Cinderella

by Charles Perrault
Once upon a time there was a gentleman who married for the second time to a woman who was so haughty and
proud as no one has ever seen. She had two daughters who had inherited her character and who were
they seemed to be in everything. For his part, the husband contributed a daughter to the new marriage, more than one
sweetness and exemplary kindness for she resembled her mother in everything who had been the best
woman of the world. As soon as she got married, the stepmother brought out all her bad temper; she could not stand the
good qualities of her stepdaughter that made her own daughters even more hateful, and she loaded it
with the heaviest and most unpleasant household chores; making him wash the dishes and clean his
the room and that of her daughters. The poor girl slept in the tower of a barn, on the straw, while
his stepsisters did it in some rooms with parquet, where their beds were fashionable and there was
large full-length mirrors to see themselves reflected. The poor girl endured everything with patience.
And he did not dare to complain to his father, who would have scolded him because that wife completely dominated him.

When the young girl had completed all her tasks, she would go to a corner of
the chimney sitting on the ashes, which made it so that the
they are commonly known by the nickname of Carbonilla. The half-sister
little one, who was not as bad as the older one, she called her Cinderella, but
Cinderella, in her old clothes, was still a hundred times more beautiful than
his stepsisters, although both dressed magnificently.

And it happened that the king's son held a ball and invited
to all quality people, being ours
two young ladies also invited, for they
they belonged to the important families of the country, therefore, here they are
satisfied and very busy choosing the dresses and hairstyles that
they could do better, which caused new sorrows for Cinderella since it was she
who ironed her stepsisters' clothes, who starched their cuffs and
I heard them talking about how they were going to adorn themselves.

-I- said the eldest-, I will put on my red velvet suit and my adornment of
England.

-I will put on my everyday skirt, accompanied by my

gold flower shawl and my diamond tiara, which leaves no one indifferent
indifferent.

How it was necessary to find a good hairdresser to style them like

it corresponded to her rank that they did, but they also called Cinderella
to ask for his opinion since he had very good taste.

Cinderella advised them as best as she knew how and even offered to touch up their hairstyles herself, which
The stepsisters accepted, for it was what they had been expecting and for that purpose they had called her.

While she was styling their hair, they would tell her:

Cinderella, would you like to go to the ball?

Oh, ladies, everyone would mock me, and this is not what I need!

You're right, people would laugh a lot seeing a dirty Carbonilla go to the dance!

Anyone other than Cinderella would have styled them poorly, but she was good and styled them perfectly.
good.
 The stepsisters went nearly two days without eating as they wanted to look good.
despite that, more than twelve loops broke from pulling to make the waist shorter,
and they were always in front of the mirror admiring themselves.

Finally, the happy day arrived and the stepsisters marched. Cinderella followed them with her eyes for
a long time, until he stopped seeing them and
then, she started to sob.

Her fairy godmother, surprising her while she was all in tears, said
he/she asked what was happening to him/her.

-I would like, I would like...!

Cinderella was sobbing so hard that she couldn't finish.

Her godmother inquired:

You would like to go to the dance, right?

-Oh, yes!–said Cinderella, sighing.

-Well, if you are a good girl- replied the fairy-, I

I will make you go.

She took her to her room and said to her.

Go to the garden and bring me a pumpkin.

Cinderella went to choose the most beautiful one she could.

find her, and took her to her godmother, unable to
guess how that pumpkin could take her to the ball.. Her fairy godmother checked the pumpkin to make sure it didn't have
some defect, and then he touched it with his wand and
the pumpkin transformed into a beautiful carriage
golden.

She immediately went to look in the mousetrap,

where he found six live mice, and he said to
Cinderella who lifted the trapdoor and to each
mouse that was coming out, I would give it a wand hit and the
the rodent transformed into a beautiful horse,
so until it had a full cavalry,
a beautiful mouse-gray color; as there was missing there the
coachman, said Cinderella:

I'm going to see if any rat has fallen into the trap,
and we will have the coachman.

-You are right- replied her godmother-, go see him.

Cinderella took her trap where there were three fat rats. The fairy chose one from among the three, the one that seemed the
boss, and by touching her, he turned her into a fat coachman, who displayed one of the most beautiful mustaches that have ever existed.
seen. Immediately added:

Go to the garden and you will find six lizards behind the watering can, bring them to me.
Only Cinderella took them, the fairy godmother changed them for six footmen, who got on
behind the carriage with their livery full of braids, and they walked very upright, as if they had not
she did something else in her life. The fairy then said to Cinderella:

Well then, here is how to go to the dance, aren't you happy?

Yes, but am I really going to go in these rags?

Her godmother did nothing but touch the poor clothes with the magic wand, and at that very moment she
they transformed it into a suit made of gold and silver fabric, richly embroidered with gemstones, and the fairy also gave him
A pair of glass slippers, the most beautiful in the world.

When Cinderella was ready for the ball, she got on the
carriage, but her godmother especially advised her not to leave afterward.
at midnight, warning him that if he stayed at the dance a
one more moment, her carriage would turn into a pumpkin, her horses into
mice, their lackeys in lizards and that their ragged clothes would be reclaimed
the usual appearance.

She promised her godmother that she would leave the ball without fail before
midnight, then marching full of happiness.

The king's son, who was told that a princess had just arrived.
that no one knew, ran to greet her, shook her hand helping her to
descend from the carriage, and led her to the great hall, then a
sudden silence, he stopped dancing and the violins fell silent, so
Everyone was attentively contemplating the beauty of that.
unknown..

A confusing rumor could be heard:

Oh, how beautiful she is!

The king himself, despite being very old, did not stop looking at her and telling the queen.

in a low voice, that it had been a long time since I had seen anyone as beautiful as that lovely lady. The others
they were attentively observing her hairstyle and her clothes, in order to have others starting the next morning
equal case that they found such wonderful fabrics and such skilled seamstresses.

The king's son placed her in a place of honor, and immediately invited her to dance, and she danced with such grace that
he admired her even more.
The servants prepared a snack for the guests but the young man
the prince ate nothing, so enchanted was he
contemplating the unknown.

Cinderella sat down close to her stepsisters and made them a lot of
fulfilled sharing both the oranges and the lemons that the
the prince had given her, which impressed the stepsisters because they
they did not believe they knew the beautiful lady.

They were chatting when Cinderella heard the clock strike a quarter to eleven.
Then he made a great bow to everyone and left as quickly as possible.
as quickly as he could.

As soon as he got home, he went to look for his godmother and after having
he thanked her, telling her that he would like to go to the dance the next night
because the king's son had begged him. When she was busy telling her godmother everything
it happened, the stepsisters knocked on the door and Cinderella went to open it for them:

-How long did it take you to come! - he said while rubbing his eyelids and stretching as if
You just woke up; although the truth is that you weren't sleepy at all.

If you had come to the ball,

a beautiful princess has appeared, the most beautiful anyone has ever seen, and she has been very kind and attentive
with us, and has given us oranges and lemons.

Cinderella was very happy and asked them the name of the princess, but they replied that they didn't know her.
They knew that the king's son didn't either and that he would give up all the things of this world to know who he was.
She. Cinderella smiled and asked.

Was she then so beautiful? My God, you are so lucky! Could I not see her? Miss Javotte,
lend me your yellow suit, the one you wear every day.

Indeed, said Miss Javotte, I am thinking about that!... If I lent my dress to a

Filthy Carbonilla like you, I would be crazy!

Cinderella expected this rejection, and she was very satisfied with the response, because it would have been a
It would have been a big problem if his stepsister had wanted to lend him the suit.

The next night the two stepsisters went to the ball, and Cinderella went too, but still very much
better adorned than the first time.

The king's son danced with her all night and did not stop telling her sweet nothings to the point that he distracted her.
so much that he forgot what his godmother had advised him, so that he heard the first sound
midnight bell, when she still didn't believe it was eleven. Cinderella then fled with the
lightness of a doe.

The prince followed her, but he could not catch her, and she, in the haste of her flight, dropped one of her
glass slippers that the prince collected with utmost care.

Cinderella arrived home very breathless, without a carriage, without footmen, and in her rags, for nothing had
there remained from so much splendor more than the other glass slipper, partner to the one she had dropped.

The palace gate guards were asked if they had seen a princess leave and they said that
they had not seen anyone leave except for a very poorly dressed girl who had more of the appearance
of a peasant woman rather than a young lady.
 When her two stepsisters returned from the ball,
Cinderella asked them if they had fun and if the beauty
the lady had appeared.

They told him yes, but that he had fled when

midnight arrived, losing one of its precious
glass slippers, which the king's son had picked up, and
that he had done nothing but watch her for
all the dancing and that he was surely in love with the
beautiful, to whom did that little shoe belong?

The stepsisters did not lie, as a few days

later, the king's son had it announced to the sound of trumpets
who would marry the one whose foot fit the glass slipper.

And they began to test it on the princesses, followed by the duchesses, and all the ladies of the court, but
futilely.

Finally, the test arrived at the stepsisters' house, who did everything possible to make it fit their
foot inside the little shoe, but they could not achieve it. Cinderella who watched them, and who recognized her
shoe, he said smiling:

-I think I can put it on!

Her stepsisters started laughing and mocked her. The gentleman

who was carrying out the test, having attentively watched Cinderella
and finding her very beautiful, he said it was fair, and that he had the order
to try it on all the girls of the kingdom, and he made Cinderella sit down and
bringing the shoe closer to his foot, he saw that it fit perfectly and suited him.
like a glove.

The surprise of the stepsisters was great, but even greater was still
when Cinderella took out the other shoe from her pocket that she put on.

At that exact moment, the fairy godmother made her appearance, waving her magic wand.
about Cinderella's rags, she turned them into a much more dazzling dress than all the others.
previous.

Then the stepsisters recognized her as the beautiful lady they had seen at the ball and threw themselves at her.
feet to ask for forgiveness for all the mistreatment they had made her a victim of. Cinderella them
She raised them up and told them, embracing them, that she forgave them with all her heart and that she asked them that from then on
now they would be good friends.

Cinderella was led to the young prince's palace, and he found her even more beautiful than ever.
marrying her a few days later.

Cinderella, who was as kind as she was beautiful, had hosted her step-sisters in the palace and they
he married on the same day to two great lords of the court.
 Rapunzel
Once upon a time there was a couple living next to the house of the Violent Witch. The woman was expecting
a child. She and her husband were very happy thinking about the son they were going to have. The woman used to
lean out the window and look towards the garden of the sorceress Violenta. And one day, he saw a beautiful garden of
she craved a salad. She told her husband: "In our neighbor's garden there is
some beautiful rapónchigos. If I can't have a salad made with those plants for dinner, I will die.
But I can't enter the garden of the Violent Mage! She would get furious with me! You'll see what...
What are you doing! I will die if I can't eat a salad of rapónchigos!

The poor husband was very worried. And since he loved his wife very much and was very excited about
the arrival of the child they were expecting, dared to enter the Maga's garden. When he was almost there
finished picking rapónchigos, the Violent Maga appeared: 'Stealing my vegetables! This is going to'
It can be expensive! Don’t you know that I can punish you in a terrible way?" "Oh, Mrs. Maga, please have mercy.
piety!
rapónchigos in salad.

The Witch listened carefully to what the man was saying and then replied: "Well, well, neighbor. So,
You're going to have a child, right? I'm going to propose a deal: I'll let you take as many rapónchigos from my garden as you want.
however your wife wants to eat and you will give me your son as soon as he is born." The poor man was so
scared that he accepted the deal. His wife ate salad made of rapónchigos every day.

And it happened that the woman had a precious girl. On the very day of her birth, the Maga appeared.
Violent. She took the creature, wrapped it in her shawl, and took it to her house. And she named it
Rapunzel, which means rampion. She was cared for for many years and received a thorough education.
When Rapunzel turned twelve, she had become a very beautiful young lady. So that no one
could take her away from his side, the Violent Mage took her to a very dense forest. There she built a tower.
very high that had no door or stairs; it only had a small window at the highest part. And there
he locked up the girl.

Every day the sorceress Violenta would come to visit Rapunzel. She would arrive at the foot of the tower and shout:
"Rapunzel! Rapunzel! Let down your hair!" Rapunzel had splendid and very long hair. She let down...
her braids through the window and the Violent Mage climbed up them to enter the tower.

One day, the king's son, who was out hunting and had gotten lost, saw the strange tower. He remained looking at it.
a while and had the opportunity to see how the Magician climbed to the top by Rapunzel's golden braids. He
filled him with curiosity about what he had seen and his interest grew even more when he heard a sweet song that
sounded up there on top of the tower. The Prince managed to gather with his companions, but he could no longer
forget the strange tower and the beautiful voice that sang inside it. He returned another day to the foot of the tower and
he searched for an entrance but did not find it and then he decided to shout the call he had heard from the Maga.
"Rapunzel! Rapunzel! Let down your hair!" At that moment, the braids hung down from the window.
within reach of his hands. The Prince climbed up them. At first, Rapunzel was very scared.
when she saw the Prince before her; but the King's son knew how to speak to her with such kind words that
he managed to calm her down.

The Prince and Rapunzel became very good friends. He would come to see her every day when he knew that the Sorceress
Violenta was not with her. The two of them planned a scheme for Rapunzel to escape.
from her confinement and go to the palace to marry the Prince. 'Bring me each day that you come to see me a
a skein of silk threads –Rapunzel asked–. I will weave a ladder with them and thus one day I will be able to descend from
the tower and riding on your horse to go with you." And Rapunzel began to weave the ladder. The Sorceress
Violenta knew nothing about this job because she couldn't even remotely suspect what was happening.
occurring.

But one day, when the Mage had just climbed up to the tower, Rapunzel commented: "The Prince climbs a lot
faster than you." "Ah, mischievous one! What is this I hear? So you have been deceiving me all this time.
Time! Huh? I thought I had you well hidden and you were receiving the Prince. Well, it's still
"It's time to cut to the chase." He took some scissors and cut Rapunzel's beautiful braids. Then she
He took her by the hand and, by the art of enchantment, made her fly through the air with him and left her abandoned.
in the thickest part of the forest. The Violent Mage returned to the tower and waited.

It wasn't long before the voice of the Prince was heard saying: "Rapunzel! Rapunzel!"
"Throw me your braids!" The Magician tossed her braids through the little window and the young man climbed up them. When he arrived
upstairs, instead of the beautiful face of Rapunzel, he saw the ugly face of the Witch. "You have come to see your girlfriend,
"Right? Well, you'll never find it! Get out of here!" The Magician pushed the Prince, who fell from there.
high on the tower over some bushes of spiny acacias. He didn't die, but the thorns scratched him.
eyes and became blind. He began to wander through the forest blindly, feeling like the most unfortunate of
mortals.

And one day, when he was about to die of hunger and sadness, he heard a sweet voice singing.
He recognized it immediately and was following the direction indicated by the sound of the sad song. When
It was quite close, he shouted: "Rapunzel! Rapunzel! Come to my aid!" And the girl came out to her
meeting. Upon seeing him in that miserable condition, Rapunzel cried sadly. Her tears fell on the
Prince's eyes that, at once, became healthy. Rapunzel and the Prince got married and were very happy.
Nothing more was heard from the Violent Sorceress, although some say she continues to raise beautiful
rapónchigos in their garden.

END
 Beauty and the Beast

The merchant had three daughters.

story. Happy and content, the three of them
they accompanied in good times
when their businesses were prospering.

But when her fortune changed, her

older daughters treated him badly, the only one
what was always the same was Bella
minor.

The merchant decided to go on a journey to

try to improve your situation. --Together with
to say goodbye, his older daughters handed him two lists of things
what they wanted me to bring back from the trip.

Bella only asked to be brought a rose which, as is known, does not weigh or take up space.
place.

But the merchant fared so badly that, defeated and sad, he was returning home.
when he was caught by a storm.

The paths were erased and I could not see the trail.

After riding for several hours, he believed he saw a light and headed toward it,
arriving at last at a great mansion

Curiously, there was no need to knock on the door because it opened by itself.
for your step.

Not seeing anyone, he went down the hallways, "It's very nice here, but I have to..."
very hungry

And at that moment a door opened and there was a long table with the best ones.
delicacies that one could imagine.

There he began to eat until he was satisfied and then felt a huge
tiredness, something it
he pushed up to the second floor where he found a hot bath and good
clothes to wear
and a very soft bed to sleep in.
The next morning I search everywhere in vain for someone to
to thank him/her
He did everything he could to feel good, but he didn't find anyone.

He was about to leave when he passed by a rose bush and picked a flower for Bella.

She had not finished cutting it when she heard a terrible noise like a
earthquake, and a horrible creature appeared before him, it had an appearance of
monster.

Ungrateful---said the beast---

How dare you steal where you have been treated so well? You don't deserve to live!

Excuse me....Sir---stammered the merchant, I didn't intend to be doing anything

I just wanted to bring a rose to the youngest of my daughters.

In that case---concluded the Beast---, you will bring me your

daughter, who will pay for you.

And if you don't come back before ten days, I will come to find you.
hi.

The merchant agreed to go and say goodbye to his

daughters since I had no intention of taking Bella,
but I was thinking of returning to the castle.

When Bella found out about everything that had happened to her
father decided to go deliver herself to the beast.
He then set off for his destination. The monster did not have
intentions apparently to kill her since
once there and without letting himself be seen, he offered him all kinds of food and luxuries, and
a mirror
magical in which one could see everything that happened in the house.

One night while Bella was having dinner, she heard a loud crash, and the Beast...
showed in front of Bella for the first time
She's almost fainting, but trying to hold on, she said: "It's horrible"
but cooks well
After some time, Bella realized that, despite how ugly it was,
He/she liked the beast.
However, when the Beast asked for her hand, she, despite
to fear that he would get angry
he said no.

Days later, through her magic mirror, she saw that her father was very
sick, and he asked her
the beast could only be absent for seven days, using a ring that
this gave him, in
a second was with his family.

The young woman was so happy in her home that she didn't realize that the
time passed
very quickly, and one night when time had run out, he saw in
dreams to the
Dying beast.

Only then did Bella understand how much she loved him, and putting on the ring she was
transported
immediately to the castle

Upon arrival, he indeed found the Beast almost dead, but he managed to
revive it
enough for her furry ears to hear her say:
YES...I want to get married
with you." That said, the Beast evaporated, appearing in its place a
prince to whom
an evil fairy had enchanted and whose spell would be broken as soon as
like a
woman accepted to be his wife despite his ugliness.

They both moved to the palace of the King, who was the father of the Prince, where
was celebrated
the wedding, and during the banquet, Bella's two sisters were commenting
envy
They will have many good things to tell their children, but they will never be able to
say that
it was love at first sight.

And so, colorín colorado, Bella and the Prince lived happily ever after... and this
the story is over.

THE END
The Weeping Woman

La Llorona, the ghost woman who roams the streets of cities in search of her children.

also arrived at the Villa of the Assumption of the Hot Waters. This legendary character, whose presence
it terrifies not only children but also older people, it is known from Sonora to
Yucatán. In our land, the fable tells that a young and beautiful socialite married a man.
a mayor, good, responsible and affectionate, who spoiled her like a child, her only flaw... that she had none.
fortune.

But knowing that his young wife enjoyed socializing and "climbing heights," he worked without
rest to be able to meet the economic needs of his wife, who feels spoiled
she squandered everything her husband gave her and demanded more from him every day, in order to keep up with his
friends, those who dedicated time to parties and constant outings.

Marisa López de Figueroa had several children who were educated by the servants while the
mother was dedicated to trivial things. Several years passed, the Figueroa López marriage had four
children and a difficult life, due to the lady of the house, who repulsed the home and never took care of the children.
The years went by and the husband fell seriously ill, shortly after he died, taking with him 'the key to the
pantry, the widow was left without a cent, and in front of her children who were asking her for food.
The lady from Figueroa began to sell her furniture over time. Her jewelry was what she went through.

Few were the resources that he had left, and feeling useless for work, and without a cent to
to support his children, he thought about it a lot, but one day he gathered them saying that he was going to take them on a trip to the
river of the pirules. The kids were bouncing with joy, as it was the first time their mother took them to
outing to the countryside. He put them in the carriage and left his house with wings, as if he had a great rush to arrive.
She arrived at the river, which was then flowing strongly, brought down the cart that she was driving herself and started throwing one by one.
one to the little ones, who were signaling with their little hands that they were drowning.

But she, biased and cold, watched as the current carried them away, the water making gurgling sounds.
until it became still. The current took her children away, by that time they would already be dead. Like
the automaton left the place, took the carriage, left like 'a soul taken by the devil', but the
Regrets made her return to the crime scene. It was useless, the creatures had moved on to a better place.
life. When she realized what she had done, she jumped into the river as well and soon they could be seen.
four child corpses and that of a woman floating in the river.

The legend says that from that date, at midnight, Mrs. Marisa would come from beyond the grave to
crying for their misfortune: he was leaving the cemetery (where they were given a Christian burial) and crossing the city in
a carriage, shrieking and shouting 'Oh my children! Where could my children be!' and so on until reaching the
river of the pirules where it disappeared. All the people who saw her passing by at midnight through the streets
they blessed themselves with reverence upon hearing their moans and screams. They swore that with the light of the moon they saw their
a carriage driven by a lady in black who was crying out for her children.

The women would close the curtains, and even the drunkard who came with drinks would sober up.
upon seeing that carriage driven by a specter, where La Llorona was, great flames were coming out of the carriage and
a long and sad moan of a woman could be heard, a skeleton dressed in black, the one who led the
carriage, pulled by spirited horses. One day, four friends, pretending to be brave, wanted to follow the
a carriage that was running at high speed through the central street of Aguascalientes, was taking Carrillo Puerto.
(now La Merced) then through Guerrero to continue along Nieto street, which led directly to the ...
Pirules River.

They followed her, trembling with fear, but giving themselves courage with the little drinks. Upon finishing Nieto's artery,
he let out one last cry of sadness and pain, 'Aaaay my children!' and disappeared along with the carriage.
during the time of the call Llorona, it terrified the villagers of this town, who locked themselves in.
and mud, and they never went out to the street at midnight.
The porcelain killer: a tale of fear
A long time ago, there was a girl named Yaiza. She was blonde and always had her hair done.
with two braids. She was 9 years old.

On April 3, 1876, he made his first communion. His mother gave him a doll.
porcelain dressed for communion that had a candle in its hand. On the back it had a
Upon pressing it, the doll sang and moved the candle to which the light would turn on. The girl...
he was enchanted and placed it on a shelf that he had in front of his bed. That same night,
At three in the morning, someone was heard singing.

Yaiza woke up with a start and saw an orange light moving in the middle of the
darkness. She remembered it was the doll and went to turn on the light to stop it, but when she...
the doll returned, she was not there. A shiver ran through her body and fear invaded her mind
but he had the courage to look for her.

He looked for it in the drawer of his nightstand, behind the books, but it wasn't there. Then
She heard a noise under the bed and when she went to look... there was the doll! It had a
eye and the suit torn and he looked at her with a face wanting to attack her. In the middle of the night,
he heard a scream and silence reigned again.

The next morning her parents went to wake her up and when they entered her room.
she was found dead in bed and the doll had disappeared. It affected her mother.
so much so that her death caused him to fall into a depression and every night he saw the spirit of
Yaiza on the stairs and started talking to her. They never knew who killed her or where.
there was the doll.
Story of the clown ofMcDonald's

Two years ago I worked at McDonald's Utatlán, in the city of Guatemala. A

Good Friday night, after a tiring day of work, we
A coworker (Alberto) and I were waiting for a third person.
that I still had pending tasks. As the night was cool, we were in
the parking lot chatting about anything to pass the time. Outside of the
the restaurant is, as is known, a Ronald McDonald doll sitting on a
a bench where there is space for anyone who wishes to sit.
When I was small, I felt scared when I saw that clown, I remember I would run away.
to hide under the bed when it appeared on TV.

Alberto decided to sit there, since our other friend was taking a while.
a little. We were chatting casually when I saw a movement of the
the head of the doll, more or less as if it had had a shiver. I turned to
I saw my friend signaling with his eyes, but when I turned my gaze back to the clown,
he was as still as always. I'm tired, I told myself, although I got up
pale as Alberto told me with mocking giggles.

We continued talking about A and B when the monster had the shiver again and
before my frightened eyes, he rose from the bench. Alberto saw him this time.
He was petrified in place, with his mouth open in fear.

-Don't be afraid -said Ronald McDonald in a squeaky voice-. If you are watching me
it is because the spirits of the dead in the wars that man in his eagerness
they have been able to perpetrate against their own brothers, they are angry.
George W. Bush is a diabolical person who wants to control the world, and
will use McDonald’s to achieve control over small countries like that of
you
Alberto and I couldn't talk about how scared we were. Stammering.
we asked him why he had chosen us and for what purpose.
I was telling all of that.

I cannot reveal the reason to you. You must warn your compatriots of what is
what is coming, so that they do not fall into deception and are controlled by the country
from the north, who doesn't care about trample over anyone to achieve their terrible
projects of destruction and death.

Upon finishing speaking, he disappeared from our sight. After that vision
we were frozen and looking at each other incredulous and scared. That's how we were surprised by the

a companion we were waiting for. We didn't say anything, fearing he would think of us as

crazy.

The next day, the talk among the colleagues was that they had stolen the...
doll. The company had to order another one to replace it. Alberto and I
we renounced that day and for nothing in the world will we enter again to any
McDonald's.
The Little Mermaid

Once upon a time... in the depths of the bluest of oceans, there was a wonderful palace in which
there lived the King of the Sea, an old and wise merman who had an abundant white beard. He lived in
this splendid mansion of multicolored coral and precious shells, along with its five daughters
beautiful mermaids.

Little Mermaid, the youngest, besides being the most beautiful, possessed a
wonderful voice; when she sang accompanied by the harp, the
fish came from all around to listen to her, the shells
they opened, showing their pearls, and the jellyfish upon hearing it stopped
float. The little mermaid was almost always singing, and each time
he raised his gaze searching for the faint light of the sun, which at
difficult pains seeped through the deep waters. "Oh!,
How I would love to go to the surface to finally see the sky that
everyone says it is so beautiful, and to hear the voice of men and
smell the perfume of the flowers!" "You are still too young.
The mother replied, "In a few years, when you are fifteen,
the king will give you permission to go to the surface, like to your
sisters.

The little mermaid dreamed of the world of men, which she knew through
from the stories of his sisters, whom he questioned for hours to
satisfy their inexhaustible curiosity every time they returned from the surface.
At this time, while I was waiting to come to the surface to meet the
ignored universe, was occupied with its wonderful garden adorned with flowers
marine. The seahorses kept him company and the dolphins approached him.
they approached to play with her; only the starfish,
fussy, they did not respond to his call. Finally, the birthday arrived so
anticipated and, throughout the previous night, could not sleep. At the
the next morning the father called her and, while stroking her long and blonde hair
hair, a beautiful flower sculpted on her shoulder.

Well, you can now go out to breathe the air and see the sky! But remember that the world above
it is not ours, we can only admire it! We are children of the sea and we have no soul like the
men, Be cautious and do not approach them. They would only bring you misfortune!
she finished speaking, I kissed Sirenita and she headed towards the surface, gliding lightly.
it felt so fast that not even the fish could catch up to it.
 Suddenly, she emerged from the water. How fascinating! She was seeing the sky for the first time.
blue and the first twinkling stars at dusk. The sun, which had already
placed on the horizon, had left a golden reflection on the waves that
it slowly dissolved. The seagulls fluttered above the Little Mermaid and left
hear their cheerful welcome cackles. "How beautiful everything is!" he exclaimed happily,
clapping. But their astonishment and admiration increased even more: a ship
slowly approached the rock where the Little Mermaid was. The sailors threw the
anchor, and the ship, thus moored, swayed over the surface of the sea in
calm. The Little Mermaid listened to their voices and comments. 'How I wish I could speak
with them!

He thought. But upon saying it, he looked at his long, swaying tail, which he had instead of legs, and he.
She felt overwhelmed: "I will never be like them!" On board, it seemed like everyone was possessed.
due to a strange animation and, shortly after, the night was filled with cheers: 'Long live our'
Captain! Long live your twenty years! The little mermaid, stunned and ecstatic, had discovered
meanwhile, to the young man to whom all that celebration was directed.
Tall, dark, of royal stature, he smiled happily. The little mermaid couldn't stop
to look at it and a strange feeling of joy and suffering at the same time
time, which he had never felt before, pressed on his heart.
The party continued on board, but the sea was getting rougher and rougher.
The little mermaid immediately realized the danger they were in.
men: a sudden cold wind stirred the waves, the sky tinted
it was torn apart by threatening lightning and a terrible
A storm caught the ship off guard. "Watch out! The sea...!" In
The little mermaid shouted and shouted. But her screams, silenced by the noise of
wind, were not heard, and the waves, increasingly higher, shook with
heaves the ship. Then, under the desperate cries of the sailors,
the rigging and sails collapsed onto the deck, and with a sinister
fragor the ship sank.

Little mermaid, who moments before had seen how the

young captain fell into the sea, he started to swim to
to help him. She searched for him in vain for a long time
among the gigantic waves. I had almost given up,
when suddenly, miraculously, she saw it over the
white crest of a nearby wave and, suddenly, he had it in
his arms. The young man was unconscious, while
Little mermaid, swimming with all her might, held it.
to rescue him from certain death. He held him
until the storm calmed down. At dawn, which
was emerging over a still livid sea, Little Mermaid
he felt happy as he approached land and was able to deposit the
young man's body on the beach sand. Unable to walk, he remained there for a long time.
side with the tail licking the water, rubbing the young man's hands and warming him with its body.
Until a murmur of approaching voices forced her to seek refuge in the sea.
 Run! Run!
He's alive! Poor thing! It was the storm...! Let's take him to the castle!
ask for help...

The first thing the young man saw as he regained consciousness was the beautiful face of the
the youngest of the three ladies. "Thank you for saving me!" She whispered to the beautiful one.
unknown. The Little Mermaid, from the water, saw that the man she had saved was heading towards the
castle, ignorant that it was her and not the other one, who had saved him. Slowly he swam
toward the open sea; he knew that, on that beach, behind him, he had left something of what
he never would have wanted to separate. Oh! How wonderful the hours that had passed had been.
during the storm holding the young man in his arms! When he arrived at the family mansion,
The Little Mermaid started her tale, but suddenly felt a knot in her throat and, bursting into tears,
he took refuge in his room.

Days and more days she stayed locked up not wanting to see anyone,
refusing even food. He knew that his love for the
young captain was a love without hope, because she, Little Mermaid,
I could never marry a man. Only the Sorceress of the
Abysses could help her. But at what price? Despite everything
...therefore, you want to get rid of
you fish tail! And I guess you want two legs.!
Agreed! But you will have to suffer atrociously, and every time you put
you will feel a terrible pain in your feet on the ground.
the Little Mermaid replied with tears in her eyes, 'on the condition that
I can go back with him!" "I haven't finished yet!" said the old woman.
You must give me your beautiful voice and you will remain silent for
always! But remember: if the man you love marries
another, your body will disappear in the water like the foam of a
"I accept!" said the Little Mermaid at last and, without hesitating for a moment, she...
he asked for the jar that contained the marvelous potion.

He headed to the beach and, near his mansion, surfaced;

she barely dragged herself to the shore and drank the sorceress's potion. Immediately, a
severe pain made him lose consciousness and when he came to, he saw beside him, like between
fog, that beloved face smiling at him. The prince found her there and, remembering that
he was also a castaway, tenderly covered with his cloak that body which the sea had
betrayed. "Do not be afraid," he suddenly said, "you are safe. Where do you come from?" But the Little Mermaid, who
the witch left her speechless, she couldn't respond. 'I will take you to the castle and heal you.'

During the following days, a new life began for Little Mermaid: she was wearing
wonderful dresses and accompanied the prince on his walks. One night
she was invited to the ball hosted by the court, but just as the witch had predicted,
every step, every movement of his legs caused him excruciating pain like
prize of being able to live with her beloved. Even if she couldn't respond with
words to the prince's attentions, he had affection for her and showered her with
kindness. However, the young man had the unknown lady in his heart
what he had seen when he was rescued after the shipwreck.
 Since then I hadn't seen her again because, after being saved, the unknown lady
he had to leave immediately for his country. When he was with the Little Mermaid, the prince professed to her
this is a sincere affection, but the other one did not disappear from his thoughts. And the little mermaid,
she realized that she was not the young man's favorite, she suffered even more. At night,
The little mermaid secretly left the castle to cry by the beach.

But destiny had another surprise in store for him. One day, from the top of the castle tower, he was
spotted a large ship approaching the port, and the prince decided to go greet it.
accompanied by Little Mermaid. The unknown one that the prince carried in his heart got off the boat.
And upon seeing her, the young man happily ran to meet her. The Little Mermaid, petrified, felt a sharp pain in her...
heart. At that moment she knew she would lose her prince forever. The stranger
the lady was proposed to by the enamored prince, and the lady gladly accepted it,
since she was also in love. A few days after the wedding was celebrated, the
The spouses were invited to take a sea trip on the great ship that was moored.
still at the port. The Little Mermaid also boarded with them, and the journey began. As night fell,
Night, Little Mermaid, distressed for having lost her beloved forever, went up on deck.

Remembering the prophecy of the sorceress, it was

willing to sacrifice her life and disappear into the sea.
Coming from the sea, she heard the call of her sisters:
"Little Mermaid! Little Mermaid! It's us, your sisters! Look!"
Do you see this dagger? It is a magical dagger that we have obtained.
from the witch in exchange for our hair. Take it and,
before dawn, kill the prince! If you do it,
you will be able to be a mermaid again like before and you will forget
all your sorrows." Like in a dream, Little Mermaid, holding
the dagger, headed towards the couple's cabin. But
when he saw the prince's sleeping face, he gave him a
stealthy kiss and went back on deck. When already
At dawn, he threw the weapon into the sea, cast one last glance.
to the world she was leaving and plunged into the waves, ready to disappear and become foam.

When the sun rose on the horizon, it cast a yellowish ray over the sea and, Little Mermaid,
from the icy waters, he turned to see the light for the last time. But suddenly, as if by
charm, a mysterious force pulled her out of the water and transported her to the highest point in the sky.
The clouds were tinted pink and the sea roared with the first breeze of the morning, when the
little mermaid heard whispering amidst the sound of bells: "Little mermaid! Little mermaid!"
"Come with us!" "Who are you?" murmured the girl, realizing that there was
restored the voice "Where are you?" "You are with us in the sky. We are the fairies of the wind.

We do not have a soul like men do, but it is our duty to help those who have.
shown good will towards them." Little Mermaid, moved, looked down at the sea
in which the prince's ship was sailing, and noticed that his eyes filled with tears,
while the fairies whispered to him: "Look! The flowers of the earth are waiting for our tears
they turn into morning dew. Come with us!

END