Lilac Fairy Book

Chapter 1 Lost Paradise

A long time ago, there lived a charcoal burner and his wife in a big forest.Both of them are young, beautiful and strong.When they got married, they thought that as long as they worked hard, nothing would trouble them.But times were hard, they were getting poorer, and going to bed hungry more and more often.

One night the king was hunting near the charcoal-burner's hut, and as he passed by the door, he heard a cry.The king was a good-natured man, so he stopped and listened carefully, thinking that perhaps he could be of some help.

"Are there any other people as unhappy as we two?" said a woman's voice. "You see, we would like to work all day, but we don't have work. It's all because of old mother Eve's curiosity! If she was like me and didn't want to know anything, we would still be as happy as kings today, with food and clothes we can't finish. Alas—" At this moment, there was a loud knock The sound of the door interrupted her lament.

"Who is it?" she asked.

"It's me!" someone replied.

"'who I am?"

"It's the king. Let me in."

Surprised, the woman jumped up and unbolted the door.The King went into the house and noticed that there was no furniture in it, not even a chair, so he pretended to be busy and didn't have time to look around, and said, "I won't bother you too much. I don't Time lingers here, but you seem to be in trouble. Tell me, are you very unlucky?"

"Oh, my lord, we have no work to do, and we have had nothing to eat for two days!" she replied, "we have nothing but to starve to death."

"No, no, it won't," cried the king. "If you starve to death, it will be your own fault. Come back to the palace with me, and I promise you, you will feel as if you are in heaven." Same. In return, I only ask you to do one thing, and that is that you absolutely obey my orders."

The charcoal burner couple stared at the king for a while, and couldn't believe their ears, but this was an undeniable fact!When they came back to their senses, they said in unison:

"Oh, yes, yes, Your Majesty. We are at your command. How can we be ungrateful and disobey your orders?"

The king laughed, with a gleam of pleasure in his eyes.

"Well, then, let's go at once," said he, "lock the door, and put the key in your pocket."

The woman seemed to feel that there was no need for this, and she thought that the couple would never come back again.But she dared not speak out, and did as the king commanded.

After the three of them walked through the forest for several miles, they came to the palace.The King ordered his servants to lead the Charcoal Burner and his wife into a room filled with such beautiful things as they had never even dreamed of.The couple began with a bath in an emerald-green marble bathtub filled with water that looked like an ocean, before dressing in soft and comfortable silk.When it was over, one of the king's valet came in and led them into a small dining room.They were more than happy that supper was ready.

They were just about to sit down at table when the king entered.

"I hope you are well looked after," he said. "I hope you enjoy this dinner. Ask the butler what you want, and I hope you can do whatever you want. Oh, by the way, there is a thing! Do you see that soup bowl in the middle of the table? Very well, be careful, and never lift the lid. Once you do, your luck will be over." Then he said to his The guests bowed and left the room.

"Did you hear what he said?" said the charcoal burner, feeling a little unbelievable, "We can get what we want, and we can do whatever we want, but we can't touch this soup bowl."

"Yes, of course we don't touch it," replied the wife. "Why would we? But it's a little strange, and one can't help but wonder what's in it."

The charcoal burner couple lived for many days like in a beautiful dream.Their beds are so comfortable that they don't want to get up; their clothes are so beautiful that they are almost reluctant to take them off; their dishes are so delicious that it is difficult for them to stop the knife and fork in their hands.The garden outside the palace was full of exotic flowers and plants, and there were singing birds, and if they wanted to go farther, there was a golden carriage painted with forget-me-not garlands and lined with blue satin. dispatch.The king sometimes came to visit them, and he smiled when he saw the man's face getting rosier and his body getting fatter day by day.But when his eyes fell on the woman, there seemed to be an expression of "I understand", but neither the charcoal burner nor his wife noticed.

"Why are you so silent?" A man asked one morning when he noticed that the woman had finished her breakfast in silence. "Just now you were talking non-stop, but now I hardly remember your voice."

"Oh, nothing. I just don't want to talk, that's all!" She stopped, but after a short pause she added casually, "Don't you want to know what's in that soup bowl?"

"No, never," the man replied, "That's none of our business." The conversation between the two broke off again.As time went on, the woman spoke less and less, looking so distressed that her husband was terrified.As for food, she didn't want to eat anything.

"My dear wife," said the man at last, "you really must eat something. What's the matter with you? You'll die if you keep going on like this."

"It's better to be dead than not to know what's in that soup bowl." She suddenly yelled hysterically, which startled her husband.

"Is that all?" he cried. "Is that what you are suffering from? Ah, you know we shall be thrown out of the palace, and thrown out to starve."

"Oh, no, it won't. The king's temper is too good. Of course he wouldn't take such a small thing seriously! Besides, we don't have to take the lid off all the way, just a crack so I can see What's in it will do. It's just the two of us here, and no one will know."

The man hesitates: it does seem like a "little thing" and if it makes his wife happy, it's well worth the risk.So he took hold of the handle of the lid and slowly and carefully lifted it, while the woman bent down to peek into the soup bowl.Suddenly, screaming, she backed away a few steps because a small mouse jumped out of the soup bowl and nearly hit her in the eye.The little mouse ran and ran around the room, and they both ran after it, trying to catch the mouse and put it back in the soup bowl, but overturned the chairs and the vase.Amid the uproar, the door opened, and the Mouse ran out between the King's feet.Immediately the man and wife hid under the dining table, and the room appeared to be deserted.

"You had better come out, for I have something to tell you," said the King.

"I know what you're going to say," replied the Charcoal Burner despondently, "the mouse has gone away."

"A squad of guards will take you home," said the king. "Your wife has the key to the house."

"How stupid they are!" exclaimed the Charcoal Burner's grandchildren at the story. "How we wish we had that chance! We shall never wonder what was in that soup bowl!"

(End of this chapter)