It was a fine day today. Joys’ winter vacations had started, and his father had given him a magnifying glass. Everything looked much bigger under the magnifying glass, and it was fun to see them so. When the night fell, Joy slept with the glass still in his pocket.
The Blue Fairy came in his dreams as usual. They went over the crescent moon and the twinkling stars into the huge white cloud of Fairy Land. It was rather chilly today in Fairy Land, as the winters had set in there as well. Snowflakes were falling lightly, and Joy was shivering in his nightclothes. The Blue Fairy noticed, and gave him a shimmering blue shawl. Light though it was, the shawl was indeed very warm, and Joy felt snug and cozy as they traveled past the seven rainbows to the snow covered ground of Fairy Land.
Now, Joy was seeing the snow for the first time in his life, and it amused him a lot. He started playing with the snow: making snowballs, sliding down the slopes, having fun. The magical blue shawl of the Blue Fairy protected him from the cold. Soon he grew tired and lied down on the snow near a big tree. Then, he heard very quiet and faint sobs. Looking around, he could see no one. But Joy was sure that he did hear someone crying. He followed the faint sobs, and reached the foot of the tree, where a very very tiny girl, small as a thumb, was standing and crying.
Can you guess who the tiny little girl was?
It was Thumbelina!! She was so small, Joy could hardly see her! He took the magnifying glass out of his pocket and looked at the prettiest girl ever. Thumbelina was also looking curiously at Joy, but her sad, wet eyes told Joy that she has been crying for a long time.
“Don’t be scared, Thumbelina”, said Joy. “I will not harm you. Tell me why you are crying, maybe I can help you!”
“I’m not crying for myself.” replied Thumbelina. Her voice was so faint, that Joy could hardly hear her. He kneeled down and concentrated hard on each word she said. “I’ll have to marry Mr. Mole soon, and I’ll have to live underground, away from the warm sunshine and the beautiful flowers. But I am not crying for myself. I despair for the beautiful swallow that is lying cold under the ground. She is a lovely bird, and I wish I could help her somehow. But she is so weak and frail from the cold, nothing can warm her up.” And with that thought, the tiny maiden started sobbing again.
Joy realized the problem. The Fairy Land was in a cloud, and therefore, it was much colder than elsewhere. Joy asked Thumbelina where the swallow was, and Thumbelina pointed to a little hole in the ground. The sunrays from the hole indeed reached the numb bird, but were not enough. Joy dug the hole up further to reach to the bird. He had never touched a bird before, and it took all his courage to pick the swallow out of the hole. But he knew that he’s the only one who could save the swallow. The poor bird was nearly frozen to death. Thumbelina had been nursing it for a few days now, but her tiny hands were powerless in the harsh winters of Fairy Land.
Joy took his magical blue shawl off, and wrapped it around the bird. He shivered in the extreme cold, but the swallow fluttered slightly, and opened its eyes. He massaged it gently, and soon the bird was well.
That was when the Fairy came. “Let me take you to your warm home now, Joy, and the swallow will take care of Thumbelina. You were indeed kind to give your warm clothes to a needy creature.” Joy smiled, and waved goodbye to little Thumbelina, who was busy hugging the swallow.
PUZZLE:
Kids, do you remember the original Jack Thumbelina story? Try answering these questions to find out:
Where did Thumbelina come from?
What served as her bed?
Where did the swallow take her to?
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