Scopri, impara e cresci

Tom Thumb

Once upon a time a poor woodman lived in a house hard by the wood, together with his wife and his seven children.
The youngest, who was called Tom Thumb, was the smartest and the brightest of all the children.
One sad day a bad Famine spread all over the country, and the family of the woodman didn’t have anything left to eat. One evening, the poor man, desperate, lamented with his wife about their misery. They decided then, to take their children into the thick wood in order to abandon them, hoping in some good-hearted merciful soul. Tom Thumb, anyway, heard everything; he waited until his parents were asleep, he went out, he reached the nearest stream and he picked up a handful of pebbles. Then he went back home.
The next day, the whole family went into the thick wood. Tom Thumb, left behind, dropped on the ground all the pebbles one by one…
The parents left their children, and with an excuse they went away. The night came and the children all alone and scared, started to cry. Therefore Tom Thumb said: “Be happy, my brothers, follow me!”
Under the light of the moon, the pebbles were shining and the brothers could find their way back home. The woodman and his wife, repented, were happy to see again their children and, for a few days, they drew forth with that little amount of bread that was left. But, shortly after, the hunger came back and the woodman decided to bring again his children into the wood.
Tom Thumb, listening again the projects of his father, waited for the night to come in order to get out, but he found the door bolted and therefore the only thing he could do was to put in his pocket a piece of stale bread…
The next morning, the whole family set off for the wood and Tom Thumb crumbled his bread along the whole path.  
Once again the children were abandoned and, once again, the night came.
Tom Thumb reassured his brothers but when he looked for the trail made of crumbs, he couldn’t find it anymore: the little birds had beaked them all.
They were all panic-stricken, but Tom Thumb, thanks to his courage, climbed to the top of the tree and he immediately shouted exultant: “There is a light! And is not far away!” After a long walk the seven brothers reached a house and they knocked on the doorway. A woman came out and, seeing them, she exclaimed: “Alas, my poor little dears!” she said; “you do not know the place you have come to! Have you not heard that this is the house of an Ogre who eats little children?” But the children were so hungry and so tired that they begged the woman to let them go in. The woman gave them something to eat, but then…the Ogre arrived.
The children just had the time to hide themselves under the kitchen cabinet. Entering the kitchen the ogre shouted “I smell fresh flesh” and without hesitating with his big hand he pulled out the trembling children. “Hmmm, this is a tasty delicacy” he exclaimed.
“ You are too skinny for my taste, but I will fatten you to a turn!”
So the kind woman took the children into the room where the daughters of the Ogre were already sleeping, seven little ogres with seven little crowns on their heads. The brothers were placed in the near bed, but before falling asleep, Tom Thumb replaced his nightcap and the ones of his brothers with the little crowns of the little ogres.
Thank Goodness! In the middle of the night, the Ogre woke up repented and thought: “It’s better to get it over now with these little fellows!” he seized his knife and he groped his way up to his daughters’ room, and approached the bed in which were the seven little boys. In the dark he found seven heads but he felt the golden crowns and thought: “Shame on me! I was going to gun down my little daughters.” Forthwith he went to the bed where his daughters were, and here he felt the little boys’ caps and…crack, with one stroke he cut the throats of his seven daughters, sure that they were the little brothers. Then he went back to bed beside his wife.
When Tom Thumb heard him snoring, he woke up his brothers. The children ran away in haste and terror, running as hares. The next morning, when the ogre realized what he had done by mistake, he went berserk. Then he wore his seven-league boots and he set off over the countryside looking for the children.
They were not more than a few yards from their home when they noticed the Ogre arriving. Little Tom Thumb didn’t lose his heart; he hid his brothers in a cave and then, when the Ogre exhausted laid down to rest on the very rock beneath which the little boys were hiding, Tom Thumb let him fall asleep. While the Ogre was snoring, Little Tom Thumb stole the magic boots and he put them on.
He told his brothers to flee at once to their home while the ogre was still sleeping soundly, and not to worry about him. He set off in order to make his fortune. Soon, having worked for mighty kings, he became very rich and decided to go back home. He was so loaded with coins and jewels that the family of the woodman since that day lived happily ever after.