green fairy tale book

Chapter 35 Jack My Hedgehog
Once upon a time, there was a farmer who had no shortage of money or land, and lived a very comfortable life, but the fly in the ointment was that he had no children.Whenever he met other farmers in the neighboring fair, they would laugh at him about it, and ask him what he had done to kill him.The farmer was very angry. He said: "I must have a son, even if he is a hedgehog!"

Soon after, his wife really gave birth to a child, but the shocking thing is that although the child's lower body is a normal boy, his waist is actually a hedgehog!Even his mother was frightened to death when she saw him for the first time. She said to her husband, "It's you! Why did you swear and curse your child as a hedgehog!"

Said the farmer, "What's the use of whimpering now? I think we'll have to baptize the little one, but who wants to be his godfather or godmother, and what shall we call him?"

"What else can I call him 'Jack my hedgehog'," said the wife.

So they took little Jack to the church to be baptized.The pastor said: "This child is covered with thorns, it is impossible to lie on the bed." This is true, the farmer couple had to build a grass nest for him behind the stove, and little Jack slept in the grass nest for eight years .The farmer hated him very much, and always thought he might as well be dead.But little Jack not only did not die, but grew up day by day.

On this day the farmer was going to a market in a neighboring town, and he asked his wife what she wanted.

"Buy some meat and two loaves for the house," she said.Then he asked the maid what she wanted, and she said she would like a pair of slippers and some stockings.Finally he asked, "Hey, Jack my hedgehog, what would you like me to bring you?"

"Papa," he said, "must buy me a bagpipe."

When the farmer came home, he gave his wife and maid what they had asked for, and then went behind the fire and gave Jack the bagpipes.

Jack got the bagpipes and said, "Dad, please go to the blacksmith's shop and put iron paws on our big cock. I'll ride him out of here and never bother you again."

The farmer was very happy. He was glad that he could finally get rid of the burden of Jack, so he nailed the iron paw to the cock according to Jack's words.Jack rode on the back of the rooster, and with the pigs and donkeys he left the house and headed for the forest.

When he was in the forest, he let the cock carry him up to a high tree, where he tended his pigs and donkeys, and played with his bagpipes.And so the days went by, and little pigs and donkeys were born every year, and after a few years he had a whole herd of pigs and donkeys, and he learned to play the most beautiful music on the bagpipes, but his father didn't know it about him.

One day, a king lost his way in the forest, and suddenly heard the moving sound of bagpipes not far away. He was so surprised that he hurriedly ordered his servants to see where the sound came from.The servant searched for a long time, and finally reported to the king that he only saw a rooster perched on a tree, but what was strange was that there was a hedgehog sitting on the back of the rooster.The king ordered his servants to ask the two monsters why they were sitting on the tree, and whether they knew the way to his kingdom.

The servant relayed the king's words to Jack.Jack jumped down from the tree on his rooster, and he offered to show the king the way home, on condition that the king had to write a letter promising to take away whatever was the first thing he came across on his way home. Give that thing to yourself.The king thought: "It's easy. Anyway, this monster can't read, so I'll just write something and give him a bad check!"

So he took out a pen and ink and wrote a few lines casually.Jack showed the king the way as agreed, and the king returned home smoothly along this road.The king's daughter saw him from afar, and ran to him joyfully, and threw herself into her father's arms and embraced him.The king remembered the promise he had made to Jack, and he told her the strange thing that had happened to him earlier.He said he was forced to sign a monster on the way back, promising to give him whatever he encountered first on his way home.

"But don't worry about it," said the king, "I think that monster is probably a hedgehog. He rides a big cock like a horse, and he can play nice music, but I think he can't read. See If he doesn't understand my handwriting, I don't have to give him anything!"

The princess was very happy, and praised her father for his cleverness, because she would never want to marry a hedgehog anyway.

Meanwhile, Jack was still sitting high up on the top of the tree, tending his pig and donkey, and happily playing the bagpipes.After a while, another king lost his way in the forest. He and his guards wandered around the forest for a long time but couldn't find his way out, because the forest was too big.Later he also heard Jack's bagpipes, so he ordered a follower to find the bagpipe.The follower came to the tree following the sound, looked up and saw Jack and the rooster on the top of the tree.The entourage asked Jack: "What are you doing up there?"

"I'm looking after my pig and donkey, can I help you?" Jack replied.

The entourage said they lost their way and hoped that Jack could show them the way.Jack jumped off the tree on his cock, and said to the old king that he would show them the way, on the condition that the king would make a solemn promise that when he returned home, he would reward him with the first thing he met in front of the castle. give him.

"All right," said the king, and wrote a note for Jack.Jack rode the rooster and led the king and the others out of the forest. Soon after, the old king returned home smoothly.

The old king had a very beautiful only daughter. Seeing her father coming back from a distance, she ran over happily and threw herself into his arms, hugging and kissing him with great joy.Then she asked the old king why he had taken so long to come home.The old king said he was lost in the forest, and perhaps he would never have reached home if a monster had not shown him the way.The monster was half human and half hedgehog, riding a big rooster and standing on the top of a big tree, playing beautiful music.He also told the princess how he had signed a treaty with the monster, agreeing to give him the first thing he met at the gate of the castle.The old king was very sad, for it was evident that the first thing he met at the gate of the castle was his only daughter.But the princess comforted him and said that no matter when Jack came, she was willing to go with him—because she loved her father so much, and she could bear anything for his old father.

At this time Jack was still in the forest looking after his pigs and donkeys, and their numbers increased until the whole forest could not hold them.Jack decided not to live in the forest anymore, so he sent a message to his father to clean up all the stables, pig pens and yards in the village, because he was coming back with a large herd of pigs, and told the villagers Sharpen your knives quickly, and when the time comes, everyone wants to kill whichever one they want.Jack's father was very surprised. He thought Jack was dead long ago.A few days later, Jack rode his rooster and drove a large herd of pigs into the village.He told the villagers to kill as many as they wanted.Everyone was so happy that they all rushed into the group of pigs with knives. The sound of killing pigs and chopping meat could be heard several miles away.

Jack said to his father, "Dad, let the blacksmith nail my cock one more time, so I can ride off on it, and I promise you, as long as I live, I will never come back." The way to get rid of this three points is not human, but seven points is like the son of a monster, so he happily nailed the iron paw to the cock.Then Jack rode the big rooster to the country of the first king he met.The king had already ordered his soldiers to kill the man who rode the rooster and the bagpipe, and never let him enter the palace.So when Jack appeared riding the rooster, the guards rushed at him with bayonets in hand.Jack held the rooster between his legs, and the rooster flew him across the gates and right out of the king's window.Jack shouted to the king that if he didn't give up what he had promised to give him, he would kill both the king and the princess.The king had no choice but to beg his daughter to leave with Jack, saying that this would save their lives.

So the princess put on a white dress, and the king gave her a carriage drawn by six horses, some richly dressed servants, and a large sum of money as a dowry.Weeping, she climbed into the carriage and followed Jack.The king prayed secretly in his heart, hoping that he would never see them again in this life.But it was just the opposite of what he had hoped, and they had not gone far before Jack tore off all the rich clothes from the princess, and stabbing her all over with his thorns, said: "You have broken your trust, and this is what you will pay for! You go back, I have nothing to say to you." Then, he drove the princess and her car back, and she lived in shame and ridicule all her life.

Then Jack rode the cock and played the bagpipes to the country where he met the second king.The old king had already issued an order, saying that if a man riding a rooster and playing bagpipes came, the guards must salute him with guns, and people must line up to welcome him, so Jack was grandly welcomed into the palace.

When the old king's daughter saw Jack for the first time, she was also shocked because he looked so strange.However, the words that are spoken are the water that is poured out; there is no room for change in the matter.So she gave Jack a warm welcome, and they were immediately engaged.During the dinner, Jack sat beside the princess and ate at the same table with her.

When she went to bed at night, the princess was very afraid that Jack would kiss her, because she was afraid that the thorn in his body would pierce her.But Jack told her not to worry, because he would never hurt her.He asked the old king to send four guards to guard the door of his bedroom, and then asked them to light a big fire.He told the soldiers that when he was ready to go to bed, he would shed the skin of his hedgehog and put it beside the bed. And wait by the fire till all that skin is burnt to ashes.

The guards took their orders.When the clock struck eleven, Jack walked into his room, shed his skin and laid it beside the bed.Then the guards rushed in and quickly grabbed the hedgehog skin and threw it into the fire, burning it to pieces.In this way, Jack was finally freed from the magic, and turned into a human from head to toe, but his skin was black, as if it had been scorched.

The old king sent his physician, who carefully scrubbed Jack's body with expensive potions and applied ointments.Jack's skin gradually turned white, and soon he became a handsome young man.The princess was overjoyed, and they held a grand wedding the next day, and the old king gave him the seat of heir to the throne.

A few years later, Jack and his wife returned to their hometown to visit his father. The old farmer no longer recognized him, and he said that he was not lucky to have such an excellent son.He did have a son once, but that child was born with thorns all over his body, like a hedgehog; and he left this place many years ago to wander in the outside world.Jack told him his story.The old father was very happy, and he followed his son and daughter-in-law to their kingdom, and they lived happily ever after.

(End of this chapter)