Hello my sleepy friend,
As we step into a world of enchantment,
I invite you to unwind,
Relax,
And let the soothing sounds of rain embrace you like a gentle lullaby.
Before we dive into the magical tales that await,
Take a moment to find comfort in your surroundings.
Find a comfortable spot and let the gentle raindrops outside be the backdrop to your tranquil escape.
Tonight our adventure will unfold beneath the comforting melody of rain,
Adding a soothing touch to each story.
These timeless fairy tales are not just tales,
But companions for your journey into restful sleep.
And before we embark on this bedtime journey,
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So,
As you settle in,
Allow those shoulders to soften,
Unclench your jaw,
Soften those eyes,
Take a slow deep breath,
And allow the gentle rain sounds to guide you to a feeling of relaxation and peace.
Let the raindrops carry away any worries of the day.
And so,
As always my friend,
Take a full comfortable breath,
And as you exhale,
Lay back,
Relax,
And enjoy the story.
Once upon a time,
There was a poor widow who lived in a little cottage with her only son,
Jack.
Jack was a giddy,
Thoughtless boy,
But very kind-hearted and affectionate.
There had been a hard winter,
And after it,
The poor woman had suffered from fever and ache.
Jack did no work as yet,
And by degrees,
They grew dreadfully poor.
The widow saw that there was no means of keeping Jack and herself from starvation,
But by selling her cow.
So one morning,
She said to her son,
I am too weak to go myself,
Jack,
So you must take the cow to market for me and sell her.
Jack liked going to the market to sell the cow very much,
But as he was on the way,
He met a butcher who had some beautiful beans in his hand.
Jack stopped to look at them,
And the butcher told the boy that they were of great value,
And persuaded him to sell the cow for them.
And Jack was so silly as to consent to this foolish bargain.
When he brought them home to his mother,
Instead of the money she expected for her nice cow,
She was very vexed and shed many tears,
Scolding Jack for his folly.
He was very sorry,
But he said he might as well make the best of his bargain.
So he put the seed beans into the ground close by the side of the steep hill,
Under shelter of which their cottage was built,
And went to bed.
The next morning,
When he got up,
He found that the beans had grown,
Till the beanstalks reached right over the top of the hill,
And were lost to his sight.
Greatly surprised,
He called his mother,
And they both gazed in silent wonder at the beanstalk,
Which was not only of great height,
But was thick enough to bear Jack's weight.
I wonder where it goes,
Said Jack to his mother.
I think I will climb up and see.
His mother wished him not to venture up the strange ladder,
But Jack coaxed her to give her consent to the attempt,
For he was certain there must be something wonderful in the beanstalk.
Jack instantly began to climb,
And went up and up on the ladder-like bean,
Till everything he had left behind him,
The cottage,
The village,
And even the tall church tower,
Looked quite little,
And still he did not see the top of the beanstalk.
Jack felt a little tired,
And thought for a moment that he would go back again,
But he was a very persevering boy,
And he knew that the way to succeed in anything is not to give up.
So after resting for a moment,
He went on,
And at last reached the top of the bean,
And found himself in a beautiful country,
Finely wooded,
And not far from the place where he had got off the beanstalk,
Stood a fine and strong castle.
Jack wondered very much that he had never heard of or seen this castle before,
But when he reflected on the subject,
He saw that it was as much separated from the village by the perpendicular rock on which it stood,
As if it were in another land.
While Jack was standing looking at the castle,
A very strange-looking woman came out of the wood and advanced towards him.
Jack took off his hat to the old lady,
And she said,
Pointing to the castle,
Boy,
That castle belongs to you.
A wicked giant killed your father,
And took it from your mother.
Try and win it back from the monster who now has it.
As she ceased speaking,
She suddenly disappeared,
And of course Jack knew she was a fairy.
He was much surprised,
However.
He walked up to the castle door and knocked,
And an old giantess came out.
She did not wait till he spoke,
But pulled him in at once,
For she thought he would make a nice supper for her when her husband was asleep.
Just at that moment,
However,
She heard the giant's step approaching,
So she put Jack into a press,
And told him to hide there,
Or the giant would eat him.
As soon as the ogre came in,
He cried in a terrible voice.
Fee,
Fie,
Foe,
Fum,
I smell the breath of an Englishman.
Oh,
Said his wife,
There's nobody here.
You only smell a crow that is flying over the chimney.
Then the giant sat down to dinner,
Which was quite ready,
And when he had eaten a whole sheep,
He said,
Bring me my hen.
The giantess brought a hen,
And put it on the table before him,
And then she went away.
Lay,
Said the giant to the hen,
And she laid a golden egg.
Jack could see quite plainly through a little hole which he had bored in the door.
Three times the giant said,
Lay,
And each time the hen laid a solid gold egg.
Then the ogre,
Being drowsy,
Shut his eyes,
And soon snored very loudly.
Directly,
Jack found that the giant was asleep.
He stole out of the press,
Caught up the hen,
Ran out of the room,
Opened the door of the castle,
Which the giant had left ajar,
And descended the beanstalk as fast as he could go.
His mother was glad to see him again,
And much surprised at seeing the hen,
Which laid them three gold eggs every day.
Jack's mother took them to the next town and sold them,
And soon grew quite rich.
Sometime afterwards,
Jack made another journey up the beanstalk to the giant's castle.
But first he dyed his hair and disguised himself.
The old woman did not know him again,
And dragged him in as she had done before to eat him by and by.
But once more she heard her husband coming,
And hid him in the press,
Not thinking that it was the same boy who had stolen the hen.
She put him into the same press,
And bade him stay quite still there,
Or the giant would eat him.
Then the giant came in,
Saying,
Fee,
Fie,
Foe,
Fum,
I smell the breath of an Englishman.
Oh,
Said his wife,
It is only the cow herd who has just been here.
We cannot spare him for your dinner.
Then the giant sat down,
And when he had eaten half an ox,
He told his wife to bring his money bags to him.
She instantly went and fetched two large bags full of gold,
And then left him to go about her usual housework.
The ogre counted out the gold twice over,
And then put it into the bags and tied them up.
In a few minutes,
Jack heard him snore.
He directly crept out of the press,
Seized the bags,
And hurrying out of the castle,
Carried them home quite safely.
Jack's mother was glad to see him safe at home again,
And for a long time she would not let him go up the beanstalk.
But Jack knew he had not yet obeyed the fairy's command to win back the castle.
So after a time,
He set off once more on this adventure,
And tapped again at the castle door.
The giantess,
Who was very stupid,
Did not know him again,
But she stopped a minute before she took him in.
She feared another robbery,
But Jack's fresh cheeks looked so tempting that she could not resist him,
And so she bade him come in.
But at that moment,
She heard her husband's step approaching.
Afraid of losing her supper,
The ogre sat once shut Jack in the press,
And she had hardly hidden him when the giant came in,
Saying as usual,
Fee,
Fie,
Foe,
Fum,
I smell the blood of an Englishman.
Oh no,
Said his wife,
It is only the shepherd who has been up with the sheep for your dinner.
The giant sat down,
And when he had eaten a whole sheep,
He said,
I should like some music,
Bring me my harp.
The ogress went and brought a golden harp to him,
Set it on the table,
And went away.
Then the ogre said,
Play to the harp,
And it played so delightfully that Jack was charmed.
By and by,
However,
The giant snored so loud that he could not hear the music,
And Jack quickly stole out,
And seizing the harp,
Ran away with it.
But the harp was a fairy belonging to the giant,
And as Jack ran,
It cried out,
Master,
Master.
The giant woke up slowly and rushed after Jack,
But the boy was very nimble and outran him.
You may imagine how fast Jack went down the beanstalk this time,
Hearing all the while the tramp of the giant's feet behind him.
Just as he reached the bottom,
He saw the ogre looking down on him.
The next moment his great feet were on the beanstalk.
Mother,
Mother,
Bring me the axe,
Cried Jack.
His mother hastened with it,
And just as the giant was halfway down the beanstalk,
Jack succeeded in chopping it in halves.
The lower half fell,
The upper half swang away,
And the giant,
Losing his hold,
Fell heavily to the ground on his head and broke his neck.
The same moment,
The fairy again stood beside Jack,
And touching the broken beanstalk was turned into a flight of broad easy steps.
Go up,
She said,
And take possession of your own home,
So long kept from you.
The ogre is dead,
And there's no more danger.
You've been brave and good.
May you be happy.
Jack thanked the fairy very warmly for her aid,
And she again departed to Fairyland after explaining to Jack that she had been the butcher who sold him the beans.
There was once a miller who left nothing to his three sons other than what he had.
His mill,
His donkey,
And his cat.
The partition was soon made.
Neither the scrivener nor attorney were sent for.
They would soon have eaten up all the poor patrimony.
The eldest had the mill,
The second the donkey,
And the youngest nothing but the cat.
The poor young fellow was quite comfortless at having so poor a lot.
My brothers,
Said he,
May get their living handsomely enough by joining their stocks together,
But for my part,
When I have eaten up my cat and made me a muff of his skin,
I must die with hunger.
The cat,
Who heard all this,
But made as if he did not,
Said to him with a brave and serious air,
Do not thus afflict yourself,
My good master.
You have only to give me a bag and get a pair of boots made for me,
That I may scamper through the dirt and the brambles,
And you shall see that you have not so bad a portion of me as you imagine.
Although the son did not build very much upon what he said,
He had,
However,
Often seen the cat play a great many cunning tricks to catch rats and mice,
As when he used to hang by the heels,
Or hide himself in the mill,
And make as if he were dead,
So that he did not altogether despair of his affording him some help in his miserable condition.
When the cat had what he had asked for,
He booted himself very gallantly,
And putting his bag about his neck,
He held the strings of it in his two forepaws,
And went into a warren where was great abundance of rabbits.
He put bran and sow thistle into his bag,
And stretching himself out as length as if he had been dead,
He waited for some young rabbit,
Not yet acquainted with the deceits of the world,
To come and rummage his bag for what he had put into it.
Scarce was he laying down,
But he had what he wanted.
A rash and foolish young rabbit jumped into his bag,
Immediately drawing close the strings,
Took and killed him without pity.
Proud of his prey,
He went with it to the palace,
And asked to speak with his majesty.
He was showed upstairs into the king's apartment,
And,
Making a low reverence,
Said to him,
I have brought you,
Sir,
A rabbit of the warren which my noble lord,
The Marquis of Carabas,
For that was the title which Puss was pleased to give his master,
Has commanded me to present to your majesty from him.
Tell your master,
Said the king,
That I thank him,
And that he does me a great deal of pleasure.
Another time he went and hid himself among some standing corn,
Holding his bag open,
And when a brace of partridges ran into it,
He drew the strings,
And so caught them both.
He went and made a present of these to the king,
As he had done before of the rabbit.
The king,
In like manner,
Received the partridges with great pleasure,
And ordered him some money to drink.
The cat continued for two or three months,
Thus to carry his majesty from time to time game of his master's taking.
One day in particular,
When he knew for certain that the king was to take a walk along the riverside with his daughter,
The most beautiful princess in the world,
He said to his master,
The son,
If you will follow my advice,
Your fortune is made.
You have nothing else to do but go wash yourself in the river in the place that I show you.
Leave the rest to me.
The son did what the cat advised him to,
Without knowing why or wherefore.
While he was washing,
The king passed by,
And the cat began to cry out as loud as he could,
Help,
Help,
My lord Marquis of Carabas is drowning.
At this noise,
The king put his head out of his coach window,
And finding it was the cat who had so often brought him such good gain,
He commanded his guards to run immediately to the assistance of his lordship,
The Marquis of Carabas.
While they were drawing the poor Marquis out of the river,
The cat came up to the coach and told the king that while his master was washing,
There came by some rogues who went off with his clothes,
Though he had cried out thieves,
Thieves,
Several times as loud as he could.
This cunning cat had actually hidden the clothes under a great stone.
The king immediately commanded the officers of his wardrobe to run and fetch one of his best suits for the lord Marquis of Carabas.
The king received him with great kindness,
And as the fine clothes he had given him extremely set off his good appearance,
For he was well made and very handsome in his person,
The king's daughter took a secret inclination to him,
And the son had no sooner cast two or three respectful and somewhat tender glances,
But she fell in love with him to distraction.
The king then asked the son to join him in his coach and take a walk with them.
The cat quite overjoyed to see his project begin to succeed,
Marched on before,
And meeting with some countrymen who were mowing a meadow,
He said to them,
Good people,
You who are mowing,
If you do not tell the king that the meadow you mow belongs to my lord Marquis of Carabas,
You shall be chopped as small as mince meat.
The king did not fail to ask the mowers whose meadow they were mowing.
To my lord Marquis of Carabas,
Answered they all together,
For the cat's threats had made them terribly afraid.
Truly a fine estate,
Said the king to the Marquis of Carabas.
You see,
Sir,
Said the son,
This is a meadow which never fails to yield a plentiful harvest every year.
The master cat,
Who still went on ahead,
Met with some reapers and said to them,
Good people,
You who are reaping,
If you do not tell the king that all this corn belongs to the Marquis of Carabas,
You shall be chopped as small as mince meat.
The king,
Who passed by a moment after,
Needed to know to whom all that corn he saw belonged.
To my lord Marquis of Carabas,
Replied the reapers,
And the king again congratulated the son.
The master cat,
Who went always before,
Said the same words to all he met,
And the king was astonished at the vast estates of my lord Marquis of Carabas.
Puss came at last to a stately castle,
The master of which was an ogre,
The richest had ever been known,
For all the lands which the king had then gone over belonged to this castle.
The cat,
Who had taken care to inform himself who this ogre was and what he could do,
Asked to speak with him,
Saying he could not pass so near his castle without having the honor of paying his respects to him.
The ogre received him as civilly as an ogre could,
And made him sit down.
I have been assured,
Said the cat,
That you have the gift of being able to change yourself into all sorts of creatures you have a mind to.
You can,
For example,
Transform yourself into a lion,
Or elephant,
And the like.
This is true,
Answered the ogre very briskly,
And to convince you,
You shall see me now become a lion.
Puss was so sadly terrified at the sight of a lion so near him,
That he immediately got into the gutter,
Not without abundance of trouble and danger,
Because of his boots,
Which were ill-suited for walking upon the tiles.
A little while after,
When Puss saw that the ogre had resumed his natural form,
He came down,
And ohmed he had been very much frightened.
I have been more over-informed,
Said the cat,
But I know not how to believe it,
That you have also the power to take on you the shape of the smallest animals,
For example,
To change yourself into a rat or a mouse,
But I must confess to you,
I take this to be impossible.
Impossible,
Cried the ogre,
You shall see that presently,
And at the same time changed into a mouse,
And began to run about the floor.
Puss no sooner perceived this,
But he fell upon him and ate him up.
Meanwhile,
The king,
Who saw as he passed this fine castle of the ogres,
Had a mind to go into it.
Puss,
Who heard the noise of the majesty's coach running over the drawbridge,
Ran out and said to the king,
Your majesty is welcome to this castle of my lord Marquis of Carabas.
What?
My lord Marquis,
Cried the king,
And does this castle also belong to you?
There can be nothing finer than this court,
And all the stately buildings which surround it.
Let us go into it,
If you please.
The sun gave his hand to the princess,
And followed the king,
Who went up first.
They passed into a spacious hall,
Where they found a magnificent collation which the ogre had prepared for his friends,
Who were there that very day to visit him,
But dared not to enter,
Knowing the king was there.
His majesty was perfectly charmed with the good qualities of my lord Marquis of Carabas,
As was his daughter,
Who was fallen violently in love with him,
And seeing the vast estate he possessed,
Said to him,
After having drank five or six glasses,
I want you,
My lord Marquis,
To be my son-in-law.
The sun,
Making several low bows,
Accepted the honor which his majesty conferred upon him,
And forthwith,
That very same day,
Married the princess.
Puss became a great lord,
And never ran after mice anymore,
But only for his diversion.
There was once upon a time a poor miller who had a very beautiful daughter.
Now it happened one day that he had an audience with the king,
And in order to appear a person of some importance,
He told him that he had a daughter who could spin straw into gold.
Now that's a talent worth having,
Said the king to the miller.
If your daughter is as clever as you say,
Bring her to my palace tomorrow,
And I'll put her to the test.
When the girl was brought to him,
He led her into a room full of straw,
Gave her a spinning wheel and spindle,
And said,
Now set to work,
And spin all night till early dawn,
And if by that time you haven't spun the straw into gold,
You shall die.
Then he closed the door behind him,
And left her alone inside.
So the poor miller's daughter sat down,
And didn't know what in the world she was to do.
She hadn't the least idea of how to spin straw into gold,
And became at last so miserable that she began to cry.
Suddenly the door opened,
And in stepped a tiny little man and said,
Good evening Miss Miller Maid,
Why are you crying so bitterly?
Oh,
Answered the girl,
I have to spin straw into gold,
And haven't a notion how it's done.
What will you give me if I spin it for you,
Asked the mannequin.
My necklace,
Replied the girl.
The little man took the necklace,
Sat himself down at the wheel,
And whirr,
Whirr,
Whirr,
The wheel went round three times,
And the bobbin was full.
Then he put on another,
And whirr,
Whirr,
Whirr,
The wheel went round three times,
And the second too was full.
And so it went on till the morning,
When all the straw was spun away,
And all the bobbins were full of gold.
As soon as the sun rose,
The king came,
And when he perceived the gold,
He was astonished and delighted,
But his heart only lusted more than ever after the precious metal.
He had the Miller's daughter put into another room full of straw,
Much bigger than the first,
And bade her,
If she valued her life,
Spin it all into gold before the following morning.
The girl didn't know what to do,
And began to cry.
Then the door opened as before,
And the little man appeared and said,
What will you give me if I spin the straw into gold for you?
The ring from my finger,
Answered the girl.
The mannequin took the ring,
And whirr,
Round went the spinning wheel again,
And when morning broke,
He had spun all the straw into glittering gold.
The king was pleased beyond measure at the sights,
But his greed for gold was still not satisfied,
And he had the Miller's daughter brought into a yet bigger room full of straw,
And said,
You must spin all this away in the night,
But if you succeed this time,
You shall become my wife.
She's only a Miller's daughter,
It's true,
He thought,
But I couldn't find a richer wife if I were to search the whole world over.
When the girl was alone,
The little man appeared for the third time and said,
What do you give me if I spin the straw for you once again?
I've nothing more to give,
Answered the girl.
Then promise me when you are queen,
To give me your first child.
Who knows what may not happen before that,
Thought the Miller's daughter,
And besides,
She saw no other way out of it,
So she promised the mannequin what he demanded,
And he set to work once more,
And spun the straw into gold.
When the king came in the morning,
And found everything as he had desired,
He straight away made her his wife,
And the Miller's daughter became a queen.
When a year had passed,
A beautiful son was born to her,
And she thought no more of the little man,
Till all of a sudden one day,
He stepped into her room and said,
Now give me what you promised.
The queen was in a great state,
And offered the little man all the riches in her kingdom,
If he would only leave her the child.
But the mannequin said,
No,
A living creature is dearer to me than all the treasures in the world.
Then the queen began to cry and sob so bitterly,
That the little man was sorry for her and said,
I'll give you three days to guess my name,
And if you find it out in that time,
You may keep your child.
Then the queen pondered the whole night over all the names she had ever heard,
And sent a messenger to scour the land,
And to pick up far and near any names he could come across.
When the little man arrived on the following day,
She began with Casper,
Melchior,
Belshazzar,
And all the other names she knew in a string,
But at each one the mannequin called out,
That's not my name.
The next day,
She sent to inquire the names of all the people in the neighborhood,
And had a long list of the most uncommon and extraordinary for the little man when he made his appearance.
Is your name perhaps Sheepshanks?
Crookshanks?
Spindleshanks?
But he always replied,
That's not my name.
On the third day,
The messenger returned and announced,
I have not been able to find any new names,
But as I came upon a hill around the corner of the wood,
Where the foxes and hares bid each other good night,
I saw a little house,
And in front of the house burned a fire,
And round the fire sprang the most grotesque little man,
Hopping on one leg and crying,
Tomorrow I brew,
Today I bake,
And then the child away I'll take,
For little deems my royal dame,
That rumpelstiltskin is my name.
You can imagine the queen's delight at hearing the name,
And when the little man stepped in shortly afterward and asked,
Now my lady queen,
What's my name?
She asked first,
Is your name Conrad?
No.
Is your name Harry?
No.
Is your name perhaps rumpelstiltskin?
Some demon has told you that,
Some demon has told you that,
Screamed the little man,
And in his rage drove his right foot so far into the ground that it sank in up to his waist,
Then in a passion he seized the left foot with both hands and tore himself in two.
There was once a shoemaker who worked very hard and was very honest,
But still he could not earn enough to live upon,
And at last all he had in the world was gone,
Save just leather enough to make one pair of shoes.
Then he cut his leather out,
All ready to make up the next day,
Meaning to rise early in the morning to his work.
His conscience was clear and his heart light amidst all his troubles,
So he went peacefully to bed,
Left all his cares to heaven,
And soon fell asleep.
In the morning,
After he had said his prayers,
He sat himself down to his work,
When,
To his great wonder,
There stood the shoes already made upon the table.
The good man knew not what to say or think at such an odd thing happening.
He looked at the workmanship.
There was not one false stitch in the whole job.
All was so neat and true that it was quite a masterpiece.
The same day,
A customer came in,
And the shoes suited him so well that he willingly paid a price higher than usual for them.
And the poor shoemaker,
With the money,
Bought leather enough to make two pairs more.
In the evening,
He cut out the work and went to bed early,
That he might get up and begin early next day.
But he was saved all the trouble,
For when he got up in the morning,
The work was done ready to his hand.
Soon in came buyers,
Who paid him handsomely for his goods,
So that he bought leather enough for four pair more.
He cut out the work again overnight,
And found it done in the morning as before.
And so it went on for some time.
What was got ready in the evening was always done by daybreak,
And the good man soon became thriving and well off again.
One evening,
About Christmas time,
As he and his wife were sitting over the fire chatting together,
He said to her,
I should like to sit up and watch tonight,
That we may see who it is that comes and does my work for me.
The wife liked the thought,
So they left a light burning,
And hid themselves in a corner of the room,
Behind a curtain that was hung up there,
And watched what would happen.
As soon as it was midnight,
There came in two little naked dwarfs,
And they sat themselves upon the shoemaker's bench,
Took up all the work that was cut out,
And began to apply with their little fingers,
Stitching and wrapping and tapping away at such a rate,
That the shoemaker was all wonder,
And could not take his eyes off them.
And on they went,
Till the job was quite done,
And the shoes stood ready for use upon the table.
This was long before daybreak,
And then they bustled away as quick as lightning.
The next day,
The wife said to the shoemaker,
These little whites have made us rich,
And we ought to be thankful to them,
And do them a good turn if we can.
I am quite sorry to see them run about as they do,
And indeed it is not very decent,
For they have nothing upon their backs to keep off the cold.
I'll tell you what,
I will make each of them a shirt and a coat and a waistcoat,
And a pair of pantaloons into the bargain,
And do you make each of them a little pair of shoes.
The thought pleased the good cobbler very much,
And one evening,
When all the things were ready,
They laid them on the table,
Instead of the work that they used to cut out,
And then went and hid themselves,
To watch what the little elves would do.
About midnight in they came,
Dancing and skipping,
Hopped round the room,
And then went to sit down to their work as usual.
But when they saw the clothes lying for them,
They laughed and chuckled,
And seemed mightily delighted.
Then they dressed themselves in the twinkling of an eye,
And danced and capered and sprang about as merry as could be,
Till at last they danced out the door and away over the green.
The good couple saw them no more,
But everything went well with them from that time forward,
As long as they lived.
Hamelin is a sleepy little town upon the Solent shore.
Sleepy as it is now,
It was once noisy enough,
And what made the noise was rats.
The place was so infested with them as to be scarce worth living in.
There wasn't a barn,
Or a cornrick,
Or a storeroom,
Or a cupboard,
But they ate their way into it.
Not a cheese,
But they gnawed it all.
Not a sugar pungent,
But they cleared out.
Why,
The very meat and beer in the barrels was not safe from them.
They'd gnaw a hole in the top of a wine cask,
And down would go one master's rat's tail,
And when he brought it up,
Round would crowd all their friends and cousins,
And each would have a suck at the tail.
Had they stopped here,
It might have been bearable.
But the squeaking and shrieking,
The hurrying and scurrying,
So that you could neither hear yourself speak,
Nor get a wink of good honest sleep the live long night.
Not to mention that,
Mama must needs sit up,
And keep watch and ward over baby's cradle,
Or there'd have been a big ugly rat running across the poor little fellow's face,
And doing who knows what mischief.
Why didn't the good people of the town have cats?
Well,
They did,
And there was a fair stand-up fight.
But in the end,
The rats were too many,
And the cats were regularly driven from the field.
Poison,
I hear you say?
Why,
They poisoned so many,
That it fairly bred a plague.
Rat-catchers!
Why,
There wasn't a rat-catcher from John Oakgrove's house to the land's end that hadn't tried his luck.
But do what they might,
Cats or poison,
Terrier or traps,
There seemed to be more rats than ever,
And every day a fresh rat was cocking his tail,
Or pricking his whiskers.
The mayor and the town council were at their wit's end,
As they were sitting one day in the town hall,
Racking their poor brains,
And bewailing their hard fate,
Who should run in but the town beetle?
Please,
Your honor,
Says he,
Here is a very strange fellow come to town.
I don't rightly know what to make of him.
Show him in,
Said the mayor,
And in he stepped.
A strange fellow,
Indeed,
For there wasn't a color of the rainbow,
But you might find it in some corner of his dress,
And he was tall and thin,
And had keen,
Piercing eyes.
Uncalled the pied piper he began,
And pray what might you be willing to pay me if I rid you of every single rat in Hamelin?
Well,
Much as they feared the rats,
They feared parting with their money more,
And they would have higgled and haggled.
But the piper was not a man to stand nonsense,
And the upshot was that fifty pounds were promised him,
And it meant a lot of money in those old days.
Out of the hall stepped the piper,
And as he stepped,
He laid his pipe to his lips,
And a shrill,
Keen tune sounded through street and house,
And as each note pierced the air,
You might have seen a strange sight,
For out of every hole the rats came tumbling.
There was none too old,
And none too young,
None too big,
And none too little to crowd at the piper's heels,
And with eager feet and upturned noses to patter after him as he paced the streets.
Nor was the piper unmindful of the little toddling ones,
For every fifty yards he'd stop and give an extra flourish on his pipe,
Just to give them time to keep up with the older and stronger of the band.
Up Silver Street he went,
And down Gold Street,
And at the end of Gold Street is the harbour,
And the broad Solent River beyond,
And as he paced along,
Slowly and gravely,
The townsfolk flocked to door and window,
And many a blessing they called down upon his head.
As for getting near him,
There were too many rats,
And now that he was at the water's edge,
He stepped into a boat,
And not a rat,
As he shoved off into deep water,
Piping shrilly all the while,
But followed him,
Flashing,
Paddling,
And wagging their tails with delight.
On and on he played and played,
Until the tide went down,
And each master rat sank deeper and deeper in the slimy ooze of the harbour,
Until every mother's son of them was dead and smothered.
The tide rose again,
And the piper stepped on shore,
But never a rat followed.
You may fancy the townsfolk had been throwing up their caps and hurraying,
And stopping up rat holes,
And setting the church bells a-ringing,
But when the piper stepped ashore,
And not so much as a single squeak was to be heard,
The mayor and the council,
And the townsfolk generally,
Began to hum and to haw,
And to shake their heads,
For the town money chest had been sadly emptied of late,
And where was the fifty pounds to come from?
Such an easy job,
Too,
Just getting into a boat and playing a pipe,
Why the mayor himself could have done that if he only had thought of it.
So he hummed and hawed,
And at last,
Come my good man,
Said the mayor,
You see what poor folk we are,
How can we manage to pay you fifty pounds?
Will you not take twenty?
When all is said and done,
It will be good pay for the trouble you've taken.
Fifty pounds was what I bargained for,
Said the piper shortly,
And if I were you,
I'd pay it quickly,
For I can pipe many kinds of tunes,
As folks sometimes find to their cost.
Would you threaten us,
You strolling vagabond,
Shrieked the mayor,
And at the same time he winked to the council.
The rats are all dead and drowned,
Muttered he,
And so you may do your worst,
My good man,
And with that he turned short upon his heel.
Very well,
Said the piper,
And he smiled a quiet smile.
With that he laid his pipe to his lips afresh,
But now there came forth no shrill notes,
As it were,
Of scraping and gnawing and squeaking and scurrying,
But the tune was joyous and resonant,
Full of a happy laughter and merry play.
And as he paced down the streets,
The elders mocked,
But from schoolroom and playroom,
From nursery and workshop,
Not a child but ran out with eager glee and shout,
Following gaily at the piper's call.
Dancing,
Laughing,
Joining hands in tripping feet,
The bright throng moved along up Gold Street and down Silver Street,
And beyond Silver Street lay the cool green forest,
Full of old oaks and wide-spreading beaches.
In and out among the oak trees you might catch glimpses of the piper's many-colored coat.
You might hear the laughter of the children break and fade and die away,
As deeper and deeper into the long green wood the stranger went and the children followed.
All the while,
The elders watched and waited.
They mocked no longer now,
And watched and waited as they might.
Never did they set their eyes again upon the piper in his party-colored coat.
Never were their hearts gladdened by the song and dance of the children issuing forth from amongst the ancient oaks of the forest.
Many years ago,
There was an emperor who was so excessively fond of new clothes that he spent all his money in dress.
He did not trouble himself in the least about his soldiers,
Nor did he care to go either to the theater or the chase,
Except for the opportunities then afforded him for displaying his new clothes.
He had a different suit for each hour of the day,
And like any other king or emperor,
One is accustomed to say he is sitting in council.
It was always said of him,
The emperor is sitting in his wardrobe.
Time passed merrily in the large town which was his capital.
Strangers arrived every day at the court.
One day,
Two rogues calling themselves weavers made their appearance.
They gave out that they knew how to weave stuffs of the most beautiful colors and elaborate patterns.
The clothes manufactured from which should have the wonderful property of remaining invisible to everyone who was unfit for the office he held,
Or who was extraordinarily simple in character.
These must indeed be splendid clothes,
Thought the emperor.
Had I such a suit,
I might at once find out what men in my realms are unfit for their office,
And also be able to distinguish the wise from the foolish.
This stuff must be woven for me immediately.
And he caused large sums of money to be given to both the weavers,
In order that they might begin their work directly.
So the two pretended weavers set up two looms and effected to work very busily,
Though in reality they did nothing at all.
They asked for the most delicate silk and the purest gold thread,
Put both into their own knapsacks,
And then continued their pretended work at the empty looms until late at night.
I should like to know how the weavers are getting on with my cloth,
Said the emperor to himself,
After some little time had elapsed.
He was,
However,
Rather embarrassed when he remembered that a simpleton or one unfit for his office would be unable to see the manufacture.
To be sure,
He thought he had nothing to risk in his own person,
But yet he would prefer sending somebody else to bring him intelligence about the weavers and their work before he troubled himself in the affair.
All the people throughout the city had heard of the wonderful property the cloth was to possess,
And were all anxious to learn how wise or how ignorant their neighbors might prove to be.
I will send my faithful old minister to the weavers,
Said the emperor at last after some deliberation.
He will be best able to see how the cloth looks,
For he is a man of sense and no one can be more suitable for his office than he is.
So the faithful old minister went into the hall where the knaves were working with all their might at their empty looms.
What can be the meaning of this,
Thought the old man,
Opening his eyes very wide.
I cannot discover the least bit of thread on the looms.
However,
He did not express his thoughts aloud.
The imposters requested him very courteously to be so good as to come near their looms,
And then asked him whether the design pleased him,
And whether the colors were not very beautiful,
At the same time pointing to the empty frames.
The poor old minister looked and looked.
He could not discover anything on the looms,
For a very good reason,
There was nothing there.
What,
Thought he again,
Is it possible that I am a simpleton?
I have never thought so myself,
And no one must know it now if I am so.
Can it be that I am unfit for my office?
No,
That must not be said either.
I will never confess that I could not see the stuff.
Well,
Sir minister,
Said one of the knaves,
Still pretending to work,
You do not say whether the stuff pleases you.
Oh,
It is excellent,
Replied the old minister,
Looking at the loom through his spectacles.
This pattern,
And the colors,
Yes,
I will tell the emperor without delay how very beautiful I think them.
We shall be much obliged to you,
Said the imposters,
And then they named the different colors,
And described the pattern of the pretended stuff.
The old minister listened attentively to their words,
In order that he might repeat them to the emperor,
And then the knaves asked for more silk and gold,
Saying that it was necessary to complete what they had begun.
However,
They put all that was given to them into their knapsacks,
And continued to work with as much apparent diligence as before at their empty noons.
The emperor now sent another officer of his court to see how the men were getting on,
And to ascertain whether the cloth would soon be ready.
It was just the same with this gentleman,
As with the minister.
He surveyed the looms on all sides,
But could see nothing at all but the empty frames.
Does not the stuff appear as beautiful to you as it did to my lord the minister?
Asked the imposters of the emperor's second ambassador,
At the same time making the same gestures as before,
And talking of the design and colors which were not there.
I certainly am not stupid,
Thought the messenger.
It must be that I am not fit for my good profitable office.
That is very odd.
However,
No one shall know anything about it.
And accordingly,
He praised the stuff he could not see,
And declared that he was delighted with both colors and patterns.
Indeed,
Please your imperial majesty,
Said he to his sovereign when he returned,
The cloth which the weavers are preparing is extraordinarily magnificent.
The whole city was talking of the splendid cloth which the emperor had ordered to be woven at his own expense,
And now the emperor himself wished to see the costly manufacture,
While it was still in the loom.
Accompanied by a select number of officers of the court,
Among whom were the two honest men who had already admired the cloth,
He went to the crafty imposters,
Who,
As soon as they were aware of the emperor's approach,
Went on working more diligently than ever,
Although they still did not pass a single thread through the looms.
Is not the work absolutely magnificent,
Said the two officers of the crown already mentioned?
If your majesty will only be pleased to look at it,
What a splendid design,
What glorious colors,
And at the same time they pointed to the empty frames,
For they imagined that everyone else could see the exquisite piece of workmanship.
How is this,
Said the emperor to himself,
I can see nothing.
This is indeed a terrible affair.
Am I a simpleton,
Or am I unfit to be an emperor?
That would be the worst thing that could happen.
Oh,
The cloth is charming,
Said he aloud.
It has my complete approval,
And he smiled most graciously,
And looked closely at the empty looms,
For on no account would he say that he could not see what two of the officers of his court had praised so much.
All his retinue now strained their eyes,
Hoping to discover something on the looms,
But they could see no more than the others.
Nevertheless,
They all exclaimed,
Oh how beautiful,
And advised his majesty to have some new clothes made from this splendid material for the approaching procession.
Magnificent,
Charming,
Excellent resounded on all sides,
And everyone was uncommonly happy.
The emperor shared in the general satisfaction,
And presented the imposters with the ribbons of an order of knighthood to be worn in their buttonholes,
And the title of gentlemen weavers.
The rogues sat up the whole of the night before the day on which the procession was to take place,
And had 16 lights burning,
So that everyone might see how anxious they were to finish the emperor's new suit.
They pretended to roll the cloth off the looms,
Cut the air with their scissors,
And sewed with needles without any thread in them.
See,
Cried they at last,
The emperor's new clothes are ready.
And now the emperor,
With all his grandees of his court,
Came to the weavers,
And the rogues raised their arms,
As if in the act of holding something up,
Saying,
Here are your majesty's trousers,
Here is the scarf,
Here is the mantle,
The whole suit is as light as a cobweb.
One might fancy one has nothing at all on when dressed in it.
That,
However,
Is the great virtue of this delicate cloth.
Yes,
Indeed,
Said all the courtiers,
Although not one of them could see anything of this exquisite manufacture.
If your imperial majesty will be graciously pleased to take off your clothes,
We will fit on the new suit in front of the looking-glass.
The emperor was accordingly undressed,
And the rogues pretended to array him in his new suit,
The emperor turning round from side to side before the looking-glass.
How splendid his majesty looks in his new clothes,
And how well they fit,
Everyone cried out.
What a design,
What colors,
These are indeed royal robes.
The canopy which is to be borne over your majesty in the procession is waiting,
Announced the chief master of the ceremonies.
I am quite ready,
Answered the emperor.
Do my new clothes fit well,
Asked he,
Turning himself round again before the looking-glass,
In order that he might appear to be examining his handsome suit.
The lords of the bedchamber,
Who were to carry his majesty's train,
Felt about on the ground,
As if they were lifting up the ends of the mantle,
And pretended to be carrying something,
For they would by no means betray anything like simplicity or unfitness for their office.
So now the emperor walked under his high canopy in the midst of the procession,
Through the streets of his capital,
And all the people standing by and those at the windows cried out,
Oh how beautiful are our emperor's new clothes,
What a magnificent train there is to the mantle,
And how gracefully the scarf hangs.
In short,
No one would allow that he could not see these much admired clothes,
Because in doing so,
He would have to declare himself either a simpleton or unfit for his office.
Certainly none of the emperor's various suits had ever made so great an impression as these invisible ones.
But the emperor has nothing at all on,
Said a little child.
Listen to the voice of innocence,
Explained his father,
And what the child had said was whispered from one to another.
But he has nothing at all on,
At last cried out all the people.
The emperor was vexed,
For he knew that the people were right,
But he thought the procession must go on now,
And the lords of the bedchamber took greater pains than ever to appear holding up the train,
Although in reality,
There was no train to hold.
Every afternoon as they were coming from school,
The children used to go and play in the giant's garden.
It was a large lovely garden with soft green grass.
Here and there over the grass stood beautiful flowers like stars,
And there were twelve peach trees that in the springtime broke out into delicate blossoms of pink and pearl,
And in the autumn bore rich fruit.
The birds sat on the trees and sang so sweetly that the children used to stop their games in order to listen to them.
How happy we are here,
They cried to each other.
One day,
The giant came back.
He had been to visit his friend,
The Cornish Ogre,
And had stayed with him for seven years.
After the seven years were over,
He had all that he had to say,
For his conversation was limited,
And he determined to return to his own castle.
When he arrived,
He saw the children playing in the garden.
What are you doing here,
He cried in a very gruff voice,
And the children ran away.
My own garden is my own garden,
Said the giant.
Anyone can understand that,
And I will allow nobody to play in it but myself.
So,
He built a high wall all around it,
And put up a notice board.
Trespassers will be prosecuted.
He was a very selfish giant.
The poor children had now nowhere to play.
They tried to play on the road,
But the road was very dusty and full of hard stones,
And they did not like it.
They used to wander around the high wall when their lessons were over,
And talk about the beautiful garden inside.
How happy we were there,
They said to each other.
Then the spring came,
And all over the country there were little blossoms and little birds.
Only in the garden of the selfish giant,
It was still winter.
The birds did not care to sing in it,
As there were no children,
And the trees forgot to blossom.
Once,
A beautiful flower put its head out of the grass,
But when it saw the notice board,
It was so sorry for the children,
That it slipped back into the ground again,
And went off to sleep.
The only people who were pleased were the snow and the frost.
Spring has forgotten this garden,
They cried,
So we will live here all the year round.
The snow covered up the grass with her great white cloak,
And the frost painted all the trees silver.
Then they invited the north wind to stay with them,
And he came.
He was wrapped in furs,
And he roared all day about the garden,
And he blew the chimney pots down.
This is a delightful spot,
He said.
We must ask the hail on a visit.
So the hail came.
Every day for three hours,
He rattled on the roof of the castle,
Till he broke most of the slates,
And then he ran round and round the garden as fast as he could.
He was dressed in grey,
And his breath was like ice.
I cannot understand why the spring is so late in coming,
Said the selfish giant,
As he sat at the window,
And looked out at his cold white garden.
I hope there will be a change in the weather.
But the spring never came,
Nor the summer.
The autumn gave golden fruit to every garden,
But to the giant's garden she gave none.
He is too selfish,
She said.
So it was always winter there,
And the north wind,
And the hail,
And the frost,
And the snow danced about through the trees.
One morning,
The giant was lying awake in bed when he heard some lovely music.
It sounded so sweet to his ears,
That he thought it must be the king's musicians passing by.
It was really only a little linnet,
Singing outside his window.
But it was so long since he had heard a bird sing in his garden,
That it seemed to him to be the most beautiful music in the world.
Then the hail stopped dancing over his head,
And the north wind ceased roaring,
And a delicious perfume came to him through the open casement.
I believe the spring has come at last,
Said the giant,
And he jumped out of bed and looked out.
What did he see?
He saw a most wonderful sight.
Through a little hole in the wall,
The children had crept in,
And they were sitting in the branches of the trees.
In every tree that he could see,
There was a little child,
And the trees were so glad to have the children back again,
That they had covered themselves with blossoms,
And were waving their arms gently above the children's heads.
The birds were flying about and twittering with delight,
And the flowers were looking up through the green grass and laughing.
It was a lovely scene.
Only in one corner it was still winter.
It was the farthest corner of the garden,
And in it was standing a little boy.
He was so small that he could not reach up to the branches of the tree,
And he was wandering all around it,
Crying bitterly.
The poor tree was still covered with frost and snow,
And the north wind was blowing and roaring above it.
Climb up,
Little boy,
Said the tree,
And it bent its branches down as low as it could go,
But the boy was too tiny.
And the giant's heart melted as he looked out.
How selfish I have been,
He said.
Now I know why the spring would not come here.
I will put that poor little boy on the top of the tree,
And then I will walk down the wall,
And my garden shall be the children's playground forever and ever.
He was really very sorry for what he had done.
So he crept downstairs,
And opened the front door quite softly,
And went out into the garden.
But when the children saw him they were so frightened that they all ran away,
And the garden became winter again.
Only the little boy did not run,
For his eyes were so full of tears that he did not see the giant coming.
And the giant stole up behind him,
And took him gently in his hand,
And put him up into the tree,
And the tree broke at once into blossom,
And the birds came and sang on it,
And the little boy stretched out his two arms and flung them round the giant's neck and kissed him.
And the other children,
When they saw that the giant was not wicked any longer,
Came running back,
And with them came the spring.
It is your garden now,
Little children,
Said the giant,
And he took a great axe and knocked down the wall.
And when the people were going to market at twelve o'clock,
They found the giant playing with the children in the most beautiful garden they had ever seen.
All day long they played,
And in the evening they came to the giant to bid him goodbye.
But where is your little companion,
He said,
The boy I put into the tree?
The giant loved him the best,
Because he had kissed him.
We don't know,
Answered the children,
He has gone away.
You must tell him to be sure and come here tomorrow,
Said the giant.
But the children said they did not know where he lived,
And had never seen him before,
And the giant felt very sad.
Every afternoon when school was over,
The children came and played with the giant,
But the little boy whom the giant loved was never seen again.
The giant was very kind to all the children,
Yet he longed for his first little friend,
And often spoke of him.
How I would love to see him,
He used to say.
Years went over,
And the giant grew very old and feeble.
He could not play about anymore,
So he sat in a huge armchair and watched the children at their games,
And admired his garden.
I have many beautiful flowers,
He said,
But the children are the most beautiful flowers of all.
One winter morning he looked out of his window as he was dressing.
He did not hate the winter now,
For he knew that it was merely the spring asleep,
And that the flowers were resting.
Suddenly,
He rubbed his eyes in wonder and looked and looked.
It certainly was a marvelous sight.
In the farthest corner of the garden was a tree quite covered with lovely white blossoms.
Its branches were all golden,
And silver fruit hung down from them,
And underneath it stood the little boy he loved,
And underneath it stood the little boy he had loved.
Downstairs ran the giant in great joy and out into the garden.
He hastened across the grass and came near to the child,
And when he came quite close his face grew red with anger,
And he said,
Who hath dared to wound thee?
For on the palms of the child's hands were the prints of two nails,
And the prints of two nails were on the little feet.
Tell me that I may take my big sword and slay him.
Nay,
Answered the child,
But these are the wounds of love.
Who art thou?
Said the giant,
And a strange awe fell on him,
And he knelt before the little child,
And the child smiled on the giant and said to him,
You let me play once in your garden.
Today you shall come with me to my garden,
Which is paradise.
And when the children ran in that afternoon,
They found the giant lying dead under the tree,
All covered with white blossoms.
A poor woodman sat in his cottage one night,
Smoking his pipe by the fireside,
While his wife sat by his side spinning.
How lonely it is,
Wife,
Said he,
As he puffed out a long curl of smoke,
For you and me to sit here by ourselves,
Without any children to love and play with,
While other people seem so happy and merry with their children.
What you say is very true,
Said the wife,
Sighing.
How happy should I be if I had but one child,
Even if the child was no bigger than my thumb.
I would be very happy,
And I would love it dearly.
Now,
Odd as you may think it,
It came to pass that this good woman's wish was fulfilled,
Just in the very way she had wished it.
For not long afterwards,
She had a little boy,
Who was quite healthy and strong,
But was not much bigger than a thumb.
So they said,
Well,
We cannot say we have not got what we wished for,
And little as he is,
We will love him dearly,
And they called him Thomas Thumb.
They gave him plenty of food,
Yet for all they could do,
He never grew bigger,
But kept just the same size as he had been when he was born.
Still,
His eyes were sharp and sparkling,
And he soon showed himself to be a clever little fellow,
Who always knew well what he was about.
One day,
As the woodman was getting ready to go into the wood to cut fuel,
He said,
I wish I had someone to bring the cart after me,
For I want to make haste.
Oh,
Father,
Cried Tom,
I will take care of that.
The cart shall be in the wood by the time you want it.
Then the woodman laughed and said,
How can that be?
You can't reach up to the horse's bridle.
Never mind that,
Father,
Said Tom.
If my mother will only harness the horse,
I will get into his ear and tell him which way to go.
Very well,
Said the father,
We will try for once.
When the time came,
The mother harnessed the horse to the cart and put Tom into his ear,
And as he sat there,
He told the horse when to go and when to stop,
And thus the horse went on just as well as if the woodman had driven it himself into the wood.
It happened that as the horse was going a little too fast,
Little Tom was calling out,
Gently,
Gently,
When two strangers came up.
What an odd thing that is,
Said one.
There is a cart going along,
And I hear a carter talking to the horse,
But yet I can see no one.
That is strange indeed,
Said the other.
Let us follow the cart and see where it goes.
So they went on into the wood,
Till at last they came to the place where the woodman was.
Then Tom Thumb,
Seeing his father,
Cried out.
See,
Father,
Here I am with the cart,
All right and safe,
And now take me down.
So his father took hold of the horse with one hand,
And with the other took his son out of the horse's ear and put him down upon a straw,
Where he sat as merry as you please.
The two strangers were all this time looking on and did not know what to say for wonder.
At last one took the other aside and said,
That little urchin will make our fortune if we can get him and carry him about from town to town as a show.
We must buy him.
So they went up to the woodman and asked him what he would take for the little man.
He will be better off,
Said they,
With us than with you.
I won't sell him at all,
Said the father.
My own flesh and blood is dearer to me than all the silver and gold in the world.
But Tom,
Hearing of the bargain they wanted to make,
Crept up his father's coat to his shoulder and whispered in his ear,
Take the money,
Father,
And let them have me.
I'll soon come back to you.
So the woodman at last said he would sell Tom to the strangers for a large piece of gold,
And they paid the price.
Where would you like to sit,
Said one of them.
Oh,
Put me on the rim of your hat.
That will be a nice gallery for me.
I can walk about there and see the country as we go along.
So they did as he wished.
They journeyed on until it began to be dusky,
And then Tom Thumb said,
Let me get down,
I'm tired.
So the man took off his hat and put him down on a clod of earth in a plowed field by the side of the road.
But Tom ran about amongst the furrows and at last slipped into an old mouse hole.
Good night,
My masters,
Said he.
I'm off.
Then they ran at once to the place and poked the ends of their sticks into the mouse hole,
But all in vain.
Tom only crawled farther and farther in,
And at last it became quite dark,
So they were forced to go their way without their prize,
As sulky as could be.
When Tom found they were gone,
He came out of his hiding place.
What dangerous walking it is,
Said he,
In this plowed field.
If I were to fall from one of these great clods,
I should undoubtedly break my neck.
At last,
By good luck,
He found a large empty snail shell.
This is lucky,
Said he.
I can sleep here very well,
And in he crept.
Just as he was falling asleep,
He heard two men passing by,
Chatting together,
And one said to the other,
How can we rob that rich parson's house of his silver and gold?
I'll tell you,
Cried Tom.
What noise was that,
Said the thief,
Frightened.
I'm sure I heard someone speak.
They stood still listening,
And Tom said,
Take me with you,
And I'll soon show you how to get the parson's money.
But where are you,
Said they.
Look about on the ground,
Answered he,
And listen where the sound comes from.
At last,
The thieves found him out and lifted him up in their hands.
You little urchin,
They said,
What can you do for us?
Why,
I can get between the iron window bars of the parson's house and throw you out whatever you want.
That's a good thought,
Said the thieves.
Come along,
We shall see what you can do.
When they came to the parson's house,
Tom slipped through the window bars into the room,
And then called out as loud as he could bawl.
Will you have all that is here?
At this,
The thieves were frightened and said,
Speak low that you may not awaken anybody.
But Tom seemed as if he did not understand them,
And bawled out again.
How much will you have?
Shall I throw it all out?
Now the cook lay in the next room,
And hearing a noise,
She raised herself up in her bed and listened.
Meantime,
The thieves were frightened and ran off a little way.
But at last,
They plucked up their hearts and said,
The little urchin is only trying to make fools of us.
So they came back and whispered softly to him,
Saying,
Now let us have no more of your roguish jokes,
But throw us out some of the money.
Then Tom called out as loud as he could,
Very well,
Hold your hands,
Here it comes.
The cook heard this quite plain,
So she sprang out of bed and ran to open the door.
The thieves ran off as if a wolf was at their tails,
And the maid,
Having groped about and found nothing,
Went away for a light.
By the time she came back,
Tom had slipped off into the barn,
And when she had looked about and searched every hole and corner,
And found nobody,
She went to bed,
Thinking she must have been dreaming with her eyes open.
Little Tom crawled about in the hayloft,
And at last found a snug place to finish his night's rest in.
So he laid himself down,
Meaning to sleep till daylight,
And then find his way home to his father and mother.
But alas,
The cook got up early,
Before daybreak,
To feed the cows,
And going straight to the hayloft,
Carried away a large bundle of hay,
With Tom Thumb in the middle of it,
Fast asleep.
He still,
However,
Slept on,
And did not wait till he found himself in the mouth of the cow,
For the cook had put the hay into the cow's rick,
And the cow had taken Tom up in a mouthful of it.
How came I to tumble into the mill?
But he soon found out where he really was,
And was forced to have all his wits about him,
That he might not get between the cow's teeth,
And so be crushed to death.
At last,
Down he went into her stomach.
It was rather dark,
Said he.
They forgot to build windows in this room to let the sun in.
A candle would be no bad thing.
Though he made the best of his bad luck,
He did not like his quarters at all.
And the worst of it was,
That more and more hay was always coming down,
And the space left for him became smaller and smaller.
At last,
He cried out as loud as he could,
Don't bring me any more hay!
The maid happened to be just then milking the cow,
And hearing someone speak but seeing nobody,
And yet being quite sure it was the same voice that she had heard in the night,
She was so frightened that she fell off her stool and tipped over the milk pail.
As soon as she could pick herself up out of the dirt,
She ran off as fast as she could to her master,
The parson,
And said,
Sir,
Sir,
The cow is talking.
But the parson said,
Woman,
Thou art surely mad.
However,
He went with her into the cow house,
To try and see what was the matter.
Scarcely had they set foot on the threshold when Tom called out,
Don't bring me any more hay!
Then the parson himself was frightened,
And thinking the cow was surely bewitched,
Told his man to kill her on the spot.
So the cow was killed and caught up,
And the stomach in which Tom lay was thrown out upon a dunghill.
Tom soon set himself to work to get out,
Which was not a very easy task,
But at last,
Just as he made room to get his head out,
Fresh ill luck befell him.
A hungry wolf sprang out and swallowed up the whole stomach with Tom in it,
And ran away.
Tom,
However,
Was still not disheartened,
And thinking the wolf wouldn't mind having a chat with him as he was going along,
He called out,
My good friend,
I can show you a famous treat.
Where's that?
Said the wolf.
In such and such a house,
Said Tom,
Describing his own father's house.
You can crawl through the drain into the kitchen,
And then into the pantry,
And there you will find cakes,
Ham,
Beef,
Cold chicken,
Roast pig,
Apple dumplings,
And everything that your heart can wish.
The wolf did not want to be asked twice,
So that very night he went into the house,
And crawled through the drain into the kitchen,
And then into the pantry,
And ate and drank there to his heart's content.
As soon as he had had enough,
He wanted to get away,
But he had eaten so much that he could not go out by the same way he came in.
This was just what Tom had reckoned upon,
And now he began to set up a great shout,
Making all the noise he could.
Will you be quiet?
Said the wolf.
You'll awaken everybody in the house if you make such a clatter.
What's that to me?
Said little Tom.
You've had your frolic,
Now it's my turn to have fun,
And he began singing and shouting as loud as he could.
The woodman and his wife,
Being awakened by the noise,
Peeped through a crack in the door,
But when they saw a wolf was there,
You may well suppose that they were sadly frightened,
And the woodman ran for his axe and gave his wife a scythe.
You stay behind,
Said the woodman,
And when I have knocked him on the head,
You must rip him up with the scythe.
Tom heard all of this and cried out,
Father,
Father,
I am here,
The wolf has swallowed me,
And his father said,
Heaven be praised,
We have found our dear child again,
And he told his wife not to use the scythe for fear she should hurt him.
Then he aimed a great blow and struck the wolf on the head and killed him on the spot,
And when he was dead,
They cut up his body and set Tommy free.
Ah,
Said the father,
We were so worried about you.
Yes,
Father,
Answered he,
I have traveled all over the world,
I think,
In one way or other since we parted,
And now I am very glad to come home and get fresh air again.
Why,
Where have you been,
Said his father,
I have been in a mouse hole,
And in a snail shell,
And down a cow's throat,
And in the wolf's belly,
And yet here I am again,
Safe and sound.
Well,
Said they,
You are home now,
And we will not sell you again for all the riches in the world.
Then they hugged and kissed their dear little son,
And gave him plenty to eat and drink for he was very hungry,
And then they fetched new clothes for him,
For his old ones had been quite spoiled on his journey.
So Master Thumb stayed at home with his father and mother in peace,
For though he had been so great a traveler,
And had done and seen so many fine things,
And was fond enough of telling the whole story,
He always agreed that after all,
There's no place like home.
And perhaps you are feeling very,
Very close now to drifting off to sleep,
Or maybe you've already drifted off to the land of dreams,
But if you're still following my voice,
Then you can imagine that wonderful feeling of drowsiness beginning to spread all through your body,
That pleasant feeling of letting go,
And it feels amazing to sink down into this wonderful feeling.
Everything feels wonderful right now,
As you continue to drift,
Sinking deeper and deeper into this wonderful sleep,
And as you drift,
Letting go of everything,
And just focus on my voice,
Feeling so good,
Going deeper and deeper down,
Feeling calm,
Feeling relaxed,
Peaceful and tranquil,
Enjoying this deep restorative rest,
As you continue to let go now,
And drift down even deeper,
Feeling sleepier and sleepier,
Perhaps you might be right on the edge of letting go into this blissful state,
And you feel safe,
Relaxed and at ease,
All comfy and cozy under the covers,
As you continue to let go and relax,
More and more and more into the coziness of your bed,
And into the softness of your pillow,
Your body sinks down,
Deeper and deeper down,
Into that deep relaxation,
So your body and mind can finally come to rest,
As you drift off now,
Into a sound and restful sleep.
