The fairies. Classic story for children

This story by Charles Perrault, The Fairies, is ideal to read aloud to children because it contains a moral that can help us explain that money and wealth have a lot of power over people but kind and sweet words have more value and more strength than all the money in the world. A cautionary tale abo

A cautionary tale about the fairies

There was a widow who had two daughters. The older one seemed so much in character and physical, that who saw the daughter, he seemed to see the mother. Both were so unpleasant and proud that you could not live with them. The small, true portrait of his father for its sweetness and softness, was also an extreme beauty. As by nature we love who we resemble, this mother had madness for her eldest daughter and at the same time felt an atrocious aversion to the child. He made her eat in the kitchen and work ceaselessly.

Among other things, this poor girl had to go twice a day to fetch water a half league from the house, and return with a huge jug full. One day when he was at the fountain, a poor woman approached him, begging him to give him a drink. "As not, my good lady," said the beautiful girl.

And immediately rinsing his jug, he took water from the best place in the fountain and offered it to him, always holding the jar so that he could drink more comfortably. The good woman, after drinking, said:

-You are so beautiful, so good and so kind, that I can not stop giving you a gift -for it was a fairy who had taken the form of a poor village

to see up Where would the gentleness of the young woman arrive? I grant you the gift, "the fairy went on," that for every word you utter, a flower or a precious stone will come out of your mouth. When the beautiful girl came home, her mother rebuked her for returning so late from the fountain. "Forgive me, my mother," said the poor girl, "for having delayed me; and when saying these words, two roses came out of his mouth

, two pearls and two large diamonds.

-What am I seeing! said her mother, full of astonishment; It seems that pearls and diamonds come out of your mouth! How is that, my daughter? It was the first time I told her daughter. The poor girl naively told him everything that had happened to her, not without throwing away an infinity of diamonds. "Truly," said the mother, "I have to send my daughter; Look, Fanchon, look at what comes out of your sister's mouth when she speaks; Would not you like to have such a gift? It will be enough for you to go fetch water from the fountain, and when a poor woman asks you to drink, offer her very gently.-It was not missing anymore! -the young girl answered rudely- go to the fountain! "I want you to go," said the mother, "and immediately!"

She was, but always grumbling. He took the most beautiful silver jug of the house. He only arrived at the fountain and saw a magnificently dressed lady come out of the forest who came to ask him to drink. It was the same fairy who had appeared to her sister, but who appeared under the appearance and with the clothes of a princess, to see how far the evil of this child. "Will I have come," said this rude evil servant, "to give you a drink?" I just brought a silver jug just to give your Lordship a drink! Okay, drink directly, if you want. "You are not kind," said the fairy, not irritated; it's okay! since you are so little attentive, I grant you the gift that at every word you utter, a snake or a toad comes out of your mouth.

The mother did not do more than sight and shouted:

-And well, my daughter? "Well, my mother! the evil one answered, throwing two snakes and two toads. -Well! exclaimed the mother. "What am I seeing? Your sister is at fault, she will pay for them! -and ran to hit him.

The poor girl took off and went to take refuge in the nearby forest. The king's son, who was returning from the hunt, found her and seeing her so beautiful asked her what she was doing there alone and why she was crying.

"Oh, sir, it's my mother who kicked me out of the house.

The king's son, who saw five or six pearls and as many diamonds coming out of his mouth, begged him to tell him where that came from. She told him all about his adventure. The king's son fell in love with her, and considering that such a gift was worth more than anything that could be offered to the other in marriage, he took it with him to his father's palace, where they were married.

As for the sister, she became so hateful that her own mother threw her out of the house; and the unhappy, after having gone from one part to another without anyone wanting to receive it, went to die at the bottom of the forest.

FIN