final creation - Chirnsyde Primary School

Preface:
This e-book you are about to read is the final result of an exciting and interactive
European school project. Students, teachers, and staff from ten schools, across nine
countries, throughout Europe, compiled these stories. This is TALAOW!
The 2-year Comenius project 'Tales and Legends are on the Way' brought our schools
closer together. Working with our own national tales and legends, and with our partner
schools' tales and legends, we found a rich common ground. This ground provided a
fertile environment for six successful conferences where we shared the results of our
work with the different stories.
Each school contributed two stories to the project library. These 20 stories were
worked on by the entire school community of each school over two years. The products
of this work consisted of paintings, sculpture, drama, short films, other stories, dance,
songs, poems, and many other stimulating outputs.
This book of ten stories is the creative result of all of the work that we did. Each school
was given the task to write a final story that contained at least one aspect from each of
the original 20 stories. A whole new story that envelops the spirit of the project.
So read on, enjoy, and see if you can find the common threads that run through all of
these stories!
Peter Rappold, Finland
Index
Finland - Once Written, Once Told
France – Frederico And Doramas Quest
Holland - The trip of Nicholas
Iceland - Fairy tale the Icelandic way
Ireland - Tales and Legends Are Gone Astray!
Italy, Benevento - United we stand, divided we fall
Italy, Cassino - The Castle Of Zarovia
Portugal - The Giant Forgotten Toys
Scotland - Chirnsyde Primary’s Short Stories
Spain - Sally in Talaowland
Once Written, Once Told – Finland
A wistful melody was humming in the air as the boat slid ashore.
Disappointment was with the men, and it made them suffer.
They should've been happy for just being alive.
Nightmare visions of Louhi catching them in her long and sharp claws
were still haunting them.
They were all dripping wet, tired and miserable.
The quest had failed.
Only pieces of it were left, though they were useful as well.
The Sampo, holding its magic, was gone forever.
Väinämöinen was the most downhearted of the three.
He had also lost his favorite zither, made of pike's jawbone and teeth,
deep into the dark sea.
”One more place to look for it,” Väinämöinen said to himself.
In desperation he searched and searched as days passed by.
He never found it.
He felt lost.
She covered the windows and turned the lights off. Now only the glow of the
coals in the fireplace made it possible to see how she sat peacefully on an aged, wooden
rocking chair in front of the children.
”Please,” the young girl said quietly. ”I'm afraid of the dark. Is it too much to ask,
if...?”
The old lady gave her the eye which stopped the hesitancy right away.
”Darling”, the lady started. ”You should know this... What was once written in the
darkness, shall not be said in the light. And this is fairly good, so shall we begin?”
”Yes ma'am,” the girl answered fearfully.
The boy beside the girl looked a little worried, too. ”No ghost stories?” he asked
his voice squeaking.
”No”, the old lady chuckled in amusement. ”Nothing too scary for you two, that's
for sure.
There was a moment then when the woman didn't say anything, she just stared at
the ceiling and smiled. But she soon remembered the children and noticed their bright
and curious eyes in the darkness.
”I‟d like you to listen very carefully to what I'm going to tell you now,” she said.
”Why? Is it something important?”
”Very,” the lady said.
”Then it must be boring, too,” the boy remarked, but instantly hoped that the
elder wasn‟t offended (it could be war from that word).
”Just a few stories, I know you can stand it,” the lady assured. ”I've saved the
best ones for such kind fellas as you are,” she said smiling and took a better position in
the rocking chair.
”Let‟s go back to the time when the world was younger, full of dreams and hopes
that weren't the same as today.
There was a man, who had promised his daughter to a famous fisherman. But in
return, the fisherman had to perform some tasks the man had assigned.
Naturally, the daughter was suspicious of her father's decision, but then saw the
fisherman and fell in love at first glance. She saw a future so bright and beautiful, that
she knew he was the one. The girl was so sure that the fisherman would complete the
tasks and eventually marry her, that she played it difficult to get everytime they met
each other.”
”Stupid girl, why would she do that if she was in love with the fisherman?” the boy
interrupted. The old lady sharply warned him not to do that, but still explained it to him
as she knew it was only the boy‟s way to shift the attention to himself.
”She had thought that she would grant her love to the fisherman when he came
back to marry her, but then...”
The old lady paused and wrapped her shawl more tightly around her bony
shoulders.
”The fisherman never came back after leaving on his last journey. Nobody knew
where he went or what happened to him. He just disappeared.
For the rest of her life the girl blamed her father. Those stupid tasks he had
sent the fisherman on, just to test his greatness and see it with his own eyes!
The girl thought that the fisherman had got bored and left. She never, never
forgave her father, though he barely even knew about her feelings.
And those feelings suffocated deep down in her heart as her life went on and she
married another man, who she hardly even care about.
But sometimes, at night in her sleep, the girl could hear the fisherman's warm,
smooth voice: 'I'm protecting you.' And that dream kept her pleased for a few years.”
For a while they were all silent, staring at the gleaming coals in the fireplace
sensing the tension.
”So did she get over it,” the girl asked impatiently, because she was feeling sorry
for the girl in the story, no matter if she was a real person or not.
”No, she never got over it,” the old lady said and shook her head, ”she always
thought of the fisherman and never smiled again. And she gave birth to a daughter in
the middle of this mess. Certainly, the baby didn't have a happy childhood because of
her mom who was depressed and her father who was mean and tight-fisted. It was just
sad.
And one morning this poor little girl woke up and heard that her mother had
passed away in the night. She had to grow up living with her arrogant father. There were
no other options.”
The old lady reached for a brush on the table and began brushing her long grey
hair as the children looked on impatiently.
”After a few years her father bought a farm on an island. It was a beautiful
location, at the foot of one of the great mountains surrounding the valley. And he was so
happy until one day when he thought that the farm wasn't making enough profit. 'How
could I earn more money?' he pondered to himself...”
”By not owning a farm, obviously”, the boy chuckled, but the lady wasn't amused.
”What?” he defended himself. ”Who wants to have a farm nowadays?”
”This is back then,” the girl remarked knowingly to the boy. ”I'm sure this farm
was his dream, or am I right? It has been said that the dreams and hopes at that time
weren't the same as they are today.”
”Exactly!” the lady said. ”I appreciate you paying attention. Now, back to the
story.”
”The man started to look at the good sides of his farm. He knew that they had the
best water in the area, its quality was good enough for royalty. But his daughter, the girl
I told you about before, was generously only giving it away.”
'You have to stop that nonsense,' he commanded her.
His daughter didn't answer, she just watched from afar as her father started
taking a fee from the thirsty ones. The fee didn't even bring them much extra money as
many of those who had to pay were very poor.
Nevertheless, her father became greedy. The girl saw it from his actions which
were so clear. Those people were their friends, and it wasn't right to charge them.
So she gathered them together every night, to give them water for free. And you
can only imagine what would've happened to the girl if this had been revealed to the
father. She was ready to take that risk instead of seeing someone die of thirst or
become sick because they weren't able to have water as pure as possible.”
”Of course the father would find out!” the boy said. ”It's so obvious. He couldn't
be that stupid could he?”
The girl didn't want to believe the boy's words, but then saw the expression on
the old woman's face and was surprised.
”Did he really find out what his daughter was doing behind his back?” she asked.
The old lady nodded. ”Yes, he did. But they never spoke together again.”
”So the father never got enraged? What's the point of this one, then?” the boy
asked sassily.
”If I take that as the question of what saved her, then it was... ”
She was suddenly interrupted by an odd, pecking sound and a flashing shadow
behind one of the windows. The girl startled on her seat. ”W-what on earth was that?”
The boy looked just as confused. ”It sounded like a bird...”
But the old lady stayed calm and closed her eyes. ”As I was saying – what saved
her...”
Again she had to pause, because she saw the boy get up and go to the
window. ”Mm”, the boy mumbled and moved the curtains to see outside. ”Ravens don't
usually fly around here...”
The woman sighed and continued the story regardless of the boy, who clearly
wasn't listening to her any more.
”The father never visited his neighbours. He suspected that if he would they
wouldn't wish him welcome because of the fee. Then he started noticing something
about the neighbours when they greeted him. Surprisingly, they seemed to treat him as
a very good fella, and so he had his first suspicion that someone was being generous
behind his back.
In the evening during a vicious storm he went looking for his daughter. He thought
she was making shoes not far away at a workshop, but he couldn't find her. In fury he
returned to a huge roaring sound, and within seconds him and his farm were wiped out in
a massive landslide.
Strangely enough, the girl survived. She had left the area just before the
disaster. When she came back and saw what had happened she cried at first but then
decided to build her own farm, where everyone could use her water as much as they
liked.”
”Was is just her luck that she wasn't at the farm when the landslide happened?” the girl
asked.
The boy was still looking outside. He muttered that he thought the bird might
have taken something and he needed to go out and see. The old lady told him to go to the
backyard and he promised to be back in minute.
The girl was annoyed about the boy's stubborn behavior, but was still waiting for
an answer.
”No,” the old lady said clearly still thinking of the boy. ”I don't believe in luck. I'd
rather say... destiny.”
”And what's that supposed to mean?” the boy shouted from the backyard through
the window.
”I knew he was listening after all”, the old lady said quietly and smiled a sly smile.
Then she said loudly ”I don't know for sure... maybe she also saw something that
led her away from the farm before the landslide.”
The boy came back inside looking displeased.
”Nothing?” the old lady asked, but the boy didn't answer. He just sat down.
”Nothing isn't always negative. You saw nothing, but you didn't come back emptyhanded. You came back with the fact that the bird wasn't showing itself any more, but in
that way you also got something to reach for.”
The old lady looked mysteriously at the children.
”It needs some seeds, my dear,” she said and pulled a tiny sack from her pocket.
Handing it to the boy she said ”give the bird something it can reach for too.”
He thanked her. ”You're just as nice as the girl in the latest story you told, just
as generous. There should be more old hags... err, I mean... people like you.”
”Yes, there used to be, I remember!” the old lady said happily. ”There were lots of
people I heard of and admired back then...” She sat up straighter and seemed to look
into the distant past.
”There were many, of course. But how odd... I can only recall a few,” she murmured
absentmindedly.
”There's one legend about a young man. Why can't I remember his name?
Nevertheless, he was spoiled as a child, but still learned how to share with those who
weren't doing as well. So when his parents died he wasn't alone. He shared his wealth.
There were many people that he gave something to. He wanted to give to those
who were in need. How many tycoons these days have this as their dream? I remember
that many other people also began spreading this spirit of generosity with him. But their
journey wasn't easy. People have always been, and will be greedy. Many asked for money
that they didn't need. He had to move every time those kind of people started to realize
who he was and what he did.”
She looked intently at the children. ”Tell me, why do people do that?”
”They're greedy?” the girl offered. ”To me it sounds like they're just lazy.”
”How interesting”, the old lady said. ”Lazy?”
”Not doing their own part, just using others” the boy stated.
”Oh, how right you are. I see! That means I've been greedy, too, right?”
”You? But you were so generous,” the children cried out.
”The woman, you fools, in the story. Did I say it was me?”
”Actually...”, the boy started, but stopped. Even he didn't want to shock the elder
by saying that maybe she was going nuts. Instead, he sweetly asked, ”do you have
another story in mind?”
She looked at him and whispered sadly, ”sometimes being kind turns against you.
You shouldn't give your all because you might lose it all as well. Helping and being nice to
others are things to value, but many take it too seriously and forget who they really are
and what they should also do for themselves, not just for others. We do not exist just
to please others. That is what I thought too after a while.”
The old lady shifted painfully on her chair and continued. ”One day the man I was
in love with asked me to make some clothes for us. At the time I was so tired of helping
others and giving them what they needed that I felt slothful. I wasn't interested in
doing what he asked. He should've left me right then, but he didn't, and that's what still
puzzles me.
Later that day a strange woman came to our door. She asked if there was
something I needed. I told her my problem, which I don't usually do. She agreed to
weave the wool into cloth if I would guess her name on the first day of summer. At the
moment I thought that it wouldn't be hard to do, but oh my, I had no idea.
It was only the next day, when I met the love of my life and he asked about the
clothing, that I understood my huge mistake. I had been so stupid. He asked what would
happen if I didn't get her name right. We realized that she was a witch and it couldn't
be anything good. But even then, he didn't leave me.
While anxiously pondering her name I thought what a lazybones I had been, when
I had asked someone else do something I should've done myself. Was I doomed to make
the same mistake as my mother?”
The old lady stared into space, biting her lower lip as if she had just realized
something – or forgotten it.
”So,” the girl said very carefully. ”Did you guess the woman's name?”
”Well, I don't remember... maybe she did guess it. I think she's still alive, so yes
she did. Yes she did,” the old lady repeated.
”Yup. Crazy.” The children looked at each other with the same thought.
She gave the children her piercing stare and continued, ”he was the greatest
man a woman could have. My mother would have been amused if she had heard that he
was a fisherman too. A good one, because he enjoyed it twice as much as anyone else. He
spent so much time between the house and the lake! And always got a good catch of fish.
One day he came home with a story that I couldn't believe. He had brought no
fish on that day and I wasn't happy about it. He told me that he had had many fish from
the nets. But on his way home he saw what seemed to be a dead fox on the path in front
of the sleigh.
He said that now he realized that the fox was pretending and it knew that he
would take it with him because of its fur. He tried to convince me that he would've given
the fur to me, because of the cold winter. And what then? After he had put the fox on
the sleigh it stole the fish! Ha! And he came back empty-handed!
He was so embarrassed. But I said that I wasn't mad because actually he had
brought the best thing I had ever got – that funny story.
Wasn't he funny? Don't you think so? Later he told it as a joke, over and over
again. I always laughed, and when I said that I was laughing with the big fat fox we both
started to giggle.
I miss him.
His stories were the best.” the old woman sighed deeply and sat back in her
chair. She rocked back and forth for a minute the chair creaking on the wooden floor.
”I remember him telling me about a fella with a ridiculous nickname, who once
taught him responsibility, and standing behind your words and actions. He lived downtown,
in a very different world than we were living now. There were no other places for that
fella, just the city, where he could run wild and party - he couldn't miss a single one of
those.
Once this fella came to a party a wee bit late, and the host hadn't noticed that he
hadn't arrived yet. The doorman hadn't been informed. When the fella finally came he
wasn't let in. To the doorman's misfortune the fella was an old streetfighter who
knocked him out in a flash.
When the host came out to see what had happened he was embarrassed and mad
at the same time. The doorman had to finish his job right then and never worked in the
same place ever again. The host and the doorman had been very good friends, which
made it even worse.
The fella understood his mistake and volunteered as a temporary doorman 'til
someone else would do the job. He missed the party, but he was standing behind his
actions, no matter if they were good or bad. He was always honest to others, and more
importantly, to himself. All those things he taught my fiance.
God I miss him. Everything connects to him.”
”Who was he?”
”What was he like?”
”How did you meet?”
”What happened to him?”
She awakened.
Something in the childrens' questions filled the old lady with gold-edged memories
and it made her remember even more.
”Oh my,” she gasped. The words poured from her.
”He said he came from the war.
He was the sun, a ray of warmth when I met him.
I noted the uncommon weather.
He stood there looking at me.
Spoke nothing.
He knew I was helping poor people by giving them water.
I had heard of him donating his clothing to those who were freezing.
At that moment we needed something instead.
I needed him.
He needed me.”
”This is going way too sugary for my taste,” the boy said and smirked.
”Yeah, you're right, let's stop it here,” the old lady agreed. ”Still he was my little
dormouse.”
”Dormouse?” the girl repeated.
”I've always imagined it like this.” The old woman said and pulled a necklace out
from under her shift. She showed them the wooden pendant that dangled from it. It was
a ladybug, its colors faded from time.
”I was a little country beetle whose father had insisted her to get married. Even
though he had been dead for years his command still haunted the beetle and she was
searching for love, but from all the wrong directions.
She had bought a beautiful dress and many were interested, but who would love
her, not just the dress?
Always so noisy, those city boys.
Soon the little beetle started to give up. On her way back home she noticed him,
the dormouse. He was nothing like the others. He was gentle, quiet and subtle.
And they wanted to get married right away, the dormouse and the beetle.”
”And?” the girl asked, but the woman didn't seem to show any signs of continuing.
She was fiddling with her ring finger, but there was no ring.
”Tell me,” she cried, as a tear that she thought nobody would notice, rolled down
her cheek. ”Do people still use mousetraps?”
Silence filled the room.
”OK,” the boy started and winked at the girl. ”Maybe we should go.”
”Maybe we should, yeah,” the girl continued. ”I think it's time.”
The children stood up seeming to be a bit lost for a moment. The old lady just
looked at them rocking slowly in her old chair, saying nothing. It was a bit creepy.
”Well, I guess it's goodbye then,” the boy said. ”And thank you, of course.”
They went to the door, the boy in the lead. Still the woman's reaction was blank.
Then she remembered.
”I've once held a boy like you,” she quoted holding out her arms as if cradling a
child and began rocking the vision back and forth.
The boy turned around immediately and went back. ”What?” he asked with a
trembling voice.
”My son,” the old lady said with a smile. ”You're a lot like him.”
The girl looked from aside in amazement as the boy paced back and forth in front
of the old lady.
”Describe him to me!” He commanded. The girl wondered what was going on,
because the woman's smile widened even more.
”When he was little, he asked lots, lots of questions, as children always do. To me,
it was a bit annoying, but his father was happy to be wiser than someone else. He
answered the questions with enthusiasm, he liked to be the one who knew how things
were.
But children grow up, and soon our son was ready for his first fishing trip. As they
were pulling up the nets he noticed a fish that was different from the others.
”What is this?” he asked.
”It's a salmon,” his father said. ”A great one.”
When they came back home the son helped his father cook the fish. Only the
great salmon the boy had caught, was still untouched. Then the boy cleaned and cooked
it for himself, but his father reminded him of sharing. He wanted to eat the fish too.
The boy played around, teasing his father, and being sloppy accidentally burned his
thumb on the salmon's bubbling hot skin. In a second he put his thumb in his mouth to
ease the pain.
His father got mad. ”Concentrate boy. Grow up!”
From that day on I never heard our son asking any more questions from his father.
Maybe it was guilt, maybe something else.
He never knew how much his son cared about him. He died soon after that and my
boy wasn't ever the same.
Until he met that girl.”
The girl, who had been standing next to the door, slowly walked closer to the boy
and the old lady.
”There's always a girl,” the boy complained. ”What does it... ”
”Yeah, I'm back”, she interrupted and sat down next to the boy,
whispering: ”Don't say anything that you'll later be ashamed of!”
The boy sighed. ”Well then, tell me about that girl, maybe she's more interesting
than this one.”
”What? What did you say?” She raised her hand as to slap him.
”Nothing,” he quickly said.
”The first thing I noticed about her was the red hoodie. She was a beauty, and I
couldn't believe that that kind of a girl could have a crush on my son, because he wasn't
that good-looking.
This beauty had an issue about trust, she couldn't trust anyone. But my son was
the expection.
I saw it, I saw how he changed. He became happier than ever since his father's
passing. He'd buy her gifts, everything, trying be a good boyfriend.
But once he came home crying hysterically over the beauty, who had said that she
loved him only as a friend.
It hurt him, because it wasn't true. This girl was going crazy over him, but she
was just too afraid to say it.
She came from a rich family. Her relatives didn't support her relationship with
such a low-class fella like my son. No matter how hard they tried, or he tried, they'd
always despise him. When I finally heard about this, I understood his big need to please.
He wasn't trying to impress the beauty, but rather her family!
By the time I realized this, it was already too late. They were in love. He was
ordered not to see her, but that didn't matter. He would just go there at any cost. It
caused him a lot of trouble, he blew off school and said that love was his life lesson.”
The old lady reached for and took the boy's hand in her own.
”As a mother... of course I was proud of his guts... but also worried.
I had a bad feeling one night when he gave me a kiss on the cheek and left. I
couldn't stop him. He just went.”
”Forever,” he always said. ”Mom, I will love her forever!”
I should've told him that no matter how much you are loved, you will always die on
your own.
Those two lovers killed themselves in hope of being together some place where
nobody could pull them apart. To a mother... as a mother... being a widow... and losing my
only son... it was...” She released the boy's hand and looked at both the children.
”But seeing you both here makes me smile again. These aren't tears of grief. It's
the joy filling my heart. I can see in the both of you the same ray of warmth, as I had
seen in my son and my spouse a long long time ago.” She stared off into the distance as if
seeing something for the first time and began singing, tears falling from her eyes.
”Would you get burned for something you love
would you?
Would you die in the hands of injustice
showing that you were right
and they were wrong
would you?
The others would be watching
staring from the side in shame
would they?
Would you give your all
lose yourself
to prove your love
would you?
- I would.”
The children looked at the weeping lady in compassion. How long had she been
hiding her tough life? How long had she been waiting for a moment like this to come to
let those tears finally flow like a river.
The old lady wasn't alone any more. The children then thought it was a good idea
to try to cheer her up a bit. The girl rose, laid a hand on her shoulder and said
supportively, ”that was lovely singing! Don't you think it's our turn now?”
They turned all the lights on.
The boy stood up and struck a theatrical pose. ”There was once a ship! The ship
was doomed!” he shouted. ”And there was also a captain and of course... ”
The girl joined in and made a thundering sound.
”Brooooomm...the ship hit the rocks near a cape and began to sink!”
The old lady smiled at the boy's enthusiasm and at the girl acting through the
story.
”The captain promised that he would sail around the cape, no matter what. But the
ship sank and so the place was cursed! Everyone who sees this ghost ship in the horizon,
will die!”
The old lady was smiling again, and they took it as a success. Both of the children
took a deep bow when the lonely applause echoed in the room.
”Thank you,” the old lady said holding back her tears.
”Don't, it was nothing,” the boy said and went to her. ”Thank you for having us.”
”Thank you for being here listening to a silly elder with her messed-up mind. You
have really made this day”, the old lady said kindly. She turned to the girl. ”Thank you
for you too! Thank you!”
”It was my joy,” the girl said, smiling. She went to the door, opened it, and left
without a backwards glance or a goodbye, giving the boy and the old lady their moment
together.
The lady wouldn't let the boy go until she had heard something that she had been
waiting for.
”My darling, please,” she said to the boy. ”Tell me one more story.”
”What kind of a story?” the boy asked.
The old lady's voice got more serious: ”A story about your brother.”
”He's dead,” the boy said quietly and waited for her sorrow, but she just stared
at him. ”We were unwanted children. Twins. But at the orphanage they didn't know it.
We fooled them. One of us was always hiding. They thought there was just one.
They took care of us, but we didn't want to stay there forever. It was a horrible
place. We wanted to get out but no one had ever escaped.
In the end only one of us could do it. Because we were identical, nobody would
notice and at least one would get away.
We decided to play a game to see who would go. Both of us liked birds. We
started to count them. The one who saw more by the end of the day, and could also
identify them, would go. And it was me who won. As I was making my way to freedom, my
brother would take my life, so it would seem like I don't exist.
That's why every time I see a bird... every time... it reminds me of him.
Thank you for the great stories, and the seeds my lady”, the boy said and left
without saying anything else. Still it was enough for the old lady to be proud of.
With a soft wind blowing in their hair, walking towards the unknown, an orphan
boy and an upper-class girl looked at each other sharing the same thought.
”I'm sure she was a witch of some kind!” the boy claimed throwing the seeds he
had on the grass with hope in his eyes.
”Probably, but if so she wouldn't tell us that, would she?” the girl said. ”What did
you think of her stories?”
”They were different than the last time,” the boy said. ”I think that this time
they weren't just stories. They were about her life.”
”Yes!” the girl agreed. ”They also sounded a bit ageless.”
”What do you mean?” the boy asked.
”I mean... those legends could be set at any time, in any place. They're living their
own life.”
The boy stayed silent for a while and thought about it. Could all the stories really
be written from real events, written for us to remember things in our daily lives, but
still leave us guessing something about the future?
”I've never heard that many stories,” the boy said.
”Your mother didn't tell you any?” the girl asked.
”No, although my brother once told me about a tree that never grew, a bird that
never flew, a fish that never swam and a bell that never rang, but I never understood
what it was all about. I think he was just making it up.”
”Sounds silly,” the girl agreed.
”Yeah, I liked it more when my mother told me legends of great warriors. I
especially liked when she told the one about the warrior with the large wooden sword
and a shield made of drago wood...”
”Hey!” the girl said after a while. ”I haven't told you a story yet.”
”Well, go ahead,” the boy said, curious about what she had come up with.
”I have a fella called Bruce. He is a great warrior. He has failed many times in his
life, again and again, but always he arises and never gives up. And, well that's the Bruce
I know.”
”Wait a minute... Did you just give me a name? I've never had a name!” the boy
yelled in enthusiasm.
”I just thought you needed one, silly.”
And in the glow of the rising sun, she kissed him.
Väinämöinen met a birch feeling blue.
”What's the matter?” he asked.
And the birch said: ”I'm no use.”
”Of course you are,” Väinämöinen said
and carved another zither out of its flesh and played.
All of the worries were forgotten as he played.
And the forest listened to it with a deep sigh,
breathing the beautiful music, and the legend...
living again.
The End
by: Lauriina Kallio, Class 7
FEDERICO AND DORAMAS’ QUEST – France
Once upon a time, a long time ago, there was a farmer called Federico. He was tough
and brave, kind and generous. He lived with his lovely wife on an island in the middle of a
lake. Federico was very happy: he loved to milk his cows, to spend time in his kitchengarden but, above all, he really enjoyed fishing in the lake.
One day, he brought back a huge fish to his wife. When cutting it, he found a ring in it‟s
stomach. He put it on his finger and suddenly a white cloud appeared before him! Now he
could read in the past and in the future, he could know anything about everything and he
could change the weather. Suddenly, the trees of his garden began to talk and to walk. A
tree told him:
“ You have found the magic ring! But be careful, a troll is going to rob it.”
One night, a troll crept through the window and took the ring off the night table. He
wanted to use the powers of the ring to scare people, do harm and destroy the whole
world.
The next morning, when he woke up, the farmer realized that the ring had disappeared.
Then, he remembered the advice from the tree.
Federico decided to fetch the magic ring. He wore his little red hood and took his sword.
He prepared something to eat: took a salmon, a little pot of butter and a cake given by
his wife.
At the beginning he wondered how he would do it. He got an idea: going to the tree which
gave him the information. The walnut tree told him:
“I‟ve heard of a young man called Fionn who can read in the future and in the past. Go
and see him, he will help you. Then fetch the jaw of the fish which had the ring in its
stomach. Make a zither harp with it. Then, go in the middle of the lake and play some
music with it. The sea monster will rise up to the surface. Get up on it; it will lead you to
Fionn.”
The farmer followed this advice and everything happened as it ought to.
Federico found himself on the back of the monster heading in the direction of Fionn‟s
house.
Half-way, the wind began to blow, the lake was rising and suddenly they saw a huge
whirlwind which led them to the sea.
Federico oddly managed to breathe in the water and could see everything in spite of the
poor visibility.
With the sea monster, they went on, looked around and found out a carpet made with
the sheep-wool. They went on it and they discovered a submarine town. A young and
tough man welcomed them. He was replacing a column. He gave them a magic shell which
helped them to go back to the surface.
But the storm was still there... They managed, with a big effort, to join the river bank
and there a man told them : “Take this half of coat, thread it and the storm will calm
down.”
Federico threaded it and peace came back. They continued on their way and soon the
house of Fionn appeared in the distance…
The sea monster put down Federico near Fionn‟s house. Federico knocked at the door
and listened:
“Pull the bobbin and everything will open!” The door opened.
Federico saw a fair young man with blue eyes sitting in an armchair. It was Fionn. But, at
the same moment, Federico thought he noticed the leg of a troll passing by the window…
Then, Federico began to doubt the kindness and the sincerity of Fionn but he showed
nothing. He told the young man the purpose of his visit. Fionn replied that he had just
had a vision: Federico had to go on the path of knowledge where he would find some help
to find the hut of the troll. Fionn said that there would be two paths and that Federico
should take the left one. He suggested that he could accompany him and Federico
accepted. So, both left and joined the path. Then they realized that the left path was
blocked by a huge cobweb.
Federico tried to cut it with his dagger but the web regenerates each time. Suddenly,
Doramas, the famous warrior of the Canary Islands, arrived and revealed that this
indestructible web was the work of the Spider of Knowledge.
It protected Federico preventing him from going on the left path which was, in fact,
the path of Evil. Federico was then convinced that Fionn had wanted to mislead him.
Unhesitatingly and vigorously, Doramas tied Fionn to a tree and cleared the brambles
which blocked the path of Knowledge with his wooden sword. He said:" Pull the bobbin
and everything will open! "
As soon as the path was cleared, Federico and Doramas stepped out onto it. Then they
met a beautiful girl from Mount Argemela. She explained to them that in order to find
the key of the troll‟s hut, it would be necessary to pass three tests. Doramas and
Federico listened carefully and thanked her for the information.
They had hardly travelled any length at all when they stepped in a puddle. As soon as
they walked into it, they realized that they were sinking. The puddle was bottomless and,
much to their surprise, they succeeded in breathing under the water. While sinking
deeper and deeper, they saw a rose.
They tried to catch it but the flower was dropping very quickly. Federico finally touched
it and the rose began to tell him: “ You are courageous and brave, so I will give you one
of my petals which will protect you and allow you to talk with animals.”
Federico and Doramas thanked the rose and came back up to the surface, taking with
them the precious petal.
They went into the forest looking after the troll who had stolen the magic ring. They
headed to Mountain Falla following the troll‟s footprints. Suddenly, Federico stopped in
front of a thorny leaf gate. He took out his sword and cut it… but the leaves grew back
again and again every time he cut them.
After many hours, he managed to cut his way through. Then he met Caledonio who was
waiting for him and who suggested that they have a race, ( it was the troll that had
planned out all these trials ).
Federico agreed to the race as long as Doramas was the referee. Then the race began.
They ran the first yards side by side. All of a sudden, the farmer used the magic petal
to talk to the wild boar :
“Look at these beautiful apples near the tree…they are waiting for you !”
Thanks to the power of the petal, the hungry wild boar rushed to the apples. While
Caledonio the boar was feasting, Federico won the race. Doramas proclaimed him the
winner.
Soon afterwards, a black Peter gave them a gift. He told them:
“In this box, you‟ll find a piece of a parchment. At the end of each trial you will get one
third of it. If you succeed in all the trials, you‟ll be able to gather all the pieces
together and find the box in which lies the troll‟s hut key. The second trial is the
following: catch the fish before the fox catches it.”
A she-wolf escorted by Remus and Romulus appeared and told Federico:
“If you fail, you will be speared by Gara and Jonay.”
The two heroes headed to the shore of the lake where the fox was waiting for them.
The trial started. The fox dived into the lake. Federico was swimming behind him.
Doramas, worried, dived into the lake too. There was an intense battle and finally
Doramas strangled the animal.
Federico brought the fish back up to the surface. They were exhausted when
fortunately they saw a boat named “The flying Dutchman”. They approached the boat as
a black Peter threw them a rope. On the deck, they saw a gift with another piece of
parchment in it. When they were about to take it, Setanta, the captain of the boat,
appeared.
He challenged Federico with his sword. On choosing his weapon, Federico was surprised
by a she-beetle who told him :
“Take care, Setanta is immortal. To help you I will give you my shell… blow on it and it
will grow to your size. If you fail the trial, you will be cursed too.”
Federico took the shell but he blew too hard, so the shell became too big for him.
Setanta stood behind them and threw the sword on the farmer. Doramas jumped in
front of his friend before the sword had reached him and got hit on the stomach.
Thanks to this sacrifice, Federico was saved.
Mad with rage, he threw the giant shell as hard as he could and knocked out Setanta.
Wasting no time, Federico put his companion on his back and took the parchment from
the previous test. All of a sudden, the third black Peter arrived and gave him a present.
Inside was the last part of the parchment which enabled him to restore the map.
Federico put the three pieces together. Then, the map began to talk: “ The chest is on
the top of Argemela Mountain but you two have to sing “Argemela Mountain” three times
to open it.”
Leaving the boat, they headed towards the mountain. They came upon the house of Little
Red Riding Hood. The little girl went out of her home and saw that Doramas was in a sad
state. So she healed him with a magic cake.
Doramas felt that his strength regaining whilst enjoying the cake. Once he was set back
on his feet again, the two heroes thanked the little girl and headed to the summit.
After a difficult climb, they found the chest and sang what the map had told them. The
chest opened itself and they found the cabin key and a paper on which was written : “ Go
back to the house of Little Red Riding Hood and open the door with the key. But, beware, your friend will fall!”
Federico turned round and saw his friend lying on the floor, unconscious, probably because of the cake. He carried him and then ran to the house which was in fact the troll‟s
house.
He pulled the bobbin and turned the key into the lock. On the bed, the blanket moved
and Federico saw the troll. He went towards the nightstand to check if the ring was
there. The troll jumped on him by surprise. He remembered the first and third tests
immediately. He recalled he had won thanks to his rapidity and his sword. Thus, he quickly unsheathed his blade and plunged it into the stomach of the troll who died instantly.
He began to look for the ring. He found it in the drawer of the nightstand. Beside it was
an antidote the troll used to drink when he happened to be wounded.
Federico took it and poured it into Doramas‟ mouth. He stood up immediately, cured.
Both of them took the ring and threw it together into the fireplace.
Fortunately, the ring never fell into evil hands and was destroyed. It could never be a
threat anymore.
When they went back to the village, all the inhabitants of the island acclaimed them and
prepared a celebration in their honour.
Federico and Doramas had finally succeeded in thwarting the troll‟s plans.
The End
The trip of Nicholas – Holland
Once there was a man with a beard, miter, cloak, rod and ring. His name was Santa
Claus, but every one called him Nicholas. Every year, at the end of November, Nicholas is
coming from his castle in Spain with his white merry to Holland to give presents to the
children and this year he‟s getting stories for these presents.
He started his journey in
Ireland. He visited Culann
who gave a big party in his
castle
and
Setante.
Nicolas wanted to give
Setante a bat because he
loved to play hurling. But
he knew that Setante
could not make it on time
to the party so he left his
present behind in the
castle as he went on.
After the game Setante
walked to the castle and
heard
the
watchdog
barking fiercely Setante
was scared but he threw the ball into the dog‟s throat. The dog choked and died. Culann
was very sad by the death of this dog, but he offered Setante to guard the grounds.
That is how he got his name Cu Chulainn.
Nicholas continued his journey to Scotland and on his way he saw King of Scotland,
Robert the Bruce. He was desperately ill and lying in a cave on the ground. In the cave
Bruce looked at a spider, who tried to spin a wire from one side of the cave to the other.
At the seventh time the spider succeeded at last. This gave him courage and Nicolas
gave him the “coat of Arms” This coat had 3 symbols “the Tree, that never grew, the
Bird, that never flew and the Fish, that never swam”
With this weapon, the king of Scotland decided to fight against the king of England,
which he won and from that day Scotland was independent with Robert the Bruce as the
king.
Nicholas took his horse and galloped to Italy. In the area, where Rome was founded.
Nicholas saw two brothers, who were found in a basket. successors of the village Allonge
The youngest son blackmailed the oldest en became King. But the oldest son got two
children but the King wanted them dead. But the man in charge who had to kill them got
pity and put them in a basket on the river. A Shepard found them and called them
Romolo and Remo. When they were older, they set up a village. As this village had no
name, they challenged each other. Who saw the most birds could make up the name.
Romolo won and called the village Roma. Nicolas gave him the monarchy and Romolo
became the first King of Rome.
Nicolas was very pleased that he had done this and wanted to go further when he saw
the famous fisherman Colaprese, also known as Cola. It is a famous fisherman who sails
deep waters and he can speak and swim with mermaids. King Frederico II wished that he
married his daughter. To marry Frederico‟s daughter Colaprese has to do three tests,
very strange tests. Instead of marrying the Kings daughter he decides to protect an n
underwater city he discovered and up till now he never returned to dry land.
Amazed at what he had seen, Nicholas got back on his horse and decided to continue his
journey, because the night was almost over and he had still many stories to see. He
arrived in a small town, where people lived in peace, until they decided to organize a
party in honor of the summer, without inviting the witch with her wild boars. The witch
was mad that she was not invited and sent her wild boar Caledonio into town. The people
were afraid to leave their houses and food became scarce. Until two heroes‟s Diomede
and Meleagro broke the curse of the witch. They took all the children to a tree. They
formed a circle, held each other‟s hand and sang an old rhyme. In the meantime a heavy
storm came and took Nicolas to Iceland. In the town the witch and her boars listened to
the rhyme and she asked the people for forgiveness. To prove she was not that evil, she
gave Diomede the enormous tusks of the boars
In Iceland Nicolas
fell on the cold
ground.
Still
shaking of what
happened. He saw a
farmer with his
younger lazy wife.
The farmer gave
her a big pile of
wool and asked her
to weave a cloth for the winter. His wife didn‟t want to do this so as lazy as she was, so
she asked a witch to do it for her. Instead of money, the witch told her to guess her
name ,when the cloth was ready on the first day of the summer. Spring came and the
wife became nervous of what she had done and at last she told her husband. The farmer
became scared, because he knew that she made a deal with a troll. One day the farmer
was walking at the foot of a mountain when he heard a noise. Carefully he walked closer
and saw a big woman weaving. She sang: “hi, hi, ho, ho the peasant woman does not guess
my name, Gillitrutt is my name”. De farmer was relieved and knew that this was the troll
who visited his wife. He wrote the name on a piece of paper and gave it to his wife. The
first day of the summer came and the peasant wife begged her husband to stay with her,
but he told her to do it alone. The first 2 attempts were wrong, so she at last she
mentioned the name on the piece of paper. The witch was so scared that she fell onto
the ground, left the farm and never came back. Nicolas watched this event the whole
time . He decided to go to the houses of the children to bring them presents. As fast as
he could he galloped with his horse over the rooftops and put the presents in the
chimneys and rode along.
Nicolas came to a farm with a well. The owner of this farm was Hiljolfur. Many people
came for the water of the well, but they had to pay for it. His daughter Vilbourg did not
agree with her father that people had to pay for water and behind his back she gave the
people water for free in the evening. Vilbourg was a shoemaker. One day her raven she
tamed picked one of her shoes and flew away. Vilborg was not amused and tried to catch
the raven. When she was away from the farm a landslide flooded the farm and killed
Hiljolfur. Vilborg built a new farm nearby a pond. The water was not as good as the well,
but there was enough for everyone got water for free as much as they liked. Nicolas
took some water for his horse and went further.
He drove calmly further through a forest. Suddenly Nicholas was shocked by the
neighing of his horse and he fell to the ground. The horse had stumbled on a sleeping
stranger, an old fisherman, called Finegas. He also saw that the horse has become
crippled., so he had to continue his journey without his merry. Finegas awaked and he
told Nicholas, that in the river The Boyne a famous salmon was swimming. The salmon is
shining like silver and is known as the salmon of knowledge. People said, that you would
become very wise, if you eat the salmon. Many people tried to catch the salmon but
nobody has managed to catch it. Finegas was fishing every day for the salmon and this
day he was succesfull. He ran to Fion, a boy, who lived with Finegas, told him to make a
fire. Finegas went to get wood. Fion felt the salmon, burned his finger, put it in his
mouth and saw that he led an army. He won many battles. He told Finegas, what he had
seen, who became angry and sad, because he knew, that Fion should become wise. They
were completely forgotten Nicholas, who shaked his head and went on, without his horse ,
which he would retrieve later on
In the meanwhile something else
is going on in an other part of the
forest. A little girl, called
Roodkapje
went
to
her
grandmother, when she met a
wolf. He asked where she was
going, To her sick grandmother,
she told him. The wolf ran to the
grandmother, ate her and went in
her bed, dressed like the
grandmother. When Roodkapje
arrived at her grandmother, she
saw someone with big ears and
eyes.
She
asked
why
and ”grandmother” answered, that she could hear and see her better. Than Roodkapje
asked, why she had such a big mouth. The wolf jumped out of the bed and said, than I
can eat you better, what he did. They were freed by a hunter who killed the wolf, put
stones in his body and threw him in a tank.
Nicholas went on and met a girl, called Belle.
She told Nicholas her story. She lived with
her father, who lost a fortune. Once, he
went on a journey. Belle asked her father to
buy a rose for here. He lost his way in the
forest, but he saw a castle. Everything he
needed, was there, like food. He saw nobody
in the castle. Next morning he wanted to get
his horse, when he saw roses and picked one.
Suddenly there came an angry beast and said
to him, that he was ungrateful, I saved your
life, you will be punished. He had to sent his
daughter to get free.
Belle went to the castle and the beast
wanted to marry her, she refused.
Once she might at home and there she dreamt of the beast. She went back to the castle.
She found him dying, she kissed him and suddenly he changed from a bast in a prince. He
was enchanted by a fairy and the spell would be broken, when a girl would kiss him. They
married and became very happy.
Her two jealous sisters turned into statues The spell on them would be broken if they
became nice girls .
Nicholas also heard the story of Gara,
pricess on Gomera, who was in love with
Jonay, sun of a farmer on Tenerife They
wanted to marry, but a priest told them not
to do. They still married and the prediction
was true. A heavy earthquake shaked both
islands, The volcano was spitting lava.
Onay was sent back to Tenerife, but their
love was so strong, that he went back to
Gomera. They hided, were desperately and
they made a lance with two sharp points,
and committed suicide, while they embraced
Nicolas thought to go to Holland, because
thousands of children were waiting for their
presents. On his way to Holland Nicolas saw
a ship flying. He remembered the story of
this ship. The Flying Dutchman. On a morning
a VOC ship was sailing to Batavia. After a
long journey the ship reached Africa, Cape of Good Hope. The captain tried to walk on
land, but his crew protested and begged him to come back. But the captain refused and
became so angry that he threw the whole crew off the ship and called. “God of the Devil,
I sail the Cape even if I have to sail till the last judgment”. As a punishment the ship was
from that time on from the devil and it has to sail forever. The dead crew became
ghosts. The Flying Dutchman wrote letters to their families, but it appeared that these
families were already dead for centuries.
Nicolas asked the Dutch captain if he could sail with him. They sailed over the houses.
After a few days he saw Maarten walking. During his four days walk in the Winter
Maarten gave half of his cloak to a poor man. When he had done this it suddenly looked
summer. The next day he gave the other half of his cloak to another man. And again it
looked if it was summer. The third day he gave a part of his other clothes to a poor man.
And on the fourth day, as his journey was almost over, he gave all his clothes away. The
winter changed 4 times into summer. From that day on, November has 3½ day s of the
summer. St. Maarten‟s summer. Nicolas called Maarten and asked him if he wanted to
sail with him. Maarten nodded and they sailed to Spain, to the castle of Nicolas.
The End
Written by: ANIQUE, EVA, LOÏS, DANIQUE EN LYANN Group 8B
Netherlands.,OBS TORENVEN from the
Fairy tale the Icelandic way - Iceland
Once upon a time there was a poor farmer who had a boy called Jony. The boy wasn't
quite good enough. He didn't have a clean heart. Sometimes he was lazy and not willing to
help his parents run the farm. One day a witch arrived from Benevento and asked Jony
for help but he said he didn't have the time to do
so. But this was not true and the witch from
Benevento knew it. She got very angry and turned
Jony into a spider. She told him that he would
remain a spider until he had regained a clean
heart and willingness to help. So Jony became a
very frightened spider. Then a general called
Doramas came along with his watchdog named
Hurling. The spider told Doramas that the witch
from Benevento was evil and had put a spell on
him and asked Doramas for help. The general
searched for the witch from Benevento, found her and cut off her head. The spell was
then lifted from Jony but he still did not have a clean heart and did not feel well. Jony
thanked Doramas for the help and asked if he would like to join him for a voyage.
Doramas declined, said goodbye to Jony and went away to the next battle with his good
and wise dog, Hurling.
Jony travelled on and met an old sea captain, The Flying Dutchman. He was a ghost who
commanded a ship called
“The Dutchman”. Jony
thought that The Flying
Dutchman was a good man
who would help him find a
hidden treasure. But The
Flying Dutchman made
Jony "walk the plank", he
only wanted to get rid of
him.
The captain made the
mistake of also stepping on
to the plank so that when
Jony jumped up it was the
captain who fell in to the
sea and Jony kept the ship.
In the ocean The Flying
Dutchman captured the
Salmon of Knowledge. By
eating it the captain acquired the salmon's wisdom and continued his voyage on the seven
seas. Jony on the other hand came across a mermaid who was looking for Colepesce, the
hero of the ocean. She asked Jony if he knew the whereabouts of Colepesce but he did
not. Jony told the mermaid about all the things that had happened to him and she
wanted to help him. She told him about a magic object called the Sampo that would help
him to regain a clean heart. "You will need it", she said.
Jony accepted the Sampo from the mermaid and wondered how it could help him.
Examining the Sampo and being distracted by it, he stranded his ship on a deserted
island. Jony managed to save himself and the magic object and got ashore. He went on to
explore the island. In the middle of the island was a huge mountain, Argemela. In a cave
in the mountain lived a female giant called Gilitrutt. On the island were a lot of lady
beetles and birds that could not fly. This surprised Jony because all those creatures had
wings. He went on and met a beast that in reality was a young prince under a spell. The
giant Gilitrutt saw the magic object in the hands of Jony and tried to confiscate it so
Jony would not be able to lift the spell from the prince. The prince had told Jony that it
was the giant who had put the spell on him and he would always remain a beast unless
somebody found a magic object and
was willing to use it to help him. If
the spell was lifted, the birds would
be able to fly again and could get
help to rescue them from the island.
Jony used the Sampo to lift the spell
from the prince and the birds flew
away to meet with the knight Cu
Chulainn. The knight, along with his
wolverine hound, turned his ship
towards the island went ashore and
beheaded the giant. In Gilitrutt's
cave Cu Chulainn found a magic tree
and a princess embedded within it.
It turned out that the tree was
made of chocolate and when it
melted the princess stepped out.
The wolverine hound, Cu Chulainn's
most loyal servant, now guided all of them back to the ship.
The prince, the princess, Jony and Cu Chulainn sailed to Cu Chulainn's far away country.
There he had two daughters, Rauðhetta, who was always helpful but preferred to spend
most of her time in the woods, and Vilborg, who was a kind and generous girl. The
princess, happy to be free from the tree, fell in love with the prince and wanted to get
married. Jony helped them to get back to the homeland of the the princess where they
were greeted with joy and celebration.
Gilitrutt had kidnapped the princess and
nobody had known where she had been all
this time. They got married, moved in to
the palace and lived happily ever after.
Now Jony's heart was clean at last. He
thought of other people's needs ahead of
himself and was ready and willing to help.
He married Vilborg and on their way back
to Jony's home they met two kind men,
Saint Martin and Sinterklaas. The men gave
them food, clothes and money and they
took it all to the farm. The poor farmer
was so happy to get his son back home that at first he did not notice Vilborg. But then
he was even happier when he discovered that his son had found a good wife. The farmer
was worried that he did not have enough to eat for all of them but Jony convinced him
that he need not worry. They had the magic object, the Sampo, to take care of them and
all the things given to them by Saint Martin and Sinterklaas. The future was bright but
what made the poor farmer really happy was to see that his son was now a clean hearted
and honest man.
This small family lived happily ever after.
The End
The story is written by the students in the 1.grade in Grunnskóli Vestmannaeyja. All students in the school,
1. -5. grade, worked with the stories, but the 1. grade finished project.
Pictures in the story drew.
1 Stefán Hjaltason
2 Mikael Björn Björnsson
3 Alexander Júlíusson
4 Bríet Ómarsdóttir
Highlight, forest and characters by students in the 1. and 4 grade.
Tales and Legends Are Gone Astray! - Ireland
It was a Friday morning and all the children in
Scoil Phádraig were in the hall at assembly.
After the usual notices, the principal
announced that the school was playing host to
the Sampo, a mythical artifact from Finland.
All the children were very excited about
getting to hold such a mysterious object.
They gathered around the circular table the
Sampo was on. It was the shape of a golden
pyramid with a silver button on top. The
button was tempting but the children were
not allowed to press it. The teacher started to talk about the Sampo‟s history, where it
came from, who made it, when it was made, what was it made for, things like that. The
children started asking about what the button on top was for, but the teacher was
unable to answer. The she asked if they wanted to hold the Sampo. Of course everyone
wanted to hold it so she passed it around. After the last person held it the teacher put
it back on the table where it was safe…for now. Along the wall there were paintings of
twenty different characters from stories all over Europe. The children called them “The
Comenius Heroes”. There was Setanta with his hurley in his right hand and a sliotar in
his left. Little Red Riding Hood was beside him with her red cloak around her. Next to
her was Herjolfer with his farm in the backround. After him there was Colapesce
holding up Sicily. Next to him was Romulus fighting with his brother Remus. After
Romulus there was Gillitrut with her long
stick and her ragged dress. Fionn Mac
Cumhaill was next to her with the Salmon
of Knowledge. Beside him was the Fox
enjoying his cunning catch. After him was
the Beast in his big lonely castle. Next
came Sinterklass with his Black Peters.
Then there was Viriato, the brave
Portugese warrior. After him was
Vanoimoinen, the thief of the Sampo.
Next was the Little Beetle beside
Doramas. The Wild Boar stood fiercely
next to Captain Hendrick Vanderdecken.
St Mungo and St Martin looked as if they were deep in conversation and Robert the
Bruce was making a great impression on Princess Gara. They all watched silently as the
children talked excitedly about the mysterious object.
James always sat at the front of the class. He loved talking, joking and leaning back on
his chair. He was curious to know what that silver button did. The teacher left the room
for a moment and of course he went over to the Sampo. He picked it up and started to
examine it. As he turned it round it slipped out of his hands and fell upside down, hitting
the ground right on the button. Everything froze. A ray of light shone out from the
Sampo and on to each painted character. One by one they started to come alive. Slowly,
getting bigger, they stepped off the wall, looking dazed and puzzled. They wondered
what this place was, what were they doing there and why everyone was frozen? They
looked at each other in disbelief. After some very brief introductions they wandered
round the hall looking for a way to get out. They found a number of exists and decided
to split up into four groups.
The first group included Väinämöinen
and Setanta. They had become friends.
Robert the Bruce went with them
taking Princess Gara because he
fancied her. The Fox joined them to
lead the way. They found a football in
the field and started playing with it.
Little
Red
Ridinghood,
Beast,
Herjólfur,
Colepesce
and
Capt.
Hendrick Vanderdecken headed off
together. They soon felt tired and
hungry. So they went hunting. Herjólfur caught a rabbit and started to cook it over the
campfire. Romulus, Finn Mc Cumhaill, Doramas, Wild Boar and Viriato were all hardy
bucks. As the sun was setting, they saw a strange structure which appeared to be a
house. Doramas kicked in the door. They raided the kitchen, drank the beer and slept on
the floor. St Martin, Sinterklass, St Mungo, Gilitrutt and Little Beetle stayed around
the school grounds. Gilitrutt spoke about her life as a troll. The others told her about
the ways of God.
The next day they all met up again at the school. There was no sign of anyone so they
went in. They were fascinated by all the objects they had never seen before. Suddenly
the bell rang and they found different places to hide. At the break the children went
outside to play and the characters went into the classroom. An argument started about
what they should do and soon they were throwing chairs and ripping posters down from
the walls. The children saw chairs being thrown out the window and told the teacher.
The teacher let out a shout and the characters ran out of the class and into another
classroom. The bell rang, the
teachers came out of the staff
room and the characters
sneaked in to get something to eat.
They opened the press and saw cups
and food. But the argument started
again and they starting throwing
food at each other. The principal
ran in. He was so confused and
frightened that he suddenly fainted
on the spot. They ran quickly out of
the staff room and went out to the
yard and started to fight again. The
children and teachers followed
them outside but the characters ran away. They split up and ran in all directions. Finn Mc
Cumhaill led his group to Roche Castle. There were many sheep and cows in the field.
They saw a tourist being chased by a bull. Without hesitiation, the Wild Boar charged
and knocked the bull out while the tourist ran away. St Martin and his friends got as far
as St. Brigid‟s Shrine. They decided to say some prayers. A man came and told them
about St. Brigid and her life. Gilitrutt was so impressed that she decided to become a
Christian. Following the scent of the sea, Colepesce brought his group to Cooley where
they found a lovely beach. Herjólfur, Colepecse and Captain Vanderdecken ran into the
water while Little Red Riding Hood and the Beast went for a stroll along the strand,
picking up shells they had never seen before. Setanta and his friends made it all the way
to Carlingford. They went on a Leprechan Hunt and won €400. What fun they had. With
their money they went out for dinner.
Meanwhile back at the school the children
and teachers knew they had to get the
characters back and try to fix what
had happened. They divided into teams and
followed the trails. Soon Finn Mac Cumhaill
and the others were found
at Roche Castle. They were really stubborn
and Romulus said they didn‟t want to go back.
“We want our freedom”, shouted Viriato. In
the end the children persuaded them to come
back by saying that there was a big antique vase worth €100,000 at the school and that
they would give it to them as a present. Doramas said they could sell it and live happily
ever after. The Wild Boar grunted his approval. It worked and they were taken back to
the school.
The next place the children searched was St. Brigid‟s Shrine. They found St. Martin,
Gilitrutt and St Mungo praying. Sinterklass and Little Beetle were admiring the Shrine.
They didn‟t want to come back either. They wanted to become hermits devoting their
life to God. The children came up with a plan. They put superglue on a stick and told
them to hold onto it. “It will give you a holy vision”, the children said. They fell for it.
They held onto the stick, got stuck and the children were able to drag them back to the
school and leave them with the others.
As the children looked further they came to the Cooley coast. They heard laughing and
splashing and went to investigate. Who was there but Colepesce, Captain Vanderdecken
and Herjólfur sunning themselves on the
beach while The Beast
and Little Red Ridinghood
were
holding
hands,
surfing the waves. They
had fallen in love.
Of course they didn‟t
want to change back
either. Some of the
children then produced a
beautiful
bar
of
Cadbury‟s chocolate. The
heroes had never tasted
anything like this before
and were mad for more.
So the children laid a
chocolate trail and they followed it back to the school on the promise that there would
be lots of chocolate there for them to devour.
One of the children then found fur belonging to the Fox. They borrowed a dog and
followed the trail. On the way they found Setanta‟s sliotar so they knew they were going
in the right direction. The trail led them to Carlingford. They asked some local people
did they see a bunch of strange looking characters. They were told about the
Leprachaun Hunt and that they were seen heading for Mc Gee‟s Bistro. The children
found Robert the Bruce and Princess Gara laughing in a corner while Väinämöinen,
Setanta and the Fox were having a few drinks at the bar. They too didn‟t want to go
back. They were having too much fun. The children told them about a famous sweet shop
called Candyford. Curious to see it, the Comenius heroes followed the children but as
soon as they got outside they were caught in a big net and taken back to Scoil Phádraig
Naofa.
Everyone
was
back
together and plans were
made
to
get
the
characters back to where
they belonged. Suddenly
Setanta made a run for it.
He escaped outside to the
school
grounds.
The
children were very tired
having chased the others.
They hadn‟t the energy to
search for him. So imagine
how lucky they felt when
they saw him running down the main road, like an idiot, shouting „You can‟t catch me!‟.
They knew they wouldn‟t be able to catch him if they ran as he
was already about ½ a kilometre ahead of them. Looking around, one of the children,
Andrew, saw a forklift at the back of the school. The school was getting a big new
extension. Even though he could not drive he just pressed a few buttons and it,
unbelievably, started. The children got Lizzy to drive as she was the craziest and
knowing her she would be well able. So off she went driving at 30kmph up the main road.
She caught up with Setanta in a matter of minutes. Lizzy lifted up him with the forklift
and drove back to school.
The children set about trying to get the Comenius heroes back into the pictures. They
refused to go because they rathered the life here. The rule of the Sampo was that if
they weren‟t back by twelve o‟ clock, they would stay in the real world forever. The
children had a plan. They got the heroes to talk about their homes and families. Soon
they were all homesick and wanted to go back. “Great”, shouted the children.
James, who started all this went for the Sampo. But it was gone. He ran back to tell the
others only to find that Vainamoinen was missing. He had stolen the Sampo again. The
children made a deal with the Comenius heroes that if they helped them find
Vainamoinen, they would send them back to their home countries. They all loved the idea
and went along with it. The fox said that he would be heading back to Finland. They
wasted no time and set off.
When they arrived in Helsinki they were stopped at the airport. The police wanted to
find out what they were doing. James told them the whole story. The police said they
would help and put out a message about Vainamoinen. Soon he was found. He agreed to
give it back for €1,000,000. When he wasn‟t looking Setanta crept up and gave him the
biggest whack ever with his hurley. He knocked him the whole way around the world and
landed him back at Scoil Phádraig Naofa. When they all got back to Ireland, the heroes
were ready to go home. James pressed the silver button on the Sampo. Light shone out
again. Slowly but surely the characters were beamed back into their pictures.
The adventure now over, the children decided to get rid of the Sampo by destroying it.
However it would not break. It was protected by magical powers. So they threw it in the
sea. As it bobbed out to sea, the children wondered would anyone else find it and be
drawn in by its mysterious powers.
The End
“United we stand, divided we fall “ – Italy, Benevento
No, I don‟t want to be like this” said Gilitrutt, the little witch. All this because of that
“
little bell, that damned little bell. It was a lovely spring day when Gilitrutt, the beautiful
and pretty witch, decided to go for a walk, through the Garajonay park.
She was staying under the walnut, where she used to meet her witches friends to think
about new magical formulas, when suddenly tripped over a root finding in front of her a
strange little bell.
Having picked it up, she found out that the bell wasn‟t ringing; in a moment, as if she had
been cursed, became as black as coke. Astonished, she wide-opened her eyes,
nevertheless
nothing happened;
or at least it
seemed to be so.
The little bell had
been left there by
a wicked man, Cu
Chulainn, in order
to bewitch the
little Gilitrutt and
after take over her
beneficial powers.
While
she
was
going back to her
cave, the beautiful
witch
started
gasping and then
staggering.
She
was feeling rotten
and, suddenly, her
body
began
disfiguring:
the
skin became wrinkled and on her face an enormous hand horrifying nose had grown up.
Actually a big struggle between the good and evil was going on in her body and,
unfortunately, the evil seemed to win. But in her heart there still was a little ration of
goodness and joyfulness.
Stirring the soup in the big pan, rising up her eyes she saw her image reflected in the
mirror and scared by her horrible shape, threw a cruet against the wall.
Her anger caused a lot of calamities all over the world and to stop them Gilitrutt
decided to try to find the Sampo, a magical item, which could give prosperity, harmony
and joy to anyone who possessed it.
Gilitrutt, thanks to her power, had found out where the famous Sampo was.
It was being kept by the captain Colapesce in a ghost-ship called Olandese Volante which
used to appear every three years in a lake on the Argemela mountain at midnight but
only with full moon.
That year it should have appeared and brave man were coming from all over the world to
get the Sampo.
Gilitrutt was on the way to the lake when suddenly she met Romolo and Remo.
-How is possible you are still here? More than one thousand years have past since you
were born- she asked to
the twins.
-You‟re right- they replied,
-but we were brought back
by the cloak that black
Peter gave us and now we
are immortal!
The witch carried on
walking. She was worn out
so she decided to have a
little rest on the lawn.
Noticing a very small tree,
she exclaimed: -I‟ve never
seen such a little tree!but the tree replied, by
saying: -It doesn‟t depend
on me, but I am victim of a
spell!
-Oh I‟m very sorry! Who did that to you?
- she asked.
And it replied again: -it‟s the wicked Cu Chulainn who did it. At a first sight he looks kind
and thoughtful but he isn‟t!
-Thank you for your advice- she replied.
-But what are you doing here?
-I‟m here for the Sampo.
-Be very careful! I heard that also Cu Chulainn is interested in that magical object.
-Thank you very much, you are my friend but now I must go. She went.
Having passed the hill, she saw a fisherman dealing with a salmon in the river water; he
was going to drown but she couldn‟t help him as she hadn‟t got her magical powers
anymore. At last she arrived to the Argemela mountain.
Climbing over the mountains slopes, she met a little girl picking up marguerites. She was
wearing a hooded red cloak and conversely to the others, she wasn‟t there for the
Sampo. She was happy as she was.
Meanwhile fog and a strong wind were wrapping the mountain up; the ship was coming.
Gilitrutt was going to reach the place, when she bumped into three brothers, Doramas,
Fionn and Cu Chulainn.
When she heard the
last
name
she
immediately
remembered
what
the little tree had
told her.
Yet the ship was very
near when she saw a
little bird, still, lying
on the land not able
to fly. She couldn‟t
do anything for him,
so she carried on
walking
towards
l‟Olandese Volante.
Romolo, Remo, black
Peter,
Fionn,
Cu
Chulainn and Doramas
started
railing
against
her
to
revenge
all
the
catastrophes she had
caused. Getting on
the ship everyone
casted a challenging
glance to each other
and suddenly started
running.
The Sampo was kept in a casket, in the ship hold, and only the person who didn‟t hate
anyone could open it, said the captain Colapesce. It was easy for everyone to reach the
casket, but nobody could open it;
everyone was against each other.
Yet everyone had given up when they
saw, in a roof corner, a big and fury
spider trying to make his net. After the
seventh time it was able to it, thanks to
its friends help.
Everyone
understood
that
being
together they could be much stronger
and could collect the precious object.
All of them started putting one hand on
the casket, but when Cu Chulainn was
going to do it suddenly he was hit by a
lightning and transformed in dust.
It was now clear to everyone that
Gilitrutt wasn‟t wicked but she was only
a victim of the cruel Cu Chulainn.
The casket had been opened and they could get the Sampo.
. Suddenly, close to the lake, in the Garajonay park a big tree, a salmon darting in the
water, a little bird flying in the sky, a little goat with a ringing bell at her neck, the
fisherman and the little girl with hundreds of different kinds of flowers appeared. And
Gilitrutt???
Now she had become again the beautiful and pretty witch.
The End
The text is worked out by the students of class 2 Secondary school of Sant‟Angelo a Cupolo and the
illustrations are realized by the pupils of class 1 and 3 of Primary school of San Nicola Manfredi Institute “ Giancarlo Siani”.
THE CASTLE OF ZAROVIA - Italy, Cassino
In a time whose memory cannot be completely recalled, the island of Zarovia was born.
It sat on the surface of the sea, created by Mermaids as a roof for their underwater
village, who built columns underneath to prevent its fall. At the center of the territory
they built a castle to give men a wonderful place to inhabit. However, there was a
challenge to pass before anyone could live there, that only brave and virtuous men would
be able to complete: the men who were able to find the coat of arms made by the
Mermaids themselves would win the challenge and the right to live there. It was a very
important artifact for the Mermaids and it represented four meaningful symbols: a fishtail, a shell, a red coral and a rock. They used to keep it safe in a secret place, where no
man had ever managed to reach
Therefore, the castle remained uninhabited for many years, until finally some sailors
succeeded in finding the coat of arms - which had been hidden in a cave under the
surface of the sea - and they became the keepers of the Castle. They had found glory
with what they believed to be a useless piece of armour.
So they gave life to a peaceful and prosperous kingdom under the reign of the Ilyos
dynasty. Fortune and wealth assisted the kingdom up to the time when our tale starts.
It was the 5th of December of an unknown year lost in the past, when in the castle of
Zarovia extraordinary events were taking place. A week before, King Jonay and Queen
Gara had had twins, who had been called Romulus and Remus. So having received lots and
lots of gifts, they decided to have an extraordinary celebration. All the people of the
island were having a lot of fun at the castle, where great feasts and games had been
prepared; also, an amazing theatrical show had been organized, created by Dormouse the
Wise, an eccentric figure of the Castle. The celebration was supposed to last a whole
week and the 5th of December would have been the seventh and last performance of the
show. As usual, the auditorium was full of people; actors and actresses were rushing
backstage and Dormouse the Wise was on the verge of having a nervous breakdown. He
used to get really anxious before every play.
Meanwhile, the waitress Vilborg entered the dressing room hidden behind the scenes
distributing water and food (apple pies, salmon sandwiches, etc.) to the theatre players.
When she announced the sandwiches had been prepared with a very special kind of
salmon, the actor playing Romulus hurried to grab one before they disappeared, but at
that moment no one knew about the strange and powerful effects of this salmon which
could make people predict the future. Already chaos was reigning backstage.
Suddenly a bell rang and the director of the play shrieked and fainted. Everyone was so
used to his reaction that no one noticed his fall, in fact that was the sign the show was
about to begin. So the players got ready and the show started.
In their seats, all the people were staring at the stage, knowing perfectly well what they
were going to see, but trying to look excited and interested as if it were the first time.
They knew that Dormouse the Wise would never forgive them for snubbing his play. As
usual, the story began with the scene of a wolf raising two children (everyone tried
really hard not to burst into laughter when they saw two adults dressed up as little
children) and it continued with the same boring scenes. It was so boring that even the
serious doorkeeper Doramas was secretly playing a ball-game with his dog in the shadows
of the last row.
Everyone was half asleep, when something strange suddenly happened: it was the scene
in which Romulus had to choose the name of his city, but instead of pronouncing his usual
endless monologue, he was humming incomprehensible things.
The crow were whispering in surprise, when a loud scream broke the susurration: the
actor had fallen on his knees and he was screaming with his arms spread wide. He was
talking about curses, witches, magic; no one was able to follow his words. Luckily his
speech eventually slowed, so people were finally able to understand him. In an
unaffected voice, he was telling a story about the future, a time in which the two twins
would have become the keepers of the Castle. He was saying that they would bring the
kingdom of Zarovia down; he was revealing that a Witch as smart as a fox would
infiltrate herself into the Castle as Remus‟s wife and she would put a spell on him to take
over the Castle and become the only Monarch of the Island. She would use a magical
instrument, the Sampo, which would help her make everyone lazy and tired, so that they
wouldn‟t be able to react against her. She would also bring to life all the objects in the
Castle, in order to have a personal army at her disposal. Her name would be…
“CLELIA!” a sudden yell interrupted the telling of the story and all the people jumped to
their feet, shocked. A woman had got up and screamed, “Clelia is her name and it is in
fact my name, a name of greatness and power which will conquer this Castle!”
She burst into a high-pitched horrible laugh and disappeared in a grey fog. Everyone was
astonished, so King Jonay got to his feet to try to calm everybody. He told his people to
remain seated, that she was mad and ordered the show to go on, but the king himself
was upset by what had just happened and he didn‟t feel safe at all. Meanwhile Dormouse,
who had just woken up, appeared from backstage, pale as moonlight and visibly scared.
“Why aren‟t you all performing?” he groaned, and everyone understood that he had no
idea what had just happened.
Anyway, the play was the only thing that would calm the crowd, so the actor playing
Romulus - who had woken from his “trance”- resumed his monologue. It didn‟t take longer
however before the play was stopped again: the scary laugh of the Witch was back.
Everybody got up, shrieking, while the fog spread through the whole Castle, making
everything invisible.
“You are my prisoners, I am your Queen. Bow down and I will be merciful.” It was as if
the walls were able to talk, because the voice seemed to come from nowhere and
everywhere simultaneously.
“You won‟t hurt my people, you dumb Witch!” said the King.
Unexpectedly, his crown began to shine and its brightness cleared the foggy air so that
people could finally see the exit. He was as astonished as everyone else in the room,
because they had never known anything about the magical power of that Mermaid-made
crown: what incredible secrets the Sirens hide!
Anyway, because of King Jonay‟s bright crown (caused by his display of bravery), the
people managed to exit the Castle. They had expected to see sunlight streaming through
the air, as it had been exceptionally sunny for days, but a storm was waiting for them
instead. Gloom and desperation overtook them again as they saw the end of Martin‟s
Summer as a bad sign.
Meanwhile, on the tallest tower of the Castle a fire red figure – a Witch‟s figure - was
dancing in the foggy air, looking like a Demon among Hell‟s flames.
“You can do nothing against my power!” her voice was unnaturally loud. Even the
Mermaids had heard it having just emerged from underwater. Horrified and shocked
they were staring at the Witch, trying to understand what was going on.
“I‟ll be the only Queen of the Castle, there is no way for you to have power over me!” an
explosion of purple sparkles followed her words and the crowd screamed.
“I will protect my people until my dying day” yelled the King, drawing his scepter and
shaking it in the air. It got bright as the sun, but before he could throw a spell against
the Witch, Doramas approached the King.
“There is no point in fighting, my Lord! I know the power of that Witch and she will bring
you down no matter what you do to defend yourself. We need to run away.”
“Don‟t be silly, Doramas, we must stay here. This is our land and we will never leave it.”
But before anyone could reply, a loud bang! stopped the conversation and a high voice
echoed in the distance. A whole band of Witches arrived to help conquer the island.
“We have come! We have come!” many cackles followed these words and the crowd were
shocked to know that they came from the bay. Everyone turned towards the sea and a
purple boat appeared. At least twenty women were rushing to the Castle, with sadistic
grins covering their faces.
All of a sudden, they stretched their arms towards the crowd and a rain of spells
erupted from their hands. The screams of the people were substituted by expressions
of relief when no one was hit by a spell: just in time the Mermaids had thrown a
defensive spell to protect them.
“Doramas is right!” a voice whispered in the
King‟s ear. “You have to escape this place.
These Witches are too strong; our power
cannot fight them without destroying the
Castle,” said the Mermaids. “If you leave
we will protect you and find you a new
homeland. You have five minutes to get
your people on to your ship.”
With his eyes lost in the emptiness, King
Jonay‟s heart skipped a beat, but he had to
stay strong.
“Doramas, ask Bruce to help you take these
people to the ship, we‟re leaving” said the
King to his faithful servant, who smiled and
ran to accomplish his duty.
While the Witches were still fighting
against
the
Mermaids‟
shield-spell,
everyone else rushed to the ship which was
big enough to contain all the people of the
island. Queen Gara got on the boat first
with the two twins; everyone else followed.
The last passengers to get on were a fox and a spider who put themselves on the prow.
The ship set off, but soon another problem arose: a strong and howling wind erupted.
The ship couldn‟t go on and the wind threatened to rip the sails. They were stuck in the
harbour.
Time was slipping away and the Mermaids had nearly lost the fight. The King was in such
a state of shock that hope was about to desert him, when abruptly something happened.
A little girl dressed in a red cloak approached him and said she had a solution to the
problem, all they had to do was scream the name of the Wind to stop it.
The King‟s hope had by now nearly vanished. The suggestion of the girl was just insane.
“Trust me,” said the little girl. Then, turning in the direction of the wind she said, “I can
understand your howls, cursed Wind, and I know your name! Get away, Argemela! Get
away!”
As the word slipped from her mouth, the wind calmed and the ship was able to go on.
Everybody was now cheering, but soon a loud noise broke the joy. They turned
themselves towards the island and they saw the Castle disappearing into the sea. The
Mermaids had destroyed the columns that held the island above the sea surface and had
let the Castle die with the Witches, whose drowning screams could be heard.
The ship continued its escape towards the new unknown land, promised to the islanders
by the Mermaids. Let‟s hope for them and the people of Zarovia, because there is no
worse destiny than forever roaming the endless seas and oceans without ever finding a
safe harbour.
The End
The students of 3B and 4B of Liceo Linguistico have worked together to write “the story that includes all the stories”.
They first read all the stories, underlined the figures and the sets, and then spoke about how to write the new tale, counting
again and again the number of words!
In this way “The Castle of Zarovia” came to life.
A fantastic story, that sees good and bad people together, where everyday there is the fight between Good and Evil, and
where the hope of a “new land” and a new life never dies.
The Giant Forgotten Toys – Portugal
There once was a hunter named Doramas who lived in a village with his daughter,
Villborg, who was a 13-year-old girl. She was tall, beautiful and intelligent.
One day, Villborg had to move to her mother's house because her father was
killed by a wolf, while hunting wild
boar.
Villborg´s mother lived in the
city, but Villborg didn't like it there.
The day her father died she was sure
she had heard some moaning in the
forest. She thought the wailing had
been her father's and since that day
that moaning has haunted her.
When
she
reached
her
mother's house in Lisbon, her life changed completely. It was a big house with lots of
people (her mother, Maria, her grandmother, Olivia, her stepfather, João, and her
stepsister, Beauty, who was a very spoiled girl).
Beauty was one year older than Villborg and didn't want to be her friend. She was
sullen and unfriendly.
Villborg took time to adjust to school, until the day she met Gara, a very energetic
and fun girl in her class. From that day on Villborg began enjoying school.
The two girls became close friends. One day Villborg's mother sent her to the
market to fetch a salmon with Beauty. Villborg asked Gara to go with them.
The three girls went to the fishmonger's, where there was a salmon cart, to buy
the fish. But while Villborg was asking for the fish, Beauty tripped over the cart and it
started going at full speed down the road.
It was total chaos! Villborg, Gara, Beauty and the fishmonger started running
after the fish cart, which began throwing fish off into the road and onto people.
Then the girls saw a beggar with a red cape, catching all the fish he could and
they couldn't stop laughing.
The cart was going down the hill at full speed into the old part of town. Then it
finally stopped, by an old factory. By then Villborg was already far from the house.
By the time Beauty and Villborg got home it was very late, so their mother told
them off and as punishment ordered them to tidy up their grandmother's room.
Villborg's grandmother was an elderly lady, and a little strange, but Villborg really
liked her. Her room had a pile of things that were dear to her, things that Villborg and
Beauty were supposed to tidy up.
After they finished dinner the two girls started tidying the room.
After some time,
Beauty came across
a beautiful object.
It was a harp, with
fantastic
decorations, it
seemed to have come
from another world!
“It is so beautiful!”
she said.
As she started
playing it, Villborg
cried out.
“Are
Grandmother told us to touch her things as little as
you
crazy?
possible and you want to play it!”
But Beauty merely shrugged and continued playing the harp.
As she played Villborg thought she heard the same moaning that she had heard on
the day that her father died, but now it was at a greater intensity. Suddenly a very
strange atmosphere came over the room.
Then Villborg found a kind of a reed, with the same decorations, and as beautiful
as the harp. She was looking at it for some time until Beauty noticed what her stepsister
had found. Before Villborg could do anything, Beauty had already taken it from her and
started playing with it on the harp.
The moments that followed were indeed very strange. The room started to spin,
faster and faster. It felt like it was raising. The girls tried very hard to reach the door
but they stumbled over each other, until finally, the room stopped spinning.
When Villborg looked out of the window, she noticed that the feeling she had had
of going up had been real because she was in the clouds.
“Beauty, come here! Quickly!”
“I'm coming!”
“Whoa! Is it me or are we really in heaven?”
“I told you Beauty! I told you not to touch the harp! Look at what you
did!
How do we go back?”
“Ask Santa Claus over there!”
“Are you kidding me? Do you still have the nerve to joke with me about this!”
“I mean it! Look out the window! Doesn‟t that look like Santa?”
It was true. There was Santa. And behind him were two trolls who seemed to have
just got married! It was a ridiculous scene. Both girls got very excited and went to meet
him. As soon as he was close enough he greeted them.
“Good morning girls, welcome to the land of the Giant Forgotten Toys!”
“The land of what?” They both asked at the same time.
“The land of the Giant Forgotten Toys!” Then he looked at Villborg and
continued “You must be Olivia‟s granddaughter, right? She has the
harp,
it
makes sense…”
“I‟m sorry, but does my grandmother know about this? Can you please
explain what kind of place this is? I really don't understand a thing!” Villborg
cried.
“Me neither, I just played the harp! What is all of this!” said Beauty.
“Well, I‟m SinterKlaus, or Father Christmas as some call me. The land of the Giant
Forgotten Toys is a place that was created by people a
very, very long time ago. In the
beginning everyone lived together in harmony, but then some of the people drove out all
of those who were different and sent them here, to the land of the Giant Forgotten
Toys. They believed that we weren't supposed to live together because
of
our
differences.
As spirits are a part of our world, and not part of the other, people
there didn‟t
want to lose all of the ties to their late loved ones. They created a link between our
worlds. We weren‟t driven to extinction and the only people who can visit us here are the
ones who have transportation buttons to pass through into both worlds.
These buttons only belong to a few families and stay in those families
throughout generations.
People come here whenever they want to visit a late relative, whereas we, the
inhabitants of the land of the Giant Forgotten Toys, have to stay here, forgotten by
most, living only through legends and tales.”
“Who are these inhabitants?” asked Villborg.
“They are the characters of stories, legends, tales or superstitions
and ghosts.”
“Do you know my father? He died not a long time ago. His name is Doramas!”
Villborg was very happy. The one person she thought she would never see again,
the most important person of all was right there, she would be able to see her father
again.
“Your father was taken prisoner, because he tried to communicate
with you and
that is forbidden. He is being held at the Queen‟s Castle,” SinterKlaus said sadly.
Now everything started to make sense to Villborg. The moaning she had heard was
her father trying to communicate with her, but how could she reach him? How could she
find the Queen's castle?
“How can I go to him?” asked Villborg.
“You have to get past the giant spider and the vicious dog.”
“And then how will I be able to return home? I don‟t have the harp
anymore!”
“To return to your world you have to go to the Castle of the Broken
Column,”
Sinterklaus explained. “There you‟ll find a bell and a coin. When you ring the bell with
the coin, you‟ll return home.”
And thus their journey to the Queen‟s Castle started. Getting by the vicious dog
was very risky, Beauty almost broke her arm. They had to play music for him to fall
asleep, but at the exact moment that Beauty was passing by him, he woke up and she had
to jump over him and fell upon her arm.
The spider wasn‟t easy either. They had to create a distraction to be able to tear
her web apart.
When they finally reached the castle, they searched for Doramas‟ cell and found
him quickly. He and Villborg talked for a long time and it gave Villborg the courage she
needed. Seeing her father filled her with joy and enthusiasm and they decided to see
each other again soon.
They fled the place as fast as they could to avoid being captured and made their
way to the Castle of the Broken Column.
Saying farewell to the Land of the Giant Forgotten Toys was very emotional, but
as soon as Villborg rang the bell with the coin, the room started spinning again and they
were home.
Villborg and Beauty were now good friends. Villborg had seen her father and
discovered one of the best kept secrets in the world. She had loved this accidental
adventure they had had together.
Now
there
was
Grandmother
to
only
wonder
about, she just had to talk
with her to clear things up.
And
so
it
Villborg
happened.
found
everything
out
she
hadn't
understood about the land
of the Giant Forgotten
Toys
from
her
grandmother.
Only
Villborg,
Beauty and Grandmother
knew about it, it was their
secret
now.
And
so
it
remained until the day that Villborg‟s own daughter found out about the land of the
Giant Forgotten Toys and so the secret was passed from generation to generation.
The secret about this land of dreams, The Land of the Giant Forgotten Toys,
remains well-kept to this day.
It is only held in this, and some other rare families, across the world.
The End
By Bia Garpar, 7AX, Escola Básica de Silvares
Chirnsyde Primary’s Short Stories – Scotland
Here is the bird that never flew
Here is the tree that never grew
Here is the bell that never rang
Here is the fish that never swam
Coat of Arms ~ Kenzi Kelly
The Bird That Neves Flew – Kieran Davidson and Sean McConigley P6/5
Louhi ~ Kerry McDougall
Terrible Eagle - Amy McLaughlin
Once, a long time ago, there lived a powerful and stunning sorceress named Louhi.
Louhi sent a terrible eagle to kill the twins Romulus and Remus so that she could rule
over the whole city of Rome by herself.
Louhi arrived at the Palatine Hills with her terrible eagle and started a great battle.
Although they were badly injured Romulus and Remus managed to escape to an ancient
forest nearby.
The twins hid in a cold and wet cave, as they recovered from their wounds. One day,
they came out from the cave and saw little woodpecker chicks being fed by their mother,
high up in a walnut tree.
The next day Romulus and Remus went out from the cave again and saw the chicks trying
to fly. The chicks kept falling from the edge of the nest down on to the ground below.
Their mother would fly down to the ground, pick each chick up gently in her beak and fly
carefully back up to the nest.
Each day Romulus and Remus came out of the cave and watched the chicks trying to fly.
The woodpecker chicks failed time and time again, each time their mother would return,
flying with a baby chick in her beak, back up to the nest high up at the top of the walnut
tree. Until one day, the twins came out and the chicks were flying around happily from
branch to branch.
Romulus and Remus saw that the little woodpecker chicks, who had not been able to fly
had succeeded, that they had tried and tried, again and again, before they had
eventually been able to fly gracefully through the air like their mother.
The twins sat in their cave and thought hard about their own situation and the battle
they had lost against Louhi and the terrible eagle. They understood that, „If at first you
don‟t succeed, try, try again‟.
The twins went back and fought a great and terrible battle, but this time they
succeeded, they killed the monstrous eagle and sent Louhi far away, into exile, to the
cold northern regions of Iceland. They took back the city of Rome and ever since, the
woodpecker has been one of Rome‟s most important emblems.
By Kieran and Sean Primary 6/5
The Tree That Never Grew – Logan Bridges P6/5
A long time ago in the freezing northern land of Iceland there lived twin sisters, their
names were Louhi and Gilitrutt.
The two sisters were young witches apprenticed to their mother a kind and beautiful
white witch, whose name was Belle.
They lived with her until they turned twenty
one. Unfortunately they wanted to indulge in
dark magic. . They were tricked by demons
that they had tried to control but their spell
went wrong! The demons captured Louhi and
Gilitrutt and told them that if they wanted
their freedom they must smash the Magical
Climate Orb.
The Magic Orb brought salt and gold coins to
the people of Iceland but it also controlled the
weather. It brought the fresh rain down onto
the land to make the seeds grow and it brought
the gentle rays of the sun to help the young
plants grow into healthy stocks of corn
bursting with ripe seeds ready to be harvested
Iku Turso ~ Amy Martin
and sent to the mills to be ground into the flour that was used to make the bread, to fill
the mouths of the hungry people.
Louhi and Gilitrutt found the Magic Orb in its chamber and smashed it to smithereens.
The weather became chaotic, glaciers began to melt and the water started to flood the
land, killing the people and destroying the crops that gave them their bread.
Two young boys called Ari and Arni lived on a farm in Selfoss. They loved to play in the
fields and watch the crops grow on their father‟s farm. When they saw the ruined plants
rotting on the flooded land they went to their father Bjorn and spoke to him. He told
them to go to the mountain of Bardarbunga and to seek the help of Chu Chulain the wise
warrior.
The boys set off on their journey…
On the way to Mount Bardarbunga the boys had to cross the great lake Oskjuvatn. As
the boat approached the shore a great monstrous beast emerged from the depths of
the lake. It was Iku Turso. Its tentacles crashed onto the boat between Ari and Arni
missing them narrowly. The twins drew their blades and cut off the creatures tentacles.
Iku Turso bellowed in fury and then sank slowly down, back to the bottom of the lake.
Ari and Arni went ashore and made their
way up the mountain and stopped at a ridge
for their day meal. After they finished
their food they followed the dear trails up
to the top of Mount Bardarbunga.
They entered Chu Chulain‟s cave and told
him what had happened to the Magical
Climate Orb and how the people of Iceland
were beginning to die of hunger now that
their crops were rotting in the ground.
Chu Chulain used his magic powers to scry
for the Magic Orb and saw its remains lying
smashed on the floor of its chamber. He
told Ari and Arni that there was a magic
walnut tree in the hills of Latrabjarg and
The Magic Walnut Tree - Kenzi Kelly
that they would have to go there and pick the largest walnut from the tree and that this
walnut would become the new Magical Climate Orb.
The twins set off on their adventure stopping only for day meals and night meals. When
they reached the hills of Latrabjarg they saw a large boar was guarding the magic walnut
tree, it had been sent by Gillitrut and Louhi.
The twins confronted the boar and tried to make it see that they meant no harm but the
boar did not understand and charged at them.
They drew their blades and as the
boar came charging at them they
cut one of its tusks off. The boar
who was stunned by their bravery,
let Ari and Arni pluck the largest
walnut from the top of the tree.
The twins travelled back to Mount
Bardarbunga to Chu Chulain who
was expecting them.
The Boar Charges ~ Amy Martin
Chu Chulain placed the walnut back in the chamber where the Magical Orb had been
placed and as soon as the walnut was in position, it turned into the Magic Climate Orb
and the climate and weather was restored. The walnut had become the Magical Climate
Orb but would never grow into a tree.
The famines stopped because the rain was where it was needed and once again the sun
helped the crops to grow and Iceland was at peace again.
Ari and Arni returned to Selfoss where they were welcomed by their people. They kept
the boar‟s tusk and from that day on whenever the people of Iceland were in trouble,
they only had to rub the tusk and the boar would appear to help them.
Logan Bridges
The Bell That Never Ran – Kerry McDougall and Dani Thomson
The Beautiful Golden Bell - Jacques Thomson
A long time ago there once lived a man called Robert the Bruce.
He was a captain who sailed the Seven Seas, year after year
trading goods from Scotland backwards and forwards to India
and the Far East. He would set sail to India, to buy lots of
beautiful silks, magnificent carved statues, wonderful wooden
furniture, perfect Japanese porcelain dishes and fragrant spices
and teas.
Once when he was in India he bought a beautiful golden bell from the Maharajah of
Rajasthan. Every time Captain Robert‟s ship sailed past the Cape of Good Hope he would
ring the magnificent golden bell and shout,
„My name is Captain Robert the Bruce, I sail the Seven Seas,
The waves and the sharks of the oceans blue,
I conquer them all with ease.‟
Many years later, after a particularly successful trip to
Calcutta, Captain Robert the Bruce was on his was to the
Cape of Good Hope with his ship‟s hold full of wonderful
trading goods ready to sell them to the rich merchants in
Edinburgh.
As the ship approached The Cape of Good Hope the crew
became concerned. There were enormous dark, grey storm
clouds on the horizon. The crew shouted, “Captain STOP!!!
TURN BACK!!!”
Captain Robert shouted back, “NO! I can do this! I can fight
those waves! I am the best skipper on the Seven Seas!”
The crew pleaded with the captain to turn the ship back but
Captain Robert would not change his mind. And so the ship
sailed on… towards the stormy clouds, rapidly growing in the
skies above the Cape.
Captain Robert The Bruce - Kenzi Kelly
The crew would not mutiny. They were very scared. Captain Robert drank half a bottle
of whiskey and shouted at the waves,
„My name is Captain Robert the Bruce,
I sail the Seven Seas,
The waves and the sharks of the oceans blue
I conquer them all with ease.‟
An enormous wave crashed on to the main mast and broke it in two, the ship began to
sink. Captain Robert sang his song, drank his whisky and cursed the waves all the way
down to his watery grave. The golden bell from Rajasthan would never ring again and is
still lying at the bottom of the Indian Ocean.
To this day many sailors say that they have seen a ghostly ship sailing through the seas
with Captain Robert at the helm drinking and singing his song.
By Dani Thomson and Kerry McDougall
The Fish That Never Swam – Amy Martin and Nieve McKay
A long time ago in the
breathtaking land of Ireland,
there lived a salmon in the
beautiful and gleaming River
Boyne.
The salmon was very unhappy
laying at the bottom of the
river hoping that another fish
would come along and become
The Salmon - Amy McLauchlin
her friend.
The salmon had no friends because she couldn‟t swim until one day a river witch called
Gilitrutt came along and said,”I can sort your problem and find you some friends with
my magical Sampo if you will make me a pearl ring”.
The salmon agreed and the witch set off.
The salmon found a hook from a fishing rod in the
reeds of her house and bent it in to the shape of a
circle.
She then found a pearl in a fresh water mussel at
the bottom of the river, and fitted it on to the
circular hook to make a beautiful ring.
She gave the pearl ring to Gilitrutt who was so
happy with her ring she granted the salmon her
wish.
The salmon was delighted that Gilitrutt liked the
ring. She wasn‟t even thinking about her wish
UNTIL… a beautiful silver hook fell down in front
of her with a fat wriggling worm on it. The salmon
opened its mouth and bit hungrily on to the worm
and the hook and suddenly she was WHOOSHED
up and up into the air and caught by two girls
called Rhea Silvia and Little Red Riding Hood.
The poor salmon flopped about on the grass as Rhea Silvia and Little Red Riding Hood
Gilitrutt The River Witch - Amy Martin
watched alarmed at the salmon‟s distress. The girls thought the fish was too beautiful
to eat and they decided to release it back into the water.
Gilitrutt the River Witch saw her chance. She used the little salmon‟s wish to turn her in
to a lovely young girl. Rhea Silvia and Little Red Riding Hood were amazed at what had
happened, they decided to take the young girl home and to raise her as their daughter
and named her Belle.
Belle was delighted now that she had friends, but she was sad because she knew she
would never swim in the beautiful River Boyne again.
The End
By Nieve Mckay and Amy Martin
Sally in TALAOWLAND - Spain
Let your imagination fly!!!!
Once
there was a little city in the south of Italy, Benevento where two friends
called the Little Red Riding Hood and the princess Gara lived. These girls who were
attracted by the Flying Dutchman encountered in a private party in San Mungo. In this
party were Mr. Metsola and Sampo, who came from Finland. They were bored of the
party of Spain and they decided to go to France to see the Eiffel tower. Here they met
the beast who was trying to find the Little Red Riding Hood and Mr. Metsola and Sampo
helped him, because they didn‟t know what the beast wanted to do. They couldn't
find the Little Red Riding Hood, so they asked the old Gilitrutt where they could
find the Little Red Riding Hood. She said that if they wanted to know where to find her,
they must give Gilitrutt ''the salmon of knowledge''. She also said that they could
start their search in South Africa, asking for help to the Flying Dutchman. The old hag
Gilitrut had told them that they should start by looking for a wise old man who could
maybe tell them the way but before should find the only man who knew the whereabouts
of the old wise. The man was Bruce and the spider that lived on a small farm with his
family in the Westman Islands. When they spoke with the man, the man told them to
find a gold ring for the captain of the Flying Dutchman to take them to where he wanted
to go, after that they went in search of the ring. First they went towards Iceland to
see if it was the correct road they were to find this ring and in Iceland they spoke with
a jeweler friend of theirs. The jeweler friend said that the gold ring that they sought
for the captain of the Flying Dutchman was not there; if they wanted the gold ring they
must travel to Scotland and ask for Colapesce, as Colapesce could give them some clues
to find the ring. After a long and hard journey, they arrived in Scotland. They were
surprised because they found a beautiful city. A few hours after they arrived at the
house of Colapesce, a house on the top of the mountain where everything was very
green. Colapesce told them to find the ring he should tell a story that happened many
years ago. "Earlier, in the Canary Islands, lived a prince named Doramas. He was loved
and respected by his subjects. Also, in these islands, lived a monster boar named
Caledonio. Every month, Caledonio ate three village children. Doramas, sick of it,
confronted him. Doramas got beat, and locked the boar in a village called Valsequillo. But
the boar tore the finger where he had his prince‟s ring. If you want the ring, you must
go to Valsequillo and take it off the boar" said the jeweler. Doramas went to
Valsequillo and in the journey he met a beautiful lady who said that the boar was dead,
surprised kept going and ignored the lady. He was lost in the village and he asked a man
where he was, this man said that if he sought the boar, he was not going to find him
anywhere. Doramas was very hungry in his search of the ring and he wanted a very big
hamburger to eat, he went to the nearest Mc Donald‟s he could find, he ordered a
hamburger. While he was eating it, he noted a hard thing in his mouth, he thought that it
couldn‟t be a fishbone because the hamburger is made of beef, when he took this thing
out of his mouth…he could realize with no doubt that the thing was the ring that the
damn boar had. Then he could give the ring to Sampo and Metsola so that they could give
it to the Flying Dutchman in order to find the Salmon of the Knowledge and give it to
Gilittrut. Eventually, after a whole odyssey she told them where they could find Little
Red Riding Hood (Hallelujah!!!!). Gilitrutt yelled with a harsh voice:
“If you want to find Little Red Riding Hood‟s location, you have to follow the indication
of this old prophecy: As the sun crosses the Portuguese mountain where the tyranny of
the Roman Empire took place, you have to shout „She grizzles in the air‟ and the way will
be revealed”
So he didn't think twice and went to the Portuguese mountain where the tyranny of the
Roman Empire took place when the sun crossed the mountain, When he was in the
mountain he shouted the words of the old prophecy: „She grizzles in the air‟ and as if by
magic he could see reflected in the sky where was Little Red Riding Hood and to his
surprise discovered that ... Little Beetle wanted to tell them the legend of Mount
Argemela, but just when he started to talk, it began to rain very strongly and they
heard a very loud noise, they noticed that the mountain was collapsing. They ran as fast
as they could, but when they were descending the mountain, a lightning fell on Little Red
Riding Hood.
She had been there all the time, following everyone because she wanted them to show
her how much they took care of her. But because she didn't want to be alone, a good
friend of hers, Little Beetle came with her and told her a really wonderful story. The
lightning that fell on Little Red Riding Hood
made her different, she died.
Everybody started to cry and so Little Beetle
couldn't tell the story. But something special
happened,
Sinterklaas
appeared
to
comfort them. Sinterklaas gave them a lot of
money, but they didn't want money, they loved
Little Red Riding Hood and they wanted her
living. Sinterklaas did a treatment with them,
because he was a wizard. He said if Little Red
Riding Hood gave him her red hood he could
take back her life. They gave the hood and Little Red Riding Hood came alive again but
she had to change her name. After the name of Red Riding Hood was changed, all of
them caught a plane to the Mount Argemela because Little Red Riding Hood really
wanted to tell them the amusing story. So, when they arrived, they sat in front of the
mountain and Little Red Riding Hood began to tell them the story ... until they were
interrupted by a noise. In the distance they saw a person‟s shadow. They didn‟t know who
he or she was. The person came nearer and they realized that ... It was a very important
person, they were very happy to see that this person was Colapesce. He was very sad
because he didn't know where his fishing rod was. He was looking for help to find his
fishing rod because it was a very important memory for him. He asked if they could help
him because he was alone and he promised that. They went to the lake to look for the
fishing rod, and then they found that a small wolf had the fishing rod in his mouth using
it to play. They were really scared because it could bite them and hurt them.
They approached slowly to the
wolf and then the wolf saw them
and he began to cry, he told
them he had lost his family, he
was alone in his life, and he was
hungry and only they would
recover their fishing rod if they
helped to find his family, they
accepted it, without knowing it
was a trap... So, the wolf was
very bad and only wanted to eat
it, the wolf prepared a delicious
dinner, but Sinterklass was very
smart and guessed that the wolf wanted to kill him and the others or put them fatter
so this way he had more food, so Sinterklass planned an important plan where he killed
the wolf with other boy but he would kill it in a different way, because he didn't use
poison or a gun, he killed it with a knife when the wolf was on his way to look for
Sinterklass. Here, they planned the death of the wolf. They climbed up a tree and when
the wolf appeared, they jumped on and Sinterklass killed the wolf. Then, when they
killed the wolf, it began to smell very badly, so badly that the smell reached everywhere.
Sinterklass was thinking how to bury the wolf so that it smelled no more, and he buried
him on the beach, but Sinterklass didn't realize that and when she looked, the wolf had
taken the tide. Since this day Sinterklass slept on the beach until the wolf appeared.
Three days after Sinterklass felt a very strange smell and suddenly turned around and
found the wolf lying on the sand realizing that it was the wolf that smelled so badly.
Sinterklaas tied him to a Palm tree and he began to think what to do to eliminate the
smell. To bury the wolf seemed a bad idea, because it was so much effort for only him so
he decided to carry the wolf to the Aloha Mountain. There, was a cave where formerly a
strange ghost was locked. So they went to the cave to meet its goal. Arriving there
they sought a large hole, but in the bottom of the cave. It was very big and could fit a
football field and a half. Going out, they heard a noise; it was a ghost, the ghost
Alohomora. Seeing him running, they went out, could hardly breathe. But when they came
down, they rested and thought now was the right time to start looking for another place
to meet to the Wolf before it woke up and it ate everyone, so they were thinking for
around an hour when suddenly they heard in the distance the water that was falling from
a waterfall and they decided to throw it away, so they would lose that terrible smell. At
that time they knew it was the last time they would see the wolf, and could be quiet
without him but when he decided to throw it to the waterfall, Sinterklass felt remorse.
Sinterklass was very good person to do that, could not, did not like doing evil to others,
so decided to quickly search another place to give up the wolf before the night could
fall and they could not see. Sinterklass thought to leave the body of the wolf at the
edge of the waterfall and go from that place as soon as the wolf smelled worse. While
they were running moving away from the waterfall, Sinterklaas thought what would
happen now with the wolf. He stopped a moment, but he continued running. All of a
sudden, it started to dark, He, with fear, did not know what to do. At the same time
something caught his attention. He saw a big eagle flying around him. He whistled and
the eagle came to him, he was stepped on the eagle and they flew away. Suddenly the
eagle went down and killed the wolf. It started raining meteorites and they killed the
entire planet except them two.
“Hey Sally, it is too late” said Sally‟s mom. “You should wake up or your teacher will call
me again”… Then Sally got up and said: “Oh my god, all these legends are driving me
crazy, I can believe this dream, it was pretty fancy and odd, I‟ll write it and show it to
my class”
The End
Credits:
This final legend has been created by all the students involved in the project, namely:
Raquel Arocha, Fabio Botejara, Marc Figueras, Daniel Galván, Diandra Gil, Teresa Gubern, Ruymán Mendoza,
Anabell Muñoz, Belén Ramírez, Estefanía Rodríguez, Daniel Santana, Pablo Suárez, Amed Tarragó, Evelin
Acosta, Francisco Bolaños, Melinda Bolaños, Marina Cárdenes, Esther Grimón, Belén Martel, Miguel Melián,
Sara Monzón, Pino Perdomo, Yamila Reyes, María Robaina, Belinda Robaina, Naomi Rodríguez, Sira Santana,
Gisela Santana, Andrea Sarmiento, Miriam Suárez, Andrea Toscano and Lorena Vega.
Illustrations by: Andrea Toscano, Sara Monzõn and Milagres Cordero