yellow fairy tale book

Chapter 41 Thumbelina (2)

Thumbelina said nothing.After they passed, she leaned down and brushed the feathers on the swallow's head, and kissed its closed eyes lightly. "Maybe it's the one who has been singing me sweet songs all summer?" she thought to herself, "How much joy the lovely swallow has brought me!"

The Mole plugged the hole through which the light came through, and escorted the two ladies home.But Thumbelina couldn't fall asleep all night, so she got up and wove a big straw mat, and then hugged it to cover the swallow.In order to keep the poor little creature warm in the ground, Thumbelina brought thistles from the field mouse's house, which were as soft as wool, and piled them on the swallow.

"Good-bye! Beautiful Swallow!" she said sadly. "Goodbye! Thank you for the beautiful singing you brought me in summer, when the trees were green and the sun was warm." After speaking, Thumbelina lowered her head and leaned against the swallow.It turned out that the swallow was not dead, it was just frozen.But now Thumbelina gave it warmth, and it came alive again.

In autumn, swallows should migrate far away early.But it is inevitable that some will start late, so they will often be frozen and fall off the tree, and when the heavy snow arrives, they will be buried.

Thumbelina felt a little scared when she realized that the swallow was not dead.For the swallow was huge compared with her—Thumbelina was only an inch high.But she mustered up her courage, and wrapped the poor Swallow up still more tightly in the thistles, and took her own sheet and put it over the Swallow's head.

The next night, she climbed out again to see the swallows.By this time it had come to life, but was still very weak.The moment it opened its eyes, it saw Thumbelina standing in front of it.She couldn't find a lantern, so she lit a rotten log.

"Thank you! Beautiful little girl!" Swallow said gratefully. "I am very warm now. I think I will regain my strength soon, and then I can fly to the warm sun again."

"Oh!" she cried. "It's icy and snowy outside! You just stay in your warm bed. I'll take care of you!"

Then she fetched water for the swallows with the petals.Then he told how he hadn't flown to a warm place for the winter like the other swallows did - because he broke his wings on a thorn tree and couldn't keep up with his mates at all.In the end it was exhausted and had to stay.What happened next, it doesn't remember.The swallow lived in the hole all winter, and Thumbelina took good care of it all the time.The Mole and the Field Mouse were kept in the dark, for Thumbelina knew they had no place for swallows.

Spring is finally here, and the sun begins to shine warmly on the earth again.Thumbelina opened the light hole that the mole knocked open, and the swallow was going to say goodbye to her.The sun outside was shining warmly on her face when the swallow asked her if she would go away together - he could carry her on his back.Though Thumbelina wished she could fly away into the green woods far away, she knew that the old field mouse would be very sad if she did leave.So she replied, "No, I can't go!"

"So, good-bye, sweet little girl!" cried the swallow, and flew towards the sun.Thumbelina watched it with tears in her eyes—she really liked swallows.

"Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!" the swallow sang and flew into the green woods.Thumbelina was very unhappy, because the old field mouse did not allow herself to go to the ground to feel the warm sunshine.In the field above the old field mouse's house the sown corn had grown so high that it was a dense forest for the poor little girl who was only an inch high.

"Thumbelina, you are going to be a bride!" said the old field mouse. "Our neighbor, Mr. Mole, has come to propose marriage! It's a good omen for a poor girl like you! Now you will weave for the dowry. But when you are his wife, you will have enough to eat. Worry about wearing it."

So Thumbelina had to spin and weave all day long.Every night when the Mole came to visit them, he would tell Thumbelina that when the summer was over the sun would not be as hot as it is now, and the ground outside would be like hard rocks.Yeah, they're going to have a wedding when the summer is over.

But Thumbelina was not at all happy about it, and she didn't like the stupid mole at all.Every day when the sun rises in the morning and sets in the evening, Thumbelina will sneak out of the gate.When the breeze blows gently, she can see the blue sky through the swaying corn leaves.She thought to herself that the outside world must be very bright and beautiful, and she also longed to see her lovely swallow again.It was a pity that it never came back—it must have flown off to some distant green wood.

At the end of autumn, Thumbelina finally finished her dowry.

"In four weeks' time you will be married," the old field mouse reminded her. "Stop being stubborn, or don't blame my sharp white teeth!"

The day of the wedding comes.The mole came to meet Thumbelina and would live with her forever in the deep underground.She might never see the warm sun again, because moles don't like light.Poor Thumbelina was very sad, and she really wanted to say goodbye to the beautiful sun.

"Goodbye, bright sun!" she cried, and went out of the house, extending her arms to the sun.The corn in the field has been harvested, and only dry corn stalks stand. "Goodbye! Goodbye!" She hugged a little red flower in front of her and said. "If you see a swallow, please convey my love to it!"

"Squeak! Squeak!" Unexpectedly, the cry of the swallow immediately rang in her ears.She looked up—swallows were flying by.It soon found Thumbelina and seemed very happy.She told the swallow how she did not want to marry the ugly mole, because then she could only stay in the ground without seeing the sun all day long.Thinking of this, Thumbelina couldn't help sobbing.

"Winter is coming again, and I must fly to a warm place for the winter. Will you come with me? You can sit on my back, so you can stay away from the ugly mole and the dark burrow. We can cross the mountains and fly to the sunnier place. There is spring all the year round, full of fragrant and beautiful flowers. Come with me, dear Thumbelina, it is you who rescued me from the cold and dark tunnel from!"

"I would like to go with you!" said Thumbelina, and sat on the Swallow's back, and put her foot on one of its outstretched wings.Together they soared into the sky, skimmed over forests and seas, and over snow-capped mountains.If she's cold, she can snuggle up in the swallow's warm feathers so she only has to stick her head out and enjoy the beauty of the world below her feet.Finally they reached the warm shore: here there is brighter sunshine, more open blue sky, and big lilac grapes hanging from the fence.There are orange and lemon trees in the woods.The air is filled with the fragrance of cherries and mint leaves, and the children are chasing and playing with colorful butterflies on the road, but the swallows do not stop, but fly far away.The scenery in front of me is getting more and more beautiful: the blue lake in the distance is covered with lush forests.Under the trees stands a gleaming white marble castle.The pillar was covered with vines, and it was covered with swallows' nests, one of which belonged to the swallow on which Thumbelina was sitting.

"This is my home!" it said. "Of course it's not for you to live in. I think I'm not neat enough, and you'll be unhappy. You'd better take one of the lovely flowers there and make it your home. I'll send you to the ground now, that way You can do what you love to do."

"It's wonderful!" Thumbelina clapped her little hands and cheered.

There was a huge white marble pillar that fell down on the ground, but it was a pity that it had been broken into three pieces.But the most beautiful flowers bloomed between the broken pillars.The swallow flew down and sat Thumbelina on a large leaf.To his surprise, there was a short man sitting among the flowers. He was as transparent as glass, with a beautiful golden crown on his head, and a pair of beautiful wings growing from his back.He is hardly taller than Thumbelina.It turned out that he was a flower elf.In fact, there is a couple living in each flower, but this is the king who rules the other elves!
"How handsome he is!" Thumbelina whispered to the swallow.

The little king was terrified when he saw the swallow, because compared with him, the swallow became a giant.But when he saw Thumbelina, he couldn't help being glad, for he had never seen such a beautiful person.So he took off the golden crown from his head and put it on Thumbelina's head.He asked her name, and promised that if she became his wife, he would become the Empress of Hundred Flowers.yes!He was not like Old Toad's son and the Mole in his black velvet coat.So she promised the noble King, "I will!" and she was immediately delighted to see that from each flower came a flower fairy or flower spirit, and each brought a gift to Thumbelina.The best gift she received was a pair of beautiful wings that could be inserted behind her back, so that she could fly freely among the flowers.They all wished Thumbelina happiness and happiness, and the swallows sat in their nests and sang the wedding march.It performed very well that day, but it was a little frustrated because it was reluctant to be separated from Thumbelina.

"You shouldn't be called Thumbelina!" the Flower Elf told her. "That's not a pretty name, and you're so pretty, why don't we call you Mayflower?"

"Goodbye! Goodbye!" The little swallow reluctantly flew away, flying farther and farther until it reached Denmark.He had a little nest by one of the windows, and there lived his wife, who could tell beautiful fairy tales.He sang "cheep, cheep" to his wife—that's how we heard the whole story.

(End of this chapter)