A little steam engine had a long train of cars to pull.

She went along very well till she came to a steep hill. But then, no matter how hard she tried, she could not move the long train of cars.

She pulled and she pulled. She puffed and she puffed. She backed and started off again. Choo! Choo!

But no! the cars would not go up the hill.

At last she left the train and started up the track alone. Do you think she had stopped working? No, indeed! She was going for help.

"Surely I can find someone to help me," she thought.

Over the hill and up the track went the little steam engine. Choo, choo! Choo, choo! Choo, choo! Choo!

Pretty soon she saw a big steam engine standing on a side track. He looked very big and strong. Running alongside, she looked up and said:

"Will you help me over the hill with my train of cars? It is so long and heavy I can't get it over."

The big steam engine looked down at the little steam engine. Then he said:

"Don't you see that I am through my day's work? I have been rubbed and scoured ready for my next run. No, I cannot help you,"

The little steam engine was sorry, but she went on, Choo, choo! Choo, choo! Choo, choo! Choo, choo!

Soon she came to a second big steam engine standing on a side track. He was puffing and puffing, as if he were tired.

"That big steam engine may help me," thought the little steam engine. She ran alongside and asked:

"Will you help me bring my train of cars over the hill? It is so long and so heavy that I can't get it over."

The second big steam engine answered:

"I have just come in from a long, long run. Don't you see how tired I am? Can't you get some other engine to help you this time?

"I'll try," said the little steam engine, and off she went. Choo, choo! Choo, choo! Choo, choo!

After a while she came to a little steam engine just like herself. She ran alongside and said:

"Will you help me over the hill with my train of cars? It is so long and so heavy that I can't get it over."

"Yes, indeed!" said this little steam engine. "I'll be glad to help you, if I can."

So the little steam engines started back to where the train of cars had been standing. Both little steam engines went to the head of the train, one behind the other.

Puff, puff! Chug, choo! Off they started!

Slowly the cars began to move. Slowly they climbed the steep hill. As they climbed, each little steam engine began to sing:

"I-think-I-can! I-think-I-can! I-think-I-can! I-think-I-can! I-think-I-can! I-think-I-can! I think I can - I think I can - I think I can I think I can--"

And they did! Very soon they were over the hill and going down the other side.

Now they were on the plain again; and the little steam en

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Once there was a miller who was poor, but who had a beautiful daughter. He had to  speak to the king, and in order to make himself appear important he said , I have a daughter who can spin straw into gold. The king said , that is an art which pleases me well, if your daughter is as clever as you say, bring her to my palace, and I will put her to the test.

 When the girl was brought to him he took her into a room which was quite full of straw, gave her a spinning-wheel and a reel, and said, now set to work, and if by to-morrow morning early you have not spun this straw into gold during the night, you must die. Thereupon he himself locked  the room, and left her in it alone. So there sat the poor miller's daughter, and for the life of her could not tell what to do, she had no idea how straw could be spun into gold, and she grew more and more frightened, until at last she began to cry.

 All at once the door opened, and in came a little man, and said, good evening, mistress, why are you crying. Alas, answered the girl, I have to spin straw into gold, and I do not know how to do it. What will you give me, said the manikin, if I do it for you. My necklace, said the girl. The little man took the necklace, seated himself in front of the wheel, and whirr, whirr, whirr, three turns, and the reel was full, then he put another on, and whirr, whirr, whirr, three times round, and the second was full too. And so it went on until the morning, when all the straw was spun, and all the reels were full of gold.

By daybreak the king was there, and when he saw the gold he was astonished and delighted, but his heart became more greedy. He had the miller's daughter taken into another room full of straw, which was much larger, and commanded her to spin that also in one night if she valued her life. The girl knew not how to help herself, and was crying, when the door opened again, and the little man appeared, and said, what will you give me if I spin that straw into gold for you. The ring on my finger, answered the girl. The little man took the ring, again began to turn the wheel, and by morning had spun all the straw into glittering gold.

The king rejoiced beyond measure at the sight, but still he had not gold enough, and he had the miller's daughter taken into a still larger room full of straw, and said, you must spin this, too, in the course of this night, but if you succeed, you shall be my wife.

When the girl was alone the manikin came again for the third time, and said, what will you give me if I spin the straw for you this time also. I have nothing left that I could give, answered the girl. Then promise me, if you should become queen, to give me your first child. Who knows whether that will ever happen, thought the miller's daughter, and, not knowing how else to help herself in this strait, she promised the manikin what he wanted, and for that he once more spun the straw into gold.

And when the king came in the morning, and found all as he had wished, he took her in marriage, and the pretty miller's daughter became queen.

A year later, she brought a beautiful child into the world, and she never gave a thought to the manikin. But suddenly he came into her room, and said, now give me what you promised.

The queen was horror struck, and offered the manikin all the riches of the kingdom if he would leave her the child. But the manikin said, no, something alive is dearer to me than all the treasures in the world. Then the queen began to lament and cry, so that the manikin pitied her. I will give you three days, said he, if by that time you find out my name, then shall you keep your child.

So the queen thought the whole night of all the names that she had ever heard, and she sent a messenger over the country to inquire, far and wide, for any other names that there might be. When the manikin came the next day, she began with caspar, melchior, balthazar, and said all the names she knew, one after another, but to every one the little man said, that is not my name. On the second day she had inquiries made in the neighborhood as to the names of the people there, and she repeated to the manikin the most uncommon and curious. Perhaps your name is shortribs, or sheepshanks, or laceleg, but he always answered, that is not my name.

On the third day the messenger came back again, and said, I have not been able to find a single new name, but as I came to a high mountain at the end of the forest, where the fox and the hare bid each other good night, there I saw a little house, and before the house a fire was burning, and round about the fire quite a ridiculous little man was jumping, he hopped upon one leg, and shouted - to-day I bake, tomorrow brew, the next I'll have the young queen's child. Ha, glad am I that no one knew that Rumpelstiltskin I am named.

You may imagine how glad the queen was when she heard the name. And when soon afterwards the little man came in, and asked, now, mistress queen, what is my name, at first she said, is your name Conrad? No. Is your name Harry? No. Perhaps your name is Rumpelstiltskin?

The devil has told you that! The devil has told you that, cried the little man, and in his anger he plunged his right foot so deep into the earth that his whole leg went in, and then in rage he pulled at his left leg so hard with both hands that he tore himself in two.

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Sleeping Beauty

Grimm's Fairy Tale

Long ago , as the Queen was bathing in a spring and dreaming of a child, a frog crept out of the water and said to her.  Before a year has passed you shall bring a daughter into the world."
  

And since frogs are such magical creatures, it was no surprise that before a year had passed the Queen had a baby girl.  The child was  beautiful and sweet and the King  prepared a great feast and invited all his friends  and  the fairies, in order that they might be kind and good to the child.  There were thirteen in his kingdom, but only twelve golden plates for them to eat from, one of the fairies had to be left out. 

An amazing feast was held and when it came to an end, each of the fairies presented the child with a magic gift.  One fairy gave her virtue, another beauty, a third riches and so on.

When eleven of the fairies had presented their gifts, the thirteenth appeared.She was angry and wanted to show her spite for not having been invited to the feast. She called out in a loud voice,

"When she is fifteen years old, the Princess shall prick herself with a spindle and fall down dead!"

Then without another word, she turned and left.

The guests were horrified, but the twelfth fairy, whose wish was still not spoken stepped forward.  Her magic could not remove the curse, but she could soften so she said,

"No, your daughter shall not die, but instead fall into a deep sleep that will last one hundred years."

Over the years, the promises of the fairies came true.  The Princess grew to be beautiful, modest, kind and clever.

On the morning of her fifteenth birthday, the Princess awoke early -- excited to be another year older.    She wandered about the whole place, looking at rooms and halls as she pleased and at last she came to an old tower.  She climbed the narrow, winding staircase and reached a little door.  A rusty key was sticking in the lock and when she turned it, the door flew open.

In a little room sat an old woman with a spindle, busily spinning her flax.  The old woman was so deaf that she had never heard the King's command that all spindles should be destroyed.

"Good morning, Granny," said the Princess, "what are you doing?"

"I am spinning," said the old woman.

"What is the thing that whirls round so merrily?" asked the Princess and she took the spindle and tried to spin too.

But she had scarcely touched the spindle when it pricked her finger.  At that moment she fell upon the bed which was standing near and lay still in a deep sleep.

The King, Queen and servants had all started their morning routines and right in the midst of them fell asleep too.  The horses fell asleep in the stable, the dogs in the yard, the doves on the roof and the flies on the wall.  Even the fire in the hearth grew still and went to sleep.  The kitchen maid, who sat with a chicken before her, ready to pluck its feathers, fell asleep.  

Round the castle a hedge of roses began to grow up.  Every year it grew higher until at last nothing could be seen of the sleeping castle.

There was a legend in the land about the lovely Sleeping Beauty, and from time to time Princes came and tried to force their way through the hedge into the castle.  But  found it impossible for the thorns, as though they were alive, grabbed at them and would not let them through.

After many years a Prince came again to the country and the tale of the castle behind the hedge and the beautiful Princess who had slept within.  He heard that many Princes had tried to make it through the hedge but none had succeeded.

Now the hundred years were just ended.  When the Prince approached the hedge it was covered with beautiful large roses.  The shrubs made way for him of their own accord and let him pass unharmed.

In the courtyard, the Prince saw the horses and dogs lying asleep.  On the roof sat the sleeping doves with their heads tucked under their wings.  When he went into the house, the flies were asleep on the walls and the servants asleep in the halls.  Near the throne lay the King and Queen, sleeping peacefully beside each other.  In the kitchen the cook, the kitchen boy and the kitchen maid all slept with their heads resting on the table.

The Prince went on farther.  All was so still that he could hear his own breathing.  At last he reached the tower and opened the door into the little room where the Princess was asleep.  There she lay, looking so beautiful that he could not take his eyes off her.  He bent down and gave her a kiss.  As he touched her, Sleeping Beauty opened her eyes and smiled up at him.

Throughout the castle, everyone and everything woke up and looked at each other with astonished eyes.  Within the month, the Prince and Sleeping Beauty were married and lived happily all their lives.   

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Brothers Grimm

Little Red Riding Hood

Once upon a time there was a dear little girl who was loved by everyone who looked at her, but most of all by her grandmother, and there was nothing that she would not have given to the child. Once she gave her a little riding hood of red velvet, which suited her so well that she would never wear anything else; so she was always called 'Little Red Riding Hood.'
     One day her mother said to her: 'Come, Little Red Riding Hood, here is a piece of cake and a bottle of wine; take them to your grandmother, she is ill and weak, and they will do her good. Set out before it gets hot, and when you are going, walk nicely and quietly and do not run off the path, or you may fall and break the bottle, and then your grandmother will get nothing; and when you go into her room, don't forget to say, "Good morning", and don't peep into every corner before you do it.'
     'I will take great care,' said Little Red Riding Hood to her mother, and gave her hand on it.
     The grandmother lived out in the wood, half a league from the village, and just as Little Red Riding Hood entered the wood, a wolf met her. Red Riding Hood did not know what a wicked creature he was, and was not at all afraid of him.
     'Good day, Little Red Riding Hood,' said he.
     'Thank you kindly, wolf.'
     'Whither away so early, Little Red Riding Hood?'
     'To my grandmother's.'
     'What have you got in your apron?'
     'Cake and wine; yesterday was baking-day, so poor sick grandmother is to have something good, to make her stronger.'
     'Where does your grandmother live, Little Red Riding Hood?'
     'A good quarter of a league farther on in the wood; her house stands under the three large oak-trees, the nut-trees are just below; you surely must know it,' replied Little Red Riding Hood.
     The wolf thought to himself: 'What a tender young creature! what a nice plump mouthful - she will be better to eat than the old woman. I must act craftily, so as to catch both.'
     So he walked for a short time by the side of Little Red Riding Hood, and then he said: 'See, Little Red Riding Hood, how pretty the flowers are about here - why do you not look round? I believe, too, that you do not hear how sweetly the little birds are singing; you walk gravely along as if you were going to school, while everything else out here in the wood is merry.'
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/>     Little Red Riding Hood raised her eyes, and when she saw the sunbeams dancing here and there through the trees, and pretty flowers growing everywhere, she thought: 'Suppose I take grandmother a fresh nosegay; that would please her too. It is so early in the day that I shall still get there in good time.'
     So she ran from the path into the wood to look for flowers. And whenever she had picked one, she fancied that she saw a still prettier one farther on, and ran after it, and so got deeper and deeper into the wood.
     Meanwhile the wolf ran straight to the grandmother's house and knocked at the door.
     'Who is there?'
     'Little Red Riding Hood,' replied the wolf. 'She is bringing cake and wine; open the door.'
     'Lift the latch,' called out the grandmother, 'I am too weak, and cannot get up.'
     The wolf lifted the latch, the door sprang open, and without saying a word he went straight to the grandmother's bed, and devoured her. Then he put on her clothes, dressed himself in her cap, laid himself in bed and drew the curtains.
     Little Red Riding Hood, however, had been running about picking flowers, and when she had gathered so many that she could carry no more, she remembered her grandmother, and set out on the way to her.
     She was surprised to find the cottage-door standing open, and when she went into the room, she had such a strange feeling that she said to herself: 'Oh dear! how uneasy I feel today, and at other times I like being with grandmother so much.' She called out: 'Good morning,' but received no answer; so she went to the bed and drew back the curtains. There lay her grandmother with her cap pulled far over her face, and looking very strange.
     'Oh! grandmother,' she said, 'what big ears you have!'
     'All the better to hear you with, my child,' was the reply.
     'But, grandmother, what big eyes you have!' she said.
     'All the better to see you with, my dear.'
     'But, grandmother, what large hands you have!'
     'All the better to hug you with.'
     'Oh! but, grandmother, what a terrible big mouth you have!'
     'All the better to eat you with!'
     And scarcely had the wolf said this, than with one bound he was out of bed and swallowed up Red Riding Hood.
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/>     When the wolf had appeased his appetite, he lay down again in the bed, fell asleep and began to snore very loud.
     The huntsman was just passing the house, and thought to himself: 'How the old woman is snoring! I must just see if she wants anything.' So he went into the room, and when he came to the bed, he saw that the wolf was lying in it.
     'Do I find you here, you old sinner!' said he. 'I have long sought you!' But just as he was going to fire at him, it occurred to him that the wolf might have devoured the grandmother, and that she might still be saved, so he did not fire, but took a pair of scissors, and began to cut open the stomach of the sleeping wolf.
     When he had made two snips, he saw the little red riding hood shining, and then he made two snips more, and the little girl sprang out, crying: 'Ah, how frightened I have been! How dark it was inside the wolf.'
     After that the aged grandmother came out alive also, but scarcely able to breathe. Red Riding Hood, however, quickly fetched great stones with which they filled the wolf's belly, and when he awoke, he wanted to run away, but the stones were so heavy that he collapsed at once, and fell dead.
     Then all three were delighted. The huntsman drew off the wolf's skin and went home with it; the grandmother ate the cake and drank the wine which Red Riding Hood had brought, and revived. But Red Riding Hood thought to herself: 'As long as I live, I will never leave the path by myself to run into the wood, when my mother has forbidden me to do so.'
    
It is also related that once, when Red Riding Hood was again taking cakes to the old grandmother, another wolf spoke to her, and tried to entice her from the path. Red Riding Hood, however, was on her guard, and went straight forward on her way, and told her grandmother that she had met the wolf, and that he had said 'good morning' to her, but with such a wicked look in his eyes, that if they had not been on the public road she was certain he would have eaten her up.
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/>     'Well,' said the grandmother, 'we will shut the door, so that he can not come in.'
     Soon afterwards the wolf knocked, and cried: 'Open the door, grandmother, I am Little Red Riding Hood, and am bringing you some cakes.'
     But they did not speak, or open the door, so the grey-beard stole twice or thrice round the house, and at last jumped on the roof, intending to wait until Red Riding Hood went home in the evening, and then to steal after her and devour her in the darkness. But the grandmother saw what was in his thoughts.
     In front of the house was a great stone trough, so she said to the child: 'Take the pail, Red Riding Hood; I made some sausages yesterday, so carry the water in which I boiled them to the trough.'
     Red Riding Hood carried until the great trough was quite full. Then the smell of the sausages reached the wolf, and he sniffed and peeped down, and at last stretched out his neck so far that he could no longer keep his footing and began to slip, and slipped down from the roof straight into the great trough, and was drowned. But Red Riding Hood went joyously home, and no one ever did anything to harm her again.

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Hansel and Gretel: The True Story
by Myron D. Sanders

Once upon a time, in a village in Switzerland lived a teenager, Hansel, and his twin sister, Gretel. On their 14th birthday, their mother sent them out into the woods while she prepared a surprise party for them. As it turned out, the mother was the one who ended up with a big surprise.

While they were wandering out in the woods, Hansel and Gretel got lost. Eventually, they came upon a house made of Gingerbread. After walking about all morning they were hungry so they started eating on the house. Now, the house belonged to a wicked witch, named Helga, who ate children. When she heard the sound of the children eating on her house, she came out and grabbed them.

After looking over the two, she decided that Gretel would make the best meal, so Helga locked Gretel in a cage hanging from the ceiling. Then she forced Hansel to help her prepare vast amounts of cakes, cookies, pies, and other sweets for Gretel to fatten her up.

Now Gretel, who was already a little bit overweight, was glad happy to eat all the sweets she could hold. After the first six-months she had gained 100 pounds and was starting to develop into womanhood. Her breasts were fully developed, and with the extra weight they were soft and round, like her belly. Hansel was amazed at how full and round his sister had become. By the time of their 15th birthday, Gretel had gained another 125 pounds; she now was at a sexy 360 pounds. Her measurements were 50-45-60. A luscious pear-shaped babe that would drive any FA mad. However, the witch was starting to feel that it was time to eat Gretel.

Like most witches, Helga only had one eye, and she couldn’t see too well out of it anyway, so she had to use a seeing glass. Scared that the witch would make true of her threat, Hansel stole her seeing glass while Helga was asleep, and broke it. Without her seeing glass, Helga had to test Gretel’s weight gain now by feeling her forefinger, and checking the amount of fat on it.

So, when the time came for Gretel to be checked, she stuck out a chicken bone, from the previous night’s dinner. Thinking the bone was Gretel’s finger, Helga screeched out, "She’s nothing but skin and bones! We must bake twice as much now… she must be fattened up more!"

With Hansel and Helga crazily baking sweets and other fattening goodies, Gretel was gaining weight like crazy. And all the while she was getting more and more beautiful. On their 16th birthday, Gretel tipped the scales at a whopping 700 pounds! The cage she was locked in kept getting more cramped each day, finally six months later, when Gretel had reached 1,000 pounds, the cage could no longer hold her and it burst open. Gretel’s massive folds of fat came spilling out, like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon. The noise of the bursting cage woke the witch, when she came running into the room; a soft, fleshy wall of fat stopped her, which was Gretel’s belly. Once she realized what it was, the witch was in an outrage. She had Hansel fire up the enormous oven she had in the cellar. Then Helga made Gretel go down to the cellar and wait. Later the witch returned with her magic book and started to cast a spell that would make the enormous Gretel light as a feather, so she could easily shove Gretel into the oven. After finding the spell, the witch attempted to roast Gretel alive. However, because Gretel was so massive, she would not fit into the oven. The witch tried as hard as she could, but Gretel wouldn’t fit. While the witch was busy trying to shove Gretel in the oven, Hansel took the witch’s book and removed the spell. At once Gretel fell down and crushed the witch.

With the witch dead, the two left the witch's house to return home. Only after Gretel finished eating the house. Now, at age 17, the two returned home. Both were grown up now, Hansel was still at his same weight before entering the witch’s house. On the other hand Gretel had gained over 975, and was at an impressive 1110 pounds.

Gretel continued to gain, but not as fast as she did before. When she turn 25, she was at 1500 pounds. She met a rich prince from Turkey who treasured her for her massive size and married her. Gretel went to live at his palace and was worshiped like a goddess. Before she died at the age of 76, Gretel reached her top weight of 5,003 pounds.

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