THUMBELINA

Once upon a time, a woman lived by herself in a faraway village. She was very lonely after her
husband had died. She always wanted to have a child but alas, she didn’t have any. One day, she
went to her friend who was a good witch. She gave her a grain of barley and told her to go back
home and plant it. The woman did as she was told.
The next morning, a beautiful plant had grown from the seed. It had a lovely flower that looked
like a tulip. The woman had never seen a flower like that and was mesmerized by its beauty. She
gently kissed one of its petals. As she did that, the flower blossomed open. Inside it, was a
beautiful, little girl, no bigger than the size of the woman’s thumb. The woman instantly fell in love
with her and called her Thumbelina.
Thumbelina took away the woman’s loneliness. In the day, she would tell her stories and talk to
her. Sometimes, she would make Thumbelina a boat out of a tulip petal which she could row in a
plate full of water. At night, Thumbelina would sleep in a bed out of a walnut shell with a blanket
made of a rose petal.
One night, as she was sleeping, a frog came to her window and saw her. He thought to himself,
“What a beautiful girl! She’ll make a lovely bride for my son!” And so he grabbed Thumbelina and
hopped away to his home. When his son saw his bride-to-be, he was very happy. “She’s beautiful,
father. I’ll marry her! But before that, I want t build her a beautiful house,” said his son. “Okay son,
I’ll put her on the water lily in the middle of the pond till then. This way, she’ll not be able to
escape.” And so, the frog put Thumbelina in the middle of the pond on a water lily leaf.
Thumbelina tried to escape from her new home. But when she couldn’t, she broke down crying.
Two minnows were sitting under the same leaf and they heard her cry. They asked her about her
troubles and when she told them, they decided to help her. They nibbled away the lily stem. Soon,
it broke and floated away with Thumbelina.
Just when Thumbelina thought she was free, a beetle came down and took her away to his
home. He called over his friends to introduce them to his pretty prisoner. But the beetle’s friends
told him that she was too different than them and she didn’t belong to them. “I agree! I think I
should let her go,” thought the beetle. And so, he dropped her in the long grass and flower.
Thumbelina was very happy that she was free from her captors. However, she did not know
where her home was. She spent many days in the grass and between the flowers. She would eat
the pollen of the flowers and drink the dew from their leaves.
One day, as she was walking, she stumbled upon a small house made of mud. It had a strange
round entrance. She went up t it and knocked on the door. A mouse opened the door, “Hello, Isn’t
it cold out there for you today? Come in, please!” “Thank you very much,” said Thumbelina. Once
Thumbelina was settled comfortably in the mouse’s house, he asked her about who she was.
Thumbelina told him her entire story. “Don’t worry! You can stay here as long as you like,” said the
mouse.
So, Thumbelina started staying in her newfound home. To make herself useful in the house,
she would cook for the mouse and tell him stories. After a few days, the mouse said he had
invited a guest over. “He’s the richest mouse in all the land. He’s a very good friend of mine.”
That night, the mouse’s friend came over for dinner. They all talked and had a good time.
During the course of dinner, the friend fell in love with Thumbelina and declared that he would
marry her. Thumbelina had no choice but to go along with what was happening. When the friend
offered to show her his home, she agreed to visit his house. And the three of them set off together.
On the way, they entered a tunnel. There, they found an injured swallow lying on the ground.
The mouse’s friend kicked it and rudely said, “Serves her right! What is she doing in the tunnels?
He should have stayed in the air.” Thumbelina was shocked to see that someone could treat
another like this. Unseen by the mice, she ran away from there.
Once she was sure that the mice had left, she came back and attended to the swallow. She
took great care of her till she was fit to fly again. It became Spring by the time the swallow could
fly again. She told Thumbelina, “I have to join my family and friends. They have flown away to a
warmer place. I cannot stay here. Come with me!” But Thumbelina had had enough adventure
and didn’t want to go anywhere else. And so, the swallow flew away.
A few months had passed when the love-struck friend of the mouse found Thumbelina again.
“Oh, my beloved! I’ve been looking for you everywhere. Now I’ve found you and must marry you.”
Thumbelina knew there was no way out of it for her. So she asked him if she could spend one last
day out in the open air before she was confined to living the rest of her life underground with him.
As she roamed in the open fields for one last time, she heard a familiar voice. “Come, come
away with me where your spirit will always be free!” said the swallow. Thumbelina saw her old
friend who had returned to her. This time around, she agreed and hopped on the back of the
swallow and they took off. They flew over land and water and fields of green.
When they reached the land of the flowers, the swallow landed Thumbelina on a beautiful
flower petal. “This is the Kingdom of the flowers. And that is their King,” told the swallow.
Thumbelina saw a handsome, young King with beautiful wings. He was surrounded by lovely
flowers. As soon as she saw him, she knew she wanted to call this place home. Her presence
attracted the King’s attention. He too fell in love with her immediately. “Will you marry me?” asked
the King. “Yes!” replied Thumbelina with a big smile.
As happiness spread across her face, she grew a beautiful pair of wings and became the
Flower Queen. Soon, they got married and lived happily ever after.