The magic porridge pot
Long ago there was a little girl called Kim. Kim lived with her grandmother in a small village. Grandma worked as a servant in the nearby rice shop.
One day, grandma became ill. She stayed in bed for days and could not go to work. Soon, there was no food left in the house.
The next day, Kim went to the rice shop.
“Please, may I work for you?” she asked the shopkeeper.
“My grandmother is not well and she can’t work any more.”
“You are just a child,” said the shopkeeper, ”you can’t do much.”
“Please let me work for you.” Kim pleaded. “you could just pay me with a cup of rice every day.”
At last the shopkeeper agreed. So every day, Kim went to work in the rice shop.
She helped to clean the floor and wash the dishes.
In the evening, when her work was done, she was given a cup of rice.
Kim took the rice and hurried home. Then she prepared a pot of rice porridge for grandma.
One day, Kim was clearing the table in the shop.
Suddenly a cat jumped onto the table and knocked over the plates and glasses.
When the shopkeeper saw the broken plates and glasses, he was very angry.
“Go home,” he shouted.
“You don’t work here any more.”
Kim was very sad.
She walked home slowly.
When she got home, she took out the rice pot. She had nothing to cook for grandma. She sat by the kitchen door and wept.
Just then a magician was passing by.” Why are you crying?” he asked.
“Grandma is not well, and there is no porridge for her,” she cried.
“Well, let me see what I can do,” the magician said.
The magician took the pot from Kim. He rubbed it all round with his hands.
Then he said,” cook, porridge, cook.”
All at once, there was porridge bubbling in the pot.
Soon the pot was filled to the brim.
Then the magician said,” stop, porridge, stop.”
“Here, take this porridge to grandma,” he said.
“Remember the magic words and you will always have some porridge to eat.”
Kim thanked the magician and took the porridge to grandma.
From then on, grandma and Kim were never hungry again.
[ 此贴被盛夏在04-15-2008 14:42重新编辑 ]
