“Thumbelina”
Once upon a time, there was a woman who longed for a child. She went to a wise old woman who gave her a barleycorn seed and told her to plant it in a flowerpot. The woman did as she was told, and after a few days, a beautiful flower grew from the pot. When she opened the flower, she saw a tiny little girl no bigger than her thumb. She named the girl Thumbelina.
Thumbelina was a happy and curious child. She loved exploring her surroundings and meeting new creatures. She would often sit on the windowsill and watch the world outside. One day, while she was sitting there, a toad hopped onto the windowsill and snatched her up. The toad took Thumbelina to her home in the marsh and told her that she was going to marry her son.
Thumbelina was frightened and didn’t want to marry the toad’s son. She begged and pleaded with the toad to let her go, but the toad wouldn’t listen. Thumbelina felt trapped and alone.
One day, while she was crying in her room, a swallow flew in through the window. The swallow had injured its wing and needed a place to rest. Thumbelina took care of the swallow and the two became fast friends. The swallow listened to Thumbelina’s story and promised to help her.
The swallow flew to different lands, looking for a way for Thumbelina to escape from the toad’s home. One day, he found a group of tiny fairies who lived in a field of flowers. They gave him a pair of wings made of a delicate flower petal and told him to take Thumbelina away from the toad and fly her to safety.
The swallow flew back to the toad’s home, and he and Thumbelina took off on the flower petal wings. They flew over mountains and rivers, through forests and meadows, until they finally arrived at a beautiful garden. The swallow left Thumbelina there, where she lived happily among the flowers.
One day, while she was wandering through the garden, Thumbelina met a handsome prince who had been enchanted by her beauty. He fell in love with her and asked her to marry him. Thumbelina was overjoyed and accepted his proposal.
The two were married in a beautiful ceremony, and Thumbelina became a princess. She lived a happy and fulfilling life with her prince, and they had many children together.
Thumbelina never forgot her past and remained grateful to the swallow who had helped her escape from the toad’s home. She knew that without him, she would have been trapped forever. She also knew that being small didn’t mean that she couldn’t accomplish great things. She had proven that even someone as small as a thumb could make a big impact on the world.