The Four Friends Once in a dense forest lived four friends.

The first was Mooshak, a mouse; the second Kak, a crow; the third Mantharak, a tortoise and the fourth Harini, a doe. The four friends used to meet every morning sharing jokes and discussing various matters. One morning, Mooshak, Kak and Mantharak sat by the lake side waiting for Harini. She was late and they were getting worried. Mantharak said, Dear Kak, it is very late now, almost noon. Why dont you fly around and locate Harini. I fear she is not in some danger? Kok promptly took flight and while flying he spotted Harini trapped in a hunters net. Oh dear Harini!, exclaimed Kak, Mantharak was right. Here you are trapped in the net while we waited for you. Dear Kak, do find some help and set me free, cried Harini. Kak flew back to his friends and told of Harinis plight. After thinking for some time Mantharak said, Well, Kak, why not take Mooshak with you? He will gnaw at the hunters net and surely Harini would be free to join us. That is right, agreed Mooshak but in a grim voice he said. How can I reach such a long way off quickly before the hunters arrival? Dont worry, said Kak, for I will carry you on my back. So Mooshak hopped on Kaks back and Kak flew him to Harini. Mo oshak promptly set to cutting the net and soon Harini was free. By that time Mantharak, the tortoise, had reached the spot crawling slowly. Just as the friends embraced each other joyfully they heard the hunters approaching footsteps. Harini hid behind a. bush, Mooshak jumped into a treehole and Kak flew up to a tree. Mantharak scrambled towards a rock to hide beneath it. The hunter saw his damaged net and exclaimed, Oh the doe has escaped and my net is torn too. Oh ! what is thisa fat turtlebetter take this than the doe for at least I will not be hungry. Thus, the hunter picked up the slow-moving tortoise and put it in his bag. Now Mooshak, Kak and Harini were worried about setting Mantharak free. They quickly made a plan. .

At a distance, the hunter again spotted Harini chewing on lush green. He thought, What luck ! A tortoise and the deer too for dinner tonight. So saying he dropped his bag and went to catch Harini. But Harini was a fast runner and she led him far away. Meanwhile, Mooshak cut open the hunters bag and Mantharak was set free. As soon as Mantharak was safely hidden beneath a rock and Mooshak was in the tree-hole, Kak flew to Harini. Harini bound away fast and the hunter, tired as he was decided to return to his small catch, the tortoise. But was ! when he returned he found no tortoise and he had no doe for dinner either.

A Girl who Married a Snake In the village of Rapi, there lived a Brah and his wife. They were childless and very unhappy about it. One day, the wife cried to the Brah, All our neighbours have children and I yearn to have a child too. Please pray to the gods so that they may bless us with a child. Their prayers were soon answered. The Brahs wife gave birth to a baby. Alas, the baby was no ordinary baby. It was a snake! Oh my God It is not a human being! cried one of the relatives when she came to visit the baby. You cannot bring up the snake as your son. Get rid of it immediately. It is a bad omen. One day it will bite you to death, warned another relative. But the Brahs wife was not ready to listen to any of them. I cant part with my son. So what if he is a snake? She took care of her son and gave him the best of things. Years passed by and the snake had grown to its full size. Now the Brahs wife told her husband, It is high time we think of our sons marriage. Which girl is going to marry our son? asked the Brah in shock. Only an insane person would agree to get his daughter married to a snake. The Brahs wife became very sad. She loved her son dearly and wept at his fate. Seeing his wifes condition, the Brah decided to go out in search of a bride for his son. He decided to go to the city where his best friend lived. What made you come so far from your village? asked his friend. Well, my friend I am looking for a bride for any son, replied the Brah. You need not look any further, said his friend. You can get your son married to my daughter. Before you decide, you must come to my place and meet my so n, insisted the Brah. My friend, we know each other so well. I dont find any need to see your son. He fixed up his daughters marriage with the snake.

The girls friends were shocked. How can you marry a snake? they asked her. Your life will be ruined. I will honour my fathers words, she told her friends. I trust that everything happens for the good. They were soon married. She was a devoted wife and she kept the snake in a well-decorated pot. She showed him proper respect, and served him milk and fruits everyday. One night the girl woke up with a start. She saw a handsome young man in the room. She got scared and screamed, Help! Help! There is someone in the room! She was about to run out of the room but the man stopped her saying, Dont be afraid. I am your husband. The wife asked, How could I trust you? To convince her, the man went back into the snakes skin and came out of it again. Seeing this, the wife was elated. Her joy knew no bounds. Tears of joy rolled down her cheeks and she embraced him. The Brah, who had risen very early that morning, overheard the entire conversation. He saw the snake turning into a handsome man and realized immediately that it was his son. Without wasting a single moment he rushed to the room, picked up the snake skin and burnt it in a fire. Seeing his father the young man said, Thank you father! It is the immense and unconditional love that has freed me from the curse. I was forced to stay as a snake until somebody destroyed the snakes skin without asking me. Later that day, the Brah introduced his son to the entire village. The handsome young man and his beautiful bride lived happily ever after. The Brah was happy for his devoted daughter-in-law for her.

My mom only had one eye My mom only had one eye. I hated her She was such an embarrassment. She cooked for students and teachers to support the family. There was this one day during elementary school where my mom came to say hello to me. I was so embarrassed. How could she do this to me? I ignored her, threw her a hateful look and ran out. The next day at school one of my classmates said, EEEE, your mom only has one eye! I wanted to bury myself. I also wanted my mom to just disappear. I confronted her that day and said, If youre only gonna make me a laughing stock, why dont you just die? My mom did not respond I didnt even stop to think for a second about what I had said, because I was full of anger. I was oblivious to her feelings. I wanted out of that house, and have nothing to do with her. So I studied real hard, got a chance to go abroad to study. Then, I got married. I bought a house of my own. I had kids of my own. I was happy with my life, my kids and the comforts. Then one day, my Mother came to visit me. She hadnt seen me in years and she didnt even meet her grandchildren. When she stood by the door, my children laughed at her, and I yelled at her for coming over uninvited. I screamed at her, How dare you come to my house and scare my children! GET OUT OF HERE! NOW!!! And to this, my mother quietly answered, Oh, Im so sorry. I may have gotten the wrong address. and she disappeared out of sight. One day, a letter regarding a school reunion came to my house. So I lied to my wife that I was going on a business trip. After the reunion, I went to the old shack just out of curiosity. My neighbors said that she died. I did not shed a single tear. They handed me a letter that she had wanted me to have.

My dearest son, I think of you all the time. Im sorry that I came to your house and scared your children. I was so glad when I heard you were coming for the reunion. But I may not be able to even get out of bed to see you. Im sorry that I was a constant embarrassment to you when you were growing up. You see..when you were very little, you got into an accident, and lost your eye. As a mother, I couldnt stand watching you having to grow up with one eye. So I gave you mine. I was so proud of my son who was seeing a whole new world for me, in my place, with that eye. With all my love to you, Your mother.

The Snow Queen Second Story Little Boy and a Little Girl

In a large town, full of houses and people, there is not room for everybody to have even a little garden, therefore they are obliged to be satisfied with a few flowers in flower-pots. In one of these large towns lived two poor children who had a garden something larger and better than a few flower-pots. They were not brother and sister, but they loved each other almost as much as if they had been. Their parents lived opposite to each other in two garrets, where the roofs of neighboring houses projected out towards each other and the waterpipe ran between them. In each house was a little window, so that any one could step across the gutter from one window to the other. The parents of these children had each a large wooden box in which they cultivated kitchen herbs for their own use, and a little rose-bush in each box, which grew splendidly. Now after a while the parents decided to place these two boxes across the water-pipe, so that they reached from one window to the other and looked like two banks of flowers. Sweet-peas drooped over the boxes, and the rose-bushes shot forth long branches, which were trained round the windows and clustered together almost like a triumphal arch of leaves and flowers. The boxes were very high, and the children knew they must not climb upon them, without permission, but they were often, however, allowed to step out together and sit upon their little stools under the rose-bushes, or play quietly. In winter all this pleasure came to an end, for the windows were sometimes quite frozen over. But then they would warm copper pennies on the stove, and hold the warm pennies against the frozen pane; there would be very soon a little round hole through which they could peep, and the soft bright eyes of the little boy and girl would beam through the hole at each window as they looked at each other. Their names were Kay and Gerda. In summer they could be together with one jump from the window, but in winter they had to go up and down the long staircase, and out through the snow before they could meet.

See there are the white bees swarming, said Kay's old grandmother one day when it was snowing. Have they a queen bee? asked the little boy, for he knew that the real bees had a queen. To be sure they have, said the grandmother. She is flying there where the swarm is thickest. She is the largest of them all, and never remains on the earth, but flies up to the dark clouds. Often at midnight she flies through the streets of the town, and looks in at the windows, then the ice freezes on the panes into wonderful shapes, that look like flowers and castles. Yes, I have seen them, said both the children, and they knew it must be true. Can the Snow Queen come in here? asked the little girl. Only let her come, said the boy, I'll set her on the stove and then she'll melt. Then the grandmother smoothed his hair and told him some more tales. One evening, when little Kay was at home, half undressed, he climbed on a chair by the window and peeped out through the little hole. A few flakes of snow were falling, and one of them, rather larger than the rest, alighted on the edge of one of the flower boxes. This snow-flake grew larger and larger, till at last it became the figure of a woman, dressed in garments of white gauze, which looked like millions of starry snow-flakes linked together. She was fair and beautiful, but made of ice, shining and glittering ice. Still she was alive and her eyes sparkled like bright stars, but there was neither peace nor rest in their glance. She nodded towards the window and waved her hand. The little boy was frightened and sprang from the chair; at the same moment it seemed as if a large bird flew by the window. On the following day there was a clear frost, and very soon came the spring. The sun shone; the young green leaves burst forth; the swallows built their nests; windows were opened, and the children sat once more in the garden on the roof, high above all the other rooms. How beautiful the roses blossomed this summer. The little girl had learnt a hymn in which roses were spoken of, and then she

thought of their own roses, and she sang the hymn to the little boy, and he sang too: Roses bloom and cease to be, But we shall the Christ-child see.

Then the little ones held each other by the hand, and kissed the roses, and looked at the bright sunshine, and spoke to it as if the Christ-child were there. Those were splendid summer days. How beautiful and fresh it was out among the rose-bushes, which seemed as if they would never leave off blooming. One day Kay and Gerda sat looking at a book full of pictures of animals and birds, and then just as the clock in the church tower struck twelve, Kay said, Oh, something has struck my heart! and soon after, There is something in my eye. The little girl put her arm round his neck, and looked into his eye, but she could see nothing. I think it is gone, he said. But it was not gone; it was one of those bits of the looking-glass that magic mirror, of which we have spoken, the ugly glass which made everything great and good appear small and ugly, while all that was wicked and bad became more visible, and every little fault could be plainly seen. Poor little Kay had also received a small grain in his heart, which very quickly turned to a lump of ice. He felt no more pain, but the glass was there still. Why do you cry? said he at last; it makes you look ugly. There is nothing the matter with me now. Oh, see! he cried suddenly, that rose is worm-eaten, and this one is quite crooked. After all they are ugly roses, just like the box in which they stand, and then he kicked the boxes with his foot, and pulled off the two roses. Kay, what are you doing? cried the little girl; and then, when he saw how frightened she was, he tore off another rose, and jumped through his own window away from little Gerda. When she afterwards brought out the picture book, he said, It was only fit for babies in long clothes, and when grandmother told any stories, he would interrupt her with but; or, when he could manage it, he would get behind her chair, put on a pair of spectacles, and imitate her very cleverly, to make people laugh.

By-and-by he began to mimic the speech and gait of persons in the street. All that was peculiar or disagreeable in a person he would imitate directly, and people said, That boy will be very clever; he has a remarkable genius. But it was the piece of glass in his eye, and the coldness in his heart, that made him act like this. He would even tease little Gerda, who loved him with all her heart. His games, too, were quite different; they were not so childish. One winter's day, when it snowed, he brought out a burning-glass, then he held out the tail of his blue coat, and let the snow-flakes fall upon it. Look in this glass, Gerda, said he; and she saw how every flake of snow was magnified, and looked like a beautiful flower or a glittering star. Is it not clever? said Kay, and much more interesting than looking at real flowers. There is not a single fault in it, and the snow-flakes are quite perfect till they begin to melt. Soon after Kay made his appearance in large thick gloves, and with his sledge at his back. He called up stairs to Gerda, I've got to leave to go into the great square, where the other boys play and ride. And away he went. In the great square, the boldest among the boys would often tie their sledges to the country people's carts, and go with them a good way. This was capital. But while they were all amusing themselves, and Kay with them, a great sledge came by; it was painted white, and in it sat some one wrapped in a rough white fur, and wearing a white cap. The sledge drove twice round the square, and Kay fastened his own little sledge to it, so that when it went away, he followed with it. It went faster and faster right through the next street, and then the person who drove turned round and nodded pleasantly to Kay, just as if they were acquainted with each other, but whenever Kay wished to loosen his little sledge the driver nodded again, so Kay sat still, and they drove out through the town gate. Then the snow began to fall so heavily that the little boy could not see a hand's breadth before him, but still they drove on; then he suddenly loosened the cord so that the large sled might go on without him, but it was of no use, his little carriage held fast, and away they went like the wind. Then he called out loudly, but nobody heard him, while the snow beat upon him, and the sledge flew onwards. Every now and then it gave a jump as if it

were going over hedges and ditches. The boy was frightened, and tried to say a prayer, but he could remember nothing but the multiplication table. The snow-flakes became larger and larger, till they appeared like great white chickens. All at once they sprang on one side, the great sledge stopped, and the person who had driven it rose up. The fur and the cap, which were made entirely of snow, fell off, and he saw a lady, tall and white, it was the Snow Queen. We have driven well, said she, but why do you tremble? Here, creep into my warm fur. Then she seated him beside her in the sledge, and as she wrapped the fur round him he felt as if he were sinking into a snow drift. Are you still cold, she asked, as she kissed him on the forehead. The kiss was colder than ice; it went quite through to his heart, which was already almost a lump of ice; he felt as if he were going to die, but only for a moment; he soon seemed quite well again, and did not notice the cold around him. My sledge! Don't forget my sledge, was his first thought, and then he looked and saw that it was bound fast to one of the white chickens, which flew behind him with the sledge at its back. The Snow Queen kissed little Kay again, and by this time he had forgotten little Gerda, his grandmother, and all at home. Now you must have no more kisses, she said, or I should kiss you to death. Kay looked at her, and saw that she was so beautiful, he could not imagine a more lovely and intelligent face; she did not now seem to be made of ice, as when he had seen her through his window, and she had nodded to him. In his eyes she was perfect, and she did not feel at all afraid. He told her he could do mental arithmetic, as far as fractions, and that he knew the number of square miles and the number of inhabitants in the country. And she always smiled so that he thought he did not know enough yet, and she looked round the vast expanse as she flew higher and higher with him upon a black cloud, while the storm blew and howled as if it were singing old songs. They flew over woods and lakes, over sea and land; below them roared the wild wind; the wolves howled and the snow crackled; over them flew the black screaming crows, and above all shone the moon, clear and bright,and so Kay passed through the long winter's night, and by day he slept at the feet of the Snow Queen.