FABLES

FABLES A fictitious story about an animal or an inanimate object which behaves like humsn being and has one dominant trait.

The Turtle Who Couldn't Stop Talking

Long, long ago, a turtle lived in a pond with two swans. The turtle loved to talk. She always had something to say, and she liked to hear herself say it. After they had lived in the pond happily for many years, a dry spell came. There was no rain for weeks and weeks. At last the pond dried up completely. The two swans realized they would have to leave their home and fly to another pond with water. They went to say good-bye to their friend, the turtle. But she begged them, Dont leave me behind! I too have nothing to eat and no water to live on. I will surely die if I am left here. But you cant fly! said the swans. How can we take you with us? Take me with you! Please take me with you! pleaded the turtle. The swans felt so sorry for their friend that at last they came up with a plan. They said to the turtle, We have thought of a way to take you with us. We will each take hold of one end of a long stick. You must hold onto the middle of it with your beak and never let go. You must not talk as long as we are carrying you! If you open your mouth, youll fall to the ground. The turtle promised not to say a word. Away the swans flew into the air carrying the turtle on the stick between them. As they rose above the treetops, the turtle wanted to say, Goodness, look how high we are! but she remembered the swans warning. Soon they passed over a small town, and a few people looked up and shouted, Look at the swans carrying a turtle! What a silly sight! The turtle thought to herself, Why dont they mind their own business? but she remembered not to say anything out loud. Soon more villagers came to see the sight. They cried, How strange! A f lying turtle! Look, everybody! The turtle could stand it no longer. She opened her mouth to call out, Hush, you foolish people! But as she did, she let go of the stick and fell to the ground. She landed on her back, and her shell cracked into a thousand pieces. Turtles shell has remained that way to this day. Her cracked shell reminds us of what can happen if we talk too much.

The Ox and the Frog

An Ox, drinking at a pool, trod on a brood of young frogs, and crushed one of them to death. The mother, coming up and missing one of her sons, inquired of his brothers what had become of him. "He is dead, dear mother; for just now a very huge beast with four great feet came to the pool, and crushed him to death with his cloven heel." The Frog, puffing herself out, inquired, "If the beast was as big as that in size." "Cease, mother, to puff yourself out," said her son, "and do not be angry; for you would, I assure you, sooner burst than successfully imitate the hugeness of that monster."

Moral of Aesops Fable: Impossible things we cannot hope to attain, and it is of no use to try.

FOLK TALES

FOLKTALES

A traditional narrative of unknown authorship that has been handed down from generation to generation regardless of its content.

The Man with the Coconuts

Tinguian

One day a man who had been to gather his coconuts loaded his horse heavily with the fruit. On the way home he met a boy whom he asked how long it would take to reach the house. "If you go slowly," said the boy, looking at the load on the horse, "you will arrive very soon; but if you go fast, it will take you all day." The man could not believe this strange speech, so he hurried his horse. But the coconuts fell off and he had to stop to pick them up. Then he hurried his horse all the more to make up for lost time, but the coconuts fell off again. Many time he did this, and it was night when he reached home.

The Boy Who Became a Stone

One day a little boy named Elonen sat out in the yard making a bird snare, and as he worked, a little bird called to him: "Tik-tik-lo-den" (come and catch me). "I am making a snare for you," said the boy; but the bird continued to call until the snare was finished. Then Elonen ran and threw the snare over the bird and caught it, and he put it in a jar in his house while he went with the other boys to swim. While he was away, his grandmother grew hungry, so she ate the bird, and when Elonen returned and found that his bird was gone, he was so sad that he wished he might go away and never come back. He went out into the forest and walked a long distance, until finally he came to a big stone and said: "Stone, open your mouth and eat me." And the stone opened its mouth and swallowed the boy. When his grandmother missed the boy, she went out and looked everywhere, hoping to find him. Finally she passed near the stone and it cried out: "Here he is." Then the old woman tried to open the stone but she could not, so she called the horses to come and help her. They came and kicked it, but it would not break. Then she called the carabao and they hooked it, but they only broke their horns. She called the chickens, which pecked it, and the thunder, which shook it, but nothing could open it, and she had to go home without the boy.

The Carabao and the Shell

One very hot day, when a carabao went into the river to bathe, he met a shell and they began talking together. "You are very slow," said the carabao to the shell. "Oh, no," replied the shell. "I can beat you in a race." "Then let us try and see," said the carabao. So they went out on the bank and started to run. After the carabao had gone a long distance he stopped and called, "Shell!" And another shell lying by the river answered, "Here I am!" Then the carabao, thinking that it was the same shell with which he was racing, ran on. By and by he stopped again and called, "Shell!" And another shell answered, "Here I am!" The carabao was surprised that the shell could keep up with him. But he ran on and on, and every time he stopped to call, another shell answered him. But he was determined that the shell should not beat him, so he ran until he dropped dead.

Mr .Vinegar

MR and Mrs Vinegar lived in a vinegar bottle. Now, one day, when Mr Vinegar was from home, Mrs Vinegar, who was a very good housewife, was busily sweeping her house, when an unlucky thump of the broom brought the whole house cutter-clatter, cutterclatter, about her ears. In an agony of grief she rushed forth to meet her husband. On seeing him she exclaimed, 'O Mr Vinegar, Mr Vinegar, we are ruined, we are ruined: I have knocked the house down, and it is all to pieces!' Mr Vinegar then said: 'My dear, let us see what can be done. Here is the door; I will take it on my back, and we will go forth to seek our fortune.' They walked all that day, and at nightfall entered a thick forest. They were both very, very tired, and Mr Vinegar said: 'My love, I will climb up into a tree, drag up the door, and you shall follow.' He accordingly did so, and they both stretched their weary limbs on the door, and fell asleep. In the middle of the night, Mr Vinegar was disturbed by the sound of voices underneath and to his horror and dismay found that it was a band of thieves met to divide their booty. 'Here, Jack,' said one, 'there's five pounds for you; here, Bill, here's ten pounds for you; here, Bob, there's three pounds for you.' Mr Vinegar could listen no longer; his terror was so great that he trembled and trembled, and shook down the door on their heads. Away scampered the thieves, but Mr Vinegar dared not quit his retreat till broad daylight. He then scrambled out of the tree, and went to lift up the door. What did he see but a number of golden guineas. 'Come down, Mrs Vinegar,' he cried; 'come down, I say; our fortune's made, our fortune's made! Come down, I say.' Mrs Vinegar got down as fast as she could, and when she saw the money, she jumped for joy. 'Now, my dear,' said she, 'I'll tell you what you shall do. There is a fair at the neighbouring town; you shall take these forty guineas and buy a cow. I can make butter and cheese, which you shall sell at market, and we shall then be able to live very comfortably.' Mr Vinegar joyfully agrees, takes the money, and off he goes to the fair. When he arrived, he walked up and down, and at length saw a beautiful red cow. It was an excellent milker, and perfect in every way. 'Oh!' thought Mr Vinegar, 'if

I had but that cow, I should be the happiest man alive.' So he offered the forty guineas for the cow, and the owner said that, as he was a friend, he'd oblige him. So the bargain was made, and he got the cow and he drove it backwards and forwards to show it. By and by he saw a man playing the bagpipes--Tweedle-dum, tweedle-dee. The children followed him about, and he appeared to be pocketing money on all sides. 'Well,' thought Mr Vinegar, 'if I had but that beautiful instrument I should be the happiest man alive my fortune would be made.' So he went up to the man. 'Friend,' says he, 'what a beautiful instrument that is, and what a deal of money you must make.' 'Why, yes,' said the man, 'I make a great deal of money, to be sure, and it is a wonderful instrument.' 'Oh!' cried Mr Vinegar, 'how I should like to possess it!' 'Well,' said the man, 'as you are a friend, I don't much mind parting with it: you shall have it for that red cow.' 'Done!' said the delighted Mr Vinegar. So the beautiful red cow was given for the bagpipes. He walked up and down with his purchase; but it was in vain he tried to play a tune, and instead of pocketing pence, the boys followed him hooting, laughing, and pelting.

Poor Mr Vinegar, his fingers grew very cold, and, just as he was leaving the town, he met a man with a fine thick pair of gloves. 'Oh, my fingers are so very cold,' said Mr Vinegar to himself. 'Now if I had but those beautiful gloves I should be the happiest man alive.' He went up to the man, and said to him: 'Friend, you seem to have a capital pair of gloves there.' 'Yes, truly,' cried the man; 'and my hands are as warm as possible this cold November day.' 'Well,' said Mr Vinegar, 'I should like to have them.' 'What will you give?' said the man; 'as you are a friend, I don't much mind letting you have them for those bagpipes.' 'Done!' cried Mr Vinegar. He put on the gloves, and felt perfectly happy as he trudged homewards.

At last he grew very tired, when he saw a man coming towards him with a good stout stick in his hand.

'Oh,' said Mr Vinegar, 'that I had but that stick! I should then be the happiest man alive.' He said to the man: 'Friend, what a rare good stick you have got!' 'Yes,' said the man; 'I have used it for many a long mile, and a good friend it has been; but if you have a fancy for it, as you are a friend, I don't mind giving it to you for that pair of gloves.' Mr Vinegar's hands were so warm, and his legs so tired, that he gladly made the exchange. As he drew near to the wood where he had left his wife, he heard a parrot on a tree calling out his name: 'Mr Vinegar, you foolish man, you blockhead, you simpleton; you went to the fair, and laid out all your money in buying a cow. Not content with that, you changed it for bagpipes, on which you could not play, and which were not worth one-tenth of the money. You fool, you--you had no sooner got the bagpipes than you changed them for the gloves, which were not worth one-quarter of the money; and when you had got the gloves, you changed them for a poor miserable stick; and now for your forty guineas, cow, bagpipes, and gloves, you have nothing to show but that poor miserable stick, which you might have cut in any hedge.' On this the bird laughed and laughed, and Mr Vinegar, falling into a violent rage, threw the stick at its head. The stick lodged in the tree, and he returned to his wife without money, cow, bagpipes, gloves, or stick, and she instantly gave him such a sound cudgelling that she almost broke every bone in his skin.

The Straw Ox

A long time ago there was an old man and an old woman. They were very poor. The old man worked in the field. And the old woman spun flax. One day the old woman said, "Daddy, make me a straw ox, and smear it with tar." "What is the good of a straw ox?" said the old man. "Please make me a straw ox," said the old woman. So the old man made the straw ox, and he smeared it with tar. The next morning the old woman drove the straw ox into the field. She said, "Graze away, little ox, while I spin my flax." She spun her flax a long time. Then she fell asleep. Soon a bear came out of the woods. He ran at the ox and said, "Who are you? Speak and tell me." "I am an ox, I am.

I am made of straw and smeared with tar, I am." "Oh," said the bear, "you are made of straw and smeared with tar, are you? Give me some straw and tar. Then I can mend my torn fur." "You may take some," said the ox.

The bear ran at the ox. He began to tear away the tar, and he stuck fast. He pulled and pulled, but could not let go. Then the ox dragged the bear home. The old woman awoke. "Where is my ox?" she cried. "I will go home to see." So she got up and ran home. And there stood the ox and the bear. She ran to the old man. "Look," she cried, "the ox has brought us a bear." The old man threw the bear into the cellar. The next morning the old woman drove the ox into the field again. "Graze away, little ox," she said, "while I spin my flax." She spun her flax a long time. Then she fell asleep.

Soon a wolf came out of the woods. He ran at the ox and said, "Who are you? Speak and tell me." "I am an ox, I am. I am made of straw and smeared with tar, I am." "Oh, you are made of straw and smeared with tar, are you?" said the wolf. "Give me some of your tar. Then I can smear my coat, and the dogs can not tear me." "You may take some," said the ox. The wolf ran at the ox. He began to tear away the tar,

and he stuck fast. He pulled and pulled, but he could not get away. Then the ox brought the wolf home.

The old woman awoke. "Where is my ox?" she cried. "I will go home to see." So she got up and went home, There stood the ox and the wolf. She ran to the old man. "Look," she cried, "the ox has brought us a wolf." The old man came out and threw the wolf into the cellar. The next morning the old woman caught a fox in the same way. And the next morning she caught a hare. The old man put them into the cellar. Then he sat down by the cellar door and began to sharpen his knife. The bear said, "Daddy, why do you sharpen your knife?"

"I am going to take your skin off. I want a warm jacket for winter, and the old woman wants a coat." "Do not take away my skin, Daddy. Let me go and I will bring you some honey." "See that you do," said the old man. And he let the bear go. Then he sat down again, and he began to sharpen his knife. "Why do you sharpen your knife, Daddy?" said the wolf. "I am going to take your skin off. I want a fur cap for winter." "Do not take away my skin, Daddy. Let me go, and I will bring you a flock of sheep." "See that you do," said the old man, and he let the wolf go.

Then he sat down again and began to sharpen his knife. "Why do you sharpen your knife, Daddy?" said the fox. "I am going to take your skin off. I want a fur collar for winter." "Do not take away my skin, Daddy. Let me go and I will bring you a flock of geese." "See that you do," said the old man, and he let the fox go. Then the old man began to sharpen his knife again. The little hare said, "Daddy, why do you sharpen your knife?" "I am going to take your skin off. Little hares have warm fur. I want some mittens for winter." "Do not take away my skin, Daddy. Let me go, and I will bring you some turnips." "See that you do," said the old man, and he let the hare go. The next morning the old woman said, "Some one is at the door. Let us go to see who it is."

They went to the door. There stood the bear with the honey. There stood the wolf with the sheep. There stood the fox with the geese. And there stood the hare with the turnips. Now the old man and the old woman have all they need. And the straw ox stands in the sun. -Russian Folk Tale.

FAIRY TALES

FAIRY TALES The large portion of the story are based on the element of magic or the super natural. Something extraordinary happens in the story.

The naughty boy

Fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen

Along time ago, there lived an old poet, a thoroughly kind old poet. As he was sitting one evening in his room, a dreadful storm arose without, and the rain streamed down from heaven; but the old poet sat warm and comfortable in his chimney-corner, where the fire blazed and the roasting apple hissed. "Those who have not a roof over their heads will be wetted to the skin," said the good old poet. "Oh let me in! Let me in! I am cold, and I'm so wet!" exclaimed suddenly a child that stood crying at the door and knocking for admittance, while the rain poured down, and the wind made all the windows rattle. "Poor thing!" said the old poet, as he went to open the door. There stood a little boy, quite naked, and the water ran down from his long golden hair; he trembled with cold, and had he not come into a warm room he would most certainly have perished in the frightful tempest. "Poor child!" said the old poet, as he took the boy by the hand. "Come in, come in, and I will soon restore thee! Thou shalt have wine and roasted apples, for thou art verily a charming child!" And the boy was so really. His eyes were like two bright stars; and although the water trickled down his hair, it waved in beautiful curls. He looked exactly like a little angel, but he was so pale, and his whole body trembled with cold. He had a nice little bow in his hand, but it was quite spoiled by the rain, and the tints of his manycolored arrows ran one into the other. The old poet seated himself beside his hearth, and took the little fellow on his lap; he squeezed the water out of his dripping hair, warmed his hands between his own, and boiled for him some sweet wine. Then the boy recovered, his cheeks again grew rosy, he jumped down from the lap where he was sitting, and danced round the kind old poet. "You are a merry fellow," said the old man. "What's your name?" "My name is Cupid," answered the boy. "Don't you know me? There lies my bow; it shoots well, I can assure you! Look, the weather is now clearing up, and the moon is shining clear again through the window." "Why, your bow is quite spoiled," said the old poet.

"That were sad indeed," said the boy, and he took the bow in his hand and examined it on every side. "Oh, it is dry again, and is not hurt at all; the string is quite tight. I will try it directly." And he bent his bow, took aim, and shot an arrow at the old poet, right into his heart. "You see now that my bow was not spoiled," said he laughing; and away he ran. The naughty boy, to shoot the old poet in that way; he who had taken him into his warm room, who had treated him so kindly, and who had given him warm wine and the very best apples! The poor poet lay on the earth and wept, for the arrow had really flown into his heart. "Fie!" said he. "How naughty a boy Cupid is! I will tell all children about him, that they may take care and not play with him, for he will only cause them sorrow and many a heartache." And all good children to whom he related this story, took great heed of this naughty Cupid; but he made fools of them still, for he is astonishingly cunning. When the university students come from the lectures, he runs beside them in a black coat, and with a book under his arm. It is quite impossible for them to know him, and they walk along with him arm in arm, as if he, too, were a student like themselves; and then, unperceived, he thrusts an arrow to their bosom. When the young maidens come from being examined by the clergyman, or go to church to be confirmed, there he is again close behind them. Yes, he is forever following people. At the play, he sits in the great chandelier and burns in bright flames, so that people think it is really a flame, but they soon discover it is something else. He roves about in the garden of the palace and upon the ramparts: yes, once he even shot your father and mother right in the heart. Ask them only and you will hear what they'll tell you. Oh, he is a naughty boy, that Cupid; you must never have anything to do with him. He is forever running after everybody. Only think, he shot an arrow once at your old grandmother! But that is a long time ago, and it is all past now; however, a thing of that sort she never forgets. Fie, naughty Cupid! But now you know him, and you know, too, how ill-behaved he is!

RUMPELSTILTSKIN

A young woman wants to marry the King, but is told that first she must spinstraw into gold or die. A funny trickster (Rumpelstiltskin) agrees to do it, only if she promises her first born child. He does, and she marries the King. Whenshe gives birth to a child, R comes back and demands the child for payment.Since he loves to play games, he says that the Queen may keep the child, if she can guess his name in three days. He comes back three times to ask her what his name is. In the meantime the King inadvertently discovers the man inthe woods who is saying his name. The Kings rushes home to tell the Queen.When R returns the third time, she says his name and he disappears forever.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/46503711/Summary-of-Rumpelstiltskin

The Elves and the Shoemaker

There was once a shoemaker, who worked very hard and was very honest: but still he could not earn enough to live upon; and at last all he had in the world was gone, save just leather enough to make one pair of shoes.

Then he cut his leather out, all ready to make up the next day, meaning to rise early in the morning to his work. His conscience was clear and his heart light amidst all his troubles; so he went peaceably to bed, left all his cares to Heaven, and soon fell asleep. In the morning after he had said his prayers, he sat himself down to his work; when, to his great wonder, there stood the shoes all ready made, upon the table. The good man knew not what to say or think at such an odd thing happening. He looked at the workmanship; there was not one false stitch in the whole job; all was so neat and true, that it was quite a masterpiece.

The same day a customer came in, and the shoes suited him so well that he willingly paid a price higher than usual for them; and the poor shoemaker, with the money, bought leather enough to make two pairs more. In the evening he cut out the work, and went to bed early, that he might get up and begin betimes next day; but he was saved all the trouble, for when he got up in the morning the work was done ready to his hand. Soon in came buyers, who paid him handsomely for his goods, so that he bought leather enough for four pair more. He cut out the work again overnight and found it done in the morning, as before; and so it went on for some time: what was got ready in the evening was always done by daybreak, and the good man soon became thriving and well off again.

One evening, about Christmas-time, as he and his wife were sitting over the fire chatting together, he said to her, I should like to sit up and watch tonight, that we may see who it is that comes and does my work for me. The wife liked the thought; so they left a light burning, and hid themselves in a corner of the room, behind a curtain that was hung up there, and watched what would happen.

As soon as it was midnight, there came in two little naked dwarfs; and they sat themselves upon the shoemakers bench, took up all the work that was cut out, and began to ply with their little fingers, stitching and rapping and tapping away at such a rate, that the shoemaker was all wonder, and could not take his eyes off them. And on they went, till the job was quite done, and the shoes stood ready for use upon the table. This was long before daybreak; and then they bustled away as quick as lightning.

The next day the wife said to the shoemaker. These little wights have made us rich, and we ought to be thankful to them, and do them a good turn if we can. I am quite sorry to see them run about as they do; and indeed it is not very decent, for they have nothing upon their backs to keep off the cold. Ill tell you what, I will make each of them a shirt, and a coat and waistcoat, and a pair of pantaloons into the bargain; and do you make each of them a little pair of shoes.

The thought pleased the good cobbler very much; and one evening, when all the things were ready, they laid them on the table, instead of the work that they used to cut out, and then went and hid themselves, to watch what the little elves would do.

About midnight in they came, dancing and skipping, hopped round the room, and then went to sit down to their work as usual; but when they saw the clothes lying for them, they laughed and chuckled, and seemed mightily delighted.

Then they dressed themselves in the twinkling of an eye, and danced and capered and sprang about, as merry as could be; till at last they danced out at the door, and away over the green.

The good couple saw them no more; but everything went well with them from that time forward, as long as they lived.

The Frog-Prince

One fine evening a young princess put on her bonnet and clogs, and went out to take a walk by herself in a wood; and when she came to a cool spring of water, that rose in the midst of it, she sat herself down to rest a while. Now she had a golden ball in her hand, which was her favourite plaything; and she was always tossing it up into the air, and catching it again as it fell. After a time she threw it up so high that she missed catching it as it fell; and the ball bounded away, and rolled along upon the ground, till at last it fell down into the spring. The princess looked into the spring after her ball, but it was very deep, so deep that she could not see the bottom of it. Then she began to bewail her loss, and said, Alas! if I could only get my ball again, I would give all my fine clothes and jewels, and everything that I have in the world.

Whilst she was speaking, a frog put its head out of the water, and said, Princess, why do you weep so bitterly? Alas! said she, what can you do for me, you nasty frog? My golden ball has fallen into the spring. The frog said, I want not your pearls, and jewels, and fine clothes; but if you will love me, and let me live with you and eat from off your golden plate, and sleep upon your bed, I will bring you your ball again. What nonsense, thought the princess, this silly frog is talking! He can never even get out of the spring to visit me, though he may be able to get my ball for me, and therefore I will tell him he shall have what he asks. So she said to the frog, Well, if you will bring me my ball, I will do all you ask. Then the frog put his head down, and dived deep under the water; and after a little while he came up again, with the ball in his mouth, and threw it on the edge of the spring. As soon as the young princess saw her ball, she ran to pick it up; and she was so overjoyed to have it in her hand again, that she never thought of the frog, but ran home with it as fast as she could. The frog called after her, Stay, princess, and take me with you as you said, But she did not stop to hear a word.

The next day, just as the princess had sat down to dinner, she heard a strange noise tap, tapplash, plashas if something was coming up the marble staircase: and soon afterwards there was a gentle knock at the door, and a little voice cried out and said:

Open the door, my princess dear, Open the door to thy true love here! And mind the words that thou and I said By the fountain cool, in the greenwood shade. Then the princess ran to the door and opened it, and there she saw the frog, whom she had quite forgotten. At this sight she was sadly frightened, and shutting the door as fast as she could came back to her seat. The king, her father, seeing that something had frightened her, asked her what was the matter. There is a nasty frog, said she, at the door, that lifted my ball for me out of the spring this morning: I told him that he should live with me here, thinking that he could never get out of the spring; but there he is at the door, and he wants to come in.

While she was speaking the frog knocked again at the door, and said:

Open the door, my princess dear, Open the door to thy true love here! And mind the words that thou and I said By the fountain cool, in the greenwood shade. Then the king said to the young princess, As you have given your word you must keep it; so go and let him in. She did so, and the frog hopped into the room, and then straight ontap, tapplash, plash from the bottom of the room to the top, till he came up close to the table where the princess sat. Pray lift me upon chair, said he to the princess, and let me sit next to you. As soon as she had done this, the frog said, Put your plate nearer to me, that I may eat out of it. This she did, and when he had eaten as much as he could, he said, Now I am tired; carry me upstairs, and put me into your bed. And the princess, though very unwilling, took him up in her hand, and put him upon the pillow of her own bed, where he slept all night long. As soon as it was light he jumped up, hopped downstairs, and went out of the house. Now, then, thought the princess, at last he is gone, and I shall be troubled with him no more.

But she was mistaken; for when night came again she heard the same tapping at the door; and the frog came once more, and said:

Open the door, my princess dear, Open the door to thy true love here! And mind the words that thou and I said By the fountain cool, in the greenwood shade. And when the princess opened the door the frog came in, and slept upon her pillow as before, till the morning broke. And the third night he did the same. But when the princess

awoke on the following morning she was astonished to see, instead of the frog, a handsome prince, gazing on her with the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen, and standing at the head of her bed.

He told her that he had been enchanted by a spiteful fairy, who had changed him into a frog; and that he had been fated so to abide till some princess should take him out of the spring, and let him eat from her plate, and sleep upon her bed for three nights. You, said the prince, have broken his cruel charm, and now I have nothing to wish for but that you should go with me into my fathers kingdom, where I will marry you, and love you as long as you live.

The young princess, you may be sure, was not long in saying Yes to all this; and as they spoke a gay coach drove up, with eight beautiful horses, decked with plumes of feathers and a golden harness; and behind the coach rode the princes servant, faithful Heinrich, who had bewailed the misfortunes of his dear master during his enchantment so long and so bitterly, that his heart had well-nigh burst.

They then took leave of the king, and got into the coach with eight horses, and all set out, full of joy and merriment, for the princes kingdom, which they reached safely; and there they lived happily a great many years.

The Travelling Musicians

An honest farmer had once an ass that had been a faithful servant to him a great many years, but was now growing old and every day more and more unfit for work. His master therefore was tired of keeping him and began to think of putting an end to him; but the ass, who saw that some mischief was in the wind, took himself slyly off, and began his journey towards the great city, For there, thought he, I may turn musician.

After he had travelled a little way, he spied a dog lying by the roadside and panting as if he were tired. What makes you pant so, my friend? said the ass. Alas! said the dog, my master was going to knock me on the head, because I am old and weak, and can no longer make myself useful to him in hunting; so I ran away; but what can I do to earn my livelihood? Hark ye! said the ass, I am going to the great city to turn musician: suppose you go with me, and try what you can do in the same way? The dog said he was willing, and they jogged on together.

They had not gone far before they saw a cat sitting in the middle of the road and making a most rueful face. Pray, my good lady, said the ass, whats the matter with you? You look quite out of spirits! Ah, me! said the cat, how can one be in good spirits when ones life is in danger? Because I am beginning to grow old, and had rather lie at my ease by the fire than run about the house after the mice, my mistress laid hold of me, and was going to drown me; and though I have been lucky enough to get away from her, I do not know what I am to live upon. Oh, said the ass, by all means go with us to the great city; you are a good night singer, and may make your fortune as a musician. The cat was pleased with the thought, and joined the party.

Soon afterwards, as they were passing by a farmyard, they saw a cock perched upon a gate, and screaming out with all his might and main. Bravo! said the ass; upon my word, you make a famous noise; pray what is all this about? Why, said the cock, I was just now saying that we should have fine weather for our washing-day, and yet my mistress and the cook dont thank me for my pains, but threaten to cut off my head tomorrow, and make broth of me for the guests that are coming on Sunday! Heaven forbid! said the ass, come with us Master Chanticleer; it will be better, at any rate, than staying here to have your head cut off! Besides, who knows? If we care to sing in tune, we may get up some kind of a concert; so come along with us. With all my heart, said the cock: so they all four went on jollily together.

They could not, however, reach the great city the first day; so when night came on, they went into a wood to sleep. The ass and the dog laid themselves down under a great tree, and the cat climbed up into the branches; while the cock, thinking that the higher he sat the safer he should be, flew up to the very top of the tree, and then, according to his custom, before he went to sleep, looked out on all sides of him to see that everything was well. In doing this, he saw afar off something bright and shining and calling to his companions said, There must be a house no great way off, for I see a light. If that be the case, said the ass, we had better change our quarters, for our lodging is not the best in the world! Besides, added the dog, I should not be the worse for a bone or two, or a bit of meat. So they walked off together towards the spot where Chanticleer had seen the light, and as they drew near it became larger and brighter, till they at last came close to a house in which a gang of robbers lived.

The ass, being the tallest of the company, marched up to the window and peeped in. Well, Donkey, said Chanticleer, what do you see? What do I see? replied the ass. Why, I see a table spread with all kinds of good things, and robbers sitting round it making merry. That would be a noble lodging for us, said the cock. Yes, said the ass, if we could only get in; so they consulted together how they should contrive to get the robbers out; and at last they hit upon a plan. The ass placed himself upright on his hind legs, with his forefeet resting against the window; the dog got upon his back; the cat scrambled up to the dogs shoulders, and the cock flew up and sat upon the cats head. When all was ready a signal was given, and they began their music. The ass brayed, the dog barked, the cat mewed, and the cock screamed; and then they all broke through the window at once, and came tumbling into the room, amongst the broken glass, with a most hideous clatter! The robbers, who had been not a little frightened by the opening concert, had now no doubt that some frightful hobgoblin had broken in upon them, and scampered away as fast as they could.

The coast once clear, our travellers soon sat down and dispatched what the robbers had left, with as much eagerness as if they had not expected to eat again for a month. As soon as they had satisfied themselves, they put out the lights, and each once more sought out a resting-place to his own liking. The donkey laid himself down upon a heap of straw in the yard, the dog stretched himself upon a mat behind the door, the cat rolled herself up on the hearth before the warm ashes, and the cock perched upon a beam on the top of the house; and, as they were all rather tired with their journey, they soon fell asleep.

But about midnight, when the robbers saw from afar that the lights were out and that all seemed quiet, they began to think that they had been in too great a hurry to run away; and one of them, who was bolder than the rest, went to see what was going on. Finding everything still, he marched into the kitchen, and groped about till he found a match in order to light a candle; and then, espying the glittering fiery eyes of the cat, he mistook them for live coals, and held the match to them to light it. But the cat, not understanding this joke, sprang at his face, and spat, and scratched at him. This frightened him dreadfully, and away he ran to the back door; but there the dog jumped up and bit him in the leg; and as he was crossing over the yard the ass kicked him; and the cock, who had been awakened by the noise, crowed with all his might. At this the robber ran back as fast as he could to his comrades, and told the captain how a horrid witch had got into the

house, and had spat at him and scratched his face with her long bony fingers; how a man with a knife in his hand had hidden himself behind the door, and stabbed him in the leg; how a black monster stood in the yard and struck him with a club, and how the devil had sat upon the top of the house and cried out, Throw the rascal up here! After this the robbers never dared to go back to the house; but the musicians were so pleased with their quarters that they took up their abode there; and there they are, I dare say, at this very day.

NURSERY RYHMES

NURSERY RHYMES A nursery rhyme is a short rhyming story, often set to music and usually designed for young children, such as those in a nursery. Songs for children are a part of many cultures, and they often serve as an oral record of important political and historical events. They also can preserve archaic forms of language.

Lucy Lockett Lucy Locket lost her pocket, Kitty Fisher found it; Not a penny was there in it, Only ribbon round it.

Hey diddle diddle rhyme Hey diddle diddle, the cat and the fiddle, The cow jumped over the moon. The little dog laughed to see such fun And the dish ran away with the spoon!

http://www.rhymes.org.uk/hey_diddle_diddle.htm

Pat a cake Pat a cake poem Pat a cake, Pat a cake, baker's man Bake me a cake as fast as you can; Pat it and prick it and mark it with a 'B', And put it in the oven for Baby and me.

http://www.rhymes.org.uk/pat_a_cake_pat_a_cake.htm

3 Blind Mice Three blind mice, three blind mice, See how they run, see how they run, They all ran after the farmer's wife, Who cut off their tails with a carving knife, Did you ever see such a thing in your life, As three blind mice?

http://www.rhymes.org.uk/three_blind_mice.htm

Baa baa black sheep rhyme Baa baa black sheep, have you any wool? Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full! One for the master, one for the dame, And one for the little boy who lives down the lane.

http://www.rhymes.org.uk/baa_baa_black_sheep.htm

Seesaw Margery Daw poem Seesaw Margery Daw Johnny shall have a new master He shall earn but a penny a day Because he can't work any faster
http://www.rhymes.org.uk/seesaw_marjory_daw.htm

Ding dong bell poem Ding dong bell Pussy's in the well Who put her in? Little Johnny Flynn Who pulled her out? Little Tommy Stout What a naughty boy was that Try to drown poor Pussycat, Who ne'er did any harm But killed all the mice In the Farmer's barn!

http://www.rhymes.org.uk/ding_dong_bell.htm

Pussycat Pussycat poem "Pussycat pussycat, where have you been?" "I've been up to London to visit the Queen." "Pussycat pussycat, what did you there?" "I frightened a little mouse under her chair" "MEOWW!"
http://www.rhymes.org.uk/pussycat_pussycat.htm

Little Hen Rhyme I had a little hen, the prettiest ever seen, She washed up the dishes and kept the house clean. She went to the mill to fetch us some flour, And always got home in less than an hour. She baked me my bread, she brewed me my ale, She sat by the fire and told a fine tale!

http://www.rhymes.org.uk/little_hen.htm

GeorgiePorgie GeorgiePorgie pudding and pie, Kissed the girls and made them cry When the boys came out to play, GeorgiePorgie ran away.
http://www.rhymes.org.uk/georgie_porgie.htm

POETRY FOR CHILDREN

GOD THE ARTIST God, when you thought of a pine tree, How did you think of a star? God, when you patterned a bird song, Flung on a silver string, How did you know the ecstacy That crystal call would bring? How did you think of a bubbling throat And a beautifully speckled wing?

God when you fashioned a raindrop, How did you think of a stem Bearing a lovely satin leaf To hold the tiny gem? How did you know a million drops Would deck the mornings hem?

Why did you mate the moonlit night With the honeysuckle vines? How did you weave the velvet dusk Where tangled perfumes are? God when you thought of a pine tree, How did you think of a star?

-ANGELA MORGAN-

OPEN YOUR EYES Open your eyes you may see The beauty that around you lies, The misty loveliness of the dawn, The glowing colors of the skies; The childs bright eager eyes of blue, The gnarled and wrinkled face of age, The bird with crimson on his wing Whose spirit never knew a cage; The roadsides blooming goldenrod So brave through summers wind and heat, The brook that rushes to the sea With courage that naught may defeat. Open your eyes that you may see The wonder that around you lies; It will enrich you everyday And make you glad and kind and wise. -EMMA BOGE WHISENAND-

WHO LOVES THE RAIN Who loves the rain And loves his home, And looks on life with quite eyes, Him will I follow through the storm; And at his hearth-five keep me warm; Nor hell nor heaven shall that soul surprise, Who loves the rain, And loves his home. And looks on life with quite eyes. -FRANCE WILL SHAWWHATEVER IS-IS BEST We know as we grow older And our eyes have clearer sight That under each sad wrong, somewhere There lies the root of right!

We know that the soul is aided Sometimes by the hearts unrest And to grow, means often to suffer That whatever is-is best.

We know there are few errors In the great eternal plan, And that all things work together For the final good of man.

That each sorrow has its purpose

By the sorrowing, oft unguessed; That as sure as the dun brings morning, Whatever is-is best. -ELLA WHEELER WILCOX-

ART THOU LONELY? Art thou lonely, O my brother? Share thy little with another! Stretch a hand to one unfriended, And thy loneliness is ended. -JOHN OXENMANSOURCE: POEMS THAT TOUCH THE HEART BY: A.L ALEXANDER THE SONG OF THE BEE Buzz! buzz! buzz! This is the song of the bee. His legs are of yellow; A jolly, good fellow, And yet a great worker is he. In days that are sunny Hes getting his honey; In days that are cloudy Hes making his wax; On pinks and on lilies, And gay daffodillies, And columbine blossoms, He levies a tax. -MARIAN DOUGLAS-

PERSEVERE The fisher who draws in his net too soon, Wont have any fish to sell; The child who shuts up the book too soon, Wont learn any lessons well. If you would have your learning stay Be patient- dont learn too fast; The man who travels a mile each day, May get round the world at last. -MCGUFFEYS READER-

OUR LIPS AND EARS If your lips would keep from slips, Five things observe with care; Of whom you speak, to whom you speak, And now how and when and where. If you your ears would save from jeers, These things keep meekly hid; Myself and I, and mine and my, And how I do and did.

-UNKNOWN-

KINDNESS TO ANIMALS Little children, never give Pain to things that feel and live; Let the gentle robin come

For the crumbs you save at home; As his meat you throw along Hell repay you with a song. Never hurt the timid hare Peeping from her garden grass lair, Let her come and sport and play On the lawn at close of day. The little lark goes soaring high To the bright windows of the sky, Singing as if twere always spring, And fluttering on an untired wingOh! Let him sing his happy song, Nor do these gentle creatures wrong.

IF YOU WERE If you were busy being kind, Before you knew it, you would find Youd soon forget to think t was true That someone was unkind to you.

If you were busy being glad, And cheering people who are sad, Although your heart might ache a bit, Youd soon forget to notice it.

If you were busy being good, And doing just the best you could,

Youd not have time to blame some man Whos doing just the best he can.

If you were busy being right, Youd find yourself too busy quite To criticize your neighbor long Because his busy being wrong.

PROVERBS

PROVERBS

A short, pithy statement of a general truth, one that condenses common experience into memorable form. Or, as defined by Miguel de Cervantes, "a short sentence based on long
experience.

A ch a in is o n ly a s st ro n g a s it s we a ke st lin k. A change is as good as a rest.

A golden key can open any door

A good beginning makes a good ending.

A penny saved is a penny earned

A person is known by the company he keeps.

Better late than never

Better safe than sorry.

Better to light a candle than to curse the darkness

Better to remain silent and be thought a fool that to speak and remove all doubt.

A woman's place is in the home

A woman's work is never done.

Make hay while the sun shines

Make love not war.

Money is the root of all evil

Money isn't everything.

Never look a gift horse in the mouth

Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today.

Its better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all

To err is human; to forgive divine.

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/proverbs.html

RIDDLES

RIDDLES A riddle, sometimes called a "brain teaser," is usually a question that requires clever or unexpected thinking for its answer. In general conversation, someone typically presents a question to another person who accepts the challenge of guessing the correct response. The guesser may get one or multiple guesses and sometimes the asker gives clues, but this is not required. Riddles usually have only one correct answer, and it is commonly provided in the end, even if the guesser does not think of it.

Easy riddles for kids

1. What is as big as an elephant, but w eighs nothing at all?

2. What starts with a 'P', ends w ith an 'E' and has thousands of letters?

3. What has two hands, a round face, alw ays runs, but sta ys in place?

4. What do you get if you milk a cow after an earthquake?

5. I travel the world and I am drunk constantly. Who am I?

6. I run but never w alk, I murmur but never talk,I go but never stop. What am I?

7. What is black w hen it is clean and w hite when it is dirty?

8. If you throw a w hite rock into the Red Sea, w hat does it become?

9. What alw ays goes to sleep with his shoe s on?

1.

If there are three oranges and you take aw ay tw o, how many will you have?

Answ ers to easy riddles for kids

1. The shadow of an elephant.

2. The Post Office.

3. A clock.

4. Milk shake.

5. Water.

6. A river.

7. A blackboard.

8. Wet.

9. A horse.

10. Tw o. Cause you took tw o.

LEGENDS

LEGENDS
a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude. Legend, for its active and passive participants includes no happenings that are outside the realm of "possibility", defined by a highly flexible set of parameters, which may include miracles that are perceived as actually having happened, within the specific tradition of indoctrination where the legend arises, and within which it may be transformed over time, in order to keep it fresh and vital, and realistic. A majority of legends operate within the realm of uncertainty, never being entirely believed by the participants, but also never being resolutely doubted.

THE LEGEND OF MAIS

A long time ago, there w as a husband and w ife w hose livelihood w as planting vegetables. The y w ould sell their harvest and on other times w ould eat them if they w ere not able to sell it.

The couple w as blessed w ith a beautiful baby girl. She w as called Maita. The girl had a pretty, lo ng, and smooth hair. Maitashaire shone like gold w henever light w ould hit it. She loved to fix herself. She w ould comb her hair frequently to keep her hair smooth and tangle free.

Her father w ould usually remind Maita to stop combing her hair and help w i th the household chores. How ever, her mother w ould just let her be as she found her to be cute. Maita w as still young, she thought, she w ould soon outgrow her vanity and help out.

How ever, her mother w as w rong. Maita became even more vain and w ould not stop fussing about her hair. She w ould now spend hours combing her hair and trying on different hairstyles.

One day, Maita's father got sick. Her mother needed to go to the market. She needed to sell the vegetables in order for them to have mone y to buy medicine for her father.

Before going to the market, Maita w as reminded be her mother to take care of the household chores. She told Maita to prepare their food as she w ould surely be late in going home. She w as also to take care of her sic k father and feed him. Their crops w ere also to be w atered because the earth at their yard w as arid. Maita grudgingl y nodded w ith her mother's reminders. She assured her mother that she would do all of what she w as asked of.

Maita w as about to start her h ousehold chores w hen she happened to pass by their mirror and saw her hair's reflection. She stopped and took out her comb from her pocket and started going through her hair. She thought of spending a few minutes of combing her hair; it w as still early she said. Maita did comb her hair how ever because she w as so engrossed with it she didn't notice that hours had passed. She also didn't notice her father softly calling her asking for something to eat. She w as too bus y w ith her hair.

The sun had set and Mait a's mother soon got home. Her mother noticed their crops w ilting due to not being w atered for the entire day. She looked for Maita and found her in front of the mirror combing her hair.

Maita w as scolded by her mother for not doing any household chore. Sh e got even more angry w hen she found out that Maita did not feed her sick father anything. She told the girl that she w ished Maita's hair w ould be thinner so that she w ould not be spending time on it. Tomorrow , they w ould have Maita's hair cut shorter. Mai ta cried as she w ent out of the house. Her mother, how ever, did not follow her. She w ent straight to the kitchen to cook food for her sick husband.

When her anger had subsided, the mother w ent to look for Maita but the girl w as now here to be found. She w as not in their yard nor in the houses of her friends. Nobody knew where Maita had run to.

One day, w hile cleaning in their yard, the mother saw an unusual plant that grew on their lot. She w atered it ever yda y. A few w eeks had passed, the plant had a fruit. It had yellow grains. Furthermore, the fruit had thin golden hair that w as smooth and soft to touch. The couple cried w hen they saw the fruit's hairs. It reminded them of their daughter's beautiful hair.

The y both agreed that the plant w as their missing daughter. The plant w as soon called mais.

Legend of the Banana Plant

In the early da ys w hen the w orld w as new , spirits and ghosts lurked ever yw here. They lived in gloom y caves, the y hid in anthills and tree trunks they frolicked in nooks and corners under the houses. In the dark, sometimes their tiny voices could be heard dimly, or their ghostly presence be felt. But the y w ere never seen.

It w as during these days of phantoms an d unseen spirits that a young and beautiful girl lived. Her name w as Raya, and she w as a girl bold and daring. She w as never afraid of spirits. She w ould w alk in the shadow y forests, bringing along a lighted candle.

Then she w ould tiptoe into dark and dir ty caves, searching the place for spirits. Raya onl y felt or heard them never having seen them. But Ra ya alw ays felt the presence of one kind spirit, whenever she w alked in the forest the spirit w as w ith her at all times.

One day she heard someone call h er name, and she looked up to see a young handsome man. She asked him w ho he w as, and he replied that his name w as Sag-in, and he w as the spirit w ho follow ed her around, and even confessed that he had fallen in love with a mortal.

The y married had a child and lived happily, but Sag -in knew that his time on earth w as short for he w as a spirit-man, and w ould have to return to the spirit w orld soon. When he knew his time had come, he called Raya and explained w hy he had to leave. As he w as slow ly vanishing, he told Raya that he w ould leave her a part of him. Raya looked dow n and saw a bleeding heart on the ground. She took the heart and planted it. She w atched it night and day. A plant w ith long green leaves sprouted from the grave.

One day, the tree bore fruit shaped like a heart. She touched the fruit and caressed it. Thinking could this be Sag-in's heart? Slow ly the fruit opened , Long golden fruits sprouted from it. Raya picked one, peeled it and bit into it. Then, she heard Sag -in's voice floating in the air:

"Yes, Raya, it is my heart. I have reappeared to show you that I w ill never forsake you and our child. Take care of this plant, and it w ill take care of you in return. It's trunk and leaves w ill give you shelter and clothing. The heart and fruits w il l be your food. And w hen you sleep at night, I w ill stand and w atch by your window . I will stay by your side forever!"

FIRST BUTTERFLIES

The legend of the first butterflies say that there w as upon a time in a village, an old w oman used to have a beautiful flow er garden by the shore of a lake. The fishermen from around the nearby villages w ere in love w ith her and used to come to her and exchange their fishes from flow ers. Ever yone in the village noticed something magical about her, because at night her house had a magical glow and once in a w hile some dw arfs w ere seen helping a beautiful young w oman w ork in the garden. One day a young couple, very proud I must add, visited the village w ere the old w oman lived, and w hile w alking around, noticed the old w oman's beautiful flow er garden. The couple decided to get inside the garden and grab some bouquets, w hen the old w oman sees this, w alks out of her house and ask the couple to leave, w hen the y turn around to see w ho was talking to them, they make fun of her and ignore her. Then the old w oman, insulted, touches the couple with her cane saying: "Since you love beautiful things, you w ill live from now on as beautiful insects".And that day w as created the butterflies came to be, w ho alw ays are found near beautiful flow ers. And this is how the Butterflies came to be.

The Legend of the Pineapple

Once upon a time, there w as a w oman w ho lived w ith her daughter Pina in a tiny hut in the village. The y w ere poor, and the mother w orked da y and night to make both ends meet. No matter how hard she w orked, though, she never got any help from her daughter. Pina w as a lazy, spoiled kid who liked to play in the back yard all day. Whenever her mother asked for help around the house or tried to send her on an errand, she w ould alw ays find an excuse by sa ying she cant find the object that w as needed to complete that task. If her mother asked her to sweep the house, for example, she would say she cannot find the broom, even if it w as right there in front of her. Needless to sa y, her mother alw ays ended up doing the work herself.

One day, her mother became very ill. She called out to Pina, w ho as usual w as playing in the back yard.

Pina!Pina! Come over here, anak. I am very sick. Can you cook some porridge for me please? I am too w eak to get up.

Pina ignored her mother and continued to pla y.

Pina, come over here this very instant, or else! Pinas mother mustered al l her strength just to say this, but it w orked. Pina grudgingl y stopped playing and w ent inside the house. She poked her head inside her mothers room.

What do you w ant, Nanay (mother)? You really expect me to cook for you? Thats too hard, protes ted Pina, pouting and stomping her feet.

Pina, it is ver y simple. Just put some rice in a pot and add w ater. Once the w ater boils, let it simmer for aw hile. Stir it occasionally w ith a ladle. Everything you need should be right there in the kitchen .

Pina reluctantly left and w ent to the kitchen. Her mother could hear her banging the draw ers and cabinets. Then her mother heard her open the back door and sneak out into the back yard. Her mother w aited and w aited. Finally, she called out to Pina again.

Pina, did you cook like I told you to?

No, w as the defiant response.

And w hy not? w as her moms exasperated response.

Because I could not find the ladle, w as her flippant reply.

Oh, you lazy child! You probabl y did not even bother to look for it! What am I going to do w ith you? Here I am, sick, and I cannot even count on you!

Her mother w ept bitterly. In her anger, she shouted, I w ish you w ould grow a thousand e yes all over your head! The n you can find w hat youre looking for. Maybe then you w ont have any more excuses.

As soon as she said this, there w as complete silence. Her mother thought, She is trying to be quiet so I w ill forget about asking her again. She sighed.

She w aited a little bit to see if Pina w ould come back. Realizing the w ait w as futile, she w earily got up to do the cooking herself. When she looked out into the backyard, Pina w as now here to be found. She sighed again and said to herself, That lazy kid p robabl y w ent to a friends house so she did not have to do any more errands for me.

Exhausted from the exertion, she soon went back to her room for a much -needed rest. Weak as she w as, she just tried to do ever ything by herself, having given up on any help from Pina. Hours passed by, and then da ys.Still no sign of her w ayw ard daughter. With a heavy heart, she thought that Pina had ran aw ay for sure.

When she finally recovered from her illness, the first thing she did w as look for Pina. No on e had seen or heard from her. It w as like she disappeared into thin air. Months passed and still no sign of her. The mother felt bad for her angr y outburst, and she feared that she might probably never see her daughter again.

One day, she w as sw eep ing the backyard w here Pina used to pla y. For months now , she had noticed

this strange plant grow ing on the ver y spot where she last saw Pina. By this time, the leaves of the plant had fully opened. Inside, she saw this strange yellow fruit that resembled a childs head with a thousand eyes. A thousand e yes

She suddenly remembered the spiteful w ords she used that fateful day. With horror, she realized that in the same w ay her mothers love had spoiled her daughter, so did her anger unwittingly curs e her. Somehow , her daughter had been turned into this plant.

To honor the memory of her beloved daughter, she named the fruit Pina. She took such loving care of it like it w as her ow n daughter. The fruit flourished so w ell that it bore more and mo re fruits, and became popular among the village and the entire country. Its name later evolved to pinya, or pineapple in English. Thats how the pineapple came to be, according to folklore, named after a spoiled child w ho w as cursed with a thousand eyes

Legend of the Guava

Once upon a time, a greedy and arrogant king ruled a small faraw ay tow n. King Barabas w as feared by his constituents how ever, he w as also secretly hated by the people. The king w as moody and w ould give his servants irrational tasks. He would often scold them if his commands are not done. The king also loved to eat, sleep at spend his w ealt h on useless things.

A big drought came to the kingdom. The harvest w as not good and even trading w as low . All of the kingdom w as asked to be prudent in their spending and save until the drought w as over.

All of the people adhered to the call and made th eir ow n w ays of saving up except for one person. The king violated his own rule. He didnt care about his starving people. He continued his luxurious w ays and spent as if there w as no crisis in the kingdom.

While the people w ould eat only once a day, th e king w ould have feasts for himself. He w ould ask his servants to cook different kinds of expensive and exotic dishes. The w orst part is he w ould not even share the food with his people or even his servants even if the food w as abundant. He w ould not even allow his servants to eat his leftovers instead he let it alone until it gets spoiled.

One day w hile the king w as having his usual eating fest in the palace yard, an old beggar came to ask for alms. She asked the king for some food since she w as starving. But the king just ignore the beggar. Instead he commanded the beggar to leave as he w as losing appetite due to the beggars smell.

This angered the beggar. She told the king he w as greedy and for that he w as to be punished. Before the beggar could even finish her sentence, a thunder w as heard and lightning struck. The kings appearance w as slow ly transforming. He cried asking for forgiveness but it w as too late. The beggar suddenl y disappeared w hile the king w as turned into a plant.

The people saw w hat happened to the king and came nearer to inspect the plant. The y saw a small rounded fruit w hich had a small crow n on its tip. They agreed that it w as indeed their greedy and gluttonous king, Barabas w ho was turned into a plant.

From then on the plant w as called bayabas from King Barabas name.

PARABLES

PARABLES A succinct story, in prose or verse, which illustrates one or more instructive principles, or lessons, or (sometimes) a normative principle. It differs from a fable in that fables use animals, plants, inanimate objects, and forces of nature as characters, while parables generally feature human characters. It is a type of analogy.

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

15 Now the tax collectors and sinners w ere all gathering around to hear Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, This man w elcomes sinners and eats w ith them.

3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesnt he leave the ninety -nine in the open countr y and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And w hen he finds it, he joyfull y puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his frien ds and neighbors together and says, Rejoice w ith me; I have found m y lost sheep. 7 I tell you that in the same w ay there w ill be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner w ho repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons w ho do not need to repent.

The Parable of the Lost Coin

8 Or suppose a w oman has ten silver coins[a] and loses one. Doesnt she light a lamp, sw eep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And w hen she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and sa ys, Rejoi ce w ith me; I have found m y lost coin. 10 In the same w ay, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner w ho repents.

The Parable of the Lost Son

11 Jesus continued: There was a man w ho had tw o sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, Father, give me my share of the estate. So he divided his property betw een them.

13 Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his w ealth in w ild livi ng. 14 After he had spent ever ything, there w as a severe famine in that w hole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he w ent and hired himself out to a citizen of that countr y, w ho sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach w ith the pods that the pigs w ere eating, but no one gave him anything.

17 When he came to his senses, he said, How many of my fathers hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I w ill set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer w orthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants. 20 So he got up and w ent to his father.

But w hile he was still a long w ay off, his father saw him and w as filled w ith compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

21 The son said to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer w orthy to be called your son.

22 But the father said to his servants, Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Lets have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine w as dead and is alive again; he w as lost and is fou nd. So they began to celebrate.

25 Meanw hile, the older son w as in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked him w hat w as going on. 27 Your brother has come, he replied, and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.

28 The older brother became angr y and refused to go in. So his father w ent out and pleaded w ith him. 29 But he answ ered his father, Look! All these years Ive been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate w ith m y friends. 30 But w hen this son of yours w ho has squandered your property w ith prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!

31 M y son, the father said, you are alw ays with me, and ever ything I have is yours. 32 But w e had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours w as dead and is alive again; he w as lost and is found.

The Prodigal Son

Scripture: Luke 15:11 -32 1 Now the tax collectors and sinners w ere all draw ing near to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, "This man receives sinners and eats w ith them." 3 So he told them this parable: 11 And he said, "There w as a man w ho had tw o sons; 12 and the younger of them said to his father, `Father, give me the share of property that falls to me.' And he divided his living betw een them. 13 Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took his journey into a far country, and there he s quandered his property in loose living. 14 And w hen he had

spent ever ything, a great famine arose in that countr y, and he began to be in w ant. 15 So he w ent and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country, w ho sent him into his fields to feed sw ine. 16 And he w ould gladly have fed on the pods that the sw ine ate; and no one gave him anything. 17 But w hen he came to himself he said, `How many of m y father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, but I perish here w ith hunger! 18 I w ill aris e and go to my father, and I w ill say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; 19 I am no longer w orthy to be called your son; treat me as one of your hired servants."' 20 And he arose and came to his father. But w hile he was yet at a distance, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, `Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer w orthy to be called your son.' 22 But the father said to his servants, `Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet; 23 and bring the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and make merry; 24 for this my son w as dead, and is alive again; he w as lost, and is found.' And the y began to make merry. 25 "Now his elder son w as in the field; and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 And he called one of the servants and asked w hat this meant. 27 And he said to him, `Your brother has come, and you r father has killed the fatted calf, because he has received him safe and sound.' 28 But he w as angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, 29 but he answ ered his father, `Lo, these many years I have served you, and I never disobe yed your command; yet you never gave me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends. 30 But w hen this son of yours came, w ho has devoured your living w ith harlots, you killed for him the fatted calf!' 31 And he said to him, `Son, you are alw ays with me, and all that is mine is yours. 32 It w as fitting to make merry and be glad, for this your brother w as dead, and is alive; he w as lost, and is found.'"

The Parable of the Sow er

13 That same da y Jesus w ent out of the house and sat by the lake. 2 Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, w hile all the people stood on the shore. 3 Then he told them many things in parables, saying: A farmer w ent ou t to sow his seed. 4 As he w as scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rock y places, w here it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow . 6 But w hen the sun came up, th e plants w ere scorched, and the y w ithered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, w hich grew up and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil, w here it produced a crop a hundred, sixty or thirty times w hat w as sow n. 9 Whoeve r has ears, let them hear.

10 The disciples came to him and asked, Why do you speak to the people in parables? 11 He replied, Because the know ledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 12 Whoever has w ill be given more, and the y w ill have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even w hat they have w ill be taken from them. 13 This is w hy I speak to them in parables:

Though seeing, they do not see;

though hearing, they do not hear or understand. 14 In them is ful filled the prophec y of Isaiah:

You w ill be ever hearing but never understanding; you w ill be ever seeing but never perceiving. 15 For this peoples heart has become calloused; the y hardly hear w ith their ears, and the y have closed their eyes. Otherw ise they might see w ith their eyes, hear w ith their ears, understand w ith their hearts and turn, and I w ould heal them.[a] 16 But blessed are your e yes because they see, and your ears because they hear. 17 For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous peo ple longed to see w hat you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

18 Listen then to w hat the parable of the sower means: 19 When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches aw ay w hat w as sow n in their heart. This is the seed sow n along the path. 20 The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone w ho hears the w ord and at once receives it w ith joy. 21 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the w ord, they quickly fall aw ay. 22 The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone w ho hears the w ord, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of w ealth choke the w ord, making it unfruitful. 23 But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone w ho hears the w ord and understands it. This is the one w ho produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times w hat w as sow n.

EPICS AND HERO TALES

EPIC AND HERO TALES Comes from the greek word epos which means a song or a saying. The epic is a poem or narrative of extended length made up of traditional stories clustered around a hero or group of heros. It is large in scope and eloquent in expression, embodying the highest ideals of the culture from which it springs. Saga, the name given to the epics of the Northmen, the people of Iceland and Scandinavia. These epics are largely pre Christian and reach back to the undated past. The written forms date from a thousand years before Christ to the thirteenth century.

WILLIAM TELL

[64] THE people of Sw itzerland w ere not alw ays free and happy as the y are to -da y. Many years ago a proud t yrant, w hose name w as Gessler, ruled over them, and made their lot a bitter one indeed. One day this tyrant set up a tall pole in the public square, and put his ow n cap on the top of it; and then he gave orders that every man w ho came into the tow n should bow dow n before it. But there w as one man, named William Tell, w ho w ould not do this. He stood up straight w ith folded arms, and laughed at the sw inging cap. He w ould not bow dow n to Gessler himself. When Gessler heard of this, he w as very angry. He w as afraid that other men w ould disobe y, and that soon the w hole country w ould rebel against h im. So he made up his mind to punish the bold man. William Tell's home w as among the mountains, and he w as a famous hunter. No one in all the land could shoot w ith bow and arrow so w ell as he. Gessler knew this, and so he thought of a cruel plan to make th e hunter's ow n skill bring him to grief. He ordered that

Tell's little boy should be made to stand up in the public square with an apple on his head; and then he bade Tell shoot the apple w ith one of his arrow s. [65] Tell begged the tyrant not to have him make this test of his skill. What if the boy should move? What if the bow man's hand should tremble? What if the arrow should not carry true?

"Will you make me kill my boy?" he said. "Sa y no more," said Gessler. "You must hit the apple with your one arrow . If you fail, my soldiers shall kill the boy before your e yes." [66] Then, w ithout another w ord, Tell fitted the arrow to his bow . He took aim, and let it fly. The boy stood firm and still. He w as not afraid, for he had all faith in his father's skill. The arrow w histled through the air. It struck the apple fairly in the center, and carried it aw ay. The people w ho saw it shouted w ith joy. As Tell w as turning aw ay from the place, an arrow w hich he had hidden under his coat dropped to the ground. "Fellow !" cried Gessler, "w hat mean you w ith this second arrow ?" "Tyrant!" w as Tell's proud answ er, "this arrow w as for your heart if I had hurt my child." And there is an old story, that, not long after this, Tell did shoot the tyrant w ith one of his arrow s; and t hus he set his country free.

IBALONG

A long, long time ago, there w as a rich land called Ibalong. The hero Baltog, w ho came from Botavora of the brave clan of Lipod, came to this land w hen many monsters w ere still roaming in its very dark forests. He decideed to sta y and w as the first to cultivate its field and to plant them w ith gabi.

Then one night, a monstrous, w ild boar know n as Tanda yag saw these field and destroyed the crops. Upon know ing this, Baltog decided to look for this boar w ith all his courage and patience. At last, as soon as he saw it, he fearlessly w restled w ith it, w ith all his might. Baltog w as unafraied. He w as strong and brave. Though the Tanda yag had ver y long fangs, he w as able to pin dow n the monstrous, w ild boar and break apart its ver y big jaw bones. With this, Tanda yag fell and died. After this fight, Baltog w ent to his house in Tondol, carrying the Tanda yags broken jaw bones. Then, he hung it on a talisay tree in front of his house. Upon learning of the victor y of their Chief Baltog, the people prepared a feast and celebrated. The very big jaw bones of the dead boar became an attraction for ever yone. Thus, came the tribes of Panikw ason and Asog to marvel at it.

The second hero w ho ca me to the land of Ibalong w as Handyong. Together w ith his men, he had to fight thousands of battles, and face many dangers to defeat the monsters. As w arriors, the y first fought the one e yed monster with three necks in the land of Ponong. For ten months, t hey fought w ithout rest. And the y never stopped fighting until all these monsters w ere killed. Handyong and his men made their next attack against the giant flying sharks called Triburon w hich had hardy flesh and saw like teeth that could crush rocks. The y continued fighting until the defeat of the last Triburon.

The y tamed the w ild carabaos. The y even drove aw ay the giant and very fierce Sarimao w hich had ver y sharp fingernails. And using their spears and arrow s, the y killed all the crocodiles w hich w ere a s big as boats. With all these killings, the rivers and sw amps of Ibalong turned red w ith blood. It w as at this time that the savage monke ys became frightened and hid themselves.

Among the enemies of Handyong and his men, the serpent Oryol w as the hardest to kill. Having a beautiful voice, Oryol could change its image to deceive its enemies. To capture it, Handyong tried different w ays. But Oryol escaped ever y one of it and disappeared.

So, alone and unafraid, Handyong decided to look for Oryol in the heart of the forest. He follow ed the beautiful voice and w as almost enchanted by it in his pursiut. Days and nights passed until Oryol came to admire Handyongs bravery and gallantry. Then, the serpent helped the hero to conquer the monsters, thus restoring peace to the entire Ibalong.

In one of the areas of Ibalong called Ligmanan, Handyong built a tow n. Under his leadership and his law s, slaves and masters w ere treated equally. The people planted rice and because of their high regard of him, they named this rice after him. He built the first boat to ride the w aves of Ibalongs seas. Through his good example, his people became inspired and came up w ith their ow n inventions. There w as Kimantong w ho made the plow , harrow , and other farming tools ; Hablom w ho invented the first loom for w eaving abaca clothes; Dinahong, an Agta, who created the stove, cooking pot, earthen jar, and other kitchen utensils; and Sural w ho brilliantly thought of the syllabary and started to w rite on a marble rock. This w as a golden period in Ibalong.

Then suddenl y, there came a big flood caused by Unos, w ith terrif ying earthquakes. The volcanoes of Hantik, Kulasi and Isarog erupted. Rivers changed their direction and the sea w aves rolled high. Destruction w as everyw here. Soon, the earth parted, mountains sank, a lake w as formed, and many tow ns in Ibalong w ere ruined.

Then, appeared the giant Rabot, half -man and halfbeast, w ith aw esome and terrifying pow ers.

People w ere asking w ho w ill fight against Rabot. So, Bantong, the third hero w as called. He w as a good friend of Handyong. He w as ordered to kill the new monster in Ibalong. To do this, he took w ith him a thousand w arriors to attack Rabots den. But using his wisdom against Rabot, he did not attack the giant right aw ay. He first observed Rabots w ays. Looking around the giants den, he discovered that there w ere many rocks surrounding it, and these w ere the people w ho w ere turned into rocks by Rabot.

Bantong also learned that Rabot loved to sleep during the day and stayed aw ake at night. So, he w aited. When Rabot w as already sleeping very soundly, Bantong came hear him. He cut the giant into tw o w ith

his very sharp bolo and w ithout any struggle, Rabot died, So, Ibalong w as at peace once more.

BIAG NI LAM -ANG

Don Juan and his w ife Namongan lived in Nalbuan, now part of La Union in the northern part of the Philippines. The y had a son named Lam -ang. Before Lam-ang w as born, Don Juan w ent to the mountains in order to punish a group of their Igorot enemies. While he w as aw ay, his son Lam -ang w as born. It took four people to help Namongan give birth. As soon as the baby boy popped out, he spoke and asked that he be given the name Lam -ang. He also chose his godparents and asked w here his father w as.

After nine months of w aiting for his father to return, Lam-ang decided he w ould go look for him. Namonganthought Lam -ang was up to the challenge but she w as sad to let him go. During his exhausting journey, he decided to rest for aw hile. He fell asleep and had a dream about his father's head being stuck on a pole by the Igorot. Lam -ang w as furious w hen he learned w hat had happened to his father. He rushed to their village and killed them all, except for one w hom he let go so that he could tell other people about Lam ang's greatness.

Upon returning to Nalbuan in triumph, he w as bathed by w omen in the Ambura yanriver. All the fish died because of the dirt and odor from Lam -ang's body.

There w as a young w oman named Ines Kannoyan w hom Lam-ang w anted to w oo. She lived in Calanutian and he brought along his w hite rooster and gray dog to visit her. On the w ay, Lam -ang met his enem y Sumarang, another suitor of Ines w hom he fought and readily defeated.

Lam-ang found the house of Ines surrounded by many suitors all of whom w e re trying to catch her attention. He had his rooster crow , w hich caused a nearby house to fall. This made Ines look out. He had his dog bark and in an instant the fallen house rose up again. The girl's parents witnessed this and called for him. The rooster expressed the love of Lam -ang. The parents agreed to a marriage w ith their daughter if Lam -ang w ould give them a dow ry valued at double their w ealth. Lam-ang had no problem fulfilling this condition and he and Ines w ere married.

It w as a tradition to have a newly married man sw im in the river for the rarang fish. Unfortunately, Lam -ang dove straight into the mouth of the w ater monster Berkakan. Ines had Marcos get his bones, w hich she covered w ith a piece of cloth. His rooster crow ed and his dog barked and slow ly the bones started to move. Back alive, Lam -ang and his wife lived happily ever after w ith his white rooster and gray dog.

MYTHS

MYTHS A myth is a story that may or may not be true. Myths are generally very old. This means there are no records or other proof that they happened. We know about them from older people telling them to younger people. Some myths may have started as 'true' stories but as people told and re-told them, they may have changed some parts, so they are less 'true'. They may have changed them by mistake, or to make them more interesting. All cultures have myths. Stories about the Greek and Roman gods and goddesses are myths.

King Midas and his touch

The story of King Midas is a myth about the tragedy of avarice and narrates w hat happens w hen true happiness is not recognized. Midas w as a man w ho wished that everything he touched w ould turn into gold. How ever, he had not thought that this wish w as not actually a blessing, but a curse. His greed invites us to think and realize the consequences that may lead us to become slaves of our own desires. The phrase the Midas touch comes from this myth and is used to sa y that somebody has a good fortune.

Midas w as a king of great fortune w ho ruled the countr y of Phrygia, in Asia Minor. He had everything a king could w ish for. He lived in luxury in a great castle. He shared his life of abundance w ith his beautiful daughter. Even though he w as very rich, Midas thought that his greatest happiness w as provided by gold. His avarice w a s such that he used to spend his days counting his golden coins! Occasionally he used to cover his body w ith gold objects, as if he w anted to bath in them. Mone y w as his obsession.

One day, Dionyssus, the god of w ine and revelry, passed through the kingd om of Midas. One of his

companions, a sat yr named Silenus, got delayed along the w ay. Silenus got tired and decided to take a nap in the famous rose gardens surrounding the palace of king Midas. There, he w as found by the king, w ho recognized him instantly and invited him to spend a few days at his palace. After that, Midas took him to Dionyssus. The god of celebration, very grateful to Midas for his kindness, promised Midas to satisfy any wish of him. Midas though for a w hile and then he said: I hope that everything I tough becomes gold. Dionyssus w arned the king to think w ell about his wish, but Midas w as positive. Dionyssus could do nothing else and promised the king that from that follow ing day ever ything he touched w ould turn into gold.

The next day, Midas, w oke up eager to see if his w ish w ould become true. He extended his arm touching a small table that immediately turned into gold. Midas jumped w ith happiness! He then touched a chair, the carpet, the door, his bathtub, a table and so he kept on running in his madness all over his palace until he got exhausted and happy at the same time! He sat at the table to have breakfast and took a rose betw een his hands to smell its fragrance. When he touched it, the rose became gold. I w ill have to absorb the fr agrance without touching the roses, I suppose, he thought in disappointment.

Without even thinking, he ate a grape but it also turned into gold! The same happened w ith a slice of bread and a glass of w ater. Suddenl y, he started to sense fear. Tears filled his eyes and that moment, his beloved daughter entered the room. When Midas hag her, she turned into a golden statue! Despaired and fearful, he raised his arms and prayed to Dionyssus to take this curse from him.

The god heard Midas and felt sorry for hi m. He told Midas to go to river Pactolus and w ash his hands. Midas did so: he ran to the river and w as astonished to see gold flow ing from his hands. The ancient Greeks said they had found gold on the banks of the river

Pactolus. When he turned home, everything Midas had touched had become normal again.

Midas hang his daughter in full happiness and decided to share his great fortune w ith his people. From now on, Midas became a better person, generous and grateful for all goods of his life. His people led a prosperous life and w hen he died, they all moored for his beloved king.

WHY THE WOODPECKER'S HEAD IS RED

ONE day the woodpecker said to the Great Spirit, "Men do not like me. I w ish they did."

The Great Spirit said, "If you wish men to love you, you must be good to them and help them. Then the y will call you their friend."

"How can a little bird help a man?" asked the w oodpecker.

"If one w ishes to help, the day will come w hen he can help," said the Great Spirit. The day did com e, and this story show s how a little bird helped a strong w arrior.

There w as once a cruel magician w ho lived in a gloom y wigw am beside the Black Sea -Water. He did not like flow ers, and the y did not blossom in his pathw ay. He did not like birds, and they d id not sing in the trees above him. The breath of his nostrils w as fatal to all life. North, south, east, and west he blew the deadly fever that killed the w omen and the little children.

"Can I help them? " thought a brave w arrior, and he said, " I w ill f ind the magician, and see if death w ill not come to him as he has made it come to others. I will go straightw ay to his home."

For many da ys the brave w arrior w as in his canoe traveling across the Black -Sea Water. At last he saw the gloomy w igw am of the cr uel magician. He shot an arrow at the door and called, " Come out, O cow ard ! You have killed w omen and children w ith your fatal breath, but you cannot kill a warrior. Come out and fight, if you are not afraid."

The cruel magician laughed loud and long. " One breath of fever," he said, "and you w ill fall to the earth." The w arrior shot again, and then the magician w as angry. He did not laugh, but he came straight out of his gloom y lodge, and as he came, he blew the fever all about him.

Then w as seen the greatest fight that the sun had ever looked upon. The brave w arrior shot his flint -tipped arrow s, but the magician had on his magic cloak, and the arrow s could not w ound him. He blew from his nostrils the deadl y breath of fever, but the heart of the w arrior w as so strong that the fever could not kill him.

At last the brave w arrior had but three arrow s in his quiver. "What shall I do?" he said sadly. "M y arrow s are good and my aim is good, but no arrow can go through the magic cloak."

"Come on, come on," c alled the magician. "You are the man w ho w ished to fight. Come on." Then a w oodpecker in a tree above the brave w arrior said softly, "Aim your arrow at his head, O w arrior! Do not shoot at his heart, but at the crest of feathers on his head. He can be w oun ded there, but not in his heart."

The w arrior w as not so proud that he could not listen to a little bird. The magician bent to lift a stone, and an arrow flew from the w arrior's bow . It buzzed and stung like a w asp. It came so close to the crest of feathers that the magician trembled w ith terror. Before he could run, another arrow came, and this one struck him right on his crest. His heart grew cold w ith fear. "Death has struck me," he cried.

"Your cruel life is over," said the w arrior. "People shall no longer fear your fatal breath." Then he said to the w oodpecker, "Little bird, you have been a good friend to me, and I w ill do all that I can for you." He put some of the red blood of the magician upon the little creature's head. It made the crest of feathers there as red as flame. "Whenever a man looks upon you," said the w arrior, "he w ill say, 'That bird is our friend. He helped to kill the cruel magician.' "

The little w oodpecker w as very proud of his red crest because it show ed that he w as the fri end of man, and all his children to this day are as proud as he w as.

The Myth of the Spider

The Myth of the Spider

Once upon a time, there was a temple to which many people went to pray to the Buddha. A spider made a net on the beams. As time went by, the spider was edified and received wisdom. All of a sudden, one day, the Buddha came to the temple. Inadvertently he saw the spider. He asked her:" You have lived here and thought for one thousand years,

I want to ask you a question." The spider was glad that the Buddha would speak to her, so she promised to reply. The Buddha said: "What do you think is the most precious thing?" The spider answered:"I think the most precious thing is what I can't get and what I have lost." The Buddha left without a word. After a thousand years, the Buddha came and asked the spider the same question. The spider gave the same answer also. The Buddha said: "You can have a profound think, and I will come back to you some day." One day after a millennium, a sudden gale rolled a drop of dew up to the net. The dew was glistening and translucent, spider liked it very much and she was happy looking at the drop of dew everyday. But after a few days, the wind rolled the dew away from her. The spider felt lost. Then the Buddha came again. He asked:" Have you had a profound think about that question?" The spider thought of the dew, so she

said :"What I can't get and have lost is the most precious thing in the world for me." Buddha said: "That being the case, I will let you become a person." So the spider become a beautiful girl of a rich family in the capital city. One day, the emperor rewarded the champion of the country who was named Dew. All of the girls in the capital were attracted to Dew. But Spider believed that Dew will fall in love with her because of the Buddha. But Dew had no impression of Spider, and didn't like Spider. Spider was sad. A few months later, the emperor announced that Dew would marry the Princess Wind and Spider would marry Prince Grass. She knew this and was extremely disappointed. She didn't have anything to eat for several days and was going to die. Then Prince Grass came hurriedly, and talked about his feeling of love for Spider. He said:" If you die, I will go with you!" He was ready to die.

Just then, the Buddha came. He said to Spider:" Have you ever thought about who brings Dew to you? The Wind does this. And at last, the Wind will take it back. Dew belongs to Wind, not to you. But have you thought of Grass? He was the grass living in front of the temple. He was looking at you for three thousand years and loving you for three thousand years, but you never took any notice of him. Now, Spider, what do you think is the most precious in the world?" Spider understood the Buddha's meaning at once. She woke up, stopped Grass and gave Grass a deep hug. She said to the Buddha:" Now I know the most precious thing is the happiness I can have right now."

WHY THE SKY IS HIGH

Long ago, the sky was very low. It was so low that people could touch it if they raised their hands. At the horizon, where the sky nearly touched the earth, was a village. Here lived an old woman all by herself. All day long she was busy with her household chores. Cleaning her utensils, scrubbing the floor, and dusting her courtyard. One day, she saw that her courtyard was very dirty. So she picked up her broomstick to clean it. She swept the ground so fast and so hard that it raised a storm of dust. In a minute, her house and the entire village became covered with dust and when it reached the sky, it started coughing. The poor sky nearly choked as the woman continued sweeping the ground. Suddenly the sky Sneezed. It was such a thunderous sneeze that the whole village shook! People ran helter-skelter, scared that the sky might fall. But the old woman kept sweeping oblivious of what was happening. After a while, it became so unbearable for the sky that he started crying helplessly. Huge teardrops fell on the earth. It made the courtyard muddy. Now this was too

much for the woman to bear. She raised her broomstick and whacked the sky, Get lost you wet blanket! she yelled. The sky was so scared that he moved higher and higher and swore never to come down again.

Pandora's Box

Once up a time, a long time ago, Zeus ordered Hephaestus (Aphrodite's husband) to make him a daughter. It was the first woman made out of clay. Hephaestus made a beautiful woman and named her Pandora. Zeus sent his new daughter, Pandora, down to earth so that she could marry Epimetheus, who was a gentle and lonely man. Zeus was not being kind. He was getting even. Epimetheus and Prometheus were brothers. Zeus was mad at one of the brothers, Prometheus, for giving people fire without asking Zeus first. Zeus gave Pandora a little box with a big heavy lock on it. He made her promise never to open the box. He gave the key to Pandoras husband and told him to never open the box. Zeus was sure that Epimetheus' curiosity would get the better of him, and that either Epimetheus or his brother would open the box. Pandora was very curious. She wanted to see what was inside the box, but Epimetheus said no. Better not. "You know your father," Epimetheus sighed, referring to Zeus. "Hes a tricky one." One day, when Epimetheus lay sleeping, Pandora stole the key and opened the box. Out flew every kind of disease and sickness, hate and envy, and all the bad things that people had never experienced before. Pandora slammed the lid closed, but it was too late. All the bad things were already out of the box. They flew away, out into the world. Epimetheus woke up at the sound of her sobbing. I opened the box and all these ugly things flew out, Pandora cried. I tried to catch them, but they all got away! Pandora opened the box to

show him how empty it was. But the box was not quite empty. One tiny bug flew quickly out before Pandora could slam the lid shut again. Hello, Pandora, said the bug, hovering just out of reach. My name is Hope. With a nod of thanks for being set free, Hope flew out into the world, a world that now held Envy, Crime, Hate, and Disease and Hope.

BIOGRAPHIES

BIOGRAPHY A biography or simply bio is a detailed description or account of a person's life. It entails more than basic facts (education, work, relationships, and death) - a biography also portrays a subject's experience of these events. Unlike a profile or curriculum vitae(rsum), a biography presents a subject's life story, highlighting various aspects of his or her life, including intimate details of experience, and may include an analysis of the subject's personality.

Moses

Biblical Figure / Religious Figure Born: c. 1200 B.C. Died: c. 1200 B.C. (by God's decree) Birthplace: Egypt Best known as: Hebrew liberator who received the Ten Commandments Name at birth: Moshe The most important figure in Judaism, Moses parted the Red Sea to free his people and brought them the Ten Commandments on stone tablets. His story appears early in the Bible and is filled

with miracles and talks with God. At his birth, the Hebrews, descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Israel), are slaves to Egypt's king (Pharaoh) who has ordered newborn males killed. Moses' mother hides him in a papyrus basket among the Nile's reeds; Pharaoh's daughter finds him, takes pity and adopts him. He flees as a young man, but God appears to him in a burning bush years later and sends him back with his brother, Aaron, to demand the Israelites' release. Plagues arrive, the Hebrews escape, and Egypt's army drowns in the Red Sea. A wilderness sojourn follows, in which God, through Moses, makes a covenant with the Hebrews and lays out rites of worship and laws of communal and personal behavior. At age 120, Moses dies by God's decree just before the people enter the land known in recent centuries as Palestine and Israel. Extra credit: His Hebrew name, Moshe, means "the one who draws out"... His story starts in Exodus and ends in Deuteronomy, two of the "five books of Moses" or, in Hebrew, the Torah ("law"). It includes the first Passover, just before the escape from Egypt... The burning bush and stone tablets appear on Mt. Sinai. Its precise location on the Sinai Peninsula is uncertain... Moses is also a figure of faith in Christianity and a prophet in Islam; the Koran's account is similar to the Bible's but less detailed.

Read more: Moses Biography (Biblical

Figure/Religious Figure) | Infoplease.com http://www.infoplease.com/biograp hy/var/moses.html#ixzz2dPRloIxh

A man and a woman from the tribe of Levi got married. She became pregnant and had a son by him. She saw that her baby was a fine child. So she hid him for three months. After that, she couldnt hide him any longer. So she got a basket that was made out of the stems of tall grass. She coated it with tar. Then she placed the child in it. She put the basket in the tall grass that grew along the bank of the Nile River. The childs sister wasnt very far away. She wanted to see what would happen to him. Pharaohs daughter went down to the Nile River to take a bath. Her attendants were walking along the bank of the river. She saw the basket in the tall grass. So she sent her female slave to get it. When she opened it, she saw the baby. He was crying. She felt sorry for him. This is one of the Hebrew babies, she said. Then his sister spoke to Pharaohs daughter. She asked, Do you want me to go and get one of the Hebrew women? She could nurse the baby for you. Yes. Go, she answered. So the girl went and got the babys m other. Pharaohs daughter said to her, Take this baby. Nurse him for me. Ill pay you. So the woman took the baby and nursed him. When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaohs daughter. And he became her son. She named him Moses. She said, I pulled him out of the water.

Louis Braille (1809-1852)

Six dots. Six bumps. Six bumps in different patterns, like constellations, spreading out over the page. What are they? Numbers, letters, words. Who made this code? None other than Louis Braille, a French 12-year-old, who was also blind. And his work changed the world of reading and writing, forever. Louis was from a small town called Coupvray, near Parishe was born on January 4 in 1809. Louis became blind by accident, when he was 3 years old. Deep in his Dad's harness workshop, Louis tried to be like his Dad, but it went very wrong; he grabbed an awl, a sharp tool for making holes, and the tool slid and hurt his eye. The wound got infected, and the infection spread, and soon, Louis was blind in both eyes. All of a sudden, Louis needed a new way to learn. He stayed at his old school for two more years, but he couldn't learn everything just by listening. Things were looking up when Louis got a scholarship to the Royal Institution for Blind Youth in Paris, when he was 10. But even there, most of the teachers just talked at the students. The library had 14 huge books with raised letters that were very hard to read. Louis was impatient. Then in 1821, a former soldier named Charles Barbier visited the school. Barbier shared his invention called "night writing," a code of 12 raised dots that let soldiers share top-secret information on the battlefield without even having to speak. Unfortunately, the code was too hard for the soldiers, but not for 12year-old Louis! Louis trimmed Barbier's 12 dots into 6, ironed out the system by the time he was 15, then published the first-ever braille book in 1829. But did he stop there? No way! In 1837, he added symbols for math and music. But since the public was skeptical, blind students had to study braille on their own. Even at the Royal Institution, where Louis taught after he graduated, braille wasn't taught until after his death. Braille began to spread worldwide in 1868, when a group of British men, now known as the Royal National Institute for the Blind, took up the cause. Now practically every country in the world uses braille. Braille books have double-sided pages, which saves a lot of space. Braille signs help blind people get around in public spaces. And, most important, blind people can communicate independently, without needing print. Louis proved that if you have the motivation, you can do incredible things.

There was a time, not long ago, when most people thought that blind people could never learn to read. People thought that the only way to read was to look at words with your eyes. A young French boy named Louis Braille thought otherwise. Blind from the age of three, young Louis desperately wanted to read. He realized the vast world of thought and ideas that was locked out to him because of his disability. And he was determined to find the key to this door for himself, and for all other blind persons. This story begins in the early part of the nineteenth century. Louis Braille was born in 1809, in a small village near Paris. His father made harnesses and other leather goods to sell to the other villagers. Louis' father often used sharp tools to cut and punch holes in the leather. One of the tools he used to makes holes was a sharp awl. An awl is a tool that looks like a short pointed stick, with a round, wooden handle. While playing with one of his father's awls, Louis' hand slipped and he accidentally poked one of his eyes. At first the injury didn't seem serious, but then the wound became infected. A few days later young Louis lost sight in both his eyes. The first few days after becoming blind were very hard. But as the days went by Louis learned to adapt and learned to lead an otherwise normal life. He went to school with all his friends and did well at his studies. He was both intelligent and creative. He wasn't going to let his disability slow him down one bit. As he grew older, he realized that the small school he attended did not have the money and resources he needed. He heard of a school in Paris that was especially for blind students. Louis didn't have to think twice about going. He packed his bags and went off to find himself a solid education. When he arrived at the special school for the blind, he asked his teacher if the school had books for blind persons to read. Louis found that the school did have books for the blind to read. These books had large letters that were raised up off the page. Since the letters were so big, the books themselves were large and bulky. More importantly, the books were expensive to buy. The school had exactly fourteen of them. Louis set about reading all fourteen books in the school library. He could feel each letter, but it took him a long time to read a sentence. It took a few seconds to reach each word and by the time he reached the end of a sentence, he almost forgot what the beginning of the sentence was about. Louis knew there must be a better way. There must be a way for a blind person to quickly feel the words on a page. There must be a way for a blind person to read as quickly and as easily as a sighted person. That day he set himself the goal of thinking up a system for blind people to read. He would try to think of some alphabet code to make his 'finger reading' as quick and easy as sighted reading.

Now Louis was a tremendously creative person. He learned to play the cello and organ at a young age. He was so talented an organist that he played at churches all over Paris. Music was really his first love. It also happened to be a steady source of income. Louis had great confidence in his own creative abilities. He knew that he was as intelligent and creative as any other person his own age. And his musical talent showed how much he could accomplish when given a chance. One day chance walked in the door. Somebody at the school heard about an alphabet code that was being used by the French army. This code was used to deliver messages at night from officers to soldiers. The messages could not be written on paper because the soldier would have to strike a match to read it. The light from the match would give the enemy a target at which to shoot. The alphabet code was made up of small dots and dashes. These symbols were raised up off the paper so that soldiers could read them by running their fingers over them. Once the soldiers understood the code, everything worked fine. Louis got hold of some of this code and tried it out. It was much better than reading the gigantic books with gigantic raised letters. But the army code was still slow and cumbersome. The dashes took up a lot of space on a page. Each page could only hold one or two sentences. Louis knew that he could improve this alphabet in some way. On his next vacation home, he would spend all his time working on finding a way to make this improvement. When he arrived home for school vacation, he was greeted warmly by his parents. His mother and father always encouraged him on his music and other school projects. Louis sat down to think about how he could improve the system of dots and dashes. He liked the idea of the raised dots, but could do without the raised dashes. As he sat there in his father's leather shop, he picked up one of his father's blunt awls. The idea came to him in a flash. The very tool which had caused him to go blind could be used to make a raised dot alphabet that would enable him to read. The next few days he spent working on an alphabet made up entirely of six dots. The position of the different dots would represent the different letters of the alphabet. Louis used the blunt awl to punch out a sentence. He read it quickly from left to right. Everything made sense. It worked...

JOSE RIZAL

JOSE RIZAL, the national hero of the Philippines and pride of the Malayan race, was born on June 19, 1861, in the town of Calamba, Laguna. He was the seventh child in a family of 11 children (2 boys and 9 girls). Both his parents were educated and belonged to distinguished families. His father, Francisco Mercado Rizal, an industrious farmer whom Rizal called "a model of fathers," came from Bian, Laguna; while his mother, Teodora Alonzo y Quintos, a highly cultured and accomplished woman whom Rizal called "loving and prudent mother," was born in Meisic, Sta. Cruz, Manila. At the age of 3, he learned the alphabet from his mother; at 5, while learning to read and write, he already showed inclinations to be an artist. He astounded his family and relatives by his pencil drawings and sketches and by his moldings of clay. At the age 8, he wrote a Tagalog poem, "Sa Aking Mga Kabata," the theme of which revolves on the love of ones language. In 1877, at the age of 16, he obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree with an average of "excellent" from the Ateneo Municipal de Manila. In the same year, he enrolled in Philosophy and Letters at the University of Santo Tomas, while at the same time took courses leading to the degree of surveyor and expert assessor at the Ateneo. He finished the latter course on March 21, 1877 and passed the Surveyors examination on May 21, 1878; but because of his age, 17, he was not granted license to practice the profession until December 30, 1881. In 1878, he enrolled in medicine at the University of Santo Tomas but had to stop in his studies when he felt that the Filipino students were being discriminated upon by their Dominican tutors.

On May 3, 1882, he sailed for Spain where he continued his studies at the Universidad Central de Madrid. On June 21, 1884, at the age of 23, he was conferred the degree of Licentiate in Medicine and on June 19,1885, at the age of 24, he finished his course in Philosophy and Letters with a grade of "excellent." Having traveled extensively in Europe, America and Asia, he mastered 22 languages. These include Arabic, Catalan, Chinese, English, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Malayan, Portuguese, Russian, Sanskrit, Spanish, Tagalog, and other native dialects. A versatile genius, he was an architect, artists, businessman, cartoonist, educator, economist, ethnologist, scientific farmer, historian, inventor, journalist, linguist, musician, mythologist, nationalist, naturalist, novelist, opthalmic surgeon, poet, propagandist, psychologist, scientist, sculptor, sociologist, and theologian. He was an expert swordsman and a good shot. In the hope of securing political and social reforms for his country and at the same time educate his countrymen, Rizal, the greatest apostle of Filipino nationalism, published, while in Europe, several works with highly nationalistic and revolutionary tendencies. In March 1887, his daring book, NOLI ME TANGERE, a satirical novel exposing the arrogance and despotism of the Spanish clergy, was published in Berlin; in 1890 he reprinted in Paris, Morgas SUCCESSOS DE LAS ISLAS FILIPINAS with his annotations to prove that the Filipinos had a civilization worthy to be proud of even long before the Spaniards set foot on Philippine soil; on September 18, 1891, EL FILIBUSTERISMO, his second novel and a sequel to the NOLI and more revolutionary and tragic than the latter, was printed in Ghent. Because of his fearless exposures of the injustices committed by the civil and clerical officials, Rizal provoked the animosity of those in power. This led himself, his relatives and countrymen into trouble with the Spanish officials of the country. As a consequence, he and those who had contacts with him, were shadowed; the authorities were not only finding faults but even fabricating charges to pin him down. Thus, he was imprisoned in Fort Santiago from July 6, 1892 to July 15, 1892 on a charge that anti-friar pamphlets were found in the luggage of his sister Lucia who arrive with him from Hong Kong. While a political exile in Dapitan, he engaged in agriculture, fishing and business; he maintained and operated a hospital; he conducted classes- taught his pupils the English and Spanish languages, the arts. The sciences, vocational courses including agriculture, surveying, sculpturing, and painting, as well as the art of self defense; he did some researches and collected specimens; he entered into

correspondence with renowned men of letters and sciences abroad; and with the help of his pupils, he constructed water dam and a relief map of Mindanao - both considered remarkable engineering feats. His sincerity and friendliness won for him the trust and confidence of even those assigned to guard him; his good manners and warm personality were found irresistible by women of all races with whom he had personal contacts; his intelligence and humility gained for him the respect and admiration of prominent men of other nations; while his undaunted courage and determination to uplift the welfare of his people were feared by his enemies. When the Philippine Revolution started on August 26, 1896, his enemies lost no time in pressing him down. They were able to enlist witnesses that linked him with the revolt and these were never allowed to be confronted by him. Thus, from November 3, 1986, to the date of his execution, he was again committed to Fort Santiago. In his prison cell, he wrote an untitled poem, now known as "Ultimo Adios" which is considered a masterpiece and a living document expressing not only the heros great love of country but also that of all Filipinos. After a mock trial, he was convicted of rebellion, sedition and of forming illegal association. In the cold morning of December 30, 1896, Rizal, a man whose 35 years of life had been packed with varied activities which proved that the Filipino has capacity to equal if not excel even those who treat him as a slave, was shot at Bagumbayan Field.

COMIC STRIPS

SHORT PLAYS

FART-ZEN

CAST OF CHARACTERS

(A comedy skit Three or more actors, any gender)

STEPH: Stressed out business woman (can be a man STEVE). MASTER: Fart-Zen master who teaches relaxation techniques. PUPIL: There can be one PUPIL or a dozen. Very flexible. (Lights come up on a studio that is a cross between a yoga and karate studio. PUPILS are dressed in white and are in various strange positions in a state of meditation. Each PUPIL has a small box next to them. NOTE: There can be one PUPIL or a dozen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"=""> The Fart-Zen MASTER stands before them also in a state of meditation. STEPH enters. STEPH is in a business suit with her hair up. Everything about her scream tension. She stops worried she has interrupted them)</span style="mso-spacerun:>

STEPH Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't realize you were in the middle of a session. I'll come back.

MASTER No, please enter. All are welcome here.

STEPH Hello, I'm Stephanie Miller. (Pulls out a business card and gives it to the MASTER. STEPH turns and looks at PUPILS. MASTER tosses card carelessly) I was referred here by my doctor. She says I've got way too much stress in my life and she prescribed some relaxation exercises. Your Fart-Zen school comes highly recommended for it's success in relieving all kinds of stress and anxiety disorders. (STEPH has been pacing nervously. MASTER stops her)

MASTER It is said "far-zen".

STEPH Oh... so sorry. T is silent. Got it. Kind of like Mozart but the opposite. He must have taken your T sound.

MASTER Perhaps. Pupils. Assume position... Ichi.

(PUPILS all shift into a similar position and all fart as they do so. NOTE: The farting will most likely will have to be done with a recording unless you have some really talented farters in the cast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"=""> STEPH looks at them in disgust but MASTER says nothing)</span style="mso-spacerun:>

MASTER So what is the source of your tension?

STEPH Huh? Oh, work I guess.

MASTER You seem distracted.

STEPH Every since I got this promotion, I've been a total air head.

MASTER Position Ni!

(PUPILS shift again to a new position and fart more)

STEPH Are they okay?

MASTER They are reaching a state of advanced relaxation. (To PUPILS) Refuel! (PUPILS sit by their boxes and pull out various things to consume such as bean burritos, soda, broccoli, apples, milk, cheese, etc.)

STEPH Wait a minute. What is exactly the whole idea here?

MASTER

All tension is something that is within you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"=""> Stress becomes bottled up and new stress makes it all shaken and builds inside you. If you have to way to relieve that stress, then it grows until it becomes unhealthy and even painful. Is your tension causing you pain?</span style="mso-spacerun:>

STEPH It does. I get these panic attacks... I swear I was having a heart attack.

MASTER And one day you may unless you have a proper way to expel the demon which festers within. (To PUPILS) Prepare for the next position! (PUPILS rush excitedly and get themselves set) Position San! (PUPILS bend in various positions and there is a some serious farting)

STEPH Oh, man! (The smell is too much for STEPH and she covers her mouth)

MASTER We must all reach a state of perfect relaxation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"=""> But only the Fert-zen master can achieve such a perfect state through repeated practice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"=""> The goal of all Fert-zen students is to reach position Shi.</span style="mso-spacerun:></span style="msospacerun:>

PUPILS Show us, Master. Show us position Shi.

STEPH

No, that's okay... I...

MASTER Prepare for position Shi.

(PUPILS all clear floor and wait excitedly as MASTER gets in a strange position. Long pause. Suddenly the fart comes quietly then builds and gets stronger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"=""> The PUPILS are in ecstacy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"=""> STEPH leaves in disgust.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"=""> The fart grows and lights fade to black. The fart builds and then stops. Then continues after a moment almost explosively. The PUPILS clap. Wait for silence from audience and then a little fart then comes again just to finish it off. Wait for silence again. Slight pause)</span style="mso-spacerun:></span style="msospacerun:></span style="mso-spacerun:>

PUPIL You are the master.

END OF PLAY

The Three Little Pigs Playscript

Cast List The wolf Jon Jonie Jonathon Mother Pig Farmer Scene List Farm House Straw House Wood House Brick House

Scene 1 - The Farm House

Narrator

One day a Mother Pig explained to her sons that they had to find a house of their own.

Mother Pig

Children I want you to find a house of your own.

Farmer

I think so too you know.

Jon

Mam, I'm going to make mine out of bricks.

Jonathon

I'm going to make mine out of straw.

Jonie

I'm going to make mine out of sticks.

Narrator

Jon tried to find some bricks. Jonathon tried to get some straw and Jonie tried to find some sticks. All the little pigs then went to make their houses.

Scene 2 - The Straw House

Narrator

A wolf came to the city where the Jon brothers lived. He knocked at the door of the straw house.

Wolf

Let me in, let me in little pig or I will blow the house down.

Jonathon

Oh no you will not. I will jump on you with my big fat belly.

The wolf begins to huff and puff.

Narrator the

So the wolf huffed and he puffed and he blew house down.

Jonathon

I'd better go to Jonie's house.

Wolf

You can run but you can't hide from me.

Jonathon runs off and knocks at Jonie's house.

Scene 3 - The Wood House

Jonathon

Jonie let me in quickly.

Jonie

Jonathon what are you doing here?

Jonathon

There's a wolf!

Wolf bacon for

Yum, yum that means more sausage and my brothers and sisters.

2 Brothers

Oh no we'd better go to Jon's house.

The 2 pigs run off. Wolf follows them.

Scene 4 - The Brick House

Narrator knock at

Jonie and Jonathon run to Jon's house and the door.

2 Brothers

Jon, Jon let us in.

Jon 2 Brothers

Jonie, Jonathon. What are you doing here? There's a wolf.

Wolf

Even more yummy food for my family.

Jon

He won't be able to get us now.

Narrator he

The wolf huffed and he puffed but the house wouldn't blow down. He tried and he tried until ran out of breath.

Jon

See I told you.

Narrator saw some

The wolf climbed up the chimney and Jonie him do it. He had a plan. He got a pot and hot water and put it where the chimney was.

Wolf

Now, I can get them.

Narrator

However the wolf fell into the pot and he died. The Jon brothers lived happily ever after.

All the pigs give a big cheer and dance around the pot.

The Gifts of Wali Dad

PREVIEW: Wali Dad, a humble grass-cutter, never asked for wealthso why cant he give it away? GENRE: Folktales CULTURE: Asian Indian, Pakistani THEME: Generosity READERS: 15 READER AGES: 813 LENGTH: 10 minutes

ROLES: Narrators 14, Wali Dad, Merchant, Queen, King, Ministers 1 & 2, Peris 1 & 2, Servants 13
NARRATOR 1: In a mud hut far from town lived an old grass-cutter named Wali Dad.

NARRATOR 4: Every morning, Wali Dad cut and bundled tall, wild grass. Every afternoon, he sold it as fodder in the marketplace.

NARRATOR 2: Each day, he earned thirty paisa. Ten of the small coins went for food. Ten went for clothes and other needs. And ten he saved in a clay pot under his bed.

NARRATOR 3: In this manner Wali Dad lived happily for many years.

NARRATOR 1: One evening, Wali Dad dragged out the pot to see how much money it held. He was amazed to find that his coins had filled it to the brim.

WALI DAD: (to himself) What am I to do with all this money? I need nothing more than I have.

NARRATOR 4: Wali Dad thought and thought. At last he had an idea.

NARRATOR 2: The next day, Wali Dad loaded the money into a sack and carried it to a jeweler in the marketplace. He exchanged all his coins for a lovely gold bracelet.

NARRATOR 3: Then Wali Dad visited the home of a traveling merchant.

WALI DAD: Tell me, in all the world, who is the noblest lady?

MERCHANT: Without doubt, it is the young queen of Khaistan. I often visit her palace, just three days journey to the east.

WALI DAD: Do me a kindness. The next time you pass that way, give her this little bracelet, with my compliments.

NARRATOR 1: The merchant was astonished, but he agreed to do what the ragged grass-cutter asked.

NARRATOR 4: Soon after, the merchant found himself at the palace of the queen of Khaistan. He presented the bracelet to her as a gift from Wali Dad.

QUEEN: (admiring the bracelet) How lovely! Your friend must accept a gift in return. My servants will load a camel with the finest silks.

NARRATOR 2: When the merchant arrived back home, he brought the silks to the hut of Wali Dad.

WALI DAD: Oh, no! This is worse than before! What am I to do with such finery?

MERCHANT: Perhaps you could give it to someone else.

NARRATOR 3: Wali Dad thought for a moment.

WALI DAD: Tell me, in all the world, who is the noblest man?

MERCHANT: That is simple. It is the young king of Nekabad. His palace, too, I often visit, just three days journey to the west.

WALI DAD: Then do me another kindness. On your next trip there, give him these silks, with my compliments.

NARRATOR 1: The merchant was amused, but he agreed.

NARRATOR 4: On his next journey, he presented the silks to the king of Nekabad.

KING: A splendid gift! In return, your friend must have twelve of my finest horses. NARRATOR 2: So the merchant brought the kings horses to Wali Dad.

WALI DAD: This grows worse and worse! What could I do with twelve horses? (thinks for a moment) I know who should have such a gift. I beg you, keep two horses for yourself, and take the rest to the queen of Khaistan!

NARRATOR 3: The merchant thought this was very funny, but he consented. On his next visit to the queens palace, he gave her the horses.

NARRATOR 1: Now the queen was perplexed. She whispered to her prime minister,

QUEEN: Why does this Wali Dad persist in sending gifts? I have never even heard of him! MINISTER 1: Why dont you discourage him? Send him a gift so rich, he can never hope to match it.

NARRATOR 4: So in return for the ten horses from Wali Dad, the queen sent back twenty mules loaded with silver.

NARRATOR 2: When the merchant and mules arrived back at the hut, Wali Dad groaned.

WALI DAD: What have I done to deserve this? Friend, spare an old man! Keep two mules and their silver for yourself, and take the rest to the king of Nekabad!

NARRATOR 3: The merchant was getting uneasy, but he could not refuse such a generous offer. So not long after, he found himself presenting the silver-laden mules to the king of Nekabad.

NARRATOR 1: The king, too, was perplexed and asked his prime minister for advice.

MINISTER 2: Perhaps this Wali Dad seeks to prove himself your better. Why not send him a gift he can never surpass?

NARRATOR 4: So the king sent back

NARRATOR 2: twenty camels with golden anklets,

NARRATOR 3: twenty horses with golden bridles and stirrups,

NARRATOR 1: twenty elephants with golden seats mounted on their backs,

NARRATOR 4: and twenty liveried servants to care for them all.

NARRATOR 2: When the merchant guided the servants and animals to Wali Dads hut, the grass-cutter was beside himself.

WALI DAD: Will bad fortune never end? Please, do not stop for a minute! Keep for yourself two of each animal, and take the rest to the queen of Khaistan!

MERCHANT: (distressed) How can I go to her again?

NARRATOR 3: But Wali Dad pleaded so hard, the merchant consented to go just once more.

NARRATOR 1: This time, the queen was stunned by the magnificence of Wali Dads gift. She turned again to her prime minister.

MINISTER 1: Clearly, the man wishes to marry you. Since his gifts are so fine, perhaps you should meet him!

NARRATOR 4: So the queen ordered a great caravan made ready, with countless horses, camels, and elephants. With the trembling merchant as guide, she and her court set out to visit the great Wali Dad.

NARRATOR 2: On the third day, the caravan made camp, and the queen sent the merchant ahead to tell Wali Dad of her coming. When Wali Dad heard the merchants news, his head sank to his hands.

WALI DAD: (mournfully) Oh, no! Now I will be paid for all my foolishness. I have brought shame on myself, on you, and on the queen. What are we to do?

MERCHANT: I fear we can do nothing!

NARRATOR 3: And the merchant headed back to the caravan.

***

NARRATOR 1: The next morning, Wali Dad rose before dawn.

WALI DAD: (sadly) Good-bye, old hut. I will never see you again.

NARRATOR 4: The old grass-cutter started down the road. But he had not gone far when he heard a voice.

PERI 1: (gently) Where are you going, Wali Dad?

NARRATOR 2: He turned and saw two radiant ladies.

NARRATOR 3: He knew at once they were peris from Paradise.

WALI DAD: (kneels) I am a stupid old man. Let me go my way. I cannot face my shame!

PERI 2: No shame can come to such as you. Though your clothes are poor, in your heart you are a king.

NARRATOR 1: The peri touched him on the shoulder.

NARRATOR 4: To his amazement, he saw his rags turn to fine clothes. A jeweled turban sat on his head. The rusty sickle at his waist was now a gleaming scimitar.

PERI 1: Return, Wali Dad. All is as it should be.

NARRATOR 2: Wali Dad looked behind him. Where his hut had stood, a splendid palace sparkled in the rising sun.

NARRATOR 3: In shock, he turned to the peris, but they had vanished.

NARRATOR 1: Wali Dad hurried back along the road. As he entered the palace, the guards gave a salute. Servants bowed to him, then rushed here and there, preparing for the visitors.

NARRATOR 4: Wali Dad wandered through countless rooms, gaping at riches beyond his imagining.

NARRATOR 2: Suddenly, three servants ran up.

SERVANT 1: (announcing) A caravan from the east!

SERVANT 2: No, a caravan from the west!

SERVANT 3: No, caravans from both east and west!

NARRATOR 3: The bewildered Wali Dad rushed outside to see two caravans halt before the palace. Coming from the east was a queen in a jeweled litter. Coming from the west was a king on a fine horse.

NARRATOR 1: Wali Dad hurried to the queen.

QUEEN: My dear Wali Dad, we meet at last. (looks at KING) But who is that magnificent king?

WALI DAD: I believe it is the king of Nekabad, Your Majesty. Please excuse me for a moment.

NARRATOR 4: He rushed over to the king.

KING: My dear Wali Dad, I had to meet the giver of such fine gifts. (looks at QUEEN)But who is that splendid queen?

WALI DAD: (smiling) The queen of Khaistan, Your Majesty. Please come and meet her.

NARRATOR 2: And so the king of Nekabad met the queen of Khaistan, and the two fell instantly in love.

NARRATOR 3: A few days later their marriage took place in the palace of Wali Dad. And the celebration went on for many days.

NARRATOR 1: At last Wali Dad had said good-bye to all his guests. The very next morning, he rose before dawn, crept quietly from the palace, and started down the road.

NARRATOR 4: But he had not gone far when he heard a voice.

PERI 1: Where are you going, Wali Dad?

NARRATOR 2: He turned and again saw the two peris.

WALI DAD: (kneels) Did I not tell you I am a stupid old man? I should be glad for what I have received, but PERI 2: Say no more. You shall have your hearts desire.

NARRATOR 3: And she touched him again.

***

NARRATOR 1: So Wali Dad became once more a grass-cutter,

NARRATOR 4: living happily in his hut for the rest of his days.

NARRATOR 2: And though he often thought warmly of his friends the king and queen,

NARRATOR 3: he was careful never to send them another gift.

LITERARY PIECES IN MOTHER TONGUE

NGATA TA INAPOD NA MASLOG? Kan enot na panahon, igwa nin sarung lugar na binisita nin mga espanyol. Wra pang pangaran an lugar kaya nagapot-apot sinda kung anu pangaran kan lugar na ito. Warang maisimbag ang mga tawo kaya an mga espanyol na mismo ang nagtao nin pangaran. Visita ang saindang pinangaran digdi. Pinadagos sinda kan mga tawo sa saindang mga harong. Pagkatapos nin pirang bulan sinda mahali na kaya nagsakay sinda sa sakayan na pandagat. Pag abot ninda sa tahaw kan dagat, namatean ninda na maukulun ini. Nag sururiyaw sinda na masulugun, masulugun. Nahiling man ini kan mga twao kaya nag sururiyaw man sinda na masulugun. Hanggang may nag abot na sarung dayuhan asin tg hapot sinda kun ano an pangaran kan lugar. Daing ibang nasasabi an mga tawo kundi Masulugun, masulugun. An paghona kan dayuhan masulugun an pangaran kan lugar kaya nag ngurub-ngurub ini na masulugun. Sa paghaloy kan panahon, an masulugun nagging Maslog.

Tigsik sa Buhok

Tigsik ko ang mga hoben sa estilo nin buhok: may patungkag na garong tunok may pabungkag na manok-manok may kalbo na sa saldang minaturuhok may kurorikot-salapid sa may bumbunan kun may paros daog an bagyong kinaalimpungatan! Tigsik ko man ang mga gurang sa estilo nin pagbado: may badong moda pa ni mahuma may barong-pea na inaalamag na may pantominang may gisi sa gayad may mayong manggas sa moderno baga kun pirmeng sul-uton saimong maparong an alkampor na mahamuton!

Buhay Paraoma An trabaho sa umahan maogmahon baga Pano nin paglaom maski tulak nagharatihit na Tangad sa langit baya sabay pangadyeng toda Hagad bendisyon nin pansabwag sa pamilya. Uya baya sarong paraomang pobre Amayong nagpakalagakaga nin tsokolate; Ta kasuodma batag, kamoteng kahoy nag-ani Kakanon sa pagkaaga, kontentong pwerte. (From Buhay Paraoma by Gil L. Gregorio Sr. of San Jose, Camarines Sur)

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=487974&page=7

Sarung Banggi
Sarung banggi, sa higdaan Nakadangog ako nin huni nin sarong gamgam Sa loba ko katurogan Bako kundi simong boses iyo palan Dagos ako bangon Si sakuyang mata iminuklat Kaidtong kadikluman ako nangalagkalag Si sakong paghiling pasiring sa itaas Simong lawog nahiling ko maliwanag.

Rumdumun
Nene, nene, Aki ka pa, Mag-adal, Mag-ogma, Uya gibuha, Magkawat, Maghalat, Dae magdunong, Gabos na bagay, May panahon, Iyo ang rumdumun

To those who believe that they have future in their own hands.

INTRODUCTION
This compilation composes definitions, examples and illustrations that will help whoever will read this. This will serve as a form of entertainment, recreation and inspiration for them to write different literary forms in their own. This is consists of different examples of nursery rhymes, poetry for children, riddles, proverbs, fables, folktales, myths, legends, fairy tales, epics and hero tales, parables, biographies, comic strips, short plays and literary pieces in mother tongue. This will help readers love more poetry and learn to appreciate its importance not only inside the classroom but also even outside its four corners. This is made for children, young adults and whoever wants to read because it is universal in appeal. Enjoy reading!

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

My compilation will never be in success without the help of others. First of all, I am thankful to God for guiding me all throughout the accomplishment of my compilation and keeping me safe whenever I go out to work for this. I am also grateful to my family especially to my mother for supporting me not only financially but also for understanding me in some way. To the computer shop where I always stay to finish this project, System Plus. Also to my ever supporting friends who always remind me to this. And also to my own strength, courage and determination to finish this compilation. And to those who are not mentioned, thank you so much. God bless you!

_S.A.A_

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Dedication Acknowledgment Introduction Nursery Rhymes Poetry for Children Riddles Proverbs Fables Folktales Myths Legends Fairy Tales Epics and Hero Tales Parables Biographies Comic Strips Short plays Literary Pieces in Mother Tongue Bibliography

BIBLIOGRAPHY
BOOKS: Childrens Literature Salud Parayno