"Children's Books - Tin Soldier" - читать интересную книгу автора (Children's Books)

"Let's put the little soldier in the boat and make him a sailor," said the
boy who had picked up the tin soldier.And so the little soldier became a
sailor.
The whirling gutter flowed into a sewer and the little boat was carried
down the drain. The water in the underground sewage was deep and muddy. Big
rats gnashed their teeth as the vessel and its unusual passenger flowed by.
The boat was soaked and about to sink. But the little soldier, who had faced
far greater dangers in battle, was not afraid. The water of the sewer then
flowed into the river and the little boat, now overturned, was swept by the
high waves. The little tin soldier realized his end was near. After the paper
boat was wrecked, he sank in deep waters. A thousand thoughts went through the
little soldier's mind, but one in particular anguished him:
"I will never see my sweet little ballerina again!" But a huge mouth
swallowed the little tin soldier and, once again, his destiny took an
unexpected turn.
The little soldier found himself in the stomach of a large fish who had
been lured by the glittering colours of his uniform. The fish, however, did
not even have time to digest his meal because, shortly after having swallowed
the soldier, he was caught in the net of a fisherman. Shortly after, the
gasping fish ended up in a big basket and was brought to the market.
Meanwhile, a cook was on her way to the market. She worked in the very same
house where the little soldier used to live.
"This fish will be perfect for tonight's guests," the cook said when she
saw the big fish on the fish market's counter. The fish ended up in the
kitchen and when the cook slit its belly to clean it she found the little tin
soldier.
"This looks like one of our boy's toy soldiers . . ." she thought, and ran
to the boy to show him her discovery.
"That's right, it's my soldier!" the little boy cheered, when he recognized
the soldier with the missing leg.
"I wonder how he got into the fish's belly? Poor soldier, he must have gone
through a lot of trouble since he fell off the window-sill!" The little boy
placed the soldier on the mantle, right next to his sister's ballerina.
The amazing ways of destiny had once again reunited the two lovers. The
little soldier and the ballerina were very happy to be close to each other. At
night they talked about what had happened after their separation. But the ill
disposition of fate had another surprise in store for them.
One day a sudden gust of wind lifted the heavy drape of the window and hit
the ballerina, who fell into the flreplace. The little soldier saw his friend
fall into the fireplace and he was frightened. He knew a fire was lit because
he could feel its warmth. He was desperate, conscious of not being able to do
anything to save the ballerina. In fact, fire is the greatest enemy of tin
figurines because it melts metals. Rocking back and forth on his one leg, the
little soldier tried to move the metal base under his feet that held him in
place.
He kept trying to move until he fell into the fire as well. The two
figurines were reunited in their misfortune. They were so close to each other
now, that their metal bases began melting together. The tin of one base melted
with the metal of the other, and the metal strangely moulded into the shape of
a heart. As their bodies were about to begin melting as well, the little boy