Ганс Андерсен - Fairy Tales

Then he went home, but when he got to the crossroads, he met Little Claus, who was herding his cattle.

“What’s this!” said Big Claus, “Didn’t I drown you?”

“Sure,” said Little Claus. “You threw me in the river about half an hour ago, you know.”

“But where did you get all those nice cattle?” asked Big Claus.

“They’re sea cattle,” Little Claus said. “I’ll tell you the whole story, and thank you for drowning me. Now I’m on top of things, and I’m really rich, I can tell you. I was so afraid when I was inside the sack, and the wind was blowing around my ears when you threw me off the bridge into the cold water. I sank right to the bottom, but I didn’t even get bumped because the most lovely, softest grass grows down there. I fell on that, and right away the sack opened, and the loveliest girl, wearing white clothes and a green wreath on her wet hair, took my hand. She said, ‘Are you Little Claus? Here are a few cattle for you to start with, and a mile up the road is a whole herd that I want to give you!’ Then I saw that the river was a big highway for the people of the sea. They walked and drove down there on the bottom, all the way from the ocean up the countryside to where the river ends. It was so beautiful with flowers and the freshest grass, and the fish that swam in the water slipped by my ears just like the birds do in the air here. What splendid people they were and what fine cattle were grazing in the fields and ditches there!”

“But then why did you come back up here again right away?” asked Big Claus, “I wouldn’t have done that if it was so lovely there.”

“Well,” said Little Claus, “it was clever of me, you see. You heard that the mermaid told me that a mile up the road there was a whole herd of cattle for me. And by road she meant the river, of course, because there’s nothing else she can walk on. But I know how the river winds around, first this way, then that, a really roundabout way, you know. So it’s much shorter to come up here on land and go straight across to the river again. I save almost a half mile by doing that and will get to my herd quicker.”

“Oh, you’re a lucky man!” said Big Claus, “Do you think I would get a herd of sea cattle too if I went down to the bottom of the river?”

“Well, I would think so,” said Little Claus, “but I can’t carry you in the sack all the way to the river because you’re too heavy for me. If you’ll go there yourself and climb into the sack, I will throw you in with the greatest pleasure.”

“Oh, thank you!” Big Claus said, “but if I don’t get a herd of sea cattle when I get down there, I will beat you up for sure, you know.”

“Oh no! Don’t be so mean to me!” And they went to the river. When the cattle, who were thirsty, saw the water, they ran as fast as they could to get down to drink.

“Look how they are hurrying,” said Little Claus, “They are yearning to get down to the bottom again.”

“Well, help me first,” said Big Claus, “otherwise I’ll beat you up!” and he crawled into the big sack, which had been lying across the back of one of the oxen. “Put a stone in,” Big Claus said, “otherwise I’m afraid I won’t sink.”

“It’ll work out,” said Little Claus, but he put a large rock in the sack, tied the rope tightly, and pushed it over. Plop! Big Claus was thrown into the river and sank to the bottom right away.

“I’m afraid he won’t find the cattle,” said Little Claus, and then he drove home with the ones he had.

THE PRINCESS ON THE PEA

ONCE UPON A TIME there was a prince. He wanted a princess, but she had to be a real princess. He traveled all around the world to find one, but there was always something wrong. There were enough princesses, but he couldn’t quite find out if they were real—there was always something that wasn’t quite right. So he came home again and was very sad because he wanted a real princess so very much.

One evening there was a terrible storm. There was lightning and thunder. Rain was pouring down, and it was quite frightening. Then someone knocked at the town gates, and the old king went to open them.

There was a princess standing out there. But what a sight she was in the rain and terrible weather! Water was streaming from her hair and clothes, and it ran in at the toe of her shoes and out at the heel. She said she was a real princess.

“Well, we will find out about that!” thought the old queen, but she didn’t say anything. She went into the bedroom, took off all the sheets and blankets, and placed a pea on the bed-spring. Then she laid twenty mattresses on top of the pea, and on the mattresses she placed twenty down comforters.

The princess was to sleep there for the night.

In the morning they asked her how she had slept.

“Oh, just terribly!” said the princess. “I almost didn’t close my eyes the whole night! God knows what could have been in the bed? I was lying on something hard, so I am completely black and blue all over my body. It’s quite dreadful!”

So they knew that she was a real princess since she had felt the pea through twenty mattresses and twenty down comforters. Only a real princess could have such sensitive skin.

The prince married her because he knew that now he had a real princess, and the pea was displayed in the art museum, where it can still be seen if no one has taken it.

See, that was a real story!

THE TRAVELING COMPANION

POOR JOHANNES WAS TERRIBLY sad, because his father was very sick and would not live much longer. Only the two of them were in the little room. The lamp on the table was about to burn out, and it was very late at night.

“You’ve been a good son, Johannes,” said his sick father. “The Lord will surely help you further in this life,” and he looked at him with serious gentle eyes, drew a deep breath, and died. It was as if he were sleeping. But Johannes wept. Now he had no one in the world, neither mother nor father, sister nor brother. Poor Johannes! He lay on his knees beside his father’s bed, kissed his hand, and cried a great many salty tears, but finally his eyes closed, and he fell asleep with his head on the hard edge of the bed.

Then he had a strange dream. He saw the sun and moon bow down to him, and he saw his father hale and hearty again, and he heard him laugh, the way he always laughed whenever he was really pleased. A lovely girl with a gold crown on her long beautiful hair reached out her hand to Johannes, and his father said, “Look at the bride you have! She is the most wonderful in the world.” Then he woke up, and all the splendor was gone. His father lay dead and cold in the bed, and there was no one else there. Poor Johannes!

The burial was the next week, and Johannes followed the coffin closely. He could no longer see his kind father, who had loved him so much. He heard the earth falling on the coffin, and saw the last corner of it, but then the next shovelful covered it, and the coffin was gone. He was so sad that he thought his heart would break to pieces from grief. Those around him were singing a beautiful hymn, and tears came to his eyes. He cried, and it felt good to cry in his sorrow. The sun shone brightly on the green trees, as if it wanted to say, “You mustn’t be so sad, Johannes! Can’t you see how blue the sky is? Your father is up there now and is asking the good Lord to watch out for you.”

“I’ll always be good,” Johannes said, “then I’ll also go to heaven and be with my father, and what a joy it’ll be when we see each other again! There’s so much I have to tell him, and he’ll show me many things again, and teach me about the splendors of heaven, just as he taught me here on the earth. Oh, what a joy that will be!”