted half his tail out of the mud;
and the Elephant’s Child stepped back most politely, because he did not wish to
be spanked again.
‘Come
hither, Little One,’ said the Crocodile. ‘Why do you ask such things?’
”Excuse
me,’ said the Elephant’s Child most politely, ‘but my father has spanked me, my
mother has spanked me, not to mention my tall aunt, the Ostrich, and my tall
uncle, the Giraffe, who can kick ever so hard, as well as my broad aunt, the
Hippopotamus, and my hairy uncle, the Baboon, and including the
Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snake, with the scalesome, flailsome tail, just up the
bank, who spanks harder than any of them; and so, if it’s quite all the same to
you, I don’t want to be spanked any more.’
‘Come
hither, Little One,’ said the Crocodile, ‘for I am the Crocodile,’ and he wept
crocodile-tears to show it was quite true.
Then
the Elephant’s Child grew all breathless, and panted, and kneeled down on the
bank and said, ‘You are the very person I have been looking for all these long
days. Will you please tell me what you have for dinner?’
‘Come
hither, Little One,’ said the Crocodile, ‘and I’ll whisper.’
Then
the Elephant’s Child put his head down close to the Crocodile’s musky, tusky
mouth, and the Crocodile caught him by his little nose, which up to that very
week, day, hour, and minute, had been no bigger than a boot, though much more
useful.
‘I
think, said the Crocodile–and he said it between his teeth, like this–’I think
to-day I will begin with Elephant’s Child!’
At
this, O Best Beloved, the Elephant’s Child was much annoyed, and he said,
speaking through his nose, like this, ‘Led go! You are hurtig be!’
Then
the Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snake scuffled down from the bank and said, ‘My
young friend, if you do not now, immediately and instantly, pull as hard as
ever you can, it is my opinion that your acquaintance in the large-pattern
leather ulster’ (and by this he meant the Crocodile) ‘will jerk you into yonder
limpid stream before you can say Jack Robinson.’
This
is the way Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snakes always talk.
Then
the Elephant’s Child sat back on his little haunches, and pulled, and pulled,
and pulled, and his nose began to stretch. And the Crocodile floundered into
the water, making it all creamy with great sweeps of his tail, and he pulled,
and pulled, and pulled.
And
the Elephant’s Child’s nose kept on stretching; and the Elephant’s Child spread
all his little four legs and pulled, and pulled, and pulled, and his nose kept
on stretching; and the Crocodile threshed his tail like an oar, and he pulled,
and pulled, and pulled, and at each pull the Elephant’s Child’s nose grew
longer and longer–and it hurt him hijjus!
Then
the Elephant’s Child felt his legs slipping, and he said through his nose,
which was now nearly five feet long, ‘This is too butch for be!’
Then
the Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snake came down from the bank, and knotted himself
in a double-clove-hitch round the Elephant’s Child’s hind legs, and said, ‘Rash
and inexperienced traveller, we will now seriously devote ourselves to a little
high tension, because if we do not, it is my impression that yonder
self-propelling man-of-war with the armour-plated upper deck’ (and by this, O
Best Beloved, he meant the Crocodile), ‘will permanently vitiate your future
career.
That
is the way all Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snakes always talk.
So
he pulled, and the Elephant’s Child pulled, and the Crocodile pulled; but the
Elephant’s Child and the Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snake pulled hardest; and at
last the Crocodile let go of the Elephant’s Child’s nose with a plop that you could
hear all up and down the Limpopo .
Then
the Elephant’s Child sat down most hard and sudden; but first he was careful to
say ‘Thank you’ to the Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snake; and next he was kind to
his poor pulled nose, and wrapped it all up in cool banana leaves, and hung it
in the great grey-green, greasy Limpopo to cool.
‘What
are you doing that for?’ said the Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snake.
”Scuse
me,’ said the Elephant’s Child, ‘but my nose is badly out of shape, and I am
waiting for it to shrink.
‘Then
you will have to wait a long time, said the Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snake.
‘Some people do not know what is good for them.’
The
Elephant’s Child sat there for three days waiting for his nose to shrink. But
it never grew any shorter, and, besides, it made him squint. For, O Best
Beloved, you will see and understand that the Crocodile had pulled it out into
a really truly trunk same as all Elephants have to-day.
At
the end of the third day a fly came and stung him on the shoulder, and before
he knew what he was doing he lifted up his trunk and hit that fly dead with the
end of it.
”Vantage
number one!’ said the Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snake. ‘You couldn’t have done
that with a mere-smear nose. Try and eat a little now.’
Before
he thought what he was doing the Elephant’s Child put out his trunk and plucked
a large bundle of grass, dusted it clean against his fore-legs, and stuffed it
into his own mouth.
‘Vantage
number two!’ said the Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snake. ‘You couldn’t have done
that with a mear-smear nose. Don’t you think the sun is very hot here?’
‘It
is,’ said the Elephant’s Child, and before he thought what he was doing he
schlooped up a schloop of mud from the banks of the great grey-green, greasy
Limpopo, and slapped it on his head, where it made a cool schloopy-sloshy
mud-cap all trickly behind his ears.
‘Vantage
number three!’ said the Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snake. ‘You couldn’t have done
that with a mere-smear nose. Now how do you feel about being spanked again?’
”Scuse
me,’ said the Elephant’s Child, ‘but I should not like it at all.’
‘How
would you like to spank somebody?’ said the Bi- Coloured-Python-Rock-Snake.
‘I
should like it very much indeed,’ said the Elephant’s Child.
‘Well,’
said the Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snake, ‘you will find that new nose of yours
very useful to spank people with.’
‘Thank
you,’ said the Elephant’s Child, ‘I’ll remember that; and now I think I’ll go
home to all my dear families and try.’
So
the Elephant’s Child went home across Africa
frisking and whisking his trunk. When he wanted fruit to eat he pulled fruit
down from a tree, instead of waiting for it to fall as he used to do. When he
wanted grass he plucked grass up from the ground, instead of going on his knees
as he used to do. When the flies bit him he broke off the branch of a tree and
used it as fly-whisk; and he made himself a new, cool, slushy-squshy mud-cap
whenever the sun was hot. When he felt lonely walking through Africa
he sang to himself down his trunk, and the noise was louder than several brass
bands.
He
went especially out of his way to find a broad Hippopotamus (she was no
relation of his), and he spanked her very hard, to make sure that the
Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snake had spoken the truth about his new trunk. The
rest of the time he picked up the melon rinds that he had dropped on his way to
the Limpopo –for he was a Tidy Pachyderm.
One
dark evening he came back to all his dear families, and he coiled up his trunk
and said, ‘How do you do?’ They were very glad to see him, and immediately said,
‘Come here and be spanked for your ‘satiable curtiosity.’
‘Pooh,’
said the Elephant’s Child. ‘I don’t think you peoples know anything about
spanking; but I do, and I’ll show you.’ Then he uncurled his trunk and knocked
two of his dear brothers head over heels.
‘O
Bananas!’ said they, ‘where did you learn that trick, and what have you done to
your nose?’
‘I
got a new one from the Crocodile on the banks of the great grey-green, greasy Limpopo River
‘It
looks very ugly,’ said his hairy uncle, the Baboon.
‘It
does,’ said the Elephant’s Child. ‘But it’s very useful,’ and he picked up his
hairy uncle, the Baboon, by one hairy leg, and hove him into a hornet’s nest.
Then
that bad Elephant’s Child spanked all his dear families for a long time, till
they were very warm and greatly astonished. He pulled out his tall Ostrich
aunt’s tail-feathers; and he caught his tall uncle, the Giraffe, by the
hind-leg, and dragged him through a thorn-bush; and he shouted at his broad
aunt, the Hippopotamus, and blew bubbles into her ear when she was sleeping in
the water after meals; but he never let any one touch Kolokolo Bird.
At
last things grew so exciting that his dear families went off one by one in a
hurry to the banks of the great grey-green, greasy Limpopo River, all set about
with fever-trees, to borrow new noses from the Crocodile. When they came back
nobody spanked anybody any more; and ever since that day, O Best Beloved, all the
Elephants you will ever see, besides all those that you won’t, have trunks
precisely like the trunk of the ‘satiable Elephant’s Child.
Antonio Llopis and Marta Ullate (1EIN B)
The Elves and the Shoemaker
A
shoemaker, by no fault of his own, became so poor that at last he had nothing
left but enough leather for one pair of shoes.
So
in the evening, he cut the leather into the shape of the shoes, and he left his
work on the table to finish in the morning. He lay down quietly in his bed, and
before he fell asleep he asked God to help him.
In
the morning, just as he was about to sit down to work, he saw the two shoes
standing quite finished on his table.
He
was astounded, and did not know what to make of it.
He
took the shoes in his hands to look at them them more closely and he saw that
they were so neatly made that there was not one bad stitch in them. It just as
if they were intended as a masterpiece.
Soon
after, a customer came in to the shop, and as the shoes pleased him so well, he
paid more than the usual price. Now the shoe maker had enough money to buy
leather for two pairs of shoes.
That
night, he cut out the leather. Next morning he was about to set to work with
fresh hope for the future when he saw that the shoes were already made.
There
was no shortage of customers who wanted the shoes. The shoemaker soon had
enough to buy leather for four pairs of shoes.
The
following morning he found the four pairs made; and so it went on. Any leather
that he cut out in in the evening was finished by the morning,
Soon
he was no longer poor, and he even became quite rich.
Now
one evening not long before Christmas, the man finished cutting out the leather
as usual. But this time he said to his wife, “Let’s stay up to-night to see who
it is that lends us this helping hand?”
The
woman liked the idea, and lighted a candle, and then they hid themselves in a
corner of the room, behind some clothes which were hanging up there, and
watched.
When
it was midnight, two little elves came into the room, both without any clothes
on, and sat down by the shoemaker’s table. They took all the work which was cut
out before them and began to stitch, and sew, and hammer so skillfully and so
quickly with their little fingers that the shoemaker could not turn away his
eyes for astonishment.
They
did not stop until all was done, and stood finished on the table, and then they
ran quickly away.
Next morning the woman
said, “The little men have made us rich, and we really must show that we are
grateful for it. They run about so, and have nothing on, and must be cold. I’ll
tell you what I’ll do: I will make them little shirts, and coats, and vests,
and trousers, and knit both of them a pair of stockings, and you can help too –
make them two little pairsof shoes.”ran quickly away.
The
man said, “I shall be very glad to do it;” and one night, when everything was
ready, they laid their presents all together on the table instead of the
cut-out work. Then hid themselves to see what the little men would do.
At midnight they came
bounding in, and wanted to get to work at once, but as they did not find any
leather cut out, but only the pretty little articles of clothing, they were at
first puzzled, and then delighted. They dressed themselves very quickly,
putting the pretty clothes on, and singing,“Now we are boys so fine to see,
Why should we longer cobblers be?”
Then
they danced and skipped and leapt over chairs and benches. At last they danced
out of doors. From that time one they came no more, but as long as the
shoemaker lived all went well with him, and all his business prospered.
María de las Heras, Rocío Polo, Sandra Molero (1EIN B)
TheFrog
Once
upon a time there was a rich farmer woman who had three sons. One day they all
three told their mother they wanted to get married. To which their mother
replied:
‘Do
as you like, but see that you choose good wives; and, to make certain of this,
take with you these three balls of wool, and give it to the girls to knit.
Whoever knits the best pair of socks will be my favourite daughter-in-law.’
This
is one of Prince Bertie’s favourite stories. It is about an extremely clever
girl-frog who who helps out out a young man in distress.
Hi everybody. My name is Natasha, and I’ve been commanded by His Royal Highnesss, Prince Bertie the Frog, to tell you a Storynory.
Did
you know that Prince Bertie lives in a pond not a palace? His friend Tim the
Tadpole asked him yesterday, “Prince Bertie, when I grow up, will I be a green
frog just like you? Do you know what Bertie told him? (Pause) Really, you
haven’t heard what Prince Bertie said to Tim the Tadpole? Well Prince Bertie
said to Tim the Tadpole, “If you want to grow up to be a nice green frog like
me, you have to eat up lots and lots of green, green slime , little Tim.”
If
enough children keep listening to Prince Bertie’s stories, Tim the Tadpole will
eat up his slime and grow into a handsome frog just like Bertie. So keep
listening,
– and tell all your friends to tune into to Storynory.com as well.
– and tell all your friends to tune into to Storynory.com as well.
Now..do
you really, really want me to read a Storynory? (Pause) Did you say yes? .
Alright, listen quietly, and I will tell you the Storynory of The Frog from The
Violet Fairy Book by Andrew Lang.
THE FROGOnce upon a time there was a rich farmer woman who had three sons. One day they all three told their mother they wanted to get married. To which their mother replied: ‘Do as you like, but see that you choose good wives; and, to make certain of this, take with you these three balls of wool, and give it to the girls to knit. Whoever knits the best pair of socks will be my favourite daughter-in-law.’
Now the two eldest sons had already chosen their wives; so they took the wool from their mother, and carried it off with them, to have it knitted as she had said. But the youngest son was puzzled what to do with his wool, as he knew no girl (never having spoken to any) to whom he could give it to be knitted. He wandered here and there, asking the girls that he met if they would undertake the job for him, but at the sight of the wool they laughed in his face and teased him. Then in despair he left their villages, and went out into the country, and, sitting on the bank of a pond began to cry bitterly.
Suddenly there was a noise close beside him, and a frog jumped out of the water on to the bank and asked him why he was crying. The young man told her of his trouble, and how his brothers would bring home beautifully knitted pairs of socks from their promised wives, but that no one would knit his socks for him.
Then the frog answered: ‘Do not weep because of that; give me the wool, and I will knit it for you.’ And, having said this, she took it out of his hand, and flopped back into the water, and the youth went back, not knowing what would happen next.
In a short time the two elder brothers came home, and their mother asked to see the pairs of socks that had been knitted out of the wool that she had given them. They all three left the room; and in a few minutes the two eldest returned, bringing with them the socks that had been knitted by their chosen wives. But the youngest brother was greatly troubled, for he had nothing to show. Sadly he took himself to the pond, and sitting down on the bank, began to weep.
Flop! and the frog appeared out of the water close beside him.
‘Take this,’ she said; ‘here are the socks that I have knitted for you.’
You may imagine how delighted the young man was. She put the socks into his hands, and he took it straight back to his mother, who was so pleased with it that she declared she had never seen such beautiful warm woollen socks, and that they were much nicer than the socks that the two elder brothers had brought home.
Then she turned to her sons and said: ‘But this is not enough, my sons, I must have another proof as to what sort of wives you have chosen. In the house there are three puppies. Each of you take one, and give it to the woman whom you mean to bring home as your wife. She must train it and bring it up. Whichever dog turns out the best, its mistress will be my favourite daughter-in-law.’
So the young men set out on their different ways, each taking a puppy with him. The youngest, not knowing where to go, returned to the pond, sat down once more on the bank, and began to weep.
Flop! and close beside him, he saw the frog. ‘Why are you weeping?’ she said. Then he told her his difficulty, and that he did not know to whom he should take the puppy.
‘Give it to me,’ she said, ‘and I will bring it up for you.’ And, seeing that the youth hesitated, she took the little creature out of his arms, and disappeared with it into the pond.
The weeks and months passed, till one day the mother said she would like to see how the dogs had been trained by her future daughters-in-law. The two eldest sons departed, and returned shortly, leading with them two great guard dogs, who growled so fiercely, and looked so savage, that the mere sight of them made the mother tremble with fear.
The youngest son, as was his way, went to the pond, and called on the frog to come to his rescue.
In a minute she was at his side, bringing with her the most lovely little dog, which she put into his arms. It sat up and begged with its paws, and went through the prettiest tricks, and was almost human in the way it understood and did what it was told.
In high spirits the youth carried it off to his mother. As soon as she saw it, she exclaimed: ‘This is the most beautiful little dog I have ever seen. You are indeed fortunate, my son; you have won a pearl of a wife.’
Then, turning to the others, she said: ‘Here are three shirts; take them to your chosen wives. Whoever sews the best will be my favourite daughter-in-law.’
So the young men set out once more; and again, this time, the work of the frog was much the best and the neatest.
This time the mother said: ‘Now that I am content with the tests I gave, I want you to go and fetch home your girls, and I will prepare the wedding-feast.’
You may imagine what the youngest brother felt on hearing these words. Where would he find a girl to marry? Would the frog be able to help him in this new difficulty? With bowed head, and feeling very sad, he sat down on the edge of the pond.
Flop! and once more the faithful frog was beside him.
‘What is troubling you so much?’ she asked him, and then the youth told her everything.
‘Will you take me for a wife?’ she asked.
‘What should I do with you as a wife,’ he replied, wondering at her strange proposal.
‘Once more, will you have me or will you not?’ she said.
‘I will neither have you, nor will I refuse you,’ said he.
At this the frog disappeared; and the next minute the youth beheld a lovely little cart, drawn by two tiny ponies, standing on the road. The frog was holding the carriage door open for him to step in.
‘Come with me,’ she said. And he got up and followed her into the cart.
As they drove along the road they met three witches; the first of them was blind, the second was hunchbacked, and the third had a large thorn in her throat. When the three witches beheld the cart, with the frog seated pompously among the cushions, they broke into such fits of laughter that the eyelids of the blind one burst open, and she recovered her sight; the hunchback rolled about on the ground in merriment till her back became straight, and in a roar of laughter the thorn fell out of the throat of the third witch. Their first thought was to reward the frog, who had accidentally cured their misfortunes.
The first witch waved her magic wand over the frog, and changed her into the loveliest girl that had ever been seen. The second witch waved the wand over the tiny cart and ponies, and they were turned into a beautiful large carriage with prancing horses, and a coachman on the seat. The third witch gave the girl a magic purse, filled with money. Having done this, the witches disappeared, and the youth with his lovely bride drove to his mother’s home. The mother was delighted to see her youngest son’s good fortune. A beautiful house was built for them; she was the favourite daughter-in-law; everything went well with them, and they lived happily ever after.
Ending
And
that was the Storynory of The Frog from Andrew Lang’s Violet book of Fairy
Tales. It’s one of Prince Bertie’s favourite stories. Bertie especially likes
Storynories about frogs. Do you?
FlorenciaMussio
or MaríaPascual (1EIN B)
The Princess and the Pea
There
was once upon a time a Prince who wanted to marry a Princess, but she must be a
true Princess. So he traveled through the whole world to find one, but there
was always something against each. There were plenty of Princesses, but he
could not find out if they were true Princesses. In every case there was some
little defect, which showed the genuine article was not yet found. So he came
home again in very low spirits, for he had wanted very much to have a true
Princess. One night there was a dreadful storm; it thundered and lightened and
the rain streamed down in torrents. It was fearful! There was a knocking heard at
the Palace gate, and the old King went to open it.
There
stood a Princess outside the gate; but oh, in what a sad plight she was from
the rain and the storm! The water was running down from her hair and her dress
into the points of her shoes and out at the heels again. And yet she said she
was a true Princess!
‘Well,
we shall soon find that!’ thought the old Queen. But she said nothing, and went
into the sleeping-room, took off all the bed-clothes, and laid a pea on the
bottom of the bed. Then she put twenty mattresses on top of the pea, and twenty
eider-down quilts on the top of the mattresses. And this was the bed in which
the Princess was to sleep.
The
next morning she was asked how she had slept.
‘Oh,
very badly!’ said the Princess. ‘I scarcely closed my eyes all night! I am sure
I don’t know what was in the bed. I laid on something so hard that my whole
body is black and blue. It
is dreadful!’
Now
they perceived that she was a true Princess, because she had felt the pea
through the twenty mattresses and the twenty eider-down quilts.
No
one but a true Princess could be so sensitive.
So
the Prince married her, for now he knew that at last he had got hold of a true
Princess. And the pea was put into the Royal Museum
So
Bertie says that’s how you tell a real princess. Sadie says she would never sit
on a pea, but still Bertie won’t say that she’s a real princess and now she’s
in a bit of a huff. I’m sure she will cheer up soon because she likes Bertie
really.
Coral Rivas (1EIN A)
TheUglyDuckling
It
was summer in the land
of Denmark
It
was under these burdocks that a duck had built herself a warm nest, and was not
sitting all day on six pretty eggs. Five of them were white, but the sixth,
which was larger than the others, was of an ugly grey colour. The duck was
always puzzled about that egg, and how it came to be so different from the
rest. Other birds might have thought that when the duck went down in the
morning and evening to the water to stretch her legs in a good swim, some lazy
mother might have been on the lookout , and have popped her egg into the nest.
But ducks are not clever at all, and are not quick at counting, so this duck
did not worry herself about the matter, but just took care that the big egg
should be as warm as the rest.
This
was the first set of eggs that the duck had ever laid, and, to begin with, she
was very pleased and proud, and laughed at the other mothers, who were always
neglecting their duties to gossip with each other or to take little extra swims
besides the two in the morning and evening that were necessary for health. But
at length she grew tired of sitting there all day. ‘My eggs are taking too long
to hatch,’ she said to herself; and she pined for a little amusement also.
Still,
she knew that if she left her eggs and the ducklings in them to die, none of
her friends would ever speak to her again; so there she stayed, only getting
off the eggs several times a day to see if the shells were cracking–which may
have been the very reason why they did not crack sooner.
She
had looked at the eggs at least a hundred and fifty times, when, to her joy,
she saw a tiny crack on two of them, and scrambling back to the nest she drew
the eggs closer the one to the other, and never moved for the whole of that
day. Next morning she was rewarded by noticing cracks in the whole five eggs,
and by midday two little yellow heads were poking out from the shells. This
encouraged her so much that, after breaking the shells with her bill, so that
the little creatures could get free of them, she sat steadily for a whole night
upon the nest, and before the sun arose the five white eggs were empty, and ten
pairs of eyes were gazing out upon the green world.
Now
the duck had been carefully brought up, and did not like dirt, and, besides,
broken shells are not at all comfortable things to sit or walk upon; so she
pushed the rest out over the side, and felt delighted to have some company to
talk to till the big egg hatched. But day after day went on, and the big egg
showed no signs of cracking, and the duck grew more and more impatient, and
began to wish she could ask the advice of her husband, but he was never around
when she needed him.
‘I
can’t think what is the matter with it,’ the duck grumbled to her neighbour who
had called in to pay her a visit. ‘Why I could have hatched two broods in the
time that this one has taken!’
‘Let
me look at it,’ said the old neighbour. ‘Ah, I thought so; it is a turkey’s
egg. Once, when I was young, they tricked me to sitting on a brood of turkey’s
eggs myself, and when they were hatched the creatures were so stupid that
nothing would make them learn to swim. I have no patience when I think of it.’
‘Well,
I will give it another chance,’ sighed the duck, ‘and if it does not come out
of its shell in another twenty-four hours, I will just leave it alone and teach
the rest of them to swim properly and to find their own food. I really can’t be
expected to do two things at once.’
And with a fluff of her feathers she pushed the egg into the middle of the nest.
And with a fluff of her feathers she pushed the egg into the middle of the nest.
All
through the next day she sat on, giving up even her morning bath for fear that
a blast of cold might strike the big egg. In the evening, when she ventured to
peep, she thought she saw a tiny crack in the upper part of the shell. Filled
with hope, she went back to her duties, though she could hardly sleep all night
for excitement. When she woke with the first steaks of light she felt something
stirring under her. Yes, there it was at last; and as she moved, a big awkward
bird tumbled head foremost on the ground.
There
was no denying it was ugly, even the mother was forced to admit that to herself,
though she only said it was ‘large’ and ‘strong.’
‘You
won’t need any teaching when you are once in the water,’ she told him, with a
glance of surprise at the dull brown which covered his back, and at his long
naked neck. And indeed he did not, though he was not half so pretty to look at
as the little yellow balls that followed her.
When
they returned they found the old neighbour on the bank waiting for them to take
them into the duckyard. ‘No, it is not a young turkey, certainly,’ whispered
she in confidence to the mother, ‘for though it is lean and skinny, and has no
colour to speak of, yet there is something rather distinguished about it, and
it holds its head up well.’
‘It
is very kind of you to say so,’ answered the mother, who by this time had some
secret doubts of its loveliness. ‘Of course, when you see it by itself it is
all right, though it is different, somehow, from the others. But one cannot
expect all one’s children to be beautiful!’
By
this time they had reached the centre of the yard, where a very old duck was
sitting, who was treated with great respect by all the birds who lived on the
water.
‘You
must go up and bow low before her,’ whispered the mother to her children,
nodding her head in the direction of the old lady, ‘and keep your legs well
apart, as you see me do. No well-bred duckling turns in its toes. It is a sign
of common parents.’
The
little ducks tried hard to make their small fat bodies copy the movements of
their mother, and the old lady was quite pleased with them; but the rest of the
ducks looked on feeling annoyed, and one duck in particular said:
‘Oh,
dear me, here are ever so many more little ducks! The yard is full already; and
did you ever see anything quite as ugly as that great tall creature? He is a
disgrace to any brood. I shall go and chase him out!’ So saying she put up her
feathers, and running to the big duckling bit his neck.
The
duckling gave a loud quack; it was the first time he had felt any pain, and at
the sound his mother turned quickly.
‘Leave
him alone,’ she said fiercely, ‘or I will send for his father. He will not
bother you.’
‘No;
but he is so ugly and awkward no one can put up with him,’ answered the
stranger. And though the duckling did not understand the meaning of the words,
he felt he was being blamed, and became more uncomfortable still when the old
Spanish duck who ruled the yard butted in:
‘It
certainly is a great pity he is so different from these beautiful darlings. If
he could only be hatched over again!’
The
poor little fellow drooped his head, and did not know where to look, but was
comforted when his mother answered:
‘He
may not be quite as handsome as the others, but he swims better, and is very
strong; I am sure he will make his way in the world as well as anybody.’
‘Well,
you must feel quite at home here,’ said the old duck waddling off. And so they
did, all except the duckling, who was snapped at by everyone when they thought
his mother was not looking. Even the turkey-cockerel, who was so big, never
passed him without mocking words, and his brothers and sisters, who would not
have noticed any difference unless it had been put into their heads, soon
became as rude and unkind as the rest.
At
last he could bear it no longer, and one day he fancied he saw signs of his
mother turning against him too; so that night, when the ducks and hens were
still asleep, he stole away through an open door, and under cover of the
burdock leaves scrambled on by the bank of the canal, till he reached a wide
grassy moor, full of soft marshy places where the reeds grew. Here he lay down,
but he was too tired and too frightened to fall asleep, and with the earliest
peep of the sun the reeds began to rustle, and he saw that he had blundered
into a colony of wild ducks. But as he could not run away again he stood up and
bowed politely.
‘You
are ugly,’ said the wild ducks, when they had looked him well over; ‘but,
however, it is no business of ours, unless you wish to marry one of our
daughters, and that we should not allow.’ And the duckling answered that he had
no idea of marrying anybody, and wanted nothing but to be left alone after his
long journey.
So
for two whole days he lay quietly among the reeds, eating such food as he could
find, and drinking the water of the moorland pool, till he felt himself quite strong
again. He wished he might stay were he was for ever, he was so comfortable and
happy, away from everyone, with nobody to bite him and tell him how ugly he
was.
He
was thinking these thoughts, when two young geese caught sight of him as they
were having their evening splash among the reeds, looking for their supper.
‘We
are getting tired of this moor,’ they said, ‘and to-morrow we think of trying
another, where the lakes are larger and the feeding better. Will you come with
us?’
‘Is
it nicer than this?’ asked the duckling doubtfully. And the words were hardly
out of his mouth, when ‘Pif! pah!’ and the two new- comers were stretched dead
beside him.
At
the sound of the gun the wild ducks in the rushes flew into the air, and for a
few minutes the firing continued as the huntsmen aimed at the flying birds.
Luckily
for himself the duckling could not fly, and he floundered along through the
water till he could hide himself amidst some tall ferns which grew in a hollow.
But before he got there he met a huge creature on four legs, which soon
realized was dog, who stood and gazed at him with a long red tongue hanging out
of his mouth. The duckling grew cold with terror, and tried to hide his head
beneath his little wings; but the dog snuffed at him and passed on, and he was
able to reach into his hiding place.
‘I
am too ugly even for a dog to eat,’ said he to himself. ‘Well, that is a great
mercy.’ And he curled himself up in the soft grass till the shots died away in
the distance.
When
all had been quiet for a long time, and there were only stars to see him, he
crept out and looked about him.
He
would never go near a pool again, never, thought he; and seeing that the moor
stretched far away in the opposite direction from which he had come, he marched
bravely on till he got to a small cottage, which seemed too tumbledown for the
stones to hold together many hours longer. Even the door only hung upon one
hinge, and as the only light in the room sprang from a tiny fire, the duckling
edged himself cautiously in, and lay down under a chair close to the broken
door, from which he could get out if necessary. But no one seemed to see him or
smell him; so he spend the rest of the night in peace.
Now
in the cottage there lived an old woman, her cat, and a hen; and it was really
they, and not she, who were masters of the house. The old woman, who passed all
her days in spinning yarn, which she sold at the nearest town, loved both the
cat and the hen as her own children, and never did anything they didn’t want in
any way; so it was them, not her, that the duckling had to ask for a favour.
It
was only next morning, when it grew light, that they noticed their visitor, who
stood trembling before them, with his eye on the door ready to escape at any
moment. They did not, however, appear very fierce, and the duckling became less
afraid as they approached him.
‘Can
you lay eggs?’ asked the hen. And the duckling answered meekly:
‘No;
I don’t know how.’ Upon which the hen turned her back, and the cat came
forward.
‘Can
you ruffle your fur when you are angry, or purr when you are pleased?’ said
she. And again the duckling had to admit that he could do nothing but swim,
which did not seem of much use to anybody.
So
the cat and the hen went straight off to the old woman, who was still in bed.
‘Such
a useless creature has taken refuge here,’ they said. ‘It calls itself a duckling;
but it can neither lay eggs nor purr! What had we better do with it?’
‘Keep
it, to be sure!’ replied the old woman briskly. ‘It is all nonsense about it
not laying eggs. Anyway, we will let it stay here for a bit, and see what
happens.’
So
the duckling remained for three weeks, and shared the food of the cat and the
hen; but nothing in the way of eggs happened at all. Then the sun came out, and
the air grew soft, and the duckling grew tired of being in a hut, and wanted
with all his might to have a swim. And one morning he got so restless that even
his friends noticed it.
‘What
is the matter?’ asked the hen; and the duckling told her.
‘I
am so longing for the water again. You can’t think how delicious it is to put
your head under the water and dive straight to the bottom.’
‘I
don’t think I should enjoy it,’ replied the hen doubtfully. ‘And I don’t think
the cat would like it either.’ And the cat, when asked, agreed there was
nothing she would hate so much.
‘I
can’t stay here any longer, I Must get to the water,’ repeated the duck. And
the cat and the hen, who felt hurt and offended, answered shortly:
‘Very
well then, go.’
The
duckling would have liked to say good- bye, and thank them for their kindness,
as he was polite by nature; but they had both turned their backs on him, so he
went out of the rickety door feeling rather sad. But, in spite of himself, he
could not help a thrill of joy when he was out in the air and water once more,
and cared little for the rude glances of the creatures he met. For a while he
was quite happy and content; but soon the winter came on, and snow began to
fall, and everything to grow very wet and uncomfortable. And the duckling soon
found that it is one thing to enjoy being in the water, and quite another to
like being damp on land.
The
sun was setting one day, like a great scarlet globe, and the river, to the
duckling’s vast bewilderment, was getting hard and slippery, when he heard a
sound of whirring wings, and high up in the air a flock of swans were flying.
They were as white as snow which had fallen during the night, and their long
necks with yellow bills were stretched to a land where the sun shone all day.
Oh, if he only could have gone with them! But that was not possible, of course;
and besides, what sort of companion could an ugly thing like him be to those
beautiful beings? So he walked sadly down to a sheltered pool and dived to the
very bottom, and tried to think it was the greatest happiness he could dream
of. But, all the same, he knew it wasn’t!
And
every morning it grew colder and colder, and the duckling had hard work to keep
himself warm. Indeed, it would be truer to say that he never was warm at all;
and at last, after one bitter night, his legs moved so slowly that the ice
crept closer and closer, and when the morning light broke he was caught fast,
as in a trap; and soon his senses went from him.
A
few hours more and the poor duckling’s life had been ended. But, by good
fortune, a man was crossing the river on his way to his work, and saw in a
moment what had happened. He had on thick wooden shoes, and he went and stamped
so hard on the ice that it broke, and then he picked up the duckling and tucked
him under his sheepskin coat, where his frozen bones began to thaw a
little.Instead of going on his work, the man turned back and took the bird to
his children, who gave him a warm mess to eat and put him in a box by the fire,
and when they came back from school he was much more comfortable than he had
been since he had left the old woman’s cottage.
They were kind little children, and wanted to play with him; but, alas! the poor fellow had never played in his life, and thought they wanted to tease him, and flew straight into the milk-pan, and then into the butter-dish, and from that into the meal- barrel, and at last, terrified at the noise and confusion, right out of the door, and hid himself in the snow amongst the bushes at the back of the house.
They were kind little children, and wanted to play with him; but, alas! the poor fellow had never played in his life, and thought they wanted to tease him, and flew straight into the milk-pan, and then into the butter-dish, and from that into the meal- barrel, and at last, terrified at the noise and confusion, right out of the door, and hid himself in the snow amongst the bushes at the back of the house.
He
never could tell afterwards exactly how he had spent the rest of the winter. He
only knew that he was very miserable and that he never had enough to eat. But
by-and-by things grew better. The earth became softer, the sun hotter, the
birds sang, and the flowers once more appeared in the grass. When he stood up,
he felt different, somehow, from what he had done before he fell asleep among
the reeds to which he had wandered after he had escaped from the peasant’s hut.
His body seemed larger, and his wings stronger. Something pink looked at him
from the side of a hill. He thought he would fly towards it and see what it
was.
Oh,
how glorious it felt to be rushing through the air, wheeling first one way and
then the other! He had never thought that flying could be like that! The
duckling was almost sorry when he drew near the pink cloud and found it was
made up of apple blossoms growing beside a cottage whose garden ran down to the
banks of the canal. He fluttered slowly to the ground and paused for a few
minutes under a thicket of, and while he was gazing about him, there walked
slowly past a flock of the same beautiful birds he had seen so many months ago.
Fascinated, he watched them one by one step into the canal, and float quietly upon the waters as if they were part of them.
Fascinated, he watched them one by one step into the canal, and float quietly upon the waters as if they were part of them.
‘I
will follow them,’ said the duckling to himself; ‘ugly though I am, I would
rather be killed by them than suffer all I have suffered from cold and hunger,
and from the ducks and fowls who should have treated me kindly.’ And flying
quickly down to the water, he swam after them as fast as he could.
It
did not take him long to reach them, for they had stopped to rest in a green
pool shaded by a tree whose branches swept the water. And directly they saw him
coming some of the younger ones swam out to meet him with cries of welcome,
which again the duckling hardly understood.
He approached them glad, yet trembling, and turning to one of the older birds, who by this time had left the shade of the tree, he said:
He approached them glad, yet trembling, and turning to one of the older birds, who by this time had left the shade of the tree, he said:
‘If
I am to die, I would rather you should kill me. I don’t know why I was ever
hatched, for I am too ugly to live.’ And as he spoke, he bowed his head and
looked down into the water.
Reflected
in the still pool he saw many white shapes, with long necks and golden bills,
and, without thinking, he looked for the dull grey body and the awkward skinny
neck. But no such thing was there.
Instead, he beheld beneath him a beautiful white swan!
Instead, he beheld beneath him a beautiful white swan!
‘The
new one is the best of all,’ said the children when they came down to feed the
swans with biscuit and cake before going to bed. ‘His feathers are whiter and
his beak more golden than the rest.’ And when he heard that, the duckling
thought that it was worth while having undergone all the persecution and
loneliness that he had passed through, as otherwise he would never have known
what it was to be really happy.