Once upon a time, there was a king with three daughters. When the king left for a war, he warned his daughters not to open the cellar door while he was away. The eldest two promised to obey, but the youngest, Lina, couldn’t contain her curiosity and opened the cellar door. Inside, she saw a great enchanted pig.
Once upon a time, a young boy built a snowman in his garden as the winter snow fell. The snowman was a magnificent figure, standing tall with a pipe in his mouth, coal eyes, and an old broom in his hand.
Once upon a time, a set of twenty-five tin soldiers was gifted to a young boy on his birthday. All soldiers were identical, standing upright on one foot, except for one who had been cast last when there was not enough tin left. This soldier stood just as proudly on his lone leg.
Once upon a time, on a freezing New Year’s Eve, a poor little girl wandered through the snowy streets barefoot, trying to sell matches. Earlier that day, she had lost her slippers.
Once upon a time, there was a poor prince who had a magical kingdom. He desired to marry the Emperor’s daughter. To impress her, he sent her the finest roses and nightingales, but she discarded them, as she preferred artificial things.
Once upon a time, a penniless soldier was returning home after a long war. On his way, he met an old witch who promised him riches in exchange for retrieving a tinderbox from a hollow tree.
Once upon a time, there was a little girl called Karen who was adopted by a rich old lady after her mother’s death. When preparing for her confirmation, Karen chose red shoes, ignoring the old lady’s advice that they were inappropriate for church.
Once upon a time, a wise king had a strange daily habit. Every evening, he was served a mysterious dish covered under a cloche, and he insisted on eating it alone. His faithful servant, unable to control his curiosity, peeked under the cloche one day and found a white snake. The servant decided to taste it, and the moment he did, he acquired the power to understand and communicate with animals.
Once upon a time, there was a poor girl who lived with her mother. The little girl was kind-hearted and always eager to help others. One day as she was gathering firewood, she met an old woman. The woman gave her a magic pot and told her the special words to cook sweet porridge, “Cook, pot, cook,” and to stop it, “Stop, pot, stop.”
Once upon a time, there lived a mother goat who loved her seven little kids dearly. One day, she had to go out to gather food and warned her kids about the cunning wolf who could come to harm them. She described the wolf’s gruff voice and black feet to help them identify him.
