Fairy Tales for Fun and Wisdom - страница 11

The villagers pleaded with Ling, “What can you do against such power?”

Ling replied, “I will not let greed destroy hope.”

When the warlord’s army arrived, Ling flew into the sky, his golden scales blinding the soldiers. He roared, shaking the mountains, and created a storm that drove the army away.

The warlord fled, and the villagers gathered around the plum tree, which now bloomed brighter than ever. They whispered, “Hope grows strongest when it’s protected by courage.”

Moral:

Courage protects what is most precious.

Notes:

– Warlord – a military leader who rules by force (военачальник).

– Blinding – so bright it’s hard to see (ослепительный).

– Scales – the small, hard plates covering a dragon or fish (чешуя).

– Greed – wanting too much, especially of something valuable (жадность).

Far above the Arctic Circle, where the nights last for months, lived a snowy owl named Salla. Her voice was deep and beautiful, but she rarely sang.

One long winter, the polar bears grew restless, the seals hid under the ice, and even the foxes stopped playing. The silence weighed heavily on the land.

Salla perched on a high rock and thought, What can I do to bring life back to this frozen world?

She opened her beak and sang. Her voice echoed over the icy plains, reaching every creature. The bears stopped pacing, the seals surfaced to listen, and the foxes came out to dance.

The animals gathered under Salla’s perch, their hearts warmed by her song.

From that day, whenever the Arctic grew too quiet, the creatures would say, “Sing for us, Salla. Remind us that even in the darkest winters, beauty can be found.”

Moral:

In the darkest times, beauty brings hope.

Notes:

– Perched – sat or rested on something high (сидела на высоте).

– Restless – unable to stay still or calm (беспокойный).

– Echoed – repeated a sound as it bounced back (эхо разнеслось).

– Surfaced – came to the top of the water (всплыли).

In a small Bavarian village, there lived a clockmaker named Otto. He was famous for his beautiful cuckoo clocks, each one a masterpiece. But one day, the largest clock in the town square broke. Its hands stopped moving, and the cuckoo refused to sing.