ROMEO AND JULIET

In the town of Verona there lived two families, the Capulets and the Montagues. They engaged in a bitter feud. Among the Montagues was Romeo, a hot-blooded young man with an eye for the ladies. One day, Romeo attended the feast of the Capulets', a costume party where he expected to meet his love, Rosaline, a haughty beauty from a well-to-do family. Once there, however, Romeo's eyes felt upon Juliet, and he thought of Rosaline no more.
The vision of Juliet had been invading his every thought. Unable to sleep, Romeo returned late that night to the Juliet's bedroom window. There, he was surprised to find Juliet on the balcony, professing her love for him and wishing that he were not a "Montague", a name behind his own. "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." Romeo was ready to deny his name and professed his love. The two agreed to meet at nine o-clock the next morning to be married.
Early the next morning, Romeo came to Friar Lawrence begging the friar to marry him to Juliet. The Friar performed the ceremony, praying that the union might someday put an end to the feud between the two families. He advised Romeo kept the marriage a secret for a time.
On the way home, Romeo chanced upon his friend Mercutio arguing with Tybalt, a member of the Capulet clan. That qurreling last caused Merquito died. Romeo was reluctant no longer. He drew his sword and slew Tybalt died. Romeo realized he had made a terrible mistake. Then Friar Lawrence advised Romeo to travel to Mantua until things cool down. He promised to inform Juliet.
In the other hand, Juliet's father had decided the time for her to marry with Paris. Juliet consulted Friar Lawrence and made a plot to take a sleeping potion for Juliet which would simulate death for three days. The plot proceeded according to the plan. Juliet was sleeping in death.
Unfortunately, The Friar's letter failed to reach Romeo. Under the cover of darkness, he broke into Juliet's tomb. Romeo kissed the lips of his Juliet one last time and drank the poison. Meanwhile, the effects of the sleeping potion wear off. Juliet woke up calling for Romeo. She found her love next to her but was lying dead, with a cup of poison in his hand. She tried to kiss the poison from his lips, but failed. Then Juliet put out his dagger and plunged it into her breast. She died

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

The rich merchant not only has three daughters but also three sons who have little to do with the story. All the girls are good looking, particularly the youngest who becomes known as Little Beauty. The sisters are vain and jealous of Beauty who is by contrast modest and charming and wishes to stay with her father.

All of a sudden the family loses its money and is forced into a poorer lifestyle which makes life more difficult all around and exaggerates the differences between Beauty and her sisters. Beauty and the three brothers throw themselves into working for their new life while the sisters are bored. The father takes a trip in the hopes of regaining his wealth, and the older sisters demand he bring them expensive garments. Beauty asks simply for a rose.

The father is unsuccessful in his attempt to regain his wealth and in despair, wandering in the forest, is trapped in a snow storm. He comes upon a seemingly deserted palace where he finds food and shelter for the night. In the morning he wanders into the garden where he sees the perfect rose for Beauty. Upon plucking it, a hideous Beast appears and says that for his thievery he must die. The father begs for his life and, the Beast agrees to let him go if one of his daughters will take his place. If she refuses, then he must return to die himself. The Beast gives him a chest filled with gold and sends him home. This treasure enables the older daughters to make fashionable marriages. On giving Beauty the rose, her father cannot help but tell her what happened. The brothers offer to slay the Beast but the father knows that they would die in the process. Beauty insists on taking her father’s place, and so she returns with him to the Beast’s palace where he reluctantly leaves her.

In a dream Beauty sees a beautiful lady who thanks her for her sacrifice and says that she will not go unrewarded. The Beast treats her well; all her wishes are met by magic. He visits her every evening for supper and gradually Beauty grows to look forwards to these meetings as a break to the monotony of her life. At the end of each visit the Beast asks Beauty to be his wife, which she refuses although agreeing never to leave the palace. Beauty sees in the magic mirror that her father is desperately missing her and asks that she might return to visit him. The Beast assents on the condition that she return in seven days, lest he die.

The next morning she is at home. Her father is overjoyed to see her but the sisters are once again jealous of Beauty, her newly found happiness and material comfort with the Beast. They persuade Beauty to stay longer, which she does, but on the tenth night she dreams of the Beast who is dying. Wishing herself back with him, she is transported back to the castle where she finds the Beast dying of a broken heart. She realizes that she is desperately in love with the Beast and says that she would gladly marry him. At this the Beast is transformed into a prince, the Father joins them at the palace and the sisters are turned into statues until they own up to their own faults.

The Prince and Beauty live happily ever after because their "contentment is founded on goodness."

CINDERELLA

Once upon a time

, there was a young girl named Cinderella. She lived with her step mother and two step sisters.
The step mother and sisters were conceited and bad tempered. They treated Cinderella very badly. Her step mother made Cinderella do the hardest works in the house; such as scrubbing the floor, cleaning the pot and pan and preparing the food for the family. The two step sisters, on the other hand, did not work about the house. Their mother gave them many handsome dresses to wear.
One day, the two step sister received an invitation to the ball that the king’s son was going to give at the palace. They were excited about this and spent so much time choosing the dresses they would wear. At last, the day of the ball came, and away went the sisters to it. Cinderella could not help crying after they had left.
“Why are crying, Cinderella?” a voice asked. She looked up and saw her fairy godmother standing beside her, “because I want so much to go to the ball” said Cinderella. “Well” said the godmother,”you’ve been such a cheerful, hardworking, uncomplaining girl that I am going to see that you do go to the ball”.
Magically, the fairy godmother changed a pumpkin into a fine coach and mice into a coachman and two footmen. Her godmother tapped Cinderella’s raged dress with her wand, and it became a beautiful ball gown. Then she gave her a pair of pretty glass slippers. “Now, Cinderella”, she said; “You must leave before midnight”. Then away she drove in her beautiful coach.
Cinderella was having a wonderfully good time. She danced again and again with the king’s son. Suddenly the clock began to strike twelve, she ran toward the door as quickly as she could. In her hurry, one of her glass slipper was left behind.
A few days later, the king’ son proclaimed that he would marry the girl whose feet fitted the glass slipper. Her step sisters tried on the slipper but it was too small for them, no matter how hard they squeezed their toes into it. In the end, the king’s page let Cinderella try on the slipper. She stuck out her foot and the page slipped the slipper on. It fitted perfectly.
Finally, she was driven to the palace. The king’s son was overjoyed to see her again. They were married and live happily ever after.

The Fox and the Crow
Aesop fable retold by Oban

One day, while he was out walking, a fox saw a crow swoop down and pick up a piece of cheese in its beak. The crow then flapped its wings and flew up onto a high branch in a nearby tree.

“Man, that's a tasty looking piece of cheese,” said the fox to himself.

“Hey, I should have that cheese. I’m the fox and I deserve it,” he said. “I’m a sly, smooth talking fox too. I’ll have it soon enough."

The fox walked over to the foot of the tree. “Hi ya, Miss Crow” cried the fox.

“How are you today?" asked the fox. "You’re looking mighty fine. Is there something different about you? Have you changed shampoo?"

"Your feathers look so glossy and black and your eyes are sparkling like diamonds," said the fox, flattering the crow. "Hey, have you lost weight? Your figure looks great,”

“Wow, if you can sing as good as you look then I'll have to call you Queen of all Birds” said the fox.

Flattered by all the compliments from the fox, and wanting to be called Queen of all Birds, the crow lifted her head and began to sing.

But the moment she opened her mouth the cheese fell out, and the quick fox jumped and caught it before it hit the ground.

“Yes!!!” yelled the fox, holding the cheese up over his head as he did his victory dance. “I got what I wanted.”

The fox looked up at the sad crow in the tree. “To show you I’m not a really bad guy I’ll give you some advice for the future” he said to the crow.

“ Never trust a flatterer.”

The End

SNOW WHITE

A long time ago, a child was born to a queen and king and she was called Snow White. When the queen died, the king married again. This new queen was wicked and hated Snow white. The queen gave orders that Snow White was to be treated as a servant.
Snow White grew very beautiful and one day a Prince riding by, saw her at work and fell in love with her.
The queen was beautiful too, and every day she asked her Magic Mirror, "Who is the fairest in the land?" and the mirror always answered, "You are the fairest one of all".
But one day the mirror answered Snow White was the fairest in the land, and in a rage the queen gave orders to one of her Huntsmen to take Snow White into the woods and kill her.
The Huntsman had a kind heart and couldn't do the deed so told her to run away. She fled into the woods where Seven little dwarfs lived. Their house was small and strange.



Snow White entered the little house and finding it very untidy, started to clean up. Upstairs she found seven little beds. She was very tired and stretching out on one of the beds, was soon asleep.
When the Dwarfs came home they were surprised to find Snow White and after some argument, decided to let her stay. She promised to cook and look after them.
The Queen discovered where Snow White was living and disguising herself as a witch, took a poisoned apple and set out for the Dwarfs cottage. She gave Snow White the poisoned apple to eat and as soon as she bit the apple, she sank into unconsciousness.
Thinking she was dead, the Dwarfs built a glass coffin and put her in it. For days she lay in the forest in her glass coffin. One day, the Prince was riding through the forest looking for Snow White and found her. He leaned over and kissed her. She opened her eyes and sat up with a smile. Everyone was happy. The Prince took Snow White to his palace where they were married and lived happily ever after.