Showing posts with label Short stories. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Short stories. Show all posts


Puss in Boots

Once upon a time, there was a miller who had three sons. He was so poor that, at the time of his death, he did not have much to give to his three sons. He gave an old mill to the older one, an old donkey to the second one and a simple cat was inherited by the youngest one who had always been his favorite.

Well, the truth is that the cat was actually not simple. To start with, he could speak. And the first thing she told his young master was: "My dear master, do not fret. I will get your living for you. If you buy me a pair of boots and a large bag."

"Of course, Of course," the young man said, completely astonished.

The miller’s son had very little money, but he thought it such a wonderful thing to hear a cat talk that he could not refuse her request. So he took Puss to the shoemaker and got him to make her a very smart pair of boots and then he gave her a large bag.

Now, not far from the mill there was a rabbit warren, and Puss resolved to catch some rabbits for dinner. So she put some lettuce leaves and fine parsley into her bag, went into the warren, and held the bag very quietly open, hiding behind it. And little greedy rabbits, who knew no better, ran into it, to have a feast. Puss pulled the string of the bag and carried them off to her master. The miller’s son killed them, and cooked one for dinner; but Puss took away the other, which was a very fine one, and hung it up for their next day’s meal.

The next day early in the morning, Puss took her bag and went again into the warren, and in the same manner, caught two more fine young rabbits. But instead of carrying them home she walked to the king’s palace and knocked at the door.

The king’s porter asked who was there. “I have brought a present to the king,” said Puss. “Please let me see his majesty.”

The porter let her in, and when Puss came into the king’s presence she made a low bow, and, taking a fine rabbit out of her bag, said, “Your majesty, please accept this gift on behalf of my master, the Marquis of Carabas.”

“I am much obliged to the marquis,” said the king, and he ordered his head cook to dress the rabbit for dinner.

By the king’s side sat his daughter, a very beautiful girl. She ordered one of the attendants to give Puss a good cup of cream, which she liked very much, then she went home and told her master all she had done. The miller’s son laughed but every morning Puss caught a rabbit and carried it to the palace with the same message.

One day Puss ran home and made her master go and bathe in the river, and he should see what she would do for him. The miller’s son obeyed; and while he was in the water, Puss took away all his clothes, and hid them under a large stone. Now, the king’s carriage came in sight soon after, just as Puss had expected. When she saw it,  she began to cry very loudly, “Help, help, for my Lord the Marquis of Carabas.” The king put his head out and asked what was the matter.

“Oh, your majesty,” said Puss, “ Some thugs have stolen my master's clothes! The Marquis of Carabas' clothes!"

Then the king ordered one of his attendants to ride back to the palace and get a suit of his own clothes for the marquis, “who had so often sent him gifts,” he said. And when they were brought, Puss took them to her master and helped him to dress in them.

With these clothes, the young man presented himself before the royal couple and their daughter, who instantly fell in love with the handsome Marquis. "Mmm... maybe this young boy could be a good match for our daughter?" the king and queen wondered. "Of course he is!" said the cat. But first, come to our castle and there we will be able to discuss this. "A castle?" The young boy didn't even possess a hut. However, the cat had already found a solution for that.

Without wasting time, he ran towards a castle owned by an ogre in another region, and the cat told the monster: "I have been told that you are a magician, but I don't think you can turn yourself into an animal."
His pride being hurt, the ogre immediately turned into a bear. "Is this enough for you? Or do you prefer a bigger creature?" the ogre screamed. And then he turned into a fearsome dragon. "Astonishing!" the cat praised him. "But... are you equally good with the small animals?" "Of course I am" the ogre screamed. And saying this he turned himself into a mouse. "That is what I wanted!" the cat exclaimed. And in one gulp he swallowed the little animal.

When the royal couple and the princess reached the castle, everything had been set by the cat. "Welcome to Marquis of Carabas' castle!" he greeted them. The monarchs had no doubt that the young man was an excellent match for their daughter, and soon they announced the wedding.

And that is the story of how the son of a poor miller managed to become a rich prince. 

date Saturday, 14 March 2020

   
       Mummy Duck lived on a farm. In her nest, she had five little eggs and one big egg. One day, the five little eggs started to crack. Tap, tap, tap! Five pretty, 
yellow baby ducklings came out. Then the big egg started to crack. Bang, bang, bang! One big, ugly duckling came out. ‘That’s strange,’ thought Mummy Duck. 

        Soon, the news spread around the farm and all the other animals laughed at him. Nobody wanted to play with him. ‘Go away,’ said his brothers and sisters.
‘You’re ugly!’ The ugly duckling was sad. So he went to find some new friends. 'Go away!’ said the pig. ‘Go away!’ said the sheep. ‘Go away!’ said the cow. ‘Go away!’ said the horse. 'Where did he come from, an animal so ugly?' They would say to each other. No one wanted to be his friend. It went on from day to day... The poor dark duckling was tired of the jokes and insults. At last, he decided to run away.
         One summer day, when the sun was setting, he left the farm with a heavy heart. 'You are crazy!' a bird said to him. 'Don't you know that the world is full of dangers?' I don't care he replied. I couldn't be unhappier than I am here. 

            He should have listened to the bird's advice. When the night fell, the forest seemed to be a spooky place inhabited by the most frightening monsters. 'Oh, how scary! Those things are going to eat me!' the duckling moaned, covering his head with his wings.

           But if the horrors of the night were only his imagination, the daylight brought to him a real terror. A hunter reached the lake with his ferocious dog who didn't take long to start sniffing the duckling. 'This is my end!' moaned the poor animal, hiding in the grass near the lake. And the dog was just about to see him when... a woman's hand-picked him up carefully saving his life. She was a tripper riding a motorbike and had seen all that had happened near the lake. 'What a strange creature, I'll take him home and will show him to my friends!' she exclaimed. But soon she had second thoughts and said: 'He is so ugly that it's better if I leave him here.' The poor duckling, it seemed, was loved by none!
           The days passed by, winter was setting in. It was colder each day, and one after the other, all the animals started seeking shelter. 'Come on, boys!' Mumma rabbit said to her little ones. 'Let's all go home, where it is so warm!' 'How true!' said the mole hiding in his burrow. The ugly duckling was the only one without a home. 'I am going to freeze to death' he thought.

            Luckily, a woodcutter picked him up and put him in his pocket. 'You will be warm in there' the man said driving his powerful sled truck full of trunks. The duckling spent the winter at the woodcutter's house. And when the spring came, the man took him to the lake and left him in the water, saying: 'It's time you live with your family and friends.'
           With time, the duckling had fully grown and matured. He got a big surprise when he saw himself mirrored in the water of the lake. He saw a beautiful, white bird! ‘Wow!’ he said. ‘Who’s that?’ ‘It’s you,’ said another beautiful, white bird.
‘Me? But I’m an ugly duckling.’
‘Not anymore. You’re a beautiful swan, like me. Do you want to be my friend?’
‘Yes,’ he smiled.
All the other animals watched as the two swans flew away, friends forever...

date Wednesday, 5 February 2020


           Long, long ago, Bagheera, the panther was roaming in the heart of a dense forest in search of food. Suddenly he caught sight of a baby-boy lying in a small basket with a handle. Bagheera exclaimed, "My Goodness! how has this human baby got here?" Bagheera
 took the baby to Raksha, the mother-wolf, and said to her, "You have been blessed with a litter of cubs. Here is a human baby. Would you take care of it as well?" Raksha and her husband Akela, the leader of wolves, happily undertook to bring up the baby. They named it Mowgli.

          Bhaloo, the bear, and other jungle animals were very happy to see little Mowgli and promised Raksha to help her bring the baby up according to the jungle law. In due course, Mowgli grew up playing with the wolf-cubs. Bagheera would often play with Mowgli teaching him the ways of jungle-life and telling him all about its secrets. Mowgli was very happy indeed. Also, Bhaloo and Chill, the vulture, both advised him to be alert against the tiger Sher Khan, the most-hated animal in the jungle. Bhaloo taught Mowgli how to communicate with other animals and to know all the ways to survive in the jungle. Bhaloo warned Mowgli against the monkeys as they often broke the rules of jungle-life.

            But one afternoon while Bhaloo was enjoying a sound sleep, a group of monkeys gagged Mowgli's mouth and kidnapped him. When Bhaloo woke up and came to know what had happened, he shouted in anger, "I must teach these monkeys a bitter lesson."
Bhaloo was shocked to see that the monkeys had hung Mowgli upside down. Though the monkeys were afraid of Bhaloo, yet they mocked at him. Bhaloo attacked them with his powerful paws flinging them here and there on the ground. But they also counter-attacked him. Luckily, Kaa, the serpent, came to Bhaloo's help and the naughty monkeys were duly punished. So they had to run away for their lives. Seeing Mowgli free from the grips of the monkeys, Bhaloo and Kaa were very happy. Mowgli thanked Bhaloo and Kaa from the core of his heart. Just then Bhaloo brought a bunch of ripe bananas for Mowgli who put on a broad smile to see them. Then both of them made for their lair in a joyous mood.

            Sher Khan, the tiger, had been sniffing around for a few days as he had come to know of Mowgli.
Roaming around, Sher Khan saw Mowgli and Bhaloo walking together. He quietly walked up to them and got ready to attack Mowgli. Seeing this, Bhaloo came forward to face Sher Khan. He grappled with the fierce tiger. Mowgli stood amazed as well as shocked. As for Kaa, he crawled away out of fear. Mowgli decided to help Bhaloo. He picked up a dry branch and set it on fire. Seeing this, Sher Khan got afraid. As soon as Mowgli went near him, the tiger ran away. The news spread throughout the jungle that Mowgli had defeated Sher Khan. All the animals were overjoyed and they praised Mowgli for his bravery. 

            In order to refresh themselves, Bhaloo and Mowgli had a hearty bath in a nearby river. One day, Bhaloo and Mowgli were strolling along the river-bank. Suddenly Mowgli caught sight of a strange face at the other bank. It was indeed a girl who had come to fill a pitcher with water. She was the first human being Mowgli had chanced to see. Charmed by the looks of the girl and to know more about her, Mowgli followed her. As he had been living with jungle animals, he was curious to know about humans. Bagheera and Bhaloo looked at Mowgli following the girl leaving all his friends behind. They felt very sad but seeing Mowgli happy, they wished him all the best as they knew that he belonged to the human world.

             Seeing Mowgli's unusually strange face, the villagers asked him to stop short. Luckily, a kind woman, named Messua, came out of a hut and she recognized Mowgli in no time. Messua told the villagers, "He is Nathoo, my son. Some years ago, our family was passing through the jungle. He was a small baby then and we were carrying him in a small basket. Suddenly, we saw a tiger and we had to run for safety leaving the basket in the jungle." Mowgli and his mother were very happy to find each other. Messua taught Mowgli all the ways of human life so that he might mix with other people. From then on, they lived happily ever after.

date Sunday, 2 February 2020

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Collection of Short Stories, Kids Stories, Moral stories, Bedtime stories, Fairytales, Akbar Birbal stories, Ramayan stories, Mahabharat stories, Tenaliraman stories, Panchatantra, Aesop fables

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