Scarlet and the nest, a fairy tale by Franca F.

ONCE upon a time
There was a poor family who lived near a wood …
The father died very young
And the mother had to work hard all the day in the little field near their house.
Every week she went to the market where she sold the earth’s harvest.
She had two sons:a male, Jack and a female, Scarlet.
Scarlet was the elder sister.
She helped her mother as she could: she cooked,cleaned up the house, looked after her brother..
When the weather was mild
They liked walking through the wood…it was wonderful
To look for some fruits , mushrooms.. to listen to the birds singing,..to see
The little animals runnings or flying..bees,ants, butterflies..Spring was their favourite season because the nature was alive..
One day, while they were in wood…suddendly Scarlet realized that she was alone
Jack wasn’t any longer near
her…He went away..he had seen a squirrel jumping from here to there on a tree and he had followed it.
Where was he now?
Scarlet began looked for him , then she called him
laudly..once , twice…but nobody answered.
It was already evening..the wood became little by little
noiseless..
She was afraid for Jack, he was such a little boy…
She couldn’t come back home without him..
Step by step..she arrived at
an unknown place…in a distance she saw a poor hut, it seemed neglected..
Suddendly she heard a strange noise ..she approached slowly….
She looked carefully inside:
It was dark.. but , in a corner, on an old carpet..
There was her brother Jack! He was sleeping quietly.. near him on the floor…a magpie’s nest.
She hugged Jack, kissed him crying.. then she looked at the nest carefully.
What was there? She saw a
Sparkling diamond between
The eggs and the little birds.
Scarlet took the precious stone and came back home
With her brother.
The day after her mother went to the nearest town and sold the diamond.
They became a rich family who lived in a nice cottage and were very happy for ever after