The Magic Pipe

          Once upon a time, in a mountain village of Japan, there was a little girl named Ayaka. Ayaka was a good and sweet little girl and was the joy of her parent’s life. But her life was not a happy one. The villagers accused her of being a witch and she was bullied every day by the children. The only friend she had was her cousin Mamoru. Mamoru lived with Ayaka and her parents. His parents died when he was young and his aunt and uncle had raised him ever since. Mamoru didn’t believe that Ayaka was a witch and protected her from the bullies.

          One day Ayaka and Mamoru were sitting by a stream, while Ayaka was playing her pipe. Ayaka’s father made that pipe for her on the day of her birth and she had kept it with her ever since.

          “You get better playing that pipe every single day” said Mamoru.

          “Thank you Mamoru” Ayaka sighed “but playing this pipe is why I get bullied”. It was true; the villagers thought that when Ayaka played her pipe something would happen. There was one time when they thought that she made a flower grow very quickly by just playing her pipe. But of course just by playing the pipe didn’t do that.

          “Ayaka” said Mamoru “don’t believe anything that the villagers think about you. You are not a witch, you are you”.

          “Thank you Mamoru” said Ayaka, with a smile. Ayaka always felt safe and happy with Mamoru; even though her life was filled with misfortune.

          Unfortunately things went from bad to worse for Ayaka that winter. The mountain village had a tradition of sacrificing a seven year old child to the mountain god, every seven years. They believed that doing that would bring full harvest to the village. Sadly Ayaka was chosen to be the sacrifice; she was seven years old. Ayaka’s parents were devastated by this; Ayaka was their only child and they didn’t want her to be a sacrificed. Mamoru was also upset and believed that Ayaka was chosen because they all thought she was a witch. But the village elders had spoken and that was all there was to it. So Ayaka was dressed in priestess clothing, said a prayer to the mountain god for a good harvest, and then was locked in a shrine, on a hill, where she was to die from hunger.

          That night Ayaka was playing her pipe in the shrine, she decided that playing music, until she died, would help her die in peace. Suddenly the shrine door unlocked and opened by itself and behind the door was the spirit of the mountain god. Ayaka ran over to him and kneeled in front of him. “Mountain god” she cried “if you have come to take my life away. Please do it quickly”.

          “Don’t be afraid Ayaka” replied the mountain god “I have not come here to take your life. I have come here to present you with a gift”. The mountain god gave Ayaka a pipe that looked the same as hers. “This is a magic pipe” he said “play the tune you always play every night and the village harvests will flourish. But whatever you do, do not ever break this if you do you will die”.

          “But what happens if someone else breaks this” asked Ayaka.

          “You will be spared but the person who does break it will die instead” answered the mountain god.

          “I understand” said Ayaka. Then the mountain god disappeared.

          After the mountain god disappeared, Mamoru appeared. He had come to get Ayaka out of the shrine, but was surprised that she was already out. Ayaka explained about her meeting with the mountain god and his gift to her. Then she warned him about what happens if the magic pipe got broken. “Then we better be very careful with that pipe” said Mamoru. Mamoru explained to Ayaka that her parents sent him to get her out of the shrine and provide food and clothing for her every night. “Thank you Mamoru” said Ayaka “but I’m worried that this will get you and my parents in trouble”.

“Don’t worry Ayaka” said Mamoru “I’ll protect you always”.

          For the next six years Mamoru secretly visited Ayaka every night in the wood to give her food and clothing. Mamoru built a shelter in the wood for her to live in, instead of living in the shrine. Ayaka played her tune every night to make the harvests flourish.

          “Mamoru how is the village doing?” asked Ayaka.

          “They are doing well actually” Mamoru answered “because of your magic pipe the fields have flourished”.

          “The mountain god did say that the fields would flourish if I played it”.

          “Ayaka I have been thinking” said Mamoru “let’s leave this village. You don’t deserve this kind of life and to be honest I hate living in a village where children have to be sacrificed. So let’s leave this place and live a happier life together and forever”.

          “Okay” agreed Ayaka.

          The next day Mamoru was secretly talking to Ayaka’s parents. He told them about his plan for him and Ayaka leaving the village together. They understood and asked Mamoru to take good care of Ayaka. While they were still talking, Mamoru heard three boys talking to each other. They were called Rouen, Daisuke and Shinji. Mamoru was no friend of them because these three boys were the ones who always bullied Ayaka.

          “Can you believe that the fields have flourished so much?” asked Shinji “I’ve never seen anything like it”

          “I think it’s because we got rid of that girl Ayaka” said Daisuke.

          “I agree heartily” said Rouen “that girl was like a witch when she made flowers bloom very quickly with that pipe of hers. I’m glad that she’s gone”.

          Mamoru was furious with them and wanted to give them a piece of his mind but instead he just concentrated of his plan to escape from the village with Ayaka.

          That night Mamoru ran to the wood to pick up Ayaka. “Ayaka it is time to leave the village” he said “and we must leave now before someone sees us”.

          “Aren’t my parents coming?” asked Ayaka.

          “No they fear that the villagers will get suspicious if they left too, so they will be staying in the village” answered Mamoru. 

          “What will they say when the villagers discover that you are gone?” asked Ayaka worriedly.

          “They will be covering for me and pretend that they didn’t know about my disappearance. So you and I will now live a free life” said Mamoru.

          Suddenly Ayaka heard a squirrel run around. “Mamoru I think someone is coming” she said.

          “I do too” Mamoru said “quick hide behind a big tree and give me your original pipe. That way they will only notice me and not you”. Ayaka gave him a pipe, but she gave him the magic pipe by mistake.

          Mamoru played the same tune Ayaka played on the magic pipe, while Ayaka hid behind a tree. “So the rumours were true” said a voice. It was Rouen and his friends Daisuke and Shinji.

          “There were rumours in the village that you disappear into the wood at night and music was being played” said Daisuke.

          “What is wrong with that?” asked Mamoru “I did this all the time when Ayaka was around”.

          “You still think of her even though she is dead?” said Shinji.

          “So I take it you wouldn’t care if a relative of yours was sacrificed?” asked Mamoru.

          “Enough of this!” shouted Rouen. He grabbed the magic pipe. “Since this pipe is Ayaka’s we should dispose of this too”. He tossed it to the ground and stepped on it. Daisuke and Shinji stepped on it too until it broke into a little pieces.

          Then three big vines shot out from under the ground and wrapped themselves around Rouen, Daisuke and Shinji very tightly. “What is happening?!” shouted Rouen. Since they were the ones who broke the pipe, they had to pay the price with their lives. Ayaka and Mamoru gasped as they watched Rouen, Daisuke and Shinji being strangled to death by the vines.

          “The mountain god didn’t lie when he said death would happen to the one who broke the magic pipe” said Ayaka, coming out of hiding.

          “You’re right he didn’t” said Mamoru “I’m just glad that it’s not you who broke it. Come we better leave quickly before the villagers realise what has happened”. Hand in hand Ayaka and Mamoru ran away from the village. They were finally free from their miseries.

          The villagers never saw Mamoru again. Some believed that he ran away because of what they did to Ayaka. And others believed that he had been killed like Rouen, Daisuke and Shinji when they found their dead bodies the next day. Ayaka’s parents never revealed the real truth and also pretended that they never knew he would run away. What the villagers didn’t know was this; Mamoru lived in a happier village, with Ayaka by his side forever.

Aang and the Dragon Family

          A very, very long time ago, in a Chinese village of, there lived a rice farmer and his two sons, Li-Liang and Aang. They lived in a small house, near a big paddy field where they grew rice. Growing and selling rice was their way of living; after the rice had grown, the farmer would sell some of the rice at the market for money and keep the rest of the rice for him and his sons to eat.

          Aang, the youngest son, was a kind and hard working man and did everything he could to help his father. He helped out with both the house work and the paddy field work. The rice farmer was happy to have a good son like Aang and he hoped that he would always have a happy future. Li-Liang, the eldest son, on the other hand was a lazy and selfish man and did nothing to help his father or brother. He didn’t even bother to help out in the paddy field. The rice farmer was ashamed of Li-Liang and hoped that he would come to his senses soon.

          One day the rice farmer died from a terrible illness, leaving Li-Liang and Aang orphans. What was even more upsetting was that Li-Liang and Aang had to leave their home. The reason for that was the night after their father died a terrible storm hit the village and destroyed their house and paddy field. The paddy field was so destroyed that it couldn’t be used to grow rice again. As for the house; Aang and Li-Liang couldn’t afford to have the house rebuilt. So Li-Liang and Aang had to make their fortunes somewhere else.

          “I still can’t believe that father is gone and our home is destroyed” Aang sighed.

          “What’s done is done” said Li-Liang, who was fed up with Aang sighs, “besides we won’t have to work in the paddy fields any more”.

          “What do you mean we?” said Aang “You never helped out in the paddy fields. Even when father became ill you still didn’t help”.

          “Oh well doesn’t matter anyway now” replied Li-Liang.

          Aang was cross with what Li-Liang said. Because of Li-Liang’s laziness and meanness it made Aang hate him, even though he didn’t want to hate his own elder brother.

          Just then a messenger from the village landlord appeared to them. The landlord and the rice farmer had been friends for a long time and after the rice farmer died, the landlord decided to help Li-Liang and Aang.

          “The landlord has heard about your father’s death and about the destruction of your home and paddy field,” said the messenger “he sent me to deliver these two job offer papers to you. He also wishes the both of you good luck with whatever it is you’re going to do”. The messenger handed the papers to Aang, then left.

          “Great so we’ve got new jobs then” said Li-Liang, who wasn’t really pleased with this.

          “Be glad that we have got jobs, so we can make livings for ourselves” said Aang.

          Aang looked at the job offer papers. The first paper read; “A very rich lady is looking for a man, who would entertain her four grown up daughters, while she’s out. Payment will be very generous”. The second paper read; “A retired house keeper needs someone to clean, cook and look after children in her place. Payment will be free food and shelter.”

          Li-Liang wanted to take the first job offer; even though he was lazy and selfish, his favourite thing to do was spend long hours with women. And since these women were rich, it couldn’t be better than this for him. Aang didn’t mind having the second job offer. He was used to cooking and cleaning and he did like children. The big difference about these two jobs was that they were in different places, so it meant that Li-Liang and Aang had to go their separate ways.

          “Well elder brother I wish you good luck in the future” said Aang.

          “The only one who will need luck is you because you have a boring job and I have a fun job” boasted Li-Liang.

          The two brothers took one horse each and set off to their own new future. This was the last time they saw each other.

          Aang’s destination for his new job was a big mansion that stood, in the middle of a forest, far away from the village. When Aang arrived, an old woman was standing outside the door waiting for him.

          “Are you the housekeeper of this mansion?” asked Aang.

          “Yes I am” said the housekeeper “and I thank you for answering my job offer. I’m too old now to look after the mansion and children”.

          “I should be thanking you” said Aang “I need this job after losing my old home and work”.

          The house keeper explained that the mistress of this mansion, Yao-Niang, had four children, who are still young, and needed someone to take care of them, because she was out most of the time on business.

          “Is her husband not around?” asked Aang.

          “Sadly no, he passed away a few years ago” the housekeeper answered.

          She then explained that the four children were energetic and liked to be entertained. “They are not spoiled, but they get bored very easily I warn you”. Aang understood and told the housekeeper not to worry about a thing. “The one thing I must warn you is not to upset my mistress” said the housekeeper “making her upset would be the last thing you would ever do”. After giving Aang her final instructions, the housekeeper got on Aang’s horse and left. Aang was puzzled about what she had said, but he was ready to begin his new life at the mansion.

          He was just about to enter the mansion when he heard some screams. “That sounds like children screaming for help” he gasped. The screams were coming from inside the forest. Aang ran, following the sound of screams. He stopped and saw where the screams came, but he couldn’t believe his eyes! The screams were coming from four brownish red baby dragons; they were caught in a net.

          “Someone help us please” shouted one of the baby dragons.

          Aang still couldn’t believe it; these baby dragons could talk. “Hold on a sec” said Aang “I’ll get you four out of there”. He untied the rope of the net and at last the four baby dragons were free.

          “Thank you sir,” said the biggest baby dragons “are you the human who is replacing our housekeeper?”

          “Yes I am” said Aang “my name is Aang. What names are you four called?”

          “My name is Kang” said the biggest baby dragon.

          “My name is Zhong” said the second biggest baby dragon.

          “We are Mei-Hua and Li-Hua” said the two smallest dragons together “we’re twins”.

          Suddenly a giant shadow flew over them. “Mother is home!” shouted Mei-Hua. A big brownish red dragon landed upon the ground. Aang was in more shock than ever; the mansion was home to a dragon family. The baby dragons introduced their mother to Aang and told her about him rescuing them from a net.

          “Thank you Aang” said the mother dragon, bowing her head in respect.

          “I take it that you are Yao-Niang?” asked Aang.

          “Yes I am” said Yao-Niang “I am grateful to you for coming here to look after my children. I leave the mansion as soon as the sun rises and come back when the sun sets, so I need someone to watch my children”.

          “You won’t have to worry about a thing my lady” said Aang “I will take care of your mansion and children”.

          That night Aang was in a bed room of his own; it was a big room with a big bed. Aang was in bed, staring at the full moon outside, he was still surprised about his new life with a dragon family, but he didn’t care. This was much better than having no job and no home. He prayed to his mother and father in heaven to always watch him and Li-Liang then fell asleep.

          Next morning Yao-Niang left the mansion, leaving her children with Aang. Aang cooked a breakfast of chicken soup for him and the baby dragons.

          “This is delicious” said Kang.

          “The best chicken soup ever” said Zhong.

          “Eat all you like” said Aang.

          After breakfast Aang sent the baby dragons outside to play. “It’s time for me to clean the mansion” he said “and after I’m finished I will play with you four, alright?” “Okay” said the four dragons. So Aang cleaned the whole mansion and after he finished he played with the baby dragons until their mother returned home.

          So for the whole week Aang cleaned the mansion, cooked and played with the baby dragons. The baby dragons liked Aang; he was like a father to them. Aang was happy living with the dragon family; he felt like he was part of the family. Yao-Niang enjoyed Aang’s company too and while the baby dragons were asleep she and Aang would have talks with each other. Aang would talk about how his life was like before his home was destroyed and his father died. He even talked about how lazy and selfish his elder brother Li-Liang was. Yao-Niang hated hearing about Li-Liang; she hated lazy and selfish people. She felt sorry for Aang for having gone through such hardships like that and hoped that he was happy here with her and her children.

          “Are you happy here looking after my family Aang?” Yao-Niang asked Aang one night.

          “Yes I am thank you” replied Aang “it is nice being surrounded by a family again, even though you and your family are dragons. Truth is this new life of mine with you and your children is wonderful.” Yao-Niang was pleased with that comment, and then she wished Aang good night.

          When sun rise came Aang got out of his bed, to see Yao-Niang before she flew away again. But instead of seeing five dragons, he saw a beautiful woman and four children.

          “Yao-Niang, Kang, Zhong, Mei-Hua and Li-Hua” said Aang, in shock, “is that you?”

          “Yes it is us, but in our human form” said Yao-Niang “I will tell you everything. The truth is four years ago, after my husband died, a wicked magician asked me to become his wife. I refused the offer, but the magician didn’t take no for an answer. So he transformed me and my children into dragons, so that no other man could have me for a wife. I killed the magician after he transformed us into dragons, but that didn’t break the spell. The only way for this spell to be broken was that if a man loved me and my children for who we were. After what you said last night about being happy with me and my children, even though we were dragons, those words broke the spell on us. It is thanks to you that we are free from the spell”.

          “I understand now” said Aang “I’m glad that the spell is broken. Yao-Niang I know this is sudden, but may I have you for my wife and be the new father of your children?”

          “I thought you would never ask” said Yao-Niang, running into Aang’s arms. Kang, Zhong, Mei-Hua and Li-Hua ran up to Aang, calling him ‘Father’. They wanted him and only him to become their new father. Aang bent down to the ground and held the four children in his arms like a true father.

          And so Aang married Yao-Niang and became the stepfather of her children. He felt happier than he had ever felt before. Having a new family had been his wish ever since his father died and now his wish had come true.

          As for Li-Liang, well his new job wasn’t exactly what he had in mind. The four daughters he had to entertain during the day were beautiful, but they were lazy and selfish like him. They made him do everything for them like fetch things and carry things for them. And if he didn’t do what he was told to do they would hit him with fans. You could say this was a punishment for him for his bad behaviour.

          But Aang lived a happy life with his wife and step children for the rest of his life.

Aurora and Benjamin

          Once upon a time there was a widowed gentleman, with his little daughter Aurora. His wife died when Aurora was just a baby and he had raised his daughter by himself ever since. The gentleman loved his daughter very much and she loved him in return. The father and daughter were indeed happy together and their lives couldn’t have been better than this.

          When a new spring came the gentleman married again. His new wife was a beautiful woman, with black hair and brown eyes. Aurora, however, did not like her new stepmother. There was something about her that she didn’t like. She was right to dislike her because the truth was she was actually an evil witch. But no one, not even the gentleman knew that yet. 

          Sometime later the gentleman died from a terrible illness, leaving Aurora to be raised by her stepmother. It was the death of her father when Aurora found out that her stepmother was an evil woman. While he was alive she behaved differently, but now she was allowed to act as she wanted. The stepmother was cruel to Aurora; she abused her and made her a servant. Aurora was unhappy; first she loses her mother as a baby, next she loses her father fourteen years later and now she has become a servant of a cruel woman.

          However Aurora was not completely alone. She had a best friend and neighbour named Clouse. Clouse had been Aurora’s best friend ever since they were small children and was always with her whenever she was alone and unhappy. He even helped her with some of the chores that she had to do every day. With Clouse around Aurora was always cheerful, even though she was now living a miserable life.

          One day, sometime after Aurora turned sixteen, the stepmother would not stop gazing at Aurora. Usually when Aurora was around she would just pretend that she wasn’t there but today all she did was stare at her. Aurora felt nervous and frightened having her stepmother just stare at her. That evening she talked to Clouse about it. “I must say I do find that strange” Clouse said “she only looks at you when she’s giving you orders”.

          “I know Clouse” said Aurora “I’m really scared about that and her eyes show a really cold look”.

          “How about this” asked Clouse “tomorrow I’ll keep watch on what she is doing”.

          “If you’re going to do that Clouse do be careful” said Aurora “my stepmother hates it when you look after me”.

          “Don’t worry Aurora” said Clouse, holding her close to him, “it will be all right”.

          The next day Aurora was doing her chores as usual, but just like yesterday her stepmother was watching her the whole time.

          “Is there something you want to say to me stepmother?” asked Aurora “you have been staring at me all morning”.

          “Yes there is actually” the stepmother said. She brought Aurora over to her mirror. “As you can see in this mirror I am very beautiful but it also shows how pretty you are. Your golden hair shines in the sun and your blue eyes are like sapphires. Everyone around here has said that you have grown into a beautiful woman. So tell me, what do you think of my beauty? And don’t lie or else”.

          “Alright stepmother I’ll tell you what I think” said Aurora “you are beautiful on the outside, but on the inside you are filled with coldness and cruelty. Therefore I call you an ugly person”.

          The stepmother was in rage by that comment and was just about to strike Aurora, when the door was kicked open. It was Clouse! Clouse had watched everything from the window and kicked the door open to rescue Aurora. He grabbed Aurora and both of them ran away from the house into a forest.

          “I knew there was something I didn’t like about her” said Aurora, when they finally stopped running, “what can we do?”

          “There is a cottage in the middle of this forest” said Clouse “my father and I used to go there every summer. You will be safe there”.

          “But what are you going to do?” asked Aurora.

          “I must go back home and warn my father about how evil your stepmother is” answered Clouse “it is you she’s after. I will be alright”. Clouse’s father was the captain of the police and Clouse was his assistant.

          Clouse took Aurora to the cottage. It was a small, pretty, white, cottage, with flowers growing outside. A little stream, with a bridge, was near it. Aurora found the cottage adorable and fell in love with it. Clouse found the key to the cottage under the mat and unlocked the door. Inside all the furniture was covered with sheets and there was dust everywhere.

          “I’m sorry that it’s a mess in here” said Clouse.

          “Don’t worry Clouse” said Aurora “all this place needs is a good tidying up and then it will be good as new”.

          “I have to leave now” said Clouse “but I’ll come and fetch you after dealing with your stepmother I promise”. Then he left.

          After Clouse left, Aurora set to work on cleaning the cottage. She didn’t mind having to do all the cleaning alone because it was just like home, only smaller. First of all she filled three buckets of water from the stream. Next she took all the sheets off all the furniture. It took all the rest of the afternoon to clean the entire cottage, but at last the cleaning was all done. It was night time by then, so Aurora went to bed.

          The next day Aurora was outside getting some water from the stream. Suddenly she heard a rustling noise coming from a bush. She put down the bucket and peeked behind the bush. What she found behind the bush was a child, a little boy around six years old and looking completely hungry. Aurora picked the boy up and carried him into the cottage. Then she placed him into bed and fixed some soup for lunch. The smell of the soup woke the boy up.

          “Are you awake now” asked Aurora, who came to see how he was doing.

          “Where am I” the boy asked.

          “You are at my cottage” Aurora answered “you collapsed into a bush, so I brought you in here. I have made some soup, would you like some?”

          “Yes please” said the boy.

         While they were eating the soup, the boy told Aurora his story. “My name is Benjamin and I am now an orphan. My father died when I was a baby and my mother became sick after I turned six a few weeks ago. Then my mother died a few days ago, now I have no home or family”. He burst into tears. Aurora pulled Benjamin into a hug and hushed him. “Benjamin” she said “I have no family either”. “You don’t?” said Benjamin, who started to calm down. “My parents are in heaven just like yours are” said Aurora “how about staying with me and become my son?” Benjamin could not believe what he heard. “You mean it?” he asked. “Yes, my son” Aurora answered. Benjamin cried tears of happiness in Aurora’s arms; they were now mother and son.

          So Benjamin stayed with Aurora in the cottage and both of them were happy together. Aurora loved and cared for Benjamin as if he was her own son and Benjamin loved Aurora as if she was his real mother. Aurora felt happy with Benjamin, but she missed Clouse. Benjamin noticed that his mother looked a bit unhappy most of the time, so he asked her what was wrong. Aurora explained to Benjamin about her friend Clouse and how he helped her run away from her wicked stepmother. Aurora had told Benjamin before about her father’s death and how cruel her stepmother was. Benjamin could guess that his mother missed Clouse and wished he could do something to cheer her up, but he didn’t know how.

          The next day Benjamin was outside in the forest picking some flowers to cheer Aurora up. While he was still picking some, a man walked up to him. Benjamin looked at him in confusion; he had never met this man before nor did he know who he was.

          “Excuse me little boy” the man said “but do you know a young girl named Aurora?”

          “Are you her friend Clouse?” asked Benjamin.

          “Yes I am” said Clouse “I have come here to pick Aurora up and take her home”.

          “Hooray” cheered Benjamin “mother has been waiting for you all this time. Now she will be happy again”.

          “Wait, did you just call Aurora mother?” asked Clouse in confusion.

          Benjamin explained to Clouse that his real mother was dead and that Aurora had been his new mother ever since. Clouse understood. Benjamin grabbed Clouse’s hand and dragged him back to the cottage. When they got back to the cottage Benjamin let go of Clouse’s hand and ran into the cottage telling Aurora to come out. When Aurora did come outside she couldn’t believe her eyes.

          “Clouse!” gasped Aurora, she ran into his arms.

          “I’m sorry I took so long” said Clouse, returning her hug, “but you won’t believe what happened. When I told both my father and the police how cruel your stepmother was they went straight to your house to arrest her. After we got there we found out that she was actually an evil witch. What was more shocking was that she tricked your father into marrying her for his money”. 

          “I knew there was something I didn’t like about her” said Aurora.

          “You won’t have to worry about her anymore” said Clouse “she has been burnt to the stake, so you are now free from her”.

          Benjamin, who heard everything, was happy for Aurora. But he was worried that now Clouse was here, Aurora would leave him out. Clouse walked over to Benjamin and picked him up. “Thank you Benjamin” said Clouse “Aurora, Benjamin has told me about being your adoptive child and I agree to have you as my adoptive son too”. Benjamin couldn’t believe it and hugged Clouse in happiness. Clouse and Aurora both hugged Benjamin back.

          And so Aurora and Clouse moved back to her house in the town and became husband and wife. Benjamin became their adoptive son and they lived happily together for many years.

Spindella

          Once upon a time, in a faraway land there was a tiny kingdom. In a charming village, near the palace, lived a very poor old woman and her daughter Eliza. Her husband died sometime ago and both she and Eliza had to work very hard to make ends meet. They made their living by spinning which didn’t earn them a lot of money, but just enough to keep them alive.

          Eliza was a good girl and did everything she could to help her mother. But Eliza hated spinning; to her it was the most boring thing to do ever. It made her sigh whenever she was at her spinning wheel, she even sighed while she was spinning.

          “My child, why do you sigh so much when we spin?” asked her mother.

          “Forgive me for complaining Mother” said Eliza “it’s just that I find spinning very, very boring. I hate having to do this for hours and hours every day”.

          “Yes darling” said her mother “I know that it is tiring having to spin thread on these bobbins all the time. But it is the only way that you and I can earn our living”.

          Eliza knew that her mother was right, but she wished that she and her mother had a better life than this. She also wished that she never had to spin thread ever again

          One day a messenger from the palace came to visit Eliza and her mother. He explained that the queen needed their help.

          “Is something wrong sir” said Eliza’s mother.

          “Well the thing is madam” said the messenger “it’s that the queen has a lot of thread that needs to be spun, but the spinner has come down with a cold and the queen needs her thread to be spun as soon as possible. Can you come and do it please?”

          Eliza could not believe what she just heard. It was bad enough that she and her mother had a lot of spinning to do at home, but spinning all the thread in the palace would be double the amount of work. She asked the messenger if she could do the spinning at the palace, while her mother stayed at home. The messenger said it was alright and said he would be waiting outside for her in the carriage.

          “My child” said Eliza’s mother “are you sure you want to do all that spinning by yourself?”

          “Mother, you have a lot to do here at home” said Eliza “if I do the spinning at the castle, you can do the spinning here. That way we won’t be behind on our work”. Her mother understood. Eliza bid farewell to her mother and set off to the palace with the messenger.

          When they arrived at the palace, the messenger introduced Eliza to the queen. The queen was grateful to Eliza for coming to do the spinning. The queen explained to her that she needed the spinning done in three days and it was important to be done by then. Eliza understood and promised the queen she wouldn’t let her down. The queen’s maid led Eliza to a room, where there was a spinning wheel, bobbins and lots and lots of thread waiting for her. Eliza could not believe what she was seeing! This was going to be triple the amount of spinning she did at home. But Eliza had no choice, the queen entrusted her to do the work so Eliza had to do it.

          So Eliza set to work on spinning the thread. She spent the whole day spinning the thread onto the bobbins until the sun went down. Eliza slept in the bed that was in the spinning room and as for food a maid would send up her lunch and dinner to her. The queen visited Eliza now and again to see how she was getting on; she was pleased with Eliza’s work. But Eliza was not happy; doing all this spinning was more boring to her than ever. At least she knew that she would get paid well for her hard work.

          The next day Eliza went back to work on spinning. She spun and sighed for hours, until there was a knock at the door. “Come in” said Eliza. A woman entered the room. She was a very old woman, with very wrinkly fingers.

          “Are you the one who does the spinning in the palace?” asked Eliza.

          “No my dear” said the old woman “I am just someone who helps people with spinning”.

          The old woman introduced herself as Spindella and asked Eliza if she needed help with the spinning.

          “I would like some help please” said Eliza “but I don’t want to give you trouble with this”.

          “It is no trouble at all dear” said Spindella “I’ve enjoyed doing spinning ever since I was your age”.

          So Eliza and Spindella began to finish the spinning together. While they spun they began to chat. Eliza spoke about how she found spinning thread very, very, boring. Then about how she and her mother spun thread everyday just to make ends meet. She also spoke about her wishes that she and her mother had a better life than they had now and about never having to spin thread ever again. Eliza then asked Spindella if she had any wishes.

          “The only wish I have is to have a child” said Spindella “I have always wanted a child, but I have always been an unmarried and childless woman. And I have no family relatives either so I will be spending the rest of my life alone”.

          Eliza felt sorry for Spindella; having no family would make anyone very lonely. She wished there was something she could do for Spindella, but she didn’t know what.

          With the help of Spindella, Eliza got all the spinning finished. All the bobbins were full of thread.

          “Thank you for helping me Spindella” said Eliza.

          “It is my pleasure dear” said Spindella, with a smile.

          Eliza wanted to introduce Spindella to the queen, but Spindella told Eliza not to bother with that. Then she left. Eliza still wanted to do something to thank Spindella, but was still not sure what.

          The next day, the queen entered the spinning room. Her son, the crowned prince of the palace, was with her. He wanted to meet the spinner his mother hired. When the queen saw Eliza’s finished work she was delighted and grateful to Eliza. When the prince’s and Eliza’s eyes met they fell in love immediately. The prince asked his mother if he could have Eliza as his wife. The queen was surprised but agreed; so did Eliza.

          On the day of the wedding Eliza told the prince about her friend Spindella. She asked him if she could become her guest of honour at the wedding, and when they had children she could become their nurse. The prince accepted the requests. Spindella was delighted to have been invited to the wedding and was honoured that she was to be Eliza’s future children’s nurse. She thanked Eliza with all her heart. Eliza was happy to have thanked Spindella with something for helping her. When the queen met Spindella she couldn’t stop noticing Spindella’s wrinkled fingers.

          “Forgive me for being curious” said the queen “but how did your fingers end up very wrinkly?”

          “Well you see your majesty” said Spindella “ever since I was Eliza’s age I had been doing nothing but spinning thread. When a girl spins thread until she reaches my age her fingers end up like mine”

          When both the queen and the prince heard what Spindella said, they became speechless. The prince ordered Eliza never to spin thread again; he didn’t want Eliza to end up with fingers all wrinkly. Eliza understood and promised her husband to never spin thread again.

          Eliza was now very happy; her wish about her and her mother having a better life came true. The best news was she never had to do anymore spinning. And Eliza remained happy for the rest of her life.

The Musician of Scotland

          Once upon a time in the land of Scotland there lived a musician named Donald. The instrument he played was the bagpipes and he played them wherever he went. Donald played his bagpipes on the streets, at parties and at banquets. Anyone, who listened to him playing, loved it when Donald played his bagpipes. His music was so well played, they would beg for more.

          One day Donald was riding his horse to the castle near Loch Ness Lake. The king of Scotland was holding a banquet at the castle and had asked Donald to play his bagpipes there. When they reached the Loch Ness Lake Donald stopped to examine it. Loch Ness Lake was the biggest, clearest, beautiful lake that Donald had ever seen. He wanted to stay and look at it for longer, but he had to get to the banquet.

          Donald was just about to leave when he heard a funny noise. It sounded like a groaning, moaning wailing sort of noise. To find out what the noise was about Donald followed it. The noise seemed to be coming from an open cave that stood next to the loch. The cave was really wide and dark; it made Donald feel very nervous. Part of him wanted to leave, but he wanted to find out who or what was making the noise.

          Donald went inside the cave. He didn’t exactly see anybody inside the caves, only sand and rocks. “Is there anybody in here?” he whispered. Then there came a soft growl coming from behind some rocks. Donald slowly and quietly walked towards the rocks. Then, after taking a peek behind the rocks, he found what was making the noise.

          Donald couldn’t believe his eyes! Lying on a pile of sand all stretched out was the legendary loch ness monster. It had a greyish blue colour skin, lots of wrinkles and had big eyes. The reason why it was groaning, moaning and wailing was because it was hurt. There was a fisherman’s harpoon in its back and it hurt the monster very much.

          Donald couldn’t leave the loch ness monster in pain like that, so he decided to help. First he went outside the cave and got some things out of the sack his horse was carrying. He took out a big bottle of water and picked up his bagpipes. Then Donald went back inside the cave to the loch ness monster. The monster was still in pain and was wailing a lot. Donald played a long low note on his bagpipes; he thought that would calm it down. To Donald’s surprise the monster stopped wailing and listened to the music; it seemed to like the bagpipes. Next Donald put down the bagpipes, picked up his bottle of water and climbed onto the monsters back. The harpoon wasn’t completely stuck in the monsters back, but it did look like it would be a bit tricky to pull out. First Donald placed his jacket around the harpoon, to have a good grip on the harpoon. Then with one mighty pull Donald took out the harpoon. The loch ness monster didn’t like that; having a sharp harpoon pulled out its back really did hurt. Next Donald poured water onto the cut to clean it.

          The loch ness monster was grateful and nuzzled Donald. “You’re welcome” said Donald, stroking its head. Donald wanted to stay a bit longer, but he suddenly remembered he had a banquet to get to. He explained to the loch ness monster that he had to leave now. The loch ness monster understood, and then let out a low growl; this meant that if Donald needed its help he should play a low note on the bagpipes and it will be right there. Donald understood, said goodbye to the monster then went right on his way to the castle.

          Donald was just in time when he finally reached the castle, the banquet was about to start. All the guests were dukes, lords and princes. The banquet was a great success; all the guests were enjoying the food laid out for them and enjoying the music being played, especially Donald’s music. His bagpipes were very popular with the guests. Everyone was having a good time except Princess Marian of Scotland.

          Princess Marian of Scotland was the most beautiful and kindest girl in all of Scotland. The reason why she was not feeling happy was because this banquet was to help her find a husband. No man at the banquet had captured her heart except Donald. When Princess Marian saw Donald for the first time, she described him as very handsome and when she heard his music for the first time, it poured a very happy feeling in her heart. She was going to pick Donald for a husband.

          After the dancing was finished King Duncan of Scotland stood up from his throne to give a speech. King Duncan of Scotland was the most greedy, selfish and unfair ruler ever. The reason he held this banquet was to marry his daughter off to a rich man for the family’s wealth. The king only cared about money; he didn’t even care about his own daughter or how she felt.

          “I am very happy that all of you have arrived here tonight,” the king said “now as you all know my daughter the lovely Princess Marian will choose someone tonight to become her husband. So my daughter, have you made a choice?” The king had a look of persuasion on his face; he wanted his daughter to pick a husband right now.

          “Yes father I have chosen who I’d like to marry” said Princess Marian, with a smile on her face, “I choose the musician known as Donald to become my husband”.

          Everyone gasped! A princess choosing a musician for a husband was a great surprise. Donald was happy with her choice; he was in love with Princess Marian too. Princess Marian and Donald walked up to each other and held each other’s hands with a look of love in their eyes.

          “This is unacceptable!” shouted King Duncan “I forbid my daughter and this musician to be together”.

          “Father I choose this musician and no one else!” Princess Marian shouted back.

          “If it has come to this, then musician I challenge you to a fight” said King Duncan “tomorrow at dawn you and I will have a sword duel. If you will defeat me you will marry my daughter and become the new king of Scotland. But if you lose I will banish you from Scotland forever”.

          “I accept your challenge your majesty” said Donald, he didn’t want anything to stand in his way of marrying Princess Marian.

          That night Donald and Princess Marian spent the evening together outside in the castle grounds. Princess Marian was worried about Donald; her father was an unfair man, always cheating and going back on his word. She gave Donald a warning about her father.

          “Don’t worry my lady” said Donald “I have a friend who will help me if your father does do anything”.

          “Who is this friend of yours?” asked Princess Marian.

          “A special friend” replied Donald “once this is over I’ll introduce you to him”.

          Princess Marian was still worried about what would happen tomorrow, but Donald embraced her and told her over and over again that everything would be all right.

          When the dawn came King Duncan and Donald were at the Loch Ness Lake; King Duncan insisted of having the duel there.

          “This is your last warning musician!” shouted King Duncan “give up on marrying my daughter or else!”

          “My wish is to marry your daughter” said Donald.

          “Then it is time to fight!” yelled King Duncan.

          After King Duncan finished yelling ten soldiers came out from behind the trees. This was why Princess Marian had warned Donald. King Duncan was cheating by having ten of his strongest soldiers to fight Donald with him.

          “Do you surrender now?” said King Duncan, with an evil smile on his face.

          “No your majesty I do not!” yelled Donald “besides I knew you were a cheat, so I brought help with me”.

          Donald had his bagpipes strapped to his back. He played a long low note on them. Then the Loch Ness monster, that Donald helped yesterday, appeared in the lake. King Duncan and his soldiers could not believe what they saw.

          “King Duncan I am not going to allow you to rule over Scotland with your dishonesty and selfishness anymore” said Donald “Loch Ness monster get rid of this evil king and his soldiers”.

          The Loch Ness monster wrapped its tail around both King Duncan and his soldiers and held them up in the air. Then with a mighty swing of its tail, the loch ness monster threw the evil king and his soldiers far, far away. They were never seen again.

          Meanwhile back at the castle on the loch, Princess Marian was standing outside the castle gates, hoping and praying that Donald would come back alive. Suddenly she saw Donald coming towards her, holding her father’s crown in his hands. With much relief that Donald was alive, Princess Marian ran into Donald’s arms. Donald explained to Princess Marian that her father had left Scotland in disgrace. Princess Marian understood; she always had a feeling that her father’s dishonesty and meanness would get the better of him one day.

          Sometime later Donald and Princess Marian got married and became the new King and Queen of Scotland. The people of Scotland loved their new king and queen and Scotland lived in peace for a very long time.

          Donald introduced his wife, Princess Marian, to the Loch Ness monster and they immediately became friends. Donald and Princess Marian decided to keep their friendship with the Loch Ness monster a secret from everyone else, just in case revealing the Loch Ness monster would mean trouble for it.