Whispers of the Enchanted Woods

In the quiet village of Eldoria, nestled between rolling hills and ancient forests, lived a young girl named Elara. Eldoria was no ordinary village; it was rumored to be surrounded by the Enchanted Woods, a mystical realm where magic danced in the moonlight.

Elara, curious and adventurous, often heard whispers about the woods from the village elders. They spoke of magical creatures, hidden portals, and the ancient Tree of Whispers, said to grant a single wish to those who dared to find it.

One moonlit night, unable to resist the allure of the Enchanted Woods, Elara slipped away from her cozy cottage. She ventured into the woods, guided by the soft glow of luminescent fireflies that flickered like living lanterns.

As Elara delved deeper into the woods, the air became thick with enchantment. Trees whispered secrets, and the leaves rustled in harmony with the wind. A mischievous pixie, with wings shimmering like liquid moonlight, appeared before her.

"Brave one, to seek the heart of the Enchanted Woods," the pixie chimed, leading Elara through a hidden path adorned with glowing flowers that illuminated their way.

They arrived at the Celestial Clearing, where the night sky stretched like an endless canvas. In the center stood the ancient Tree of Whispers, its silver leaves adorned with starlight.

Elara, mesmerized by the magic that surrounded her, approached the tree. With a hushed voice, the tree spoke, "Young one, what is the desire that beats within your heart?"

Elara hesitated, then spoke her wish with sincerity. She wished for the well-being of her village, for happiness to bloom in every home, and for a touch of magic to fill the lives of her fellow villagers.

The Tree of Whispers shimmered, and a gentle breeze carried Elara's wish into the night. The pixie, with a mischievous twinkle in its eyes, led her back to the village.

As Elara returned, a sense of wonder filled her heart. Little did she know, the magic of the Enchanted Woods had woven itself into the fabric of Eldoria. The next morning, the villagers woke to find their homes adorned with delicate flowers that sparkled like dewdrops.

Laughter echoed through the streets as unseen melodies filled the air. The once mundane village square was now a burst of vibrant colors, as the enchantment of the Enchanted Woods had transformed Eldoria into a haven of joy.

Elara, with a secret smile, watched as the villagers reveled in the newfound magic. The pixie, invisible to all but her, winked before vanishing into the morning mist.

And so, the magic of the Enchanted Woods became a whispered legend in Eldoria, passed down through generations. The village blossomed with newfound happiness, and every moonlit night, Elara would gaze at the sky, knowing that the whispers of the ancient woods had granted her village a touch of enchantment that would endure for eternity.

Under the silver glow of the moon, Eldoria slept with dreams as magical as the Enchanted Woods, forever grateful for the night Elara ventured into the realm of whispers and wishes.

Jack and the Giant Killer (~16 mins)

Once upon a time, in a cave on the top of a mountain in Cornwall, in England, there lived a giant named Cormoran. If three tall men stood one on top of another, they would be the height of this giant.

He was so fat, too, that it would take some time to walk around him. At the foot of this mountain where the giant lived there were several farms. When the giant wanted a meal, he strode down the hillside and robbed the farmers. Sometimes he carried off half a dozen oxen and a dozen sheep at a time. The oxen he slung over his shoulders and the sheep he tied around his waist.

The poor farmers were almost ruined, when a brave boy, called Jack, the son of one of them, determined to put an end to the giant's visits. One dark night, Jack dug a pit at the foot of the mountain. Across the mouth of the pit he laid sticks, and mud, and straw, until no one could know there was a pit beneath. Early the next morning, Jack blew his cowhorn loudly and the giant woke with a start.

"Who is disturbing me at this time of day?" he asked, and, dressing quickly, he strode down the mountainside. At the foot of the mountain, on a big stone, sat Jack.

"It was you who woke me, was it?" roared the giant, catching sight of the farmer's son. "Well, you shall pay for it," and he dashed forward. But the earth gave way beneath him and in a moment he was lying at the bottom of the pit.

Jack came to the edge of the pit, sat down, and laughed at the despair of the giant, who slowly picked himself up. When he stood on tiptoe, only his head appeared above the pit. This was Jack's chance. He seized his axe and with one blow struck off the giant's head.

Soon all around the countryside it was known how clever and brave Jack had been. The people were all very proud of him and gave him a sword and a belt. On the belt was embroidered, in letters of gold:

This is the valiant Cornishman

Who slew the giant Cormoran.

And this is how Jack got the name Jack the Giant-Killer.

After this adventure, Jack made up his mind to kill as many wicked giants as he could.

One day, a few weeks later, Jack set out on his travels. Late that afternoon he reached a forest. Through the trees he spied a castle. He asked to whom it belonged, and was told that the giant Blunderbore owned it and was living in it. This was good news for Jack, but since he was tired he sat down to rest before going- to the caste. kJe was trying to plan an attack upon the giant when he fell fast asleep.

Jack had not been asleep very long when Blunderbore came by. Since he had just

had dinner he might have passed the sleeping boy, but he noticed the writing on his belt.

"This is the valiant Cornishman Who slew the giant Cormoran," read Blunderbore. "Ha-ha!" he said, as he picked Jack up and put him in his pocket.

When Jack woke, and found himself there, he was so terrified that he shook from top to toe. When the giant felt him tremble, he knew he was awake.

"Ha-ha, he-he, ho-ho! So you killed my brother Cormoran, did you? Now I'll kill you. Ha-ha, he-he, ho-ho!" And the giant laughed so loudly that Jack felt as if he were in the middle of an earthquake.

When they reached the castle, Blunderbore locked Jack in an upstairs room. Then hewent off to fetch another giant who lived in the same forest. Left alone, Jack looked around the room, determined to find some way of escape. But he could not. However, in one corner of the room there was a bundle of rope. An idea struck Jack. He unrolled the rope and made two slip knots. Then he stood at the window and watched.

At last he saw what he was waiting for. The two giants were coming along slowly, arm in arm. The path along which they walked passed close under Jack's window.

As they drew near, Jack heard Blunderbore say, "I found a plump lad in the forest this morning. We'll have him for breakfast tomorrow."

 

Will you indeed? thought Jack, and at that moment the two giants were beneath his window. Jack, quick as lightning, flung down the rope with its slip knots. One knot passed over the head of Blunderbore, and one over the head of his friend. Jack pulled with might and main and in two minutes both giants were strangled.

Then Jack let himself down from the window by the remainder of the rope. He took the keys from Blunderbore's pockets and unlocked the doors of the rooms where many knights and ladies were imprisoned. As he opened each door he made a low bow, and said, "My lords and ladies, the castle is now yours." Then he went on his way.

After Jack passed through the forest and climbed over a mountain he found himself in a lonely valley. He was hoping a cottage was near, where he might rest for the night, when, turning a corner, he found himself in front of a castle. He was too tired to go farther so he knocked at the door. It was opened by a giant with two heads.

When Jack saw this two-headed giant he remembered he had heard that he was the owner of four valuable things—a wonderful coat, a remarkable cap, an amazing sword, and a fantastic pair of shoes. The coat made the wearer invisible. The cap told him whatever he wanted to know. The sword could cut through anything. The shoes could rush as quickly as the wind. Jack made up his mind to get them.

"It is worthwhile risking a good deal to possess these marvelous things," said Jack to himself. Jack told the giant that he was a traveler who had lost his way.

The giant welcomed him kindly and led him to a room where there was a good bed.

Tired as he was, Jack could not go to sleep. Soon he heard the giant walking about in the next room and repeating to himself:

"Though here with me you lodge tonight,

You shall not see the morning light;

My club shall dash your brains outright."

"We'll see about that," said Jack to himself. He got out of bed and groped round the dark room. In the fireplace he found a log. He put the log in the bed and hid himself in a corner.

Soon the door opened and the two-headed giant came in. "I'll make short work of you," he said, and he brought down his club upon Jack's pillow. "Now I've battered his brains," the giant muttered and left the room satisfied.

The next morning, Jack walked into the room where the giant sat at breakfast. Of course the giant could hardly believe his four eyes when he saw him, but he pretended not to be surprised.

"I hope you slept well," he said.

"Pretty well, thank you," answered Jack. "I was disturbed a little. Perhaps there were rats in the room. Certainly I 1-icarcl something."

The giant was very puzzled. How could he have delivered that blow with his club, and yet not have killed Jack? That was a question he could not answer, but he hoped to find out.

Jack was right in thinking he might be invited to breakfast. He had fastened a leather bag beneath his coat, for he supposed the giant would expect him to eat a good deal. He sat opposite his host, who helped him to a large plateful of hasty pudding, then another, and another. Now Jack ate very little and put most of the pudding into his leather bag when the giant was not looking.

After breakfast Jack said to the giant, "Can you cut yourself open without harm?" and he ripped open the leather bag with a knife, and the pudding fell out.

The giant did not like to be outdone, so he said, "Of course I can cut myself open, if you can." With these words, he plunged his knife into himself and fell down dead. And so it was that Jack became the possessor of the wonderful coat, the remarkable cap, the amazing sword, and the fantastic shoes.

Once more Jack started on his travels, and once more he reached a lonely castle and asked for a night's lodging. This time he was welcomed by many knights and ladies, who invited him to have supper with them. It was a merry company and Jack was enjoying himself thoroughly when a messenger rushed in to say that a two-headed giant was on his way to the castle.

Now this castle was surrounded by a deep moat. To reach it or to leave the nioat had to be crossed by going over a drawbridge. Jack quickly set men to work to saw the drawbridge nearly through, so that it could bear no heavy weight. Next he put on his wonderful coat that made him invisible, and his fantastic shoes that could carry him as fast as the wind. Then he crossed the bridge to meet the giant, carrying in his hand the amazing sword that could cut through anything.

The giant could not see Jack because he wore his invisible coat. But he sniffed the air, and sang in a loud voice:

"Fe, fi, fo, fum,

I smell the blood of an Englishman;

Be he alive, or he he dead,

I'll grind his bones to make my bread."

"Oh, will you indeed. You must catch me first," said Jack. Then throwing off his coat, he ran before the giant, and every now and again he all but let himself be caught. Then he made good use of his shoes of swiftness and in a moment was beyond reach. The giant grew more and more furious as he chased Jack all around the castle.

The lords and ladies watched the chase from one of the towers. They clapped their hands with delight as they saw Jack lead the giant such a dance.

At last Jack crossed the drawbridge. The giant followed, but beneath his heavy weight the sawn bridge snapped and he was hurled headlong into the moat below. Jack now stood on the edge of the moat, laughing.

"I thought you were going to grind my bones to make your bread, eh?" asked Jack.

The giant foamed with rage, but could say nothing.

Then Jack ordered a strong rope to be brought. He threw it over the two heads of the giant, and with the help of a team of horses dragged him to the edge of the moat. Next Jack drew his magic sword and cut off both heads.

Ringing cheers of "Long live Jack the Giant-Killer!" echoed through the castle.

After spending some time with the knights and ladies, Jack set out on his last adventure. He went over hills and dales without meeting anyone. Finally, he came to a little hut at the foot of a high mountain. Jack knocked at the door. It was opened by an old man with hair as white as snow.

"I have lost my way, good father," said Jack. "I wonder if you can give me a night's lodging."

"Come in," said the old man, "if you can be content with humble fare." Jack said he would be grateful for a meal of any kind, and gladly ate the bread and fruit which were set before him.

After supper the old man said solemnly, "A task lies before you, my son, for your belt tells me that you are Jack the Giant-Killer. At the top of this mountain is an enchanted castle. It belongs to a giant called Galligantus. He, with the help of a magician, changes into a beast each knight and fair lady who approaches his castle, and those who are not so changed are devoured by two fiery dragons which guard the gates. But, worse still, some time ago Galligantus and the magician strolled into the garden of a duke who lives in a neighboring valley. There they saw the duke's beautiful daughter gathering honeysuckle flowers. The magician spoke a magic word, and instantly a chariot, drawn by the two fiery dragons, appeared in the garden. The giant seized the lady, placed her in the chariot, and the dragons drew her through the air to the enchanted castle. There she was changed into a deer, and a deer she must remain until the enchantment is broken. This is the task that lies before you, my son."

"And I go to it gladly'," said Jack.

The next morning Jack put on his remarkable cap, his wonderful coat, his fantastic shoes, and carried his amazing sword. Then he wished himself at the castle gate. He was there in a moment, but because of his invisible coat the fiery dragons did not see him. On the gate hung a golden trumpet. Under it were written these words:

Whoever can this trumpet blow

Shall cause the giant's overthrow.

As soon as Jack read this, he seized the trumpet and blew a shrill blast. The gates at once flew open and Jack entered the castle.

The giant and the magician were speechless, and unable to move, for they knew that the blast of the golden horn heralded their doom.

Jack lost no time in drawing his magic sword and in a moment the giant Galligantus lay dead before him.

Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp (~10 mins)

Far off in a beautiful city in China a ragged urchin called Aladdin used to play in the street. His father, a poor tailor, tried to make him work, but Aladdin was lazy and disobedient, and refused even to help in his father's shop. Even after his father died Aladdin still preferred to roam in the streets with his friends, and did not feel ashamed to eat the food his mother bought with the money she earned by spinning cotton.

One day a wealthy stranger came to the city. He noticed Aladdin in the street and thought, "That lad looks as though he has no purpose in life. It will not matter if I use him, then kill him." The stranger quickly found out that Aladdin's father was dead. He called Aladdin over to him. "Greetings, nephew," he said, "I am your father's brother.. I have returned to China only to find my clear brother, Mustapha, is dead. Take this money and tell your mother I shall visit her." Aladdin's mother was puzzled when Aladdin told her the stranger's message. "You have no uncle," she said. "I don't understand why this man should give us money."

The next day the stranger came to their house and talked about how he had loved his brother and offered to buy a fine shop where Aladdin could sell beautiful things to the rich people in the city. He gave Aladdin some new clothes and in a short while Aladdin's mother began to believe this man was a relation. The stranger now invited Aladdin to go with him to the rich part of the city.

Together they walked through beautiful gardens and parks where Aladdin had never been before. At last the stranger showed Aladdin a flat stone with an iron ring set into it. "Lift this stone for me, nephew," he said, "and go into the cavern below. Walk through three caves where you will see gold and silver stored. Do not touch it. You will then pass through a garden full of wonderful fruit and beyond the trees you will find a lamp. Pour out the oil and bring the lamp to me. Pick some of the fruit on your return if you wish." Aladdin lifted the stone and saw some steps leading down into a cave. He was frightened to go down but the stranger placed a gold ring with a great green emerald on his finger.

"Take this ring as a gift," he said, "but you must go or I shall not buy you a shop." Now the stranger was in fact a magician. He had read about a lamp with magical powers and he had travelled far to find it. He knew the magic would not work for him unless the lamp was fetched from the cavern and handed to him by someone else. After Aladdin had brought him the lamp the magician planned to shut him in the cave to die. Down in the cavern Aladdin found all as he had been told. He hurried through the rooms filled with silver and gold, and passed through the garden where the trees were hung with shimmering fruit of all colours. At the far end stood an old lamp. Aladdin took it, poured out the oil, and then picked some of the dazzling fruit from the trees as the magician had suggested. To his surprise they were all made from stones.

Aladdin took as many as he coul carry and returned to the steps. "Give me the lamp," demanded the magician as soon as Aladdin came into sight. "Help me out first," replied Aladdin who could not hand him the lamp because his arms were so full. They argued fiercely until crash, the stone slab fell back into place. The magician could not move the stone from the outside, nor Aladdin from within. He was trapped. The magician knew he had failed in his quest and decided to leave the country at once. For two days Aladdin tried to get out of the cave. He became weak with hunger and thirst and finally as he sat in despair he rubbed his hands together. By chance he rubbed the gold ring that the stranger had given him.

There was a blinding flash and a genie appeared. "I am the genie of the ring. What can I do for you, master?" "Get me out of here," Aladdin gasped. He was terrified of the great burning spirit of the genie glowing in the cavern. BefOre he knew what had happened he was standing on the ground above the entrance to the cavern. Of the stone slab there was no sign. Aladdin set off for home and collapsed with hunger as he entered the house. His mother was overjoyed to see him. She gave him all the scraps of food she had and when she said she had no more Aladdin suggested selling the lamp to buy some food. "I'll get a better price for it, if it's clean," she thought, and she rubbed the lamp with a cloth. In a flash the genie appeared. Aladdin's mother fainted in horror but Aladdin seized the lamp. When the genie saw him with the lamp it said: "I am the genie of the lamp. What can I do for you, master?" "Get me some food," ordered Aladdin.

By the time his mother had recovered there were twelve silver dishes of food and twelve silver cups on the table. Aladdin and his mother ate as they had never eaten before. They had enough for several days, and then Aladdin began to sell the silver dishes and cups. He and his mother lived comfortably in this way for some time.

Then it happened that Aladdin saw the sultan's daughter, Princess Badroulboudoir. Aladdin loved her at first sight and sent his mother to the sultan's court to ask the sultan permission for the princess to marry him. He told her to take as a gift the stone fruits he had brought from the cave. It was several days before Aladdin's mother could speak with the sultan, but at last she was able to give him the stone fruits. The sultan was truly amazed.

"Your son has such fine jewels he would make a good husband for my daughter, I am sure," he told Aladdin's mother. But the sultan's chief courtier was jealous. He wanted his son to marry the princess.Quickly, he advised the sultan to say he would decide on the marriage in three months' time. Aladdin was happy when he heard the news. But at the palace, the chief courtier spoke against Aladdin and when Aladdin's mother returned in three months, the sultan asked her: "Can your son send me forty golden bowls full of jewels like the ones he sent before only this time carried by forty servants?"

Aladdin rubbed the lamp once more and before long forty servants each carrying a gold bowl filled with sparkling jewels were assembled in the courtyard of their little house. When the sultan saw them, he said: "I am sure now that the owner of these riches will make a fine husband for my daughter." But the chief courtier suggested yet another test. "Ask the woman," he said, "if her son has a palace fit for your daughter to live in." "I'll give him the land and he can build a new palace," declared the sultan, and he presented Aladdin with land in front of his own palace. Aladdin summoned the genie of the lamp once more.

Overnight the most amazing palace appeared with walls of gold and silver, huge windows, beautiful halls and courtyards and rooms filled with treasures. A carpet of red velvet was laid from the old palace to the new, for the princess to walk on to her new home. Aladdin then asked the genie for some fine clothes for himself and his mother, and a glorious wedding took place. Aladdin took care always to keep the wonderful lamp safe. One day the princess gave it to an old beggar who was the magician in disguise, but that story will have to keep for another time.

The Brave Tin Soldier (~12 mins)

There were once five-and-twenty tin soldiers, who were all brothers, for they had been made out of the same old tin spoon. They shouldered arms and looked straight before them, and wore a splendid uniform, red and blue. The first thing in the world they ever heard were the words, “Tin soldiers!” uttered by a little boy, who clapped his hands with delight when the lid of the box, in which they lay, was taken off. They were given him for a birthday present, and he stood at the table to set them up. The soldiers were all exactly alike, excepting one, who had only one leg; he had been left to the last, and then there was not enough of the melted tin to finish him, so they made him to stand firmly on one leg, and this caused him to be very remarkable.

The table on which the tin soldiers stood, was covered with other playthings, but the most attractive to the eye was a pretty little paper castle. Through the small windows the rooms could be seen. In front of the castle a number of little trees surrounded a piece of looking-glass, which was intended to represent a transparent lake. Swans, made of wax, swam on the lake, and were reflected in it. All this was very pretty, but the prettiest of all was a tiny little lady, who stood at the open door of the castle; she, also, was made of paper, and she wore a dress of clear muslin, with a narrow blue ribbon over her shoulders just like a scarf. In front of these was fixed a glittering tinsel rose, as large as her whole face.

The little lady was a dancer, and she stretched out both her arms, and raised one of her legs so high, that the tin soldier could not see it at all, and he thought that she, like himself, had only one leg. “That is the wife for me,” he thought; “but she is too grand, and lives in a castle, while I have only a box to live in, five-and-twenty of us altogether, that is no place for her. Still I must try and make her acquaintance.” Then he laid himself at full length on the table behind a snuff-box that stood upon it, so that he could peep at the little delicate lady, who continued to stand on one leg without losing her balance. When evening came, the other tin soldiers were all placed in the box, and the people of the house went to bed.

Then the playthings began to have their own games together, to pay visits, to have sham fights, and to give balls. The tin soldiers rattled in their box; they wanted to get out and join the amusements, but they could not open the lid. The nut-crackers played at leap-frog, and the pencil jumped about the table. There was such a noise that the canary woke up and began to talk, and in poetry too. Only the tin soldier and the dancer remained in their places. She stood on tiptoe, with her legs stretched out, as firmly as he did on his one leg. He never took his eyes from her for even a moment. The clock struck twelve, and, with a bounce, up sprang the lid of the snuff-box; but, instead of snuff, there jumped up a little black goblin; for the snuff-box was a toy puzzle.

“Tin soldier,” said the goblin, “don’t wish for what does not belong to you.”

But the tin soldier pretended not to hear.
“Very well; wait till to-morrow, then,” said the goblin.

When the children came in the next morning, they placed the tin soldier in the window. Now, whether it was the goblin who did it, or the draught, is not known, but the window flew open, and out fell the tin soldier, heels over head, from the third story, into the street beneath. It was a terrible fall; for he came head downwards, his helmet and his bayonet stuck in between the flagstones, and his one leg up in the air. The servant maid and the little boy went down stairs directly to look for him; but he was nowhere to be seen, although once they nearly trod upon him. If he had called out, “Here I am,” it would have been all right, but he was too proud to cry out for help while he wore a uniform.

Presently it began to rain, and the drops fell faster and faster, till there was a heavy shower. When it was over, two boys happened to pass by, and one of them said, “Look, there is a tin soldier. He ought to have a boat to sail in.”

So they made a boat out of a newspaper, and placed the tin soldier in it, and sent him sailing down the gutter, while the two boys ran by the side of it, and clapped their hands. Good gracious, what large waves arose in that gutter! and how fast the stream rolled on! for the rain had been very heavy. The paper boat rocked up and down, and turned itself round sometimes so quickly that the tin soldier trembled; yet he remained firm; his countenance did not change; he looked straight before him, and shouldered his musket. Suddenly the boat shot under a bridge which formed a part of a drain, and then it was as dark as the tin soldier’s box.

“Where am I going now?” thought he. “This is the black goblin’s fault, I am sure. Ah, well, if the little lady were only here with me in the boat, I should not care for any darkness.”
Suddenly there appeared a great water-rat, who lived in the drain.

“Have you a passport?“ asked the rat, “give it to me at once.” But the tin soldier remained silent and held his musket tighter than ever. The boat sailed on and the rat followed it. How he did gnash his teeth and cry out to the bits of wood and straw, “Stop him, stop him; he has not paid toll, and has not shown his pass.“ But the stream rushed on stronger and stronger. The tin soldier could already see daylight shining where the arch ended.

Then he heard a roaring sound quite terrible enough to frighten the bravest man. At the end of the tunnel the drain fell into a large canal over a steep place, which made it as dangerous for him as a waterfall would be to us. He was too close to it to stop, so the boat rushed on, and the poor tin soldier could only hold himself as stiffly as possible, without moving an eyelid, to show that he was not afraid. The boat whirled round three or four times, and then filled with water to the very edge; nothing could save it from sinking.

He now stood up to his neck in water, while deeper and deeper sank the boat, and the paper became soft and loose with the wet, till at last the water closed over the soldier’s head. He thought of the elegant little dancer whom he should never see again, and the words of the song sounded in his ears—
“Farewell, warrior! ever brave,
Drifting onward to thy grave.”

Then the paper boat fell to pieces, and the soldier sank into the water and immediately afterwards was swallowed up by a great fish. Oh how dark it was inside the fish! A great deal darker than in the tunnel, and narrower too, but the tin soldier continued firm, and lay at full length shouldering his musket. The fish swam to and fro, making the most wonderful movements, but at last he became quite still. After a while, a flash of lightning seemed to pass through him, and then the daylight approached, and a voice cried out, “I declare here is the tin soldier.”

The fish had been caught, taken to the market and sold to the cook, who took him into the kitchen and cut him open with a large knife. She picked up the soldier and held him by the waist between her finger and thumb, and carried him into the room. They were all anxious to see this wonderful soldier who had travelled about inside a fish; but he was not at all proud.

They placed him on the table, and—how many curious things do happen in the world!—there he was in the very same room from the window of which he had fallen, there were the same children, the same playthings, standing on the table, and the pretty castle with the elegant little dancer at the door; she still balanced herself on one leg, and held up the other, so she was as firm as himself. It touched the tin soldier so much to see her that he almost wept tin tears, but he kept them back. He only looked at her and they both remained silent. Presently one of the little boys took up the tin soldier, and threw him into the stove.

He had no reason for doing so, therefore it must have been the fault of the black goblin who lived in the snuff-box. The flames lighted up the tin soldier, as he stood, the heat was very terrible, but whether it proceeded from the real fire or from the fire of love he could not tell. Then he could see that the bright colors were faded from his uniform, but whether they had been washed off during his journey or from the effects of his sorrow, no one could say.

He looked at the little lady, and she looked at him. He felt himself melting away, but he still remained firm with his gun on his shoulder. Suddenly the door of the room flew open and the draught of air caught up the little dancer, she fluttered like a sylph right into the stove by the side of the tin soldier, and was instantly in flames and was gone. The tin soldier melted down into a lump, and the next morning, when the maid servant took the ashes out of the stove, she found him in the shape of a little tin heart. But of the little dancer nothing remained but the tinsel rose, which was burnt black as a cinder.

The Tinderbox (~20 mins)

A soldier came marching along the high road: “Left, right—left, right.” He had his knapsack on his back, and a sword at his side; he had been to the wars, and was now returning home.

As he walked on, he met a very frightful-looking old witch in the road. Her under-lip hung quite down on her breast, and she stopped and said, “Good evening, soldier; you have a very fine sword, and a large knapsack, and you are a real soldier; so you shall have as much money as ever you like.”
“Thank you, old witch,” said the soldier.

“Do you see that large tree,” said the witch, pointing to a tree which stood beside them. “Well, it is quite hollow inside, and you must climb to the top, when you will see a hole, through which you can let yourself down into the tree to a great depth. I will tie a rope round your body, so that I can pull you up again when you call out to me.”

“But what am I to do, down there in the tree?” asked the soldier.

“Get money,” she replied; “for you must know that when you reach the ground under the tree, you will find yourself in a large hall, lighted up by three hundred lamps; you will then see three doors, which can be easily opened, for the keys are in all the locks. On entering the first of the chambers, to which these doors lead, you will see a large chest, standing in the middle of the floor, and upon it a dog seated, with a pair of eyes as large as teacups. But you need not be at all afraid of him; I will give you my blue checked apron, which you must spread upon the floor, and then boldly seize hold of the dog, and place him upon it.

You can then open the chest, and take from it as many pence as you please, they are only copper pence; but if you would rather have silver money, you must go into the second chamber. Here you will find another dog, with eyes as big as mill-wheels; but do not let that trouble you. Place him upon my apron, and then take what money you please. If, however, you like gold best, enter the third chamber, where there is another chest full of it. The dog who sits on this chest is very dreadful; his eyes are as big as a tower, but do not mind him. If he also is placed upon my apron, he cannot hurt you, and you may take from the chest what gold you will.”

“This is not a bad story,” said the soldier; “but what am I to give you, you old witch? for, of course, you do not mean to tell me all this for nothing.”
“No,” said the witch; “but I do not ask for a single penny. Only promise to bring me an old tinder-box, which my grandmother left behind the last time she went down there.”
“Very well; I promise. Now tie the rope round my body.”
“Here it is,” replied the witch; “and here is my blue checked apron.”

As soon as the rope was tied, the soldier climbed up the tree, and let himself down through the hollow to the ground beneath; and here he found, as the witch had told him, a large hall, in which many hundred lamps were all burning. Then he opened the first door. “Ah!” there sat the dog, with the eyes as large as teacups, staring at him.

“You’re a pretty fellow,” said the soldier, seizing him, and placing him on the witch’s apron, while he filled his pockets from the chest with as many pieces as they would hold. Then he closed the lid, seated the dog upon it again, and walked into another chamber, And, sure enough, there sat the dog with eyes as big as mill-wheels.

“You had better not look at me in that way,” said the soldier; “you will make your eyes water;” and then he seated him also upon the apron, and opened the chest. But when he saw what a quantity of silver money it contained, he very quickly threw away all the coppers he had taken, and filled his pockets and his knapsack with nothing but silver.

Then he went into the third room, and there the dog was really hideous; his eyes were, truly, as big as towers, and they turned round and round in his head like wheels.

“Good morning,” said the soldier, touching his cap, for he had never seen such a dog in his life. But after looking at him more closely, he thought he had been civil enough, so he placed him on the floor, and opened the chest. Good gracious, what a quantity of gold there was! enough to buy all the sugar-sticks of the sweet-stuff women; all the tin soldiers, whips, and rocking-horses in the world, or even the whole town itself There was, indeed, an immense quantity. So the soldier now threw away all the silver money he had taken, and filled his pockets and his knapsack with gold instead; and not only his pockets and his knapsack, but even his cap and boots, so that he could scarcely walk.

He was really rich now; so he replaced the dog on the chest, closed the door, and called up through the tree, “Now pull me out, you old witch.”
“Have you got the tinder-box?” asked the witch.
“No; I declare I quite forgot it.” So he went back and fetched the tinderbox, and then the witch drew him up out of the tree, and he stood again in the high road, with his pockets, his knapsack, his cap, and his boots full of gold.
“What are you going to do with the tinder-box?” asked the soldier.
“That is nothing to you,” replied the witch; “you have the money, now give me the tinder-box.”
“I tell you what,” said the soldier, “if you don’t tell me what you are going to do with it, I will draw my sword and cut off your head.”
“No,” said the witch.

The soldier immediately cut off her head, and there she lay on the ground. Then he tied up all his money in her apron. and slung it on his back like a bundle, put the tinderbox in his pocket, and walked off to the nearest town. It was a very nice town, and he put up at the best inn, and ordered a dinner of all his favorite dishes, for now he was rich and had plenty of money.

The servant, who cleaned his boots, thought they certainly were a shabby pair to be worn by such a rich gentleman, for he had not yet bought any new ones. The next day, however, he procured some good clothes and proper boots, so that our soldier soon became known as a fine gentleman, and the people visited him, and told him all the wonders that were to be seen in the town, and of the king’s beautiful daughter, the princess.

“Where can I see her?” asked the soldier.

“She is not to be seen at all,” they said; “she lives in a large copper castle, surrounded by walls and towers. No one but the king himself can pass in or out, for there has been a prophecy that she will marry a common soldier, and the king cannot bear to think of such a marriage.”

“I should like very much to see her,” thought the soldier; but he could not obtain permission to do so. However, he passed a very pleasant time; went to the theatre, drove in the king’s garden, and gave a great deal of money to the poor, which was very good of him; he remembered what it had been in olden times to be without a shilling. Now he was rich, had fine clothes, and many friends, who all declared he was a fine fellow and a real gentleman, and all this gratified him exceedingly. But his money would not last forever; and as he spent and gave away a great deal daily, and received none, he found himself at last with only two shillings left.

So he was obliged to leave his elegant rooms, and live in a little garret under the roof, where he had to clean his own boots, and even mend them with a large needle. None of his friends came to see him, there were too many stairs to mount up. One dark evening, he had not even a penny to buy a candle; then all at once he remembered that there was a piece of candle stuck in the tinder-box, which he had brought from the old tree, into which the witch had helped him.

He found the tinder-box, but no sooner had he struck a few sparks from the flint and steel, than the door flew open and the dog with eyes as big as teacups, whom he had seen while down in the tree, stood before him, and said, “What orders, master?”
“Hallo,” said the soldier; “well this is a pleasant tinderbox, if it brings me all I wish for.”
“Bring me some money,” said he to the dog.

He was gone in a moment, and presently returned, carrying a large bag of coppers in his month. The soldier very soon discovered after this the value of the tinder-box. If he struck the flint once, the dog who sat on the chest of copper money made his appearance; if twice, the dog came from the chest of silver; and if three times, the dog with eyes like towers, who watched over the gold. The soldier had now plenty of money; he returned to his elegant rooms, and reappeared in his fine clothes, so that his friends knew him again directly, and made as much of him as before.

After a while he began to think it was very strange that no one could get a look at the princess. “Every one says she is very beautiful,” thought he to himself; “but what is the use of that if she is to be shut up in a copper castle surrounded by so many towers. Can I by any means get to see her. Stop! where is my tinder-box?” Then he struck a light, and in a moment the dog, with eyes as big as teacups, stood before him.

“It is midnight,” said the soldier, “yet I should very much like to see the princess, if only for a moment.”

The dog disappeared instantly, and before the soldier could even look round, he returned with the princess. She was lying on the dog’s back asleep, and looked so lovely, that every one who saw her would know she was a real princess. The soldier could not help kissing her, true soldier as he was. Then the dog ran back with the princess; but in the morning, while at breakfast with the king and queen, she told them what a singular dream she had had during the night, of a dog and a soldier, that she had ridden on the dog’s back, and been kissed by the soldier.

“That is a very pretty story, indeed,” said the queen. So the next night one of the old ladies of the court was set to watch by the princess’s bed, to discover whether it really was a dream, or what else it might be.

The soldier longed very much to see the princess once more, so he sent for the dog again in the night to fetch her, and to run with her as fast as ever he could. But the old lady put on water boots, and ran after him as quickly as he did, and found that he carried the princess into a large house. She thought it would help her to remember the place if she made a large cross on the door with a piece of chalk. Then she went home to bed, and the dog presently returned with the princess. But when he saw that a cross had been made on the door of the house, where the soldier lived, he took another piece of chalk and made crosses on all the doors in the town, so that the lady-in-waiting might not be able to find out the right door.

Early the next morning the king and queen accompanied the lady and all the officers of the household, to see where the princess had been.
“Here it is,” said the king, when they came to the first door with a cross on it.
“No, my dear husband, it must be that one,” said the queen, pointing to a second door having a cross also.
“And here is one, and there is another!” they all exclaimed; for there were crosses on all the doors in every direction.

So they felt it would be useless to search any farther. But the queen was a very clever woman; she could do a great deal more than merely ride in a carriage. She took her large gold scissors, cut a piece of silk into squares, and made a neat little bag. This bag she filled with buckwheat flour, and tied it round the princess’s neck; and then she cut a small hole in the bag, so that the flour might be scattered on the ground as the princess went along.

During the night, the dog came again and carried the princess on his back, and ran with her to the soldier, who loved her very much, and wished that he had been a prince, so that he might have her for a wife. The dog did not observe how the flour ran out of the bag all the way from the castle wall to the soldier’s house, and even up to the window, where he had climbed with the princess. Therefore in the morning the king and queen found out where their daughter had been, and the soldier was taken up and put in prison.

Oh, how dark and disagreeable it was as he sat there, and the people said to him, “To-morrow you will be hanged.” It was not very pleasant news, and besides, he had left the tinder-box at the inn. In the morning he could see through the iron grating of the little window how the people were hastening out of the town to see him hanged; he heard the drums beating, and saw the soldiers marching.

Every one ran out to look at them. and a shoemaker’s boy, with a leather apron and slippers on, galloped by so fast, that one of his slippers flew off and struck against the wall where the soldier sat looking through the iron grating. “Hallo, you shoemaker’s boy, you need not be in such a hurry,” cried the soldier to him. “There will be nothing to see till I come; but if you will run to the house where I have been living, and bring me my tinder-box, you shall have four shillings, but you must put your best foot foremost.”

The shoemaker’s boy liked the idea of getting the four shillings, so he ran very fast and fetched the tinder-box, and gave it to the soldier. And now we shall see what happened. Outside the town a large gibbet had been erected, round which stood the soldiers and several thousands of people. The king and the queen sat on splendid thrones opposite to the judges and the whole council. The soldier already stood on the ladder; but as they were about to place the rope around his neck, he said that an innocent request was often granted to a poor criminal before he suffered death.

He wished very much to smoke a pipe, as it would be the last pipe he should ever smoke in the world. The king could not refuse this request, so the soldier took his tinder-box, and struck fire, once, twice, thrice,— and there in a moment stood all the dogs;—the one with eyes as big as teacups, the one with eyes as large as mill-wheels, and the third, whose eyes were like towers. “Help me now, that I may not be hanged,” cried the soldier.

And the dogs fell upon the judges and all the councillors; seized one by the legs, and another by the nose, and tossed them many feet high in the air, so that they fell down and were dashed to pieces.
“I will not be touched,” said the king. But the largest dog seized him, as well as the queen, and threw them after the others. Then the soldiers and all the people were afraid, and cried, “Good soldier, you shall be our king, and you shall marry the beautiful princess.”

So they placed the soldier in the king’s carriage, and the three dogs ran on in front and cried “Hurrah!” and the little boys whistled through their fingers, and the soldiers presented arms. The princess came out of the copper castle, and became queen, which was very pleasing to her. The wedding festivities lasted a whole week, and the dogs sat at the table, and stared with all their eyes.