The Little Mouse who was a Princess

Short tale: The Little Mouse who was a Princess

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Once upon a time there was an old farmer who lived in a village with his three sons.

All three were handsome young men. The farmer was proud of his sons. And he thought the time had come for them to get married.

Well, sons, you are old enough to get married. I want each of you to find a bride. I want you all to be happy with your partners.

The eldest said: But father, how will we find a bride.

The second said: Yes father, it will be difficult for us alone to find a bride.

The best said: I will obey you father, but please guide us.

Of course I will guide you. We have a family tradition for finding a bride and everyone must follow it.

Take an axe and cut down a tree on our farm.

See where the tree falls and look for a bride in that direction, but before you cut down a tree you should plant one on the farm and promise me that you will take care of it.

Yes. Father, why do that, plant a tree before cutting down another one?

Because trees are very important to us. We should not just cut them down. We should plant more and more trees.

The sons obeyed their father. Each planted his tree first and then cut down another.

The eldest son cut down a tree that fell in a northerly direction. Oh north is very good for me, the girl I like lives in that direction, I will go north and ask her to marry me!

The second son cut down a tree that fell to the south. Oh, as that tree knew that I like the girl with whom he danced many times and who lives to the south, I will go south as soon as possible!

The little son’s tree fell pointing to the forest. The two brothers laughed at him.

Oh, my goodness!

Are you going in that direction? Hey Vico, who will you marry in the forest, a wolf or a deer?

I’ll follow the direction the tree pointed me in. I’m sure I’ll find my bride in that direction.

The three brothers set out on their journeys.

The eldest son headed north and proposed to the girl, with whom he had always been in love. She accepted the proposal at once.

The second son went south and proposed to his girlfriend. She immediately said yes, he said.

Vico went to the forest and walked a good distance, but found no humans.

He was not only so disappointed. He was also tired. So he sought shelter and found a small hut in the woods.

Vico was surprised to see it. He entered the hut, but it was empty. There was no one there except a little mouse.

Oh, there’s no one here. How can you say that and me? You’re a little mouse, not a human being. What are you doing in the forest? I’m looking for my true love.

In this forest do you think this is a place to find your love?

No, but if I try my hardest I might find him, but I’m worried I won’t see any humans. It would be embarrassing to go home without a girlfriend.

There is no girl in this forest. Why don’t you take me as your bride?

You’re a little mouse, how can I take you as a bride.

Trust me Vico, even though I’m a little mouse I’ll love you and I’ll be faithful to you.

Yes, but.

The little mouse began to convince Vico. She danced, she sang him a beautiful song. The exhausted Vico had a great time with the little mouse. After the dance and the song, the little mouse was waiting for Vico’s decision, she looked at him with love eyes.

I like you and you will be my girlfriend.

The little mouse was very happy to hear that. She promised Vico that she would wait for him until he returned. The three brothers returned home. Tell me, have you found a girlfriend?

The eldest said: I have found a beautiful girl who will be my wife. She has pink lips.

The second said: My bride is also very pretty. She has long golden hair.

Ahhh what’s wrong Vico must not have had sharp teeth and long pointed ears.

Please don’t laugh brother. My girlfriend is a sweet, delicate little thing dressed in velvet. So she must be a princess? Yes, and when she sings to me she makes me very happy. The two brothers were not very happy for Vico.

A few days passed and their father decided to put the brides to the test.

He called his sons and told them. I want to know whether or not your girlfriends are good in the kitchen. Ask them to make a loaf of bread for me.

The two brothers agreed, but Vico kept quiet.

He was worried because he knew that a little mouse can’t make a loaf of bread. He went to the forest. The little mouse was very happy to see him.

I knew he would be back soon. But what’s wrong? You look worried. My father wants our girlfriends to make him a loaf of bread, but you can’t. My brothers will laugh at me. My brothers will laugh at me.

And if I tell you I can. Your brothers will laugh at you.

I didn’t know a little mouse could bake bread.

Well, I do.

The little mouse rang a silver bell three times.

At the sound, hundreds of mice appeared out of nowhere. They all gathered around the little mouse, the little mouse sat in front of them, haughty and majestic, each one bringing me a grain of the finest wheat.

And to Vico’s surprise, all the mice disappeared and when they returned they brought a grain of the finest wheat.

The little mouse collected all the grains and made a beautiful loaf of wheat bread. The three brothers took the loaves to their father.

The eldest son presented his father with the rye loaf. Very good, this bread is very good for working people like us.

The second son brought him the bread made of barley, barley is also very good.

Vico presented him with his white bread. What white bread! Wow, your girlfriend must be very rich Vico. Of course, she didn’t tell us she was a princess, tell us Vico how does a princess get such refined wheat?

She rings a silver bell three times and her servants bring her what she asks for.

I am delighted with her three brides. Why they have made a very good bar, but before I bring them home I want them to knit something for me.

My girlfriend knits very well, mine too. Vico didn’t say a word because he was sure that the little mouse didn’t know how to knit.

He went to the cabin in the forest.

The little mouse noticed that he was worried and asked him why.

I’m afraid you can’t do it, I’ve never heard of a little mouse knowing how to knit, you know?

Of course, Vico’s girlfriend can do whatever he asks her to do.

Once again, the little mouse rang the silver bell three times and hundreds of mice appeared and sat before her waiting for her orders. Obeying her orders, the mice disappeared and returned with the finest linen fibers.

The little mouse wove a beautiful piece of the finest linen. It was so refined that she kept it in an empty walnut shell, take this Vico I hope your father likes it.

Vico took the nutshell and returned home.

The two brothers showed the pieces woven by their girlfriends.

Rough cotton, not very refined, but good.

The second son handed his father what his girlfriend had woven. Cotton and linen blend, a little better.

And what do you have there, Vico?

Vico showed him the walnut shell.

His brothers laughed at him, our father asked them to weave us something, not a nutshell.

Their smiles faded as the father opened the nutshell and took out a very fine linen cloth.

Oh how could he do that?

He rang the silver bell and ordered his servants to bring him the finest fiber and wove the cloth for you.

Vico your bride must be a princess, I want you to bring me your brides home. I want to meet them, bring them tomorrow.

The little mouse was very happy, she became very pretty. She rang the silver bell and asked for a carriage with coachmen.

The nutshell carriage arrived, drawn by five mice. Vico was surprised to see it, the little mouse sat in the carriage with her coachman in front and with a footman in the back, they started the journey to Vico’s house.

Vico was walking alongside the carriage and said don’t worry, I’ll take care of you. And don’t worry about my father either, he is a great person. Walking through the forest they approached a town with a river running through it. They had to cross the bridge over the river. As they were crossing it, a man appeared in the opposite direction. He saw a bunch of mice heading towards him, laughed and threw them into the river.

What did he do? Why did he do that?

He threw my girlfriend into the river, your girlfriend, those mice?

He laughed out loud and continued on his way. Vico was very sad about the mice. He looked in the river, but he couldn’t find them anywhere.

Oh, my poor bride, I’m so sorry you drowned in the river.

No sooner had he said this than Vico turned and saw a beautiful carriage on the other side of the river.

It was pulled by five shiny horses. A beautiful girl was sitting in the carriage. Vico was spellbound at the sight of such beauty. He began to walk home. As he approached the carriage, Vico, why don’t you sit next to me?

Me!

You chose me as your bride when I was a little mouse and I’m sure you won’t abandon me now that I’m a princess.

Are you your little mouse?

Yes, I was a princess under an evil spell that had never been broken, if you hadn’t accepted me as a bride and if that man hadn’t thrown me in the river, the spell has been broken. Now we will meet your father. We will marry and go to my kingdom.

They traveled to Vico’s house.

Vico’s father and his two older brothers were impressed to see that a princess was Vico’s girlfriend.

Father, this is my girlfriend. Your bride is a real princess. Where did you find her? Out there in the forest, in the direction the tree pointed. The direction the tree pointed you. I’ve always heard that’s the best way to find a bride. If our trees had pointed us to the forest, we would have found a princess, too.

But they were wrong. Vico got the princess because he was kind, even to a little mouse. Vico’s father blessed them. They married and were happy because they were loving and sincere with each other.

They loved each other forever.

END

Source: Adisebaba

Reflection on the story: The story presents a reflection on the importance of caring for and protecting the environment, specifically trees. The father of the three sons teaches them a family tradition that consists of planting a tree before cutting another one, in order to ensure that there will always be trees and the environment will be preserved. In addition, the farmer’s youngest son follows the direction of the tree he cut down, even though his brothers laugh at him, and eventually finds his true love in the forest.
The story shows us that nature is wise and can give us clues or guide us to what we need if we learn to listen to her. It also teaches us that all creatures, even little mice, deserve love and respect.

Frequently Asked Questions about The Little Mouse Who Was a Princess

¿Who are the main characters in the story?

The main characters in the story are the old farmer and his three children.

¿What family tradition did the farmer have for finding a bride?

The family tradition was to cut down a tree on the farm and look in the direction it fell to find a bride in that direction.

¿Why did the youngest son have to go into the woods?

The tree that the younger son cut down fell pointing towards the forest, so he had to go look for his girlfriend there.

¿What did the younger son find in the forest?

He found a small hut in the forest and inside it, a little mouse who proposed to be his bride.

¿What was the little mouse doing inside the cabin?

The little mouse was alone in the cabin and offered to be Vico’s girlfriend.

¿Why were the older brothers unhappy with Vico's choice of bride?

The older brothers were unhappy because Vico had chosen a little mouse as his bride, while they had found human brides.

¿Why was it important for the farmer to plant one tree before cutting down another?

The farmer considered trees to be very important and so he taught his sons to plant one tree before cutting down another.

¿What learning can be extracted from the story?

The story teaches us that true love can be anywhere and that we should not judge others by their choices. It also highlights the importance of caring for and planting trees.

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