Book: Story Bag

Prezzemolina (dolls made by pupils of class 1 A San leucio)

(Little parsley) by Gianbattista Basile

There were once a couple who lived in a nice house. From a window you could see a garden surrounded by a high low wall. No one had ever set foot because he belonged to an orca……. very bad.  One day his wife, who was expecting a child, looking at that piece of land, she saw a beautiful flowerbed sown with parsley and  desired to try it. He waited for the evening twilight and furtively dropped in the garden, took a big handful of parsley and ran away. The next day did the same. Eat and eat tomorrow Orca, which was very fond of parsley,  realized that someone was taking every day a nice amount. He wanted to find out who stole and in the  evening she  hid behind a bush.

 

                                                              

 And here, at dusk, off again the woman who had just arrived on the ground, he was horrified to see before him the horrible orca.

 - How dare you steal what belongs to me? cried this by holding the arm - you will not regret it! - Excuse me, ma'am orca, forgive me - cried the poor woman. - I feel like parsley because I'm pregnant.

 - If this is the case - the old woman with the same fierce look than before - just got what you want. But you have to give me the baby is being  born.

 The woman, in her anguish, promised everything and ran home. Soon came a beautiful baby girl. Great was the astonishment of the parents to see them engraved on the palm of his hand a small sprig of parsley. It was called so Prezzemolina. But neither the mother nor the father thought of the promise, in fact had completely forgotten.

 Time passed and Prezzemolina grew beautiful as the sun, his complexion was like rose petals, blond hair and long, that her mother combing her hair in two thick braids, like rays of sunshine.

 But one day while Prezzemolina, which has become big now, returning alone from school, was approached dall'orca:

 - Beautiful little girl - said quite friendly - you want to tell your mother that you remember what I should give?

 And Prezzemolina, back home, reported:

 - Mom, the old woman who lives nearby says to remember the promise made.

 She felt a lump in his heart and did not answer. Meanwhile, the killer whale taken daily in the habit of waiting Prezzemolina and repeat the usual phrase. At the end the girl who was tired of hearing those words, urged his mother:

 - At least tell me what I have to answer.

 And the mother, without thinking much, he suggested:

 - When the old you again speaks of the promise, you answer her "Take it if you want."

The next day Prezzemolina said as her mother had said.

 The old woman did not need to be told twice, he grabbed the girl and took her away with her. Then she led her into the woods and locked her in a high tower with no doors and no stairs, only up, on top at the top, there was a small window.

                                                   

                                                         

 

 From the little window Prezzemolina was dangling beautiful braids so that the orca could climb the tower holding on to the hair, which fell for a distance of twenty yards. And so when she wanted to go to the old went under the tower and cried:

 - Prezzemolina, Prezzemolina, throw me your braids.

 The girl loosened her braids and the orca went up. One day it happened that near the tower passed the son of a king. He heard a sweet song in the air and stopped to listen. Prezzemolina  was singing with a wonderful voice. The prince looked up and saw the girl from afar. He wanted to reach, tried the door, up the stairs. Nothing. He tried to climb, but the window was too high. Finally he returned to his castle, without being able to forget that voice so sweet. Every day, so he went into the woods to be able to listen. Once, hidden behind a tree, he heard the killer whale that arrived at the foot of the tower shouted:

 - Prezzemolina, Prezzemolina, throw me your braids. Then he saw the girl who dropped slowly blond braids and the  old orca  who climbed. When the whale was gone, the young man ran himself at the foot of the tower and cried:

 - Prezzemolina, Prezzemolina, throw me your braids. Immediately braids came down and in a moment the Prince climbed up. The two young   looked at each other and the enchanted prince was finally able to express his love.

 - Will you be my bride? - He asked finally. Prezzemolina, seeing him so young and beautiful, put his hands in those of him and said:

 - I'd love to go with you, but I do not know how to get out of here. Bringing back every time a piece of string, so I’ll tie  a ladder. When it is long enough, you will come down and take me away on your white horse.

 They decided to see each other every day at nightfall, when the orca went away. Prezzemolina then broke again her beautiful tresses, the prince climbed up and slid them down.

 The visits were repeated every night and some witches who lived in the woods became suspicious. One of them, the meanest, he wanted to warn the orca. She went to wait at the foot of the tower, told her what happened when she went away and then added:

 - Dear orca, I'm sure that the two young people are preparing to flee.

 - Thank you - this answer. - But Prezzemolina can not escape because it is the victim of a spell. If you do not enter into possession of three acorns, which are well hidden in my garden, can never get away from the tower.

 Prezzemolina, from the window, he heard everything. He pretended to nothing. Then the prince told him all that, in the absence Orca, he went into the garden and stole three acorns.

 That same evening, as soon as the whale was gone, the young man came up to Prezzemolina, brought her three acorns and the last piece of rope. The ladder was ready, he attacked the small window and in a moment came down with the girl.

 They began to run through the woods on horseback. But the witch, who saw them flee, ran to warn the orca. This, like the wind, chased the two young men, then Prezzemolina, frightened, threw it on the ground the first acorn. It came out of an ugly dog ​​with his mouth wide open, that he persecuted the orca. But the old woman knew all the perfidy; removed from his pocket a large piece of meat and threw it into the jaws of the beast, that began to devour leaving it free.

 The killer whale began to run after the two lovers; Prezzemolina launched the second acorn. It soon became a fierce lion with a roar scary, ran the old one. Also this time the orca found the remedy blew on a bush that immediately caught fire. The beast was afraid and ran away.

 It all seemed lost. The orca was very close to the two young people, ready to grab when Prezzemolina threw down the last acorn. This time here is coming out a wolf that jumped on the old and swallowed a mouthful.

 At last they were free! The prince took the girl into his kingdom where they were once the wedding and from that moment the two young men lived happily ever after.