Thumbelina / Tom Thumb Fairy Tale

Once upon a time, there was an old man and an old woman. They had no children. One day, while the old woman was chopping cabbage, she accidentally cut off her little pinky finger. Not knowing what to do, she wrapped the severed finger in clean cloth and placed it on a chair. Suddenly, the sound of a crying baby was heard. The old woman opened the cloth on the chair. To her amazement, in the place of her finger lay a tiny baby, no bigger than a span. Stunned, the old woman gathered herself and asked:

– Who are you? – she asked.

– I am your child. I was born from your finger, – said the baby in a tiny voice. So, unexpectedly becoming a mother, the old woman named him Shynashak. The child's mind grew rapidly. However, he remained the same tiny size.

– Where is my father? – he asked his mother.

– He went to plow the land. – Then I will go help him.

– Alright, my child, go ahead. Take some lunch with you, – said the old woman, leading Shynashak to the path to the fields. Shynashak found his father plowing the land.

– How are you, father! – he said happily. The old man looked around. No one was in sight. "There is no living soul. Who then is talking to me?" He looked again, but saw no one. He began searching for the one who spoke. – It is I, your son

– Shynashak. I have come to help. My mother sent you this, – the voice said again. The old man was astonished. He looked down and saw a tiny child no bigger than a span, holding a little bundle, and he was delighted. He stopped his work and began to eat.

– Father, after you finish eating, rest a bit. I will continue plowing the land, – he said. The boy climbed onto the horse, whispered into its ear, and ordered it to start plowing the land. At that moment, a greedy rich man happened to be passing by. He noticed the horse plowing the land without a rider. – This is something I've never seen before, – he said in surprise. The astonished rich man was also noticed by Shynashak. The boy approached the old man and said:

– Father, if someone wants to buy me, don't worry, just agree. I will return home soon. I will find my way back myself, – he warned. The greedy rich man then came closer to find out what was going on.

– What is this marvel? – he asked the old man. The old man replied:

– Can't you see? It is my son, plowing the land, – he answered.

– Sell your son to me, – said the rich man, intrigued.

– No, I can't sell him, my wife and I have nothing but this boy. However, the rich man kept insisting, “Sell him, sell him!”

– Alright, I will sell him for one thousand gold coins, – said the old man, pretending to agree.

– Isn't that too expensive?

– You see for yourself. My son is as small as a pinky, he doesn't eat much. Plus, he is very clever and easy to manage, – the old man justified. Finally, the rich man paid the price he asked for, put Shynashak in his pocket, and left. But the boy managed to escape by tearing a hole in the rich man's pocket. Shynashak turned back, retracing the rich man's steps. He walked and walked until he was utterly exhausted. He found a patch of grass by the roadside and fell asleep. A hungry wolf, prowling nearby, spotted the unsuspecting Shynashak and was delighted.

– Ah, perfect! This is just what I need, – he thought, and he swallowed the boy whole. However, the wolf's joy did not last long. The boy, inside the wolf's belly, began to cause him great distress. The wolf grew hungrier and his situation worsened. He was lurking around a shepherd's yard, waiting for the owner to fall asleep. Just as he was about to pounce on the sheep, Shynashak yelled at the top of his lungs:

– Shepherd, hey, shepherd! Wake up, the wolf is about to take your sheep! – he shouted. The shepherd woke up and struck the wolf with his staff. Together with the dogs, they chased the wolf away, and he barely managed to escape. The starving gray wolf now pleaded with Shynashak, – My dear, please come out, – he begged. The boy replied:

– First, take me back to my father and mother. Then you will be rid of me, – he refused. With no other option, the wolf made his way to the old man and old woman's village. Shynashak emerged from the wolf's belly and shouted:

 – Father, mother! I have returned! – he called out. The wolf, freed from the boy, ran away without looking back. The old man and old woman were overjoyed. They were thrilled that Shynashak had returned safely. They seated him at the table, placing all the delicious food in front of him, and fussed over him.