The old woman looked at the queen from inside the prison in the tower. “What is it? You seem like you are in trouble. How can I help?”
The queen was thrilled on hearing the old woman’s words. “If you stay there, I will send my baby down in a basket. If you bring up the child well, when I am rich again, I will reward you.”
The old woman thought for some time. “I do not want your reward. But I would like to have a tender good mouse. If you can give me that, I will do what you ask and look after your baby.”
The queen did not reply and she started crying when she heard this.
The old woman was surprised. “What is wrong?”
“There is one mouse in this prison and I cannot bear for the mouse to get hurt.” The queen cried.
The old woman was shocked. “You care more about a mouse than your old baby!” The old woman shook her head. “I am leaving now.”
The old woman walked away grumbling and cursing under her breath.
The queen was sad and that night she could neither enjoy the mouse’s dancing nor could she eat the delicious food that had appeared in the prison.
The queen realized that she just had to hope for the best and act now if she had to save her baby. She placed her child in the basket and wrote on a note that the child’s name was Delicia and decided to lower the basket out of the prison and hoped that someone good would find the child and raise her well.
Before sending the basket down, the queen looked at the mouse in the prison. “I am now not sure whether my Delicia would be taken care of well or not. But I could not let the old woman hurt you.”
“You will never regret your kindness!” The words came from the tiny little mouse.
Adapted from the Fairy Tales written by Countess d’Aulnoy
No comments:
Post a Comment