Thumbelina

There was once a woman who very much wanted a little child, but she couldn’t make her wish come true. At last she went to a fairy and said, “I would so very much like to have a little child; can you tell me where I can find one?”

“Oh, that can be easily managed,” said the fairy. “Here is a barleycorn, different from those that grow in the farmer’s fields and that the chickens eat. Put it into a flowerpot and see what happens.”

“Thank you,” said the woman, and she gave the fairy twelve coins, which was the price of the barleycorn. Then she went home and planted it, and immediately there grew up a large, handsome flower, something like a tulip in appearance, but with its leaves tightly closed as if it were still a bud. “It is a beautiful flower,” said the woman, and she kissed the red and golden leaves, and while she did so the flower opened, and she could see that it was a real tulip. Within the flower, upon the green velvet stamens, sat a very delicate and graceful little maiden. She was scarcely half as long as a thumb, and they gave her the name of “Thumbelina,” or Tiny, because she was so small. A walnut shell, elegantly polished, served her for a cradle; her bed was made of blue violet leaves, with a rose leaf for a quilt. Here she slept at night, but during the day she amused herself on a table, where the woman had placed a plateful of water. Round this plate were wreaths of flowers with their stems in the water, and upon it floated a large tulip leaf, which served Tiny for a boat. Here the little maiden sat and rowed herself from side to side with two oars made of white horsehair. It really was a very pretty sight. Tiny could also sing so softly and sweetly that nothing like her singing had ever been heard before.