Fickle People

Once upon a time, there was a woman who dearly wanted a tiny, adorable child. She went to consult a witch, who said it would be very easy. She gave the woman a grain of barley and told her to plant it in a flowerpot. When the flower bloomed, Thumbelina was born, and she lived very happily.

But one day, an ugly toad carried her off and wanted her to become the little toad's wife. The fish in the water pitied tiny Thumbelina and bit through the stem of the lily pad.

Thumbelina drifted away on the lily pad to a foreign land, where a cockchafer abandoned her in a forest. In the mornings, she drank dew and ate flower nectar. Her life was bearable enough.

Summer and autumn passed, but then the cold, long winter arrived. Thumbelina went to live with a field mouse. A few days later, the field mouse said, "The richest gentleman around here—the mole—is coming soon. If you marry him, you'll enjoy endless wealth and splendor."

The next day, the mole arrived wearing a coat of black swan down. Since he was blind and could not see Thumbelina's face, the field mouse asked Thumbelina to sing a song. The mole quickly fell in love with her.

However, the mole did not show it, because he was cautious. A few days later, he formally proposed. Autumn arrived, and the mole had Thumbelina sew her wedding dress. In truth, Thumbelina did not like the mole, because she loved sunlight and flowers and detested dark tunnels.

Thumbelina had once saved a swallow in the tunnel. When the swallow was about to fly to another country, he asked Thumbelina, "Would you like to come with me to another country?" Thumbelina readily agreed.

The swallow carried Thumbelina and flew and