Our common tales ebook | Page 27

9th Primary School of Larisa – 5th class ―Mother and her four children‖ MOTHER AND HER FOUR CHILDREN (A traditional fairy-tale from Larissa-greece) Once upon a time, many many years ago, there lived one mother with her four children:the Tortoise, the Hedgehog, the Spider and the Bee. Their father had died when the children were young and mother had to take care of everything.Since then, she had to be both mother and father.She worked really hard to bring them up.She had turned night into day. But there was nothing missing, they had everything……. When time came, the children got married and made their own home. Their mother was living alone, happy and satisfied that she had managed to raise and marry her children despite difficulties and anguish. She had grown old by then.She got sick once and realized that her days were numbered. Thus, she wanted one of her children to be next to her and close her eyes, at this very last moment.For this reason, she calls an errand-boy living next door, and tells him: -Go to my eldest daughter, the Tortoise, and tell her that I am seriously ill and I want to see her. The errand-boy goes to the house of the Tortoise and says: -AuntTortoise, aunt-Tortoise! The Tortoise comes to the door and the