Peeling skin can be caused by a variety of factors. To deal with ...
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Once upon a time there was a woman; she really wanted to have a child, but where to get it? And so she went to an old witch and said to her:
- I so want to have a baby; can you tell me where to get it?
- From what! - said the witch. - Here's a grain of barley; it is not just grain, not the kind that peasants sow in the field or throw to chickens; put him in flower pot- you will see what will happen!
- Thanks! - said the woman and gave the witch twelve skilling; then she went home, planted a grain of barley in a flower pot, and immediately a large wonderful flower, very similar to a tulip, but its petals were tightly compressed, like those of an unblown bud. 
- What a glorious flower! - said the woman and kissed the beautiful - red with yellow veins - petals.
Something clicked and the flower bloomed. It turned out to be a real tulip, but in the very cup on the green chair was a tiny girl. She was so delicate, small, only an inch tall, so they called her Thumbelina.
Shiny varnished shell walnut served her as a cradle, blue violets as a mattress, and a rose petal as a blanket; they put her in this cradle at night, and during the day she played on the table. The woman put a plate of water on the table and a wreath of flowers around the edges of the plate; long stems of flowers bathed in the water, and a large tulip petal was floating at the very edge. 
On it, Thumbelina could cross from one side of the plate to the other; instead of oars, she had two white horsehair. It was all lovely, how sweet! Thumbelina knew how to sing, no one had ever heard such a gentle, beautiful voice!
Once at night, when she lay in her cradle, through the broken window glass a tremendous toad jumped up, wet, ugly! She jumped onto the table, where she slept under a pink petal Thumbelina.
- Here is my son's wife! - said the toad, took the nutshell with the girl and jumped out the window into the garden.
There was a big, wide river; near the very shore it was swampy and viscous; here, in the mud, lived a toad with his son. Uh! How disgusting and disgusting he was, too! Just like a mother.
- Coax, coax, brecke-ke-cupcake! - he could only say when he saw a lovely crumb in a nutshell.
- Hush you! Otherwise she will wake up and run away from us, ”said the old toad woman. - She's lighter than swan fluff! Let us drop her in the middle of the river on a wide leaf of a water lily - this is a whole island for such a crumb, she will not escape from there, but for now we will take our nest down there, below. After all, you have to live and live in it. 
Many water lilies grew in the river; their wide green leaves floated on the surface of the water. The largest leaf was farthest from the shore; a toad swam up to this leaf and put there a nutshell with the girl.
The poor baby woke up early in the morning, saw where she had gotten to, and cried bitterly: there was water on all sides, and there was no way for her to get to land!
And the old toad sat downstairs, in the mud, and cleaned up its dwellings with reeds and yellow water lilies - it was necessary to embellish everything for the young daughter-in-law! Then she swam with her ugly son to the sheet where Thumbelina was sitting, in order to take, first of all, her pretty crib and put it in the bride's bedroom. The old toad sat down very low in the water in front of the girl and said:
- Here is my son, your future husband! You will gloriously live with him in our mud. - Coax, coax, brecke-ke-cupcake! - only the son could say.
They took a pretty crib and swam away with her, and the girl was left alone on a green leaf and cried bitterly - she did not want to live with an ugly toad and marry her disgusting son. The little fish that swam under the water must have seen the toad with their son and heard what they were saying, because everyone had raised their heads out of the water to look at the little bride. And when they saw her, they felt terribly sorry that such a pretty girl had to go to live with an old toad in the mud. 
This will not happen! The fishes crowded below, near the stem on which the leaf was held, and chewed it up with their teeth briskly; the leaflet with the girl swam with the flow, further, further ... Now the toad would never have caught up with the baby!
Thumbelina swam past the beautiful banks, and the little birds that sat in the bushes, seeing her, sang:
- What a pretty girl! And the leaf kept floating and floating, and now Thumbelina got abroad.
The adorable white moth fluttered around her for a long time and finally sat down on the leaf - he really liked Thumbelina! And she was terribly happy: the ugly toad could not catch up with her now, and it was so beautiful around! The sun burned like gold on the water! Thumbelina took off her belt, tied the moth with one end, and tied the other to her leaf, and the leaf swam even faster.
May beetle flew by, saw the girl, grabbed her by the thin waist with his paw and carried her to the tree, and green leaf ok swam further, and with him the moth 
- he was tied to a piece of paper with a belt.
Oh, how frightened the poor thing was when the beetle grabbed her and flew with her up the tree! She was especially sorry for the pretty moth, whom she tied to a piece of paper: he would now have to starve to death if he could not free himself. But grief was not enough for the May beetle.
He sat down with a crumb on the largest green leaf, fed her with sweet flower juice and said that she was so lovely, although she did not at all look like a May beetle.
Then other May beetles who lived on the same tree came to visit them. 
They looked at the girl from head to toe, and the young lady bugs moved their antennae and said:
- She only has two legs! Sorry to watch!
- She has no antennae!
- What is her thin waist! Fi! She is just like a person! How ugly! - said in one voice all the female beetles.
Thumbelina was lovely! The May bug, who brought her, also liked her very much at first, but when everyone around began to say that she was ugly, and he did not want to keep her with him anymore, let him go where he knows. He grabbed her again, flew off the tree and planted her on a daisy. Then the girl began to cry that she was so ugly: even the May beetles did not want to leave her with them! But in fact, she was the most charming creature: gentle, affectionate, like a rose petal.
The whole summer Thumbelina lived alone in the forest. She weaved herself a cradle and hung it under a large burdock leaf - there the rain could not reach it, She ate a crumb of sweet pollen, and drank the dew, which she found on the leaves every morning.
There was one woman in the world. She had no children, and she really wanted a baby. So she went to the old witch and said:
- I so want to have a daughter, even the smallest! ..
- What is easier! - answered the witch. - Here's a grain of barley. This grain is not simple, not one of those that ripen in your fields and be born to a bird for feed. Take it and plant it in a flower pot. You will see what will happen.
- Thank you! - said the woman and gave the witch twelve coppers.
Then she went home and planted a seed of barley in a flower pot.
As soon as she watered it, the grain sprouted immediately. Two leaves and a delicate stem appeared from the ground. And on the stem appeared a large wonderful flower, like a tulip. But the petals of the flower were tightly compressed: it had not yet blossomed.
What a lovely flower! - said the woman and kissed the beautiful variegated petals.
At that very moment, something clicked in the heart of the flower, and it opened. It was indeed a large tulip, but there was a living girl in its cup. She was small, small, only an inch tall. Therefore, she was nicknamed - Thumbelina.
The cradle for Thumbelina was made of shiny varnished walnut shells. Instead of a feather bed, they put several violets there, and instead of a blanket - a rose petal. The girl was put in this cradle for the night, and during the day she played on the table.
In the middle of the table, the woman placed a deep plate of water, and placed flowers on the edge of the plate. Their long stems bathed in the water, and the flowers remained fresh and fragrant for a long time.
For little Thumbelina, a plate of water was a whole lake, and she swam on this lake on a tulip petal, like on a boat. Instead of oars, she had two white horsehair. Thumbelina rode her wonderful boat all day, swam from one side of the plate to the other and sang songs. No one has ever heard such a gentle voice as hers.
One night, when Thumbelina was asleep in her cradle, through open window a huge old toad, wet and ugly, crept into the room. From the windowsill she jumped onto the table and looked into the shell, where she slept under a rose petal Thumbelina.
How good! said the old toad. - A glorious bride will be to my son!
She grabbed a nutshell with the girl and jumped out the window into the garden.
A river flowed near the garden, and under its very bank there was a swampy swamp. It was here, in the swamp mud, that the old toad lived with his son. The son was also wet and ugly - just like a mother!
Coax, coax, brecke-ke-cupcake! - only he could say when he saw a little girl in a nutshell.
- Hush you! You will also wake up, what good, and she will run away from us, ”said the old toad. - After all, it is lighter than a feather. Let's take it to the middle of the river and plant it on a water lily leaf - for such a crumb it's a whole island. From there she would never run away. In the meantime, I will arrange a cozy nest for you in the mud.
Many water lilies grew in the river. Their broad green leaves floated in the water. The largest leaf was farthest from the coast! The toad swam up to this leaf and put on it the nutshell in which the girl was sleeping.
Oh, how frightened poor Thumbelina, waking up in the morning! And how could one not be afraid! On all sides it was surrounded by water, and the shore was barely visible in the distance. Thumbelina covered her eyes with her hands and wept bitterly.
And the old toad sat in the mud and decorated his house with reeds and yellow water lilies - she wanted to please the young daughter-in-law. When everything was ready, she swam with her ugly son to the sheet on which Thumbelina was sitting, in order to take her crib and carry it to her house.
Smiling sweetly, the old toad sat low in the water in front of the girl and said:
- Here is my son! He will be your husband! You will gloriously live with him in our mud.
- Coax, coax, brecke-ke-cupcake! - only the son could say.
The toads took the shell and swam away with it. And Thumbelina still stood alone in the middle of the river on a large green leaf of a water lily and cried bitterly - she did not want to live with the ugly toad and marry her disgusting son.
The little fish that were swimming under the water heard what the old toad said. They had seen the groom and mother before. Now they stuck their heads out of the water to look at the bride.
Looking at Thumbelina with their round eyes, they went to the very bottom and began to think what to do now. They were terribly sorry that such a cute little girl would have to live with these disgusting toads somewhere under a snag in a thick oily mud. This will not happen! Fish from all over the river gathered at the water lily leaf on which Thumbelina was sitting, and gnawed at the stalk of the leaf.
And then the water lily leaf swam with the flow. The current was strong and the leaf was floating very quickly. Now the old toad could not catch up with Thumbelina.
The light white moth kept circling over Thumbelina and finally sank onto the leaf - he really liked this tiny traveler.
And Thumbelina took off her silk belt, threw one end over the moth, tied the other to a leaf, and the leaf swam even faster. At this time, a May beetle flew past. He saw Thumbelina, grabbed her and carried her to a tree. The green leaf of the water lily swam further without her and soon disappeared from sight, and with it the moth: after all, it was tightly tied to the leaf by a silk belt.
How frightened poor Thumbelina was when a horned beetle wrapped its legs around her and soared high into the air with her! And she was very sorry for the white moth. What will happen to him now? After all, he will die of hunger if he fails to free himself.
And the May beetle and grief is not enough. He sat down on a branch big tree, seated Thumbelina next to her and told her that he really liked her, although she did not at all look like May beetles.
Then other May beetles who lived on the same tree came to visit them. They looked at Thumbelina with curiosity, and their daughters in bewilderment spread their wings.
She only has two legs! - said some.
“She doesn't even have tentacles! - said others.
- What she is weak, thin! That and look, it will break in half, - said the third.
- Very much like a person, and also ugly, - finally decided all the bugs.
Even the May beetle who brought Thumbelina now thought that she was not at all good, and he decided to say goodbye to her - let him go wherever he knows. He flew down with Thumbelina and put her on a daisy.
Thumbelina sat on a flower and cried: she was sad that she was so ugly. Even the May beetles chased her away!
In fact, she was cute. Perhaps there was no one better than her in the world.
All summer Thumbelina lived alone in a large forest. She weaved herself a cradle out of grass and hung it under large sheet burdock to shelter from the rain and the sun. She ate sweet flower honey and drank the dew she found on the leaves every morning.
So the summer passed, and the autumn passed. There was a long Cold winter... The birds flew away, the flowers wilted, and the large burdock leaf under which Thumbelina lived turned yellow, dried up and curled up into a tube.
The cold chilled Thumbelina through and through. All of her dress was torn, and she was so small, delicate - how not to freeze here! It began to snow, and each snowflake was to Thumbelina what a whole shovel of snow was to us. We are big, and she was only an inch tall. She was wrapped in a dry leaf, but it did not warm at all, and the poor thing herself trembled like an autumn leaf in the wind.
Then Thumbelina decided to leave the forest and look for shelter for the winter.
There was a large field behind the forest in which she lived. The bread had been removed from the field long ago, and only short dry stalks were sticking out of the frozen ground.
It was even colder in the field than in the forest, and Thumbelina was completely frozen as she made her way between the dry, tough stems.
Finally she reached the mink of a field mouse. The entrance to the burrow was carefully covered with blades of grass and blades.
The field mouse lived in warmth and contentment: its kitchen and pantry were jam-packed with grains of grain. Thumbelina, like a beggar, stopped at the threshold and asked for at least a piece of barley grain - for two days she had not had a crumb in her mouth.
Oh, you poor thing! said the field mouse (she was, in essence, a kind old woman). Come here, get warm and eat with me!
And Thumbelina went down to the burrow, warmed up and ate.
I like you, ”the mouse said to her, looking at her with black eyes shining like beads. - Stay with me for the winter. I will feed you, and you clean my house well and tell me fairy tales - I am a great hunter before them.
And Thumbelina remained.
She did everything that the old mouse ordered her, and she lived quite well in a warm secluded hole.
We will have guests soon, ”a field mouse once told her. - Once a week my neighbor comes to visit me. He is very rich and lives much better than me. Him big house underground, and he wears a fur coat such as you probably have never seen - a magnificent black fur coat! Get out, girl, marry him! You won't be lost with him! One problem: he is blind and will not see how pretty you are. Well, you’ll tell him the best story you know.
But Thumbelina did not want to marry a rich neighbor at all: after all, it was a mole - a sullen underground inhabitant.
Soon the neighbor actually came to visit them.
True, he wore a very elegant fur coat - made of dark velvet. In addition, according to the field mouse, he was a scientist and very rich, and his house was almost twenty times larger than that of a mouse. But he hated the sun and scolded all the flowers. And no wonder! After all, he had never seen a single flower in his life.
The mouse mistress made Thumbelina sing for dear guest, and the girl, willy-nilly, sang two songs, so well that the mole was delighted. But he did not say a word - he was so important, sedate, taciturn ...
After visiting a neighbor, the mole dug underground long corridor from his house to the very mink of a field mouse and invited the old woman and her adopted daughter to walk through this underground gallery.
He took a rotten thing in his mouth - in the dark, rottenness shines no worse than a candle - and went forward, illuminating the road.
Halfway there, the mole stopped and said:
“There’s a bird here. But we have nothing to fear from her - she is dead. Yes, you can see for yourself.
And the mole began to poke its wide nose into the ceiling until it dug a hole in it. Daylight has penetrated underground passage, and Thumbelina saw a dead swallow.
The poor bird must have died from the cold. Her wings were tightly pressed to her body, her legs and head were hidden in feathers.
Thumbelina felt very sorry for her. She was so fond of these cheerful light-winged birds - after all, they sang wonderful songs to her all summer and taught her to sing. But the mole pushed the swallow with its short paws and grunted:
- What, I suppose it has quieted down? Don't you whistle anymore? That's what it is! .. Yes, I would not want to be such a birdie. They only know how to hover in the air and chirp. And when winter comes - what should they do? Die, and that's it. No, my children will not have to disappear from hunger and cold in winter.
“Yes, yes,” said the field mouse. “What's the use of this chirping and chirping? You won't be full of songs, you won't get warm by chirping in winter!
Thumbelina was silent. But when the mole and the mouse turned their backs on the bird, she bent down to the swallow, parted the feathers and kissed it right in her closed eyes.
“Maybe this is the same swallow that sang so wonderfully in the summer,” thought the girl. - How much joy have you brought me, dear swallow! "
Meanwhile, the mole has repaired the hole in the ceiling. Then, picking up the rotten stuff, he took the old woman home, the mouse and Thumbelina.
Thumbelina could not sleep at night. She got out of bed, weaved a large carpet from dry blades of grass and, making her way into the underground gallery, covered the dead bird with it. Then she found warm fluff and dry moss in the field mouse's pantry and arranged something like a nest for the swallow so that it would not be so hard and cold to lie on the frozen ground.
Goodbye, dear swallow, said Thumbelina. - Goodbye! Thank you for singing your wonderful songs to me in the summer, when the trees were still green and the sun was so gloriously warm.
And she pressed her head against the silky feathers on the bird's chest.
And suddenly she heard something rhythmically pounded in the swallow's chest: “Knock! Knock! " - first quietly, and then louder and louder. It was a swallow's heart beating. The swallow was not dead - it was only numb from the cold, and now it was warmed up and revived.
For the winter, swallows always fly away to warm lands. Autumn has not yet had time to pluck the green outfit from the trees, and the winged travelers are already going on a long journey. If any of them lags behind or - is late, the prickly wind will instantly freeze her light body. She will freeze, fall to the ground dead, and she will be carried in cold snow.
So it happened with this swallow, which was warmed by Thumbelina.
When the girl realized that the bird was alive, she was both delighted and frightened. You shouldn't be scared! After all, next to her, the swallow seemed such a huge bird.
Still, Thumbelina gathered her courage, covered the swallow with her woven carpet warmer, and then ran home, brought a leaf of mint, which she covered herself instead of a blanket, and wrapped it around the bird's head.
The next night Thumbelina again slowly made her way to the swallow. The bird was already quite alive, but it was still very weak and barely opened its eyes to look at the girl.
Thumbelina stood in front of her with a piece of rottenness in her hands - she had no other flashlight.
Thank you, dear baby! - said the sick swallow. - I warmed myself so well! Soon I will completely recover and I will be cured in the sun again.
“Ah,” said Thumbelina, “it's so cold now, it's snowing! Better stay in your warm bed, and I will take care of you.
And she brought the swallow seeds of barley and water in a flower petal. The swallow drank, ate, and then told the girl how she had cut her wing on a thorn bush and could not fly away with other swallows to warm lands. Winter came, it became very cold, and she fell to the ground ... The swallow did not remember anything else. She didn't even know how she got here, in this dungeon.
The swallow lived all winter in the underground gallery, and Thumbelina looked after her, fed and watered her. She did not say a word about this to either the mole or the field mouse - after all, they both did not like birds at all.
When spring came and the sun warmed up, Thumbelina opened the window that the mole had made in the ceiling, and the warm Sunray slipped underground.
The swallow said goodbye to the girl, spread her wings, but before taking off, she asked if Thumbelina wanted to get out with her. Let him sit on her back, and they will fly into the green forest.
But Thumbelina was sorry to leave the old field mouse - she knew that the old woman would be very bored without her.
No, I can't! she said, sighing.
- Well, goodbye! Goodbye dear girl! - chirped the swallow.
Thumbelina looked after her for a long time, and tears dripped from her eyes - she also wanted to go out into the open, and it was sad to part with the swallow.
Twi-whit, twi-whit! - the swallow shouted for the last time and disappeared into the green forest.
And Thumbelina remained in the mouse hole.
Every day her life got worse, more and more boring. The old mouse did not allow her to go far from home, and the field around the mink was overgrown with tall thick ears and seemed to Thumbelina a dense forest.
And then one day the old woman mouse said to Thumbelina:
- Our neighbor, an old mole, came to woo you. Now you need to prepare your dowry. You are marrying an important person, and you need to have enough of everything.
And Thumbelina had to spin yarn for whole days.
The old mouse hired four spiders. Day and night they sat in the corners of a mink's mink and secretly did their job - weaving various fabrics and weaving lace from the thinnest spider web.
And the blind mole came every evening to visit and chatted about how soon the summer would end, the sun would stop beating down the earth and it would again become soft and friable. That's when they get married. But Thumbelina kept sad and cried: she did not want to marry at all, and even to a fat blind mole.
Every morning, at sunrise, and every evening, at sunset, Thumbelina went beyond the threshold of a mouse's mink. Sometimes a cheerful breeze parted the tops of the ears, and the girl managed to see a piece of the blue sky.
"How light, how good it is here in the wild!" - Thumbelina thought and remembered everything about the swallow. She would very much like to see the bird, but the swallow did not appear over the field. She must have curled and darted far, far away there, in the green forest above the blue river ...
And then autumn came. The dowry for Thumbelina was ready.
Your wedding is in four weeks! - said the field mouse to Thumbelina.
But Thumbelina cried and replied that she did not want to marry a boring mole.
The old mouse was angry.
Trivia! - she said. - Do not be stubborn, or you will try my teeth. Why is a mole not your husband? One fur coat is worth something! The king himself does not have such a coat! And his cellars are not empty. Thank fate for such a husband!
Finally the wedding day came, and the mole came for his bride. So, she still has to go with him into his dark hole, live there, deep, deep underground, and never see either white light or the clear sun - after all, the mole cannot stand them ?! And it was so hard for poor Thumbelina to say goodbye forever to high skies and the red sun! In a field mouse, she could at least from a distance, from the threshold of the mink, admire them.
And so she went out to look at the white light for the last time. The bread had already been removed from the field, and again only bare, dried stalks were sticking out of the ground. The girl moved away from the mink's mink and stretched out her hands to the sun:
- Goodbye, honey, goodbye! Then she saw a small red flower, hugged him and said:
- Dear flower, if you see a swallow, give her a bow from Thumbelina.
- Twi-whit, twi-whit! - Suddenly came over her head.
Thumbelina raised her head and saw a swallow flying over the field. The swallow also saw the girl and was very happy. She sank to the ground, and Thumbelina, crying, told her friend how she didn’t want to marry an old gloomy mole and live with him deep underground, where the sun never looked.
The cold winter is already approaching, - said the swallow, - and I am flying far, far, to distant countries. Do you want to fly with me? Sit on my back, just tie yourself tight with a belt, and we will fly away with you from the ugly mole, fly away, beyond the blue seas, to warm lands, where the sun shines brighter, where there is eternal summer and flowers always bloom. Let's fly with me, dear baby! You saved my life when I froze in a dark, cold pit.
- Yes, yes, I will fly with you! said Thumbelina. She sat on the swallow's back and tied herself tightly with a belt to the largest and strongest feather.
The swallow soared into the sky like an arrow and flew over the dark forests, over the blue seas and high mountains covered with snow. It was very cold here, and Thumbelina buried herself in the warm feathers of a swallow and stuck out only her head to admire the beautiful places over which they flew.
Finally, here are the warm lands! The sun shone here much brighter than ours, the sky was higher, and curly green grapes curled along the hedges. Oranges and lemons ripened in the groves, and cheerful children ran along the paths and caught large motley butterflies.
But the swallow flew on and on. On the shore of a transparent blue lake, among the spreading trees, stood an old white marble palace. Vines high columns wrapped around it, and above, under the roof, bird's nests were molded. A swallow lived in one of them.
This is my home! - she said. - And you choose yourself beautiful flower... I will put you in his cup and you will heal perfectly.
Thumbelina was delighted and clapped her hands with joy.
Below, in the grass, were pieces of white marble - the top of one pillar had collapsed and shattered into three parts. Large snow-white flowers grew between the marble debris.
The swallow came down and planted the girl on a wide petal. But what a miracle? In the cup of the flower was a small man, so light and transparent, as if he were made of crystal or morning dew. Behind his shoulders, light wings trembled, a small golden crown glittered on his head, and he was no larger than our Thumbelina. It was the king of the elves.
When the swallow flew up to the flower, the elf was seriously scared. After all, he was so small, and the swallow was so big!
But how happy he was when the swallow flew away, leaving Thumbelina in the flower! Never before has he seen such beautiful girl the same height as him. He bowed low to her and asked her name.
Thumbelina! - answered the girl.
- Dear Thumbelina, - said the elf, - do you agree to be my wife, the queen of flowers?
Thumbelina looked at the handsome elf. Ah, he was not at all like the stupid, dirty son of an old toad, or like a blind mole in a velvet coat! And she immediately agreed.
Then from each flower, overtaking each other, elves flew out. They surrounded Thumbelina and gave her wonderful gifts.
But Thumbelina liked the wings more than all other gifts - a pair of transparent light wings. just like a dragonfly. They were tied to Thumbelina over her shoulders, and she, too, could now fly from flower to flower. That was joy!
You will no longer be called Thumbelina. We, elves, have other names, - said the king to Thumbelina. - We will call you Maya!
And all the elves whirled over the flowers in a merry round dance, themselves light and bright, like flower petals.
And the swallow sat up in its nest and sang songs as best it could.
The whole warm winter the elves danced to her songs. And when spring came to the cold countries, the swallow began to gather home.
Bye Bye! - she chirped to her little friend and flew through the seas, mountains and forests home to Denmark.
There she had a small nest, just above the window of a man who was good at telling stories. The swallow told him about Thumbelina, and from him we learned this story.
Tale of Thumbelina
Once upon a time there was a woman; she really wanted to have a child, but where to get it? And so she went to an old witch and said to her:
- I so want to have a baby; can you tell me where to get it?
- From what! - said the witch. - Here's a grain of barley; it is not an ordinary grain, not one of those that peasants sow in the field or throw to chickens; plant him in a flower pot - you will see what will happen!
- Thanks! - said the woman and gave the witch twelve skilling; then she went home, planted a grain of barley in a flower pot, and suddenly a large, wonderful flower, like a tulip, grew out of it, but its petals were still tightly compressed, like an unblown bud.
- What a glorious flower! - said the woman and kissed the beautiful variegated petals.
Something clicked and the flower bloomed. It was exactly a tulip, but in the very cup on the green chair was a tiny girl. She was so tender, small only an inch in height, and they called her Thumbelina.
The shiny lacquered walnut shell was her cradle, the blue violets were her mattress, and the rose petal was her blanket; they put her in this cradle at night, and during the day she played on the table. The woman put a plate of water on the table and a wreath of flowers on the edge of the plate; long stems of flowers bathed in the water, and a large tulip petal was floating at the very edge. On it, Thumbelina could cross from one side of the plate to the other; instead of oars, she had two white horsehair. It was all lovely, how sweet! Thumbelina knew how to sing, and no one had ever heard such a gentle, beautiful voice!
Once at night, when she was lying in her cradle, a huge toad, wet, ugly, crawled through the broken window pane! She jumped right onto the table, where she slept under a pink petal Thumbelina.
- Here is my son's wife! - said the toad, took the nutshell with the girl and jumped out the window into the garden.
There was a big, wide river; near the very shore it was swampy and viscous; it was here, in the mud, that the toad lived with his son. Uh! How disgusting and disgusting he was, too! Just like a mother.
- Coax, coax, brecke-ke-cupcake! - he could only say when he saw a lovely crumb in a nutshell.
- Hush you! She will wake up, perhaps, and run away from us, - said the old toad. - She's lighter than swan fluff! Let's drop her in the middle of the river on a wide leaf of a water lily - this is a whole island for such a crumb, she will not escape from there, but for now we will take our nest down there, below. After all, you have to live and live in it.
Many water lilies grew in the river; their wide green leaves floated on the surface of the water. The largest leaf was farthest from the shore; a toad swam up to this leaf and put there a nutshell with the girl.
The poor baby woke up early in the morning, saw where she had gotten to, and cried bitterly: there was water on all sides, and there was no way for her to get to land!
And the old toad sat down in the mud, and cleaned his dwelling with reeds and yellow water lilies - it was necessary to embellish everything for the young daughter-in-law! Then she swam with her ugly son to the sheet where Thumbelina was sitting, in order to take, first of all, her pretty crib and put it in the bride's bedroom. The old toad sat down very low in the water in front of the girl and said:
- Here is my son, your future husband! You will gloriously live with him in our mud.
- Coax, coax, brecke-ke-cupcake! - only the son could say.
They took a pretty bed and sailed away with her, and the girl was left alone on a green leaf and cried bitterly - she did not want to live with the ugly toad and marry her disgusting son. The little fish that swam under the water must have seen the toad with his son and heard what she was saying, because everyone had raised their heads out of the water to look at the little bride. And when they saw her, they felt terribly sorry that such a pretty girl had to go to live with an old toad in the mud. This will not happen! The fishes crowded below, near the stem on which the leaf was held, and chewed it up with their teeth briskly; the leaflet with the girl swam with the flow, further, further ... Now the toad would never catch up with the baby!
Thumbelina swam past various charming towns, and the little birds that sat in the bushes, seeing her, sang:
- What a pretty girl!
And the leaf kept floating and floating, and now Thumbelina got abroad. A beautiful white moth fluttered around her all the time and finally sat down
on a piece of paper - he really liked Thumbelina! And she was terribly happy: the ugly toad could not catch up with her now, and everything around was so beautiful! The sun burned like gold on the water! Thumbelina took off her belt, tied the moth with one end, and tied the other to her leaf, and the leaf swam even faster.
May beetle flew by, saw the girl, grabbed her by the thin waist with his paw and carried her to the tree, and the green leaf swam further, and with it the moth
- he was tied and could not free himself.
Oh, how frightened the poor thing was when the beetle grabbed her and flew with her up the tree! She was especially sorry for the pretty moth, whom she tied to a piece of paper: he would now have to starve to death if he could not free himself. But grief was not enough for the May beetle.
He sat down with the crumb on the largest green leaf, fed her with sweet flower juice and said that she was so lovely, although she did not look at all like the May beetle.
Then other May beetles who lived on the same tree came to visit them. They looked at the girl from head to toe, and the young lady bugs moved their antennae and said:
- She only has two legs! Sorry to watch!
- She has no antennae!
- What a thin waist she has! Fi! She is just like a person! How ugly! - said in one voice all the female beetles.
Thumbelina was lovely! The May beetle, who brought her, also liked her very much at first, and then suddenly he found that she was ugly and did not want to keep her with him anymore - let him go wherever he wanted. He flew with her from the tree and planted her on a daisy. Then the girl began to cry that she was so ugly: even the May beetles did not want to keep her with them! But in fact, she was the most charming creature: delicate, clear, like a rose petal.
The whole summer Thumbelina lived on the bottom, alone in the forest. She wove herself a cradle and hung it under a large burdock leaf - there the rain could not reach it. She ate a crumb of sweet pollen, and drank the dew, which she found on the leaves every morning. Thus passed the summer and autumn; but now things have gone to winter, long and cold. All the songbirds scattered, the bushes and flowers withered, the large burdock leaf, under which Thumbelina lived, turned yellow, dried up and curled up into a tube. The baby herself was freezing from the cold: everything was torn in her dress, and she was so small, delicate
- freeze, and that's it! It began to snow, and each snowflake was to her what a whole shovel of snow was to us; We're big, and she was only an inch! She was wrapped in a dry leaf, but it did not warm at all, and the poor thing herself was trembling like a leaf.
A large field lay near the forest where she found herself; the bread had long been harvested, only bare, dry stalks were sticking out of the frozen ground; for Thumbelina it was a whole forest. Wow! How she shivered from the cold! And then the poor thing came to the door of the field mouse; the door was a small hole, covered with dry stalks and blades of grass. The field mouse lived in warmth and contentment: all the barns were chock-full of grains of grain; the kitchen and pantry were full of supplies! Thumbelina stood at the doorstep, like a beggar, and asked for a piece of barley grain - she hadn't eaten anything for two days!
- Oh, you poor thing! said the field mouse: she was, in essence, a kind old woman. - Come here, warm up and eat with me!
The girl liked the mouse, and the mouse said:
- You can live with me all winter, just clean my rooms well and tell me fairy tales - I'm a great hunter before them.
And Thumbelina began to do everything that the mouse ordered her, and healed perfectly.
- Soon, perhaps, we will have guests, - said once a field mouse. - My neighbor usually visits me once a week. He lives even much better than me: he has huge halls, and he walks in a wonderful velvet coat. If only you could marry him! You would have healed well! The only trouble is that he is blind and cannot see you; but you tell him the best stories you know.
But the girl did not care much about all this: she did not want to marry a neighbor at all - after all, it was a mole. In fact, he soon came to visit the field mouse. True, he wore a black velvet coat, was very rich and learned; according to the field mouse, his room was twenty times more spacious than hers, but he did not like the sun or beautiful flowers and spoke very badly of them - he had never seen them. The girl had to sing, and she sang two songs: "May beetle, fly, fly" and "A monk is wandering through the meadows," so sweet that the mole fell in love with her. But he did not say a word - he was such a sedate and respectable gentleman.
The mole recently dug underground a long gallery from his dwelling to the door of the field mouse and allowed the mouse and the girl to walk along this gallery as much as they liked. The mole only asked not to be afraid dead bird that lay there. It was a real bird, with feathers and a beak; she must have died recently, at the beginning of winter, and was buried in the ground just where the mole had dug its gallery.
The mole took a rotten thing in his mouth - in the dark it's like a candle,
- and walked forward, illuminating the long, dark gallery. When they reached the place where the dead bird lay, the mole pierced a hole in the earthen ceiling with its broad nose, and made its way into the gallery. daylight... In the very middle of the gallery lay a dead swallow; pretty wings were pressed tightly to the body, legs and head were hidden in feathers; the poor bird must have died of the cold. The girl felt terribly sorry for her, she was very fond of these cute birds, who sang songs to her so wonderfully all summer, but the mole pushed the bird with his short paw and said:
- I suppose he won't whistle anymore! Here is the bitter fate to be born as a bird! Thank God that my children have nothing to fear from this! Such a bird only knows how to chirp - inevitably you will freeze in winter!
“Yes, yes, it's true yours, clever words are nice to hear,” said the field mouse. “What's the use of this chirping? What does it bring to the bird? Cold and hunger in winter? Much, nothing to say!
Thumbelina did not say anything, but when the mole and the mouse turned their backs on the bird, she bent down to her, parted the feathers and kissed her right in her closed eyes. “Maybe this is the one who sang so wonderfully in the summer! - thought the girl. - How much joy you brought me, dear, good bird! "
The mole again plugged the hole in the ceiling and escorted the ladies back. But the girl could not sleep at night. She got out of bed, weaved a large, glorious carpet out of dry blades of grass, carried it to the gallery and wrapped a dead bird in it; then she found fluff from a field mouse and put it over the whole swallow, so that it would be warmer for her to lie on the cold ground.
“Goodbye, dear bird,” said Thumbelina. - Goodbye! Thank you for singing so wonderfully to me in the summer, when all the trees were so green, and the sun was so gloriously warm!
And she bowed her head on the bird's chest, but suddenly she was frightened - something inside was pounding. It was the heart of the bird beating: it did not die, but only froze from the cold, but now it was warmed up and revived.
In autumn, the swallows fly away to warm regions, and if it is late, it will freeze from the cold, fall dead on the ground, and it will be covered with cold snow.
The girl trembled all over with fright - after all, the bird was just a giant in comparison with the baby - but nevertheless she pulled herself together, wrapped the swallow even more, then ran off and brought a leaf of mint, which she covered herself instead of a blanket, and covered the bird's head with it.
The next night Thumbelina again slowly made her way to the swallow. The bird had already come to life completely, only it was still very weak and barely opened its eyes to look at the girl who stood in front of her with a piece of rottenness in her hands - she had no other lantern.
- Thank you, dear baby! - said the sick swallow. “I’ve warmed myself so nicely. Soon I will completely recover and I will be cured in the sun again.
“Ah,” said the girl, “it's so cold now, it's snowing! Better stay in your warm bed, I will take care of you.
And Thumbelina brought water to the bird in a flower petal. The swallow drank and told the girl how she had cut her wing on a thorn bush and therefore could not fly away with other swallows to warm lands. How she fell to the ground and ... but she didn't remember anything else and how she got here
- dont know.
The swallow lived here all winter, and Thumbelina looked after her. Neither the mole nor the field mouse knew anything about this - after all, they did not like birds at all.
When spring came and the sun warmed up, the swallow said goodbye to the girl, and Thumbelina pushed back the hole that the mole had made.
The sun was so gloriously warm, and the swallow asked if the girl would like to go with her - let him sit on her back, and they will fly into the green forest! But Thumbelina did not want to leave the field mouse - she knew that the old woman would be very upset.
- No! - said the girl to the swallow.
- Goodbye, goodbye, dear kind baby! - said the swallow and flew out into the sun.
Thumbelina looked after her, and even tears welled up in her eyes - she really fell in love with the poor bird.
- Qui-whit, qui-whit! - chirped the bird and disappeared into the green forest. The girl was very sad. She was not allowed to go out into the sun at all.
nyshko, and the grain field was so overgrown with tall thick ears that it became a dense forest for the poor crumb.
- In the summer you will have to prepare yourself a dowry! the field mouse said to her. It turned out that a boring neighbor in a velvet coat got married to a girl.
- You need to have enough of everything, and then you will marry a mole and even more so you will not need anything!
And the girl had to spin for days on end, and the old mouse hired four spiders to weave, and they worked day and night.
Every evening the mole came to visit the field mouse and kept chatting about how soon the summer would end, the sun would stop scorching the earth like that - otherwise it had become just like a stone - and then they would play a wedding. But the girl was not at all happy: she did not like the boring mole. Every morning at sunrise and every evening at sunset Thumbelina went out on the threshold of a mouse's mink; sometimes the wind pushed the tops of the ears, and she managed to see a piece of blue sky. "How light, how good it is out there, free!" - the girl thought and remembered about the swallow; she would very much like to see the bird, but the swallow was nowhere to be seen: she must have flown there, far, far away, in the green forest!
By the fall, Thumbelina had prepared all her dowry.
- Your wedding in a month! the field mouse said to the girl.
But the baby cried and said that she did not want to marry a boring mole.
- It's nothing! the old woman said to the mouse. - Just do not be capricious, otherwise I will bite you - you see what white tooth? You will have a wonderful husband. The queen herself does not have such a velvet coat as he has! And his kitchen and cellar are not empty! Thank God for such a husband!
The wedding day arrived. The mole came for the girl. Now she had to follow him into his hole, live there, deep underground, and never go out into the sun - after all, the mole could not stand him! And it was so hard for the poor baby to say goodbye to the red sun forever! In the field mouse, she could still admire him at least from time to time.
And Thumbelina went out to look at the sun for the last time. The bread had already been removed from the field, and again only bare, dried stalks were sticking out of the ground. The girl moved away from the door and stretched out her hands to the sun:
- Goodbye, clear sun, goodbye!
Then she put her arms around the little red flower that grew here, and said to him:
- Bow to the cute swallow from me if you see her!
- Qui-whit, qui-whit! - Suddenly came over her head.
Thumbelina looked up and saw a swallow flying by. The swallow also saw the girl and was very happy, and the girl cried and told the swallow how she didn’t want to marry a nasty mole and live with him deep underground, where the sun would never look.
“A cold winter will come soon,” said the swallow, “and I am flying far, far away, to warm lands. Do you want to fly with me? You can sit on my back - just tie yourself tight with a belt - and we will fly away with you far from the ugly mole, far beyond the blue seas, to warm lands, where the sun shines brighter, where it is always summer and wonderful flowers bloom! Let's fly with me, dear baby! You saved my life when I froze in a dark, cold pit.
- Yes, yes, I will fly with you! - said Thumbelina, sat down on the bird's back, rested her legs on her outstretched wings and tied herself tightly with a belt to the largest feather.
The swallow shot up like an arrow and flew over dark forests, over blue seas and high mountains covered with snow. Here passion was so cold; Thumbelina buried herself in the warm feathers of a swallow and only stuck out her head to admire all the delights that were encountered along the way.
But here are the warm lands! Here the sun was shining much brighter, and near the ditches and hedges grew green and black grapes. Lemons and oranges ripened in the forests, smelled of myrtles and fragrant mint, and adorable children ran along the paths and caught large motley butterflies. But the swallow flew farther and farther, and the farther, the better it was. On the shore of a beautiful blue lake, in the midst of green curly trees, stood an old white marble palace. Vines entwined its tall columns, and above, under the roof, swallow's nests were molded. In one of them lived the swallow that Thumbelina brought.
- This is my house! - said the swallow. - And you choose some beautiful flower for yourself below, I will plant you in it, and you will heal wonderfully!
- That would be good! - said the baby and clapped her hands.
Below there were large pieces of marble - the top of one pillar had collapsed and broke into three pieces, with large white flowers growing between them. The swallow came down and put the girl on one of the wide petals. But what a marvel! In the very cup of the flower sat a little man, white and transparent, like a crystal. A lovely golden crown shone on his head, shiny wings fluttered over his shoulders, and he himself was no larger than Thumbelina.
It was an elf. An elf lives in each flower, a boy or a girl, and the one who sat next to Thumbelina was the king of the elves himself.
- Oh, how good he is! - Thumbelina whispered to the swallow.
The little king was completely frightened at the sight of the swallow. He was so tiny, delicate, and she seemed to him just a monster. But he was very happy to see our baby - he had never seen such a pretty girl! And he took off his golden crown, put it on Thumbelina's head and asked her name and if she wanted to be his wife, the queen of the elves and the queen of flowers? That's so husband! Not like the son of a toad or a mole in a velvet coat! And the girl agreed. Then elves flew out of each flower - boys and girls - so pretty that they were just lovely! All of them presented gifts to Thumbelina. The best was a pair of transparent dragonfly wings. They were attached to the back of the girl, and she, too, could now fly from flower to flower! That was joy! And the swallow sat upstairs, in its nest, and sang to them as best she could.
Video: Thumbelina
There was one woman in the world. She had no children, and she really wanted a baby. So she went to the old witch and said:
I so want to have a daughter, even the smallest! ..
What is easier! - answered the witch. - Here's a grain of barley. This grain is not simple, not one of those that ripen in your fields and be born to a bird for feed. Take it and plant it in a flower pot. You will see what will happen.
Thank you! - said the woman and gave the witch twelve coppers.
Then she went home and planted a seed of barley in a flower pot.
As soon as she watered it, the grain sprouted immediately. Two leaves and a delicate stem appeared from the ground. And on the stem appeared a large wonderful flower, like a tulip. But the petals of the flower were tightly compressed: it had not yet blossomed.
What a lovely flower! - said the woman and kissed the beautiful variegated petals.
At that very moment, something clicked in the heart of the flower, and it opened. It was indeed a large tulip, but there was a living girl in its cup. She was small, small, only an inch tall. Therefore, she was nicknamed - Thumbelina.
The cradle for Thumbelina was made of shiny varnished walnut shells. Instead of a feather bed, they put several violets there, and instead of a blanket - a rose petal. The girl was put in this cradle for the night, and during the day she played on the table.
In the middle of the table, the woman placed a deep plate of water, and placed flowers on the edge of the plate. Their long stems bathed in the water, and the flowers remained fresh and fragrant for a long time.
For little Thumbelina, a plate of water was a whole lake, and she swam on this lake on a tulip petal, like on a boat. Instead of oars, she had two white horsehair. Thumbelina rode her wonderful boat all day, swam from one side of the plate to the other and sang songs. No one has ever heard such a gentle voice as hers.
One night, while Thumbelina was sleeping in her cradle, a huge old toad, wet and ugly, crept through the open window into the room. From the windowsill she jumped onto the table and looked into the shell, where she slept under a rose petal Thumbelina.
How good! said the old toad. - A glorious bride will be to my son!
She grabbed a nutshell with the girl and jumped out the window into the garden.
A river flowed near the garden, and under its very bank there was a swampy swamp. It was here, in the swamp mud, that the old toad lived with his son. The son was also wet and ugly - just like a mother!
Coax, coax, brecke-ke-cupcake! - only he could say when he saw a little girl in a nutshell.
Hush you! You will also wake up, what good, and she will run away from us, ”said the old toad. - After all, it is lighter than a feather. Let's take it to the middle of the river and plant it on a water lily leaf - for such a crumb it's a whole island. From there she would never run away. In the meantime, I will arrange a cozy nest for you in the mud.
Many water lilies grew in the river. Their broad green leaves floated in the water. The largest leaf was farthest from the coast! The toad swam up to this leaf and put on it the nutshell in which the girl was sleeping.
Oh, how frightened poor Thumbelina, waking up in the morning! And how could one not be afraid! On all sides it was surrounded by water, and the shore was barely visible in the distance. Thumbelina covered her eyes with her hands and wept bitterly.
And the old toad sat in the mud and decorated his house with reeds and yellow water lilies - she wanted to please the young daughter-in-law. When everything was ready, she swam with her ugly son to the sheet on which Thumbelina was sitting, in order to take her crib and carry it to her house.
Smiling sweetly, the old toad sat low in the water in front of the girl and said:
Here is my son! He will be your husband! You will gloriously live with him in our mud.
Coax, coax, brecke-ke-cupcake! - only the son could say.
The toads took the shell and swam away with it. And Thumbelina still stood alone in the middle of the river on a large green leaf of a water lily and cried bitterly - she did not want to live with the ugly toad and marry her disgusting son.
The little fish that were swimming under the water heard what the old toad said. They had seen the groom and mother before. Now they stuck their heads out of the water to look at the bride.
Looking at Thumbelina with their round eyes, they went to the very bottom and began to think what to do now. They were terribly sorry that such a cute little girl would have to live with these disgusting toads somewhere under a snag in a thick oily mud. This will not happen! Fish from all over the river gathered at the water lily leaf on which Thumbelina was sitting, and gnawed at the stalk of the leaf.
And then the water lily leaf swam with the flow. The current was strong and the leaf was floating very quickly. Now the old toad could not catch up with Thumbelina.
What a cute little girl!
The light white moth kept circling over Thumbelina and finally sank onto the leaf - he really liked this tiny traveler.
And Thumbelina took off her silk belt, threw one end over the moth, tied the other to a leaf, and the leaf swam even faster. At this time, a May beetle flew past. He saw Thumbelina, grabbed her and carried her to a tree. The green leaf of the water lily swam further without her and soon disappeared from sight, and with it the moth: after all, it was tightly tied to the leaf by a silk belt.
How frightened poor Thumbelina was when a horned beetle wrapped its legs around her and soared high into the air with her! And she was very sorry for the white moth. What will happen to him now? After all, he will die of hunger if he fails to free himself.
And the May beetle and grief is not enough. He sat down on a branch of a large tree, sat Thumbelina next to her and told her that he liked her very much, although she did not at all look like May beetles.
Then other May beetles who lived on the same tree came to visit them. They looked at Thumbelina with curiosity, and their daughters in bewilderment spread their wings.
She only has two legs! - said some.
She doesn't even have tentacles! - said others.
How weak and thin she is! That and look, it will break in half, - said the third.
She looks very much like a person, and besides, she is ugly, ”all the beetles finally decided.
Even the May beetle who brought Thumbelina now thought that she was not at all good, and he decided to say goodbye to her - let him go wherever he knows. He flew down with Thumbelina and put her on a daisy.
Thumbelina sat on a flower and cried: she was sad that she was so ugly. Even the May beetles chased her away!
In fact, she was cute. Perhaps there was no one better than her in the world.
All summer Thumbelina lived alone in a large forest. She weaved a cradle for herself out of grass and hung it under a large leaf of burdock to shelter herself from the rain and the sun. She ate sweet flower honey and drank the dew she found on the leaves every morning.
So the summer passed, and the autumn passed. The long cold winter was approaching. The birds flew away, the flowers wilted, and the large burdock leaf under which Thumbelina lived turned yellow, dried up and curled up into a tube.
The cold chilled Thumbelina through and through. All of her dress was torn, and she was so small, delicate - how not to freeze here! It began to snow, and each snowflake was to Thumbelina what a whole shovel of snow was to us. We are big, and she was only an inch tall. She was wrapped in a dry leaf, but it did not warm at all, and the poor thing herself trembled like an autumn leaf in the wind.
Then Thumbelina decided to leave the forest and look for shelter for the winter.
There was a large field behind the forest in which she lived. The bread had been removed from the field long ago, and only short dry stalks were sticking out of the frozen ground.
It was even colder in the field than in the forest, and Thumbelina was completely frozen as she made her way between the dry, tough stems.
Finally she reached the mink of a field mouse. The entrance to the burrow was carefully covered with blades of grass and blades.
The field mouse lived in warmth and contentment: its kitchen and pantry were jam-packed with grains of grain. Thumbelina, like a beggar, stopped at the threshold and asked for at least a piece of barley grain - for two days she had not had a crumb in her mouth.
Oh, you poor thing! said the field mouse (she was, in essence, a kind old woman). Come here, get warm and eat with me!
And Thumbelina went down to the burrow, warmed up and ate.
I like you, ”she told her to wash, looking at her with shiny, bead-like black eyes. - Stay with me for the winter. I will feed you, and you clean my house well and tell me fairy tales - I am a great hunter before them.
And Thumbelina remained.
She did everything that the old mouse ordered her, and she lived quite well in a warm secluded hole.
We will have guests soon, ”a field mouse once told her. - Once a week my neighbor comes to visit me. He is very rich and lives much better than me. He has a big house underground, and he wears a fur coat that you, probably, have never seen - a magnificent black fur coat! Get out, girl, marry him! You won't be lost with him! One problem: he is blind and will not see how pretty you are. Well, you’ll tell him the best story you know.
But Thumbelina did not want to marry a rich neighbor at all: after all, it was a mole - a sullen underground inhabitant.
Soon the neighbor actually came to visit them.
True, he wore a very elegant fur coat - made of dark velvet. In addition, according to the field mouse, he was a scientist and very rich, and his house was almost twenty times larger than that of a mouse. But he hated the sun and scolded all the flowers. And no wonder! After all, he had never seen a single flower in his life.
The mouse mistress made Thumbelina sing for the dear guest, and the girl, willy-nilly, sang two songs, so well that the mole was delighted. But he did not say a word - he was so important, sedate, taciturn ...
Having visited a neighbor, the mole dug a long corridor underground from his house to the very mink of a field mouse and invited the old woman and her foster daughter to walk through this underground gallery.
He took a rotten thing in his mouth - in the dark, rottenness shines no worse than a candle - and went forward, illuminating the road.
Halfway there, the mole stopped and said:
Some kind of bird lies here. But we have nothing to fear from her - she is dead. Yes, you can see for yourself.
And the mole began to poke its wide nose into the ceiling until it dug a hole in it. Daylight penetrated the underground passage, and Thumbelina saw a dead swallow.
The poor bird must have died from the cold. Her wings were tightly pressed to her body, her legs and head were hidden in feathers.
Thumbelina felt very sorry for her. She was so fond of these cheerful light-winged birds - after all, they sang wonderful songs to her all summer and taught her to sing. But the mole pushed the swallow with its short paws and grunted:
What, I suppose it has become quiet? Don't you whistle anymore? That's what it is! .. Yes, I would not want to be such a birdie. They only know how to hover in the air and chirp. And when winter comes - what should they do? Die, and that's it. No, my children will not have to disappear from hunger and cold in winter.
Yes, yes, said the field mouse. “What's the use of this chirping and chirping? You won't be full of songs, you won't get warm by chirping in winter!
Thumbelina was silent. But when the mole and the mouse turned their backs on the bird, she bent down to the swallow, parted the feathers and kissed it right in her closed eyes.
“Maybe this is the same swallow that sang so wonderfully in the summer,” thought the girl. - How much joy you brought me, dear swallow! ”
Meanwhile, the mole has repaired the hole in the ceiling. Then, picking up the rotten stuff, he took the old woman home, the mouse and Thumbelina.
Thumbelina could not sleep at night. She got out of bed, weaved a large carpet from dry blades of grass and, making her way into the underground gallery, covered the dead bird with it. Then she found warm fluff and dry moss in the field mouse's pantry and arranged something like a nest for the swallow so that it would not be so hard and cold to lie on the frozen ground.
Goodbye, dear swallow, said Thumbelina. - Goodbye! Thank you for singing your wonderful songs to me in the summer, when the trees were still green and the sun was so gloriously warm.
And she pressed her head against the silky feathers on the bird's chest.
And suddenly she heard something rhythmically pounding in the swallow's chest: “Knock! Knock! ” - first quietly, and then louder and louder. It was a swallow's heart beating. The swallow was not dead - it was only numb from the cold, and now it was warmed up and revived.
For the winter, swallows always fly away to warm lands. Autumn has not yet had time to pluck the green outfit from the trees, and the winged travelers are already going on a long journey. If any of them lags behind or is late, the prickly wind will instantly freeze her light body. She will freeze, fall to the ground dead, and she will be carried in cold snow.
So it happened with this swallow, which was warmed by Thumbelina.
When the girl realized that the bird was alive, she was both delighted and frightened. You shouldn't be scared! After all, next to her, the swallow seemed such a huge bird.
Still, Thumbelina gathered her courage, covered the swallow with her woven carpet warmer, and then ran home, brought a leaf of mint, which she covered herself instead of a blanket, and wrapped it around the bird's head.
The next night Thumbelina again slowly made her way to the swallow. The bird was already quite alive, but it was still very weak and barely opened its eyes to look at the girl.
Thumbelina stood in front of her with a piece of rottenness in her hands - she had no other flashlight.
Thank you, dear baby! - said the sick swallow. - I warmed myself so well! Soon I will completely recover and I will be cured in the sun again.
Ah, - said Thumbelina, - now it's so cold, it's snowing! Better stay in your warm bed, and I will take care of you.
And she brought the swallow seeds of barley and water in a flower petal. The swallow drank, ate, and then told the girl how she had cut her wing on a thorn bush and could not fly away with other swallows to warm lands. Winter came, it became very cold, and she fell to the ground ... The swallow no longer remembered anything. She didn't even know how she got here, in this dungeon.
The swallow lived all winter in the underground gallery, and Thumbelina looked after her, fed and watered her. She did not say a word about this to either the mole or the field mouse - after all, they both did not like birds at all.
When spring came and the sun warmed up, Thumbelina opened the window that the mole had made in the ceiling, and a warm sunbeam slipped underground.
The swallow said goodbye to the girl, spread her wings, but before taking off, she asked if Thumbelina wanted to get out with her. Let him sit on her back, and they will fly into the green forest.
But Thumbelina was sorry to leave the old field mouse - she knew that the old woman would be very bored without her.
No, I can't! she said, sighing.
Well, goodbye! Goodbye dear girl! - chirped the swallow.
Thumbelina looked after her for a long time, and tears dripped from her eyes - she also wanted to go out into the open, and it was sad to part with the swallow.
Twi-whit, twi-whit! - the swallow shouted for the last time and disappeared into the green forest.
And Thumbelina remained in the mouse hole.
Every day her life got worse, more and more boring. The old mouse did not allow her to go far from home, and the field around the mink was overgrown with tall thick ears and seemed to Thumbelina a dense forest.
And then one day the old woman mouse said to Thumbelina:
Our neighbor, an old mole, came to woo you. Now you need to prepare your dowry. You are marrying an important person, and you need to have enough of everything.
And Thumbelina had to spin yarn for whole days.
The old mouse hired four spiders. Day and night they sat in the corners of a mink's mink and secretly did their job - weaving various fabrics and weaving lace from the thinnest spider web.
And the blind mole came every evening to visit and chatted about how soon the summer would end, the sun would stop beating down the earth and it would again become soft and friable. That's when they get married. But Thumbelina kept sad and cried: she did not want to marry at all, and even to a fat blind mole.
Every morning, at sunrise, and every evening, at sunset, Thumbelina went beyond the threshold of a mouse's mink. Sometimes a cheerful breeze parted the tops of the ears, and the girl managed to see a piece of the blue sky.
"How light, how good it is here in the wild!" - Thumbelina thought and remembered everything about the swallow. She would very much like to see the bird, but the swallow did not appear over the field. She must have curled and darted far, far away there, in the green forest above the blue river ...
And then autumn came. The dowry for Thumbelina was ready.
Your wedding is in four weeks! - said the field mouse to Thumbelina.
But Thumbelina cried and replied that she did not want to marry a boring mole.
The old mouse was angry.
Trivia! - she said. - Do not be stubborn, or you will try my teeth. Why is a mole not your husband? One fur coat is worth something! The king himself does not have such a coat! And his cellars are not empty. Thank fate for such a husband!
Finally the wedding day came, and the mole came for his bride. So, she still has to go with him into his dark hole, live there, deep, deep underground, and never see either white light or the clear sun - after all, the mole cannot stand them ?! And it was so hard for poor Thumbelina to say goodbye forever to the high sky and the red sun! In a field mouse, she could at least from a distance, from the threshold of the mink, admire them.
And so she went out to look at the white light for the last time. The bread had already been removed from the field, and again only bare, dried stalks were sticking out of the ground. The girl moved away from the mink's mink and stretched out her hands to the sun:
Goodbye honey, goodbye! Then she saw a small red flower, hugged him and said:
Dear flower, if you see a swallow, give her a bow from Thumbelina.
Twi-whit, twi-whit! - Suddenly came over her head.
Thumbelina raised her head and saw a swallow flying over the field. The swallow also saw the girl and was very happy. She sank to the ground, and Thumbelina, crying, told her friend how she didn’t want to marry an old gloomy mole and live with him deep underground, where the sun never looked.
The cold winter is already approaching, - said the swallow, - and I am flying far, far, to distant countries. Do you want to fly with me? Sit on my back, just tie yourself tight with a belt, and we will fly away with you from the ugly mole, fly away, beyond the blue seas, to warm lands, where the sun shines brighter, where there is eternal summer and flowers always bloom. Let's fly with me, dear baby! You saved my life when I froze in a dark, cold pit.
Yes, yes, I will fly with you! said Thumbelina. She sat on the swallow's back and tied herself tightly with a belt to the largest and strongest feather.
The swallow soared into the sky like an arrow and flew over the dark forests, over the blue seas and high mountains covered with snow. It was very cold here, and Thumbelina buried herself in the warm feathers of a swallow and stuck out only her head to admire the beautiful places over which they flew.
Finally, here are the warm lands! The sun shone here much brighter than ours, the sky was higher, and curly green grapes curled along the hedges. Oranges and lemons ripened in the groves, and cheerful children ran along the paths and caught large motley butterflies.
But the swallow flew on and on. On the shore of a transparent blue lake, among the spreading trees, stood an old white marble palace. Vines wrapped around its tall columns, and above, under the roof, bird's nests were molded. A swallow lived in one of them.
This is my home! - she said. - And you choose the most beautiful flower for yourself. I will put you in his cup and you will heal perfectly.
Thumbelina was delighted and clapped her hands with joy.
Below, in the grass, were pieces of white marble - the top of one pillar had collapsed and shattered into three parts. Large snow-white flowers grew between the marble debris.
The swallow came down and planted the girl on a wide petal. But what a miracle? In the cup of the flower was a small man, so light and transparent, as if he were made of crystal or morning dew. Behind his shoulders, light wings trembled, a small golden crown glittered on his head, and he was no larger than our Thumbelina. It was the king of the elves.
When the swallow flew up to the flower, the elf was seriously scared. After all, he was so small, and the swallow was so big!
But how happy he was when the swallow flew away, leaving Thumbelina in the flower! Never before had he seen such a beautiful girl of the same height. He bowed low to her and asked her name.
Thumbelina! - answered the girl.
Dear Thumbelina, - said the elf, - do you agree to be my wife, queen of flowers?
Thumbelina looked at the handsome elf. Ah, he was not at all like the stupid, dirty son of an old toad, or like a blind mole in a velvet coat! And she immediately agreed.
Then from each flower, overtaking each other, elves flew out. They surrounded Thumbelina and gave her wonderful gifts.
But Thumbelina liked the wings more than all other gifts - a pair of transparent light wings. just like a dragonfly. They were tied to Thumbelina over her shoulders, and she, too, could now fly from flower to flower. That was joy!
You will no longer be called Thumbelina. We, elves, have other names, - said the king to Thumbelina. - We will call you Maya!
And all the elves whirled over the flowers in a merry round dance, themselves light and bright, like flower petals.
And the swallow sat up in its nest and sang songs as best it could.
Throughout the warm winter, the elves danced to her songs. And when spring came to the cold countries, the swallow began to gather home.
Bye Bye! - she chirped to her little friend and flew through the seas, mountains and forests home to Denmark.
There she had a small nest, just above the window of a man who was good at telling stories. The swallow told him about Thumbelina, and from him we learned this story.
Once upon a time there was a woman; she was afraid how much she wanted to have a baby, but where to get it? And so she went to an old witch and said to her:
- I so want to have a baby; can you tell me where to get it?
- From what! - said the witch. - Here's a grain of barley; it is not a simple grain, not one that grows in the fields of peasants or that is thrown to chickens; plant him in a flower pot - you will see what will happen!
- Thanks! - said the woman and gave the witch twelve skillings S k il l and n g is a small coin that was in circulation in Scandinavia in the 19th century. That is how much, for example, a postage stamp could cost.; then she went home, planted a grain of barley in a flower pot, and suddenly a large, wonderful flower, like a tulip, grew out of it, but its petals were still tightly compressed, like an unblown bud.
- What a glorious flower! - said the woman and kissed the beautiful variegated petals.
Then something clicked, and the flower bloomed completely. It was exactly like a tulip, but in the very cup on a green chair was a tiny girl, and because she was so tender, small, only an inch in height, she was nicknamed Thumbelina.
The shiny varnished walnut shell was her cradle, the blue violets were her mattress, and the rose petal was her blanket; they put her in this cradle at night, and during the day she played on the table. The woman put a plate of water on the table and a wreath of flowers on the edge of the plate; long stems of flowers bathed in the water, and a large tulip petal was floating at the very edge. On it, Thumbelina could cross from one side of the plate to the other; instead of oars, she had two white horsehair. It was all lovely, how sweet! Thumbelina knew how to sing, and no one had ever heard such a gentle, beautiful voice!
Once at night, when she was lying in her cradle, a huge toad, wet, ugly, crawled through the broken window pane! She jumped right onto the table, where she slept under a pink petal Thumbelina.
- Here is my son's wife! - said the toad, took the nutshell with the girl and jumped out the window into the garden.
There was a big, wide river; near the very shore it was swampy and viscous; it was here, in the mud, that the toad lived with his son. Uh! How disgusting and disgusting he was, too! Just like a mother.
- Coax, coax, brek ke-ke-cupcake! - he could only say when he saw a lovely crumb in a nutshell.
- Hush you! She will wake up, perhaps, and run away from us, - said the old toad. - She's lighter than swan fluff! Let us drop her in the middle of the river on a wide leaf of a water lily - this is a whole island for such a crumb, she will not escape from there, but for now we will dismantle our nest down there, and you will live wonderfully in it.
Many water lilies grew in the river; their wide green leaves floated on the surface of the water. The largest leaf was farthest from the shore; a toad swam up to this leaf and put there a nutshell with the girl.
The poor baby woke up early in the morning, saw where she had gotten to, and cried bitterly: there was water on all sides, and there was no way for her to get to land!
And the old toad was sitting downstairs, in the mud, and tidying up its dwellings with reeds and yellow water lilies - it was necessary to embellish everything for the young daughter-in-law! Then she swam with her ugly son to the sheet where Thumbelina was sitting, in order to take, first of all, her pretty crib and put it in the bride's bedroom. The old toad sat down very low in the water in front of the girl and said:
- Here is my son, your future husband! You will gloriously live with him in our mud.
- Coax, coax, brek ke-ke-cupcake! - only the son could say.
They took a pretty crib and swam away with her, and the girl was left alone on a green leaf and cried bitterly - she did not want to live with an ugly toad and marry her disgusting son. The little fish that swam under the water must have seen the toad with his son and heard what she was saying, because everyone had raised their heads out of the water to look at the little bride. And when they saw her, they felt terribly sorry that such a pretty girl had to go to live with an old toad in the mud. This will not happen! The fishes crowded below, near the stem on which the leaf was held, and chewed it up with their teeth briskly; the leaflet with the girl swam with the flow, further, further ... Now the toad would never catch up with the baby!
- What a pretty girl!
And the leaf kept floating and floating, and now Thumbelina got abroad.
A beautiful white moth fluttered around her all the time and finally sat down on the leaf itself - he really liked Thumbelina! And she was terribly happy: the ugly toad could not catch up with her now, and everything around was so beautiful! The sun burned like gold on the water! Thumbelina took off her belt, tied the moth with one end, and tied the other to her leaf, and the leaf swam even faster.
A May beetle flew by, saw the girl, grabbed her by the thin waist with its paw and carried her to the tree, and the green leaf swam further, and with it the moth - he was tied and could not free himself.
Oh, how frightened the poor thing was when the beetle grabbed her and flew with her up the tree! She was especially sorry for the pretty moth, which she tied to a piece of paper; he will now have to starve to death if he cannot free himself. But grief was not enough for the May beetle.
He sat down with a crumb on the largest green leaf, gave her sweet flower juice and said that she was lovely, though she didn’t look like a May beetle at all.
Then other May beetles who lived on the same tree came to visit them. They looked at the girl from head to toe, and the young lady bugs shook their tentacles and said:
- She only has two legs! Sorry to watch!
- She has no tentacles!
- What a thin waist she has! Fi! She is just like a person! How ugly! - said in one voice all the female bugs.
Thumbelina was lovely! The May beetle who brought her also liked her very much at first, and then suddenly he found her ugly and did not want to keep her with him anymore - let him go where he knows. He flew off the tree with her and planted her on a daisy. Then the girl began to cry that she was so ugly: even the May beetles did not want to keep her with them! But in fact, she was the most charming creature in the world: delicate, clear, like a rose petal.
The whole summer Thumbelina lived alone in the forest. She wove herself a cradle and hung it under a large burdock leaf - there the rain could not reach it. She ate a crumb of sweet pollen, and drank the dew, which she found on the leaves every morning. Thus passed the summer and autumn; but now things have gone to winter, a long cold winter. All the songbirds scattered - the bushes and flowers withered, the large burdock leaf, under which Thumbelina lived, turned yellow, dried up and curled up into a tube. The baby itself was freezing from the cold: everything was torn in her dress, and she was so small, delicate - how long would it take to freeze here! It began to snow, and each snowflake was to her what a whole shovel of snow was to us; We're big, and she was only an inch! She was wrapped in a dry leaf, but it did not warm at all, and the poor thing herself was trembling like a leaf.
A large field lay near the forest where she found herself; the bread had long been harvested, only bare, dry stalks were sticking out of the frozen ground; for Thumbelina it was a whole forest. Wow! How she shivered from the cold! And then the poor thing came to the door of the field mouse; the door was a small hole, covered with dry stalks and blades of grass. The field mouse lived in warmth and contentment: the whole room was chock-full of grain, the kitchen and pantry were on the lookout! Thumbelina stood at the doorstep, like a beggar, and asked for a piece of barley grain - she hadn't eaten anything for two days!
- Oh, you poor thing! Said the field mouse: she was, in essence, a kind old woman. - Come here, warm up and eat with me!
The girl liked the mouse, and the mouse said:
- You can live with me all winter, just clean my rooms well and tell me fairy tales - I'm a great hunter before them.
And Thumbelina began to do everything that the mouse ordered her, and healed perfectly.
- Soon, perhaps, we will have guests, - said once a field mouse, - My neighbor usually visits me once a week. He lives much better than me: he has huge halls, and he walks in a wonderful velvet coat. If only you could marry him! You would have healed well! The only trouble is that he is blind and cannot see you; but you must tell him the best stories you know.
But the girl did not care much about all this: she did not want to marry a neighbor at all - after all, it was a mole. In fact, he soon came to visit the field mouse. True, he wore a black velvet coat, was very rich and learned; according to the field mouse, his room was twenty times more spacious than hers, but he did not like the sun or beautiful flowers at all and spoke very badly of them - he had never seen them. The girl had to sing, and she sang two songs: "May beetle, fly, fly" and "A monk wanders through the meadows," so sweet that the mole completely fell in love with her. But he did not say a word - he was such a sedate and respectable gentleman.
The mole recently dug a new long gallery underground from his dwelling to the door of the field mouse and allowed the mouse and the girl to walk along this gallery as much as they liked. The mole only asked not to be afraid of the dead bird that lay there. It was a real bird, with feathers and a beak; she must have died recently, at the beginning of winter, and she was buried just where the mole had dug its gallery.
The mole took the rotten stuff in his mouth - in the dark it's like a candle - and went forward, illuminating the long, dark gallery. When they reached the place where the dead bird lay, the mole pierced a hole in the earthen ceiling with its broad nose, and daylight crept into the gallery. In the very middle of the gallery lay a dead swallow; pretty wings were pressed tightly to the body, the legs and head were hidden in feathers; the poor bird must have died of the cold. The girl felt terribly sorry for her, she was very fond of these cute birds, which all summer sang songs so wonderfully to her, but the mole pushed the bird with its short paws and said:
- I suppose he won't whistle anymore! Here is the bitter fate to be born as a bird! Thank God my children have nothing to fear from this! Such a bird only knows how to chirp - inevitably you will freeze in winter!
“Yes, yes, it's true yours,” said the field mouse. “What's the use of this chirping? What does it bring to the bird? Cold and hunger in winter? Much, nothing to say!
Thumbelina did not say anything, but when the mole and the mouse turned their backs on the bird, she bent down to her, parted the feathers and kissed her right in her closed eyes. “Maybe this one sang so wonderfully in the summer! - thought the girl. - How much joy you brought me, dear, good bird! "
The mole again plugged the hole in the ceiling and escorted the ladies back. But the girl could not sleep at night. She got out of bed, weaved a large, glorious carpet out of dry blades of grass, carried it to the gallery and wrapped a dead bird in it; then she found fluff from a field mouse and put it over the whole swallow, so that it would be warmer for her to lie on the cold ground.
“Goodbye, dear bird,” said Thumbelina. - Goodbye! Thank you for singing so wonderfully to me in the summer, when all the trees were so green, and the sun was so gloriously warm!
And she bowed her head on the bird's chest, but suddenly she was frightened - something inside was pounding. It was the heart of the bird beating: it was not completely dead, but only stiffened from the cold, now it was warmed up and revived.
In autumn, the swallows fly away to warm regions, and if it is late, it will freeze from the cold, fall dead on the ground, and it will be covered with cold snow.
The girl trembled all over with fright - after all, the bird was just a giant in comparison with the baby - but nevertheless she pulled herself together, wrapped the swallow even more, then ran off brought a leaf of mint, which she covered herself instead of a blanket, and covered the bird's head with it.
The next night Thumbelina again slowly made her way to the swallow. The bird had already come to life completely, only it was still very weak and barely opened its eyes to look at the girl who stood in front of her with a piece of rottenness in her hands - she had no other lantern.
- Thank you, dear baby! - said the sick swallow. “I’ve warmed myself so nicely. Soon I will completely recover and I will be cured in the sun again.
“Ah,” said the girl, “it's so cold now, it's snowing! Better stay in your warm bed, I will take care of you.
And Thumbelina brought water to the bird in a flower petal. The swallow drank and told the girl how she had cut her wing on a thorn bush and therefore could not fly away with other swallows to warm lands, how she fell to the ground and ... She didn't remember anything else and how she got here - she did not know.
The swallow lived here all winter, and Thumbelina looked after her. Neither the mole nor the field mouse knew anything about this - after all, they did not like birds at all.
When spring came and the sun warmed up, the swallow said goodbye to the girl, and Thumbelina pushed back the hole that the mole had made.
The sun was so gloriously warm, and the swallow asked if the girl would like to go with her - let him sit on her back, and they will fly into the green forest! But Thumbelina did not want to leave the field mouse like that - she knew that the old woman would be very upset.
- No! - said the girl to the swallow.
- Goodbye, goodbye, dear baby! - said the swallow and flew out into the sun.
Thumbelina looked after her, and even tears welled up in her eyes - she was very fond of the poor bird.
- Qui-whit, qui-whit! - chirped the bird and disappeared into the green forest.
The girl was very sad. She was not allowed to go out into the sun at all, and the grain field was so overgrown with tall, thick ears that it became a dense forest for the poor crumb.
- In the summer you will have to prepare yourself a dowry! The field mouse said to her.
It turned out that a boring neighbor in a velvet coat got married to a girl.
- You need to have enough of everything, and then you will marry a mole and even more so you will not need anything!
And the girl had to spin for days on end, and the old mouse hired four spiders to weave, and they worked day and night.
Every evening the mole came to visit the field mouse and kept talking about how soon the summer would end, the sun would stop beating the earth like that - otherwise it had become quite like a stone - and then they would play a wedding. But the girl was not at all happy: she did not like the boring mole. Every morning at sunrise and every evening at sunset, Thumbelina went out on the threshold of a mouse's mink; sometimes the wind pushed the tops of the ears, and she managed to see a piece of blue sky. "How light, how good it is out there, free!" - the girl thought and remembered about the swallow; she would very much like to see the bird, but the swallow was nowhere to be seen: she must have flown there, far, far away, in the green forest!
By the fall, Thumbelina had prepared all her dowry.
- Your wedding in a month! The field mouse said to the girl.
But the baby cried and said that she did not want to marry a boring mole.
- It's nothing! The old woman said to the mouse. - Just do not be capricious, otherwise I will take and bite you with a white tooth. You will have a wonderful husband. The queen herself does not have such a black velvet coat as he has! And his kitchen and cellar are not empty! Thank God for such a husband!
The wedding day arrived. The mole came for the girl. Now she had to follow him into his hole, live there, deep, deep underground, and never go out into the sun - the mole could not stand him! And it was so hard for the poor baby to say goodbye to the red sun forever! In the field mouse, she could still admire him at least from time to time.
And Thumbelina went out to look at the sun for the last time. The bread had already been removed from the field, and again only bare, dried stalks were sticking out of the ground. The girl moved away from the door and stretched out her hands to the sun:
- Goodbye, clear sun, goodbye!
Then she put her arms around the little red flower that grew here, and said to him:
- Bow to the cute swallow from me if you see her!
- Qui-whit, qui-whit! - Suddenly came over her head.
Thumbelina looked up and saw a swallow flying by. The swallow also saw the girl and was very happy, and the girl cried and told the swallow how she did not want to marry an ugly mole and live with him deep underground, where the sun would never look.
“A cold winter will come soon,” said the swallow, “and I am flying far, far away, to warm lands. Do you want to fly with me? You can sit on my back - just tie yourself tight with a belt - and we will fly away with you far from the ugly mole, far beyond the blue seas, beyond the high mountains, to warm lands, where the sun shines brighter, where it is always summer and wonderful flowers bloom ! Let's fly with me, dear baby! You saved my life when I froze in a dark, cold pit.
- Yes, yes, I will fly with you! - said Thumbelina, sat down on the bird's back, rested her legs on her outstretched wings and tied herself tightly with a belt to the largest feather.
The swallow shot up like an arrow and flew over dark forests, over blue seas and high mountains covered with snow. Here passion was so cold; Thumbelina buried herself in the soft feathers of a swallow and stuck out only one head to see the wonderful places over which she flew.
But here are the warm lands! Here the sun was shining much brighter, the sky was higher, and wonderful green and black grapes twined around the ditches and hedges. Lemons and oranges ripened in the forests, smelled of myrtles and fragrant mint, and adorable children ran along the paths and caught large motley butterflies. But the swallow flew farther and farther, and the farther, the better it was. On the shore of a wonderful blue lake, in the midst of green curly trees, stood an old white marble palace. Vines entwined its tall columns, and above, under the roof, swallow's nests were molded. In one of them lived a swallow that brought Thumbelina.
- This is my house! - said the swallow. - And you choose some beautiful flower for yourself below, I will plant you in it and you will heal as best as possible!
- Oh, how wonderful! - said the baby and clapped her little hands.
Below there were large pieces of marble - the top of one pillar had collapsed and broken into three pieces, and between them the most wonderful large white flowers grew. The swallow came down and put the girl on one of the wide petals. But what a marvel! In the very cup of the flower sat a little man, white and transparent, like a crystal. A lovely golden crown shone on his head, shiny wings fluttered over his shoulders, and he himself was no larger than Thumbelina.
It was an elf. An elf or an elf lives in each flower, and the one who sat next to Thumbelina was the king of the elves himself.
- Oh, how good he is! - Thumbelina whispered to the swallow.
The little king was completely frightened at the sight of the swallow. He was so tiny, gentle, and she seemed to him a huge monster. But he was very happy to see our baby - he had never seen such a pretty girl! And he took off his golden crown, put it on Thumbelina's head and asked what her name was and if she wanted to be his wife, the queen of flowers? That's so husband! Not like the ugly son of a toad or a mole in a velvet coat! And the girl agreed. Then an elf or an elf flew out of each flower - so pretty that they were just lovely! All of them presented gifts to Thumbelina. The best was a pair of transparent dragonfly wings. They were attached to the back of the girl, and she, too, could now fly from flower to flower! That was just joy! And the swallow sat upstairs, in its nest, and sang to them as best she could. But she herself was very sad: after all, she fell in love with the girl and would like not to part with her for centuries.
- You will no longer be called Thumbelina! Said the elf. “It's a disgusting name, and you’re so pretty!” We will call you Maya!
- Bye Bye! - chirped the swallow and again flew from the warm lands - to distant Denmark. There she had a small nest, just above the window of a man, a great master of storytelling. It was to him that she sang her "qui-vit", it was from her that we learned this story.
