Fairy tales for young and old E-Book

Engelbert Deusch

• Herausgeber: novum pro Verlag
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Seitenzahl: 106

Beschreibung

A nice boy and a group of dwarfs help the sun find its missing son. Little forest dwellers band together to rescue fairies being tormented by envious witches. A ridiculed boy becomes a football star thanks to his enchanted shoes. An evil ruler is taught a lesson by a basket of magic cherries. And a minstrel halts an army with his music. These fairy tales for young and old are as meaningful as they are versatile. Classic fairy tale elements are present along with fresh interpretations. Each of these many stories contains a clear moral message so typical of the genre. As with the well-known Grimm fairy tales, many of these stories contain a nugget of wisdom that readers both big and small can take with them in life.

Leseprobe

Imprint

All rights of distribution, also through movies, radio and television, photomechanical reproduction, sound carrier, electronic medium and reprinting in excerpts are reserved.

© 2023 novum publishing

ISBN print edition: 978-3-99146-053-4

ISBN e-book: 978-3-99146-054-1

Translated from German: Lingual Consultancy

Cover images: Engelbert Deusch, Extezy | Dreamstime.com

Cover design, layout & typesetting: novum publishing

Images: Engelbert Deusch

www.novumpublishing.com

Jacob and the Bridge to Paradise

Once upon a time there was a young fellow called Jacob. He wanted to see the world, so he set off from home.

When Jacob came to the border of a foreign country, he was challenged with, “Tell us the name of our president!”

“I don’t know.”

“Sure you do, he’s often on television.”

“We never had a TV.”

“Were you that poor?”

“No, but my father always said television makes you sick and dumb, so he never bought one. But we did have a bathtub.”

“If you’ve never watched TV, what do you want in our country?”

“I want to work here, earn money and meet people.”

The border guard thought,I should let him through. He’s dumb and will work for us for little money.

He found work in the next town. One day, one of the locals asked him, “So, what do you think about our able president?”

“I can’t say anything, since I don’t know him,” replied Jacob.

“Everyone knows him, he speaks so often on TV.”

“I’ve never watched TV.”

“I don’t believe it! Hey folks, did you hear that? This guy claims he’s never seen our fine president on TV.”

“Maybe he’s an enemy of our president and doesn’t want to know him at all,” said one of the crowd of curious bystanders.

“There’s something suspicious about him!” another cried.

“Take him to the police!” shouted another. Most of those present joined in with this demand, so Jacob landed in the police station, and then in jail.People who have nothing good to say about our president are enemies of the state and need to be locked up, said the police officers and the judge.

His wealthy and influential employer, called Exploiter, waited for Jacob. After not hearing from him for three days, he sought him out and found him in jail. When Exploiter found out the reason for his conviction, he went to the judge and made the suggestion, “Let’s show him a television and see how he reacts.” Not wishing to be unjust, the judge agreed to the idea.

The judge set up a computer screen, a video player and a television, then summoned Jacob and ordered him to switch on the TV. Jacob pressed and twisted the knobs on all three devices, but nothing worked. Finally, he found the power cables, which were not connected anywhere and tried pulling on them, but none of the devices wanted to work.

“That’s enough! You really are stupid! You may go with Exploiter!”

Being called stupid vexed Jacob, but he was very glad he didn’t have to stay in the gloomy prison.

Exploiter again gave him work, food and accommodation but paid him very little. Exploiter was very happy with Jacob. Jacob was very happy with his job, because he very much liked his employer’s daughter. What’s more, the daughter returned his affections, and told her father so.

“What? You want to marry him? That idiot couldn’t even turn on a TV before he came to us. He’s no good for you!” Not wishing to back down, The daughter then burst into tears and, because she wouldn’t stop crying, her father said, “Send Jacob to me, and I’ll find out if he is worthy of you.”

When Jacob arrived, Exploiter told him, “If you bring me the full backpack from the Place of Contentment, then I’ll let you marry my daughter. Unfortunately, I’ve lost the address, but you will surely find the place.”

“What’s in this backpack?” asked Jacob.

“The backpack is full of good wishes that come true for they who open it. Don’t come back without it!” And with these words, he ushered Jacob from his house.I’m rid of him, thought Exploiter.

In good spirits, Jacob immediately began his search. In the telephone directory, he found a listing for a Hotel called ‘Place of Contentment’ and hurried there, but nobody knew anything about a backpack filled with wishes. He asked many people about the Place of Contentment, but nobody was able to help him.

One night, he dreamed of the way to the Place of Contentment. In the dream he was walking along a forest path: flowers were blooming on the way; birds were singing and the sun was shining. Jacob felt good. If he was thirsty, he could drink fresh spring water. If he was hungry, he would find ripe berries. On the third day, fog descended as he reached a place where a bridge had just collapsed. Then he heard a voice saying, “This was the Bridge of Kind Thoughts. The kind thoughts of the people on Earth are the building blocks for this bridge. There are never enough blocks, which is why nobody has yet made it to the Place of Contentment. Only by crossing this bridge can you get there!”

In the days that followed, Jacob had a very pleasant surprise – he came upon the place he had dreamed of. He could go no farther at the unfinished bridge. But Jacob had a brilliant idea. He retraced his steps to the nearest town, where he placed an ad for help in the local newspaper, seeking helpers who were prepared to spend at least one minute sending off one nice thought, so that Jacob could cross the Bridge of Kind Thoughts to the Place of Contentment. The next day Jacob received so many replies in the mail that a large laundry basket couldn’t hold them all. On each following day, the amount kept increasing. On the appointed day, Jacob was therefore able to cross the Bridge of Kind Thoughts with no difficulty, and enter into paradise. Everything there was wonderful, and he was happy all day.

There was a telescope there that allowed you to look at whatever was on your mind. Jacob looked through it and thought of Mary, the daughter of Exploiter. He saw she was still waiting for him. Her father had suggested several prospective suitors to her, but she had turned them all down.

Jacob thought of returning.

“Where is the backpack filled with good wishes?” he asked.

“There’s no such thing! People carry good wishes inside themselves. With good thoughts you can change your surroundings.” That was what Jacob wanted, so with that in mind he set out on the journey back to Mary.

When she saw him coming, she ran up to him, and happily threw her arms around his neck. “Finally, you’re back!”

Exploiter also heard his daughter’s cry of delight and discovered Jacob, but what he saw did not please him at all. When Jacob greeted him, however, his resentment vanished, and he even gave his consent to the imminent marriage. While in paradise, Jacob had acquired the ability to make everyone he looked at happy.

With his benevolent gaze and actions, he filled everyone around him with joy and so they all lived happily ever after.

Leopold and the Sun Boy

Once there was a strange time, in which the Sun got so hot near us that ponds could dry up in a day, while big cracks opened up in the earth. Sometimes a warm rain would fall to Earth, without a cloud visible in the sky.

People fell into deep despair. There was not enough drinking water for them and their animals. Nothing more grew in the fields. The trees were completely without leaves. The heat threatened all living things.

Then, one day, little Leopold decided to go to the Sun.

“I’m going to ask her to stop shining so fiercely,” he told himself.

Climbing a high mountain, Leopold shouted over and over, “Sun, Mrs. Sun!” But she gave no answer. It was getting hotter and hotter for him. Much sweat ran down brave Leopold’s face and he found it harder and harder to call out loud, because he had a very great thirst.

Coming across a cave, he went inside to rest in the shade.

“Why have you disturbed our peace?” Leopold was asked from the cave entrance.

“Sorry,” stammered little Leopold. “I didn’t mean to disturbyou. I wanted to call to the Sun and ask her to stop shining down so hot, since otherwise all of the children, all the grown-ups and many animals will die.”

“Well, if that’s so,” said the dwarf, and looked the boy up and down. “If you get too close to the Sun, you will die from sheer heat. Since you have a good heart, though, I will help you. Wait here for a bit!”

Some time later, the dwarf came back from the inside of the cave. He held out a telephone receiver to Leopold and told him, “You can use this to call the Sun. All you have to do is think of the Sun and start talking.” In front of the cave, the dwarf handed the boy the magic telephone. Leopold thought of the Sun and said, “Mrs. Sun! Dear Mrs. Sun!”

“Who’s calling me? Who is it?”

“It’s me, little Leopold.”

“I don’t see you. Where are you?”

“I’m down here on Earth, on that high mountain. I’m calling you from there. Please, dear Mrs. Sun, don’t shine so hot, since otherwise all the people and animals are going to die of sheer heat.”

“Impossible,” retorted the Sun brusquely.

“But that means my mother and father, and my brothers and sisters, will die, and so will everyone else,” sobbed Leopold.

“I have to look for my own son,” replied the Sun.

“I see, have you lost him?” asked the boy.

“No, he was taken from me! I am going to scour every last corner of the Earth each day until I find him. I know that means I’m getting too close to Earth and burning everything, I know, but Imustfind my son!” And tears ran down her cheeks.

“I will help you,” Leopold reassured her. “If I go looking in your stead, perhaps I’ll have more luck. What does he look like?”

“He is very blond. His long locks shine.”

“OK, I will search for your son.”

“Hopefully, you will be lucky soon, young Leopold!” she cried again, but had to hurry away to quickly return to the sky.

“Where could I look for the Sun Boy?” Leopold asked the dwarf.

“Give him a call!” Poldi thought of the missing boy and said, “Can you hear me, Sun Boy?”

“Who’s calling?”

“I’m Leopold, and I want to set you free. Where are you hiding?”

“I’m closed up inside a big mountain.”

“How did you get in there?” Leopold wished to know.

“Shh! He’s coming,” Leopold could still make out, followed by a pitiful voice, “Oh, there you are! I thought I heard you talking to someone in my sleep. Lucky for me you’re alone. I would like to think nobody could get inside my mountain. Oh, I’m so-o-o very tired.”

“Now the mountain spirit is sleeping. He’s the one who abducted me and locked me up in here. Every day I have to walk through the cave passages and light them up. But I still don’t know where this mountain actually is, or how to get out.”

In a state of great excitement, young Leopold called the Sun back and told her everything he knew. Mrs. Sun was very happy but could give no advice as to how one could find the mountain. Poldi promised, “I will ask all the people and animals; maybe I can find him. Goodbye!”

“Goodbye, able Leopold!”

“Dear dwarf, can you tell me which mountain the Sun Boy is captive in?”

“No, I don’t know. But perhaps the Dwarf King knows this. Let’s go to him.” But the Dwarf King didn’t know either.

Then a smart imp – called Hunkibunki, I think – said, “What’s the use of having a magic telephone in the dwarf kingdom? Let’s see if the mountain spirit will let something slip.”

“Right!” piped up some dwarfs.

“Yes indeed,” agreed the Dwarf King, “but how will we get the mountain spirit to tell us what we want to know?”

A deliberation began on how one might best do this. At last, little Leopold spoke up and laid out his plan to the group. All nodded their agreement, eagerly anticipating the outcome.

Poldi grabbed the receiver and thought of the mountain spirit.

“Ha ha! Did I frighten you, great and powerful mountain spirit?”

“Ha! Who dares come to me without my permission?” he snorted.