“Hear what?” said Sophie, watching the wolf’s ears twitch.
“Singing, I can definitely hear singing,” said the wolf. “It’s coming from further up the mountain.”
“Well then, let’s follow it,” said Sophie, as they walked on along the path.
At last, Sophie too could hear the singing, faintly at first, like the tinkling of bells, and then louder and more distinct as words became clear.
“Far away far away,
In the mountains I hide.
A treasure rewards,
Whoever can ride.”
Hidden away in a cave, Sophie and the wolf could see a little winged creature dancing about a fire singing to itself. Deeper in the cave Sophie could see a magnificent golden horse, all about it stood piles of gold, which fell from its mane whenever it shook its head.
“Sophie, can we go, that singing is awful,” said the wolf, pressing his paws to his ears.
“No, I want to find out about this reward,” said Sophie moving closer to the mouth of the cave.
“Well, can you get him to stop singing, he hasn’t hit a single note correctly, and he has made up quite a few of his own,’ said the wolf, who was very fussy about his music, and had a season pass to the Vienna Court Opera. But Sophie was no longer listening.
“Excuse me,” said Sophie, interrupting the fairy’s singing. “What reward are you offering?”
“My horse, if you can ride her twice around the mountain, you can keep her. If not, I keep you, or rather your head in my garden,” said the fairy, gesturing to a grotto filled with skulls in various states of decay.
“What do you think wolf, shall we try and ride the horse?” asked Sophie, looking up at the wolf, who was busily stuffing pocket handkerchiefs into his ears.
“Will that get us away from this fairy’s squeaking?” said the wolf.
“Yes.”
“Alright then, but get him to show you how to ride the horse first,” said the wolf, knowing that fairies contracts always have a catch.
“We will ride your horse, but you must show us how it is done first,” said Sophie, addressing the fairy.
“Gladly,” said the fairy. Leading the horse out of the cave, the fairy leapt on its back and road twice around the mountain so fast nothing of neither horse nor rider, but, a golden blur.
Returning to the campfire, the fairy dismounted and said, “See nothing to it.”
Taking the horse from the fairy, Sophie climbed up onto its back and the wolf clambered up after her, holding on to her waist.
“Many have tried to ride my horse, but none have been able to resist her,” called the fairy, as he slapped the horse and sent it racing off around the mountain.
Sophie had expected the ride to be over in a moment, but rather than speed as it had for the fairy, the horse slowed down, plodding along, taking its time.
“Sophie, can’t the horse go any faster? At this rate, we won’t be finished before night fall. I can walk faster than this,” said the wolf, looking down at the ground barely moving beneath their feet.
“We have to stay on the horse, or else we lose,” said Sophie, who had a good idea what had caused every other rider to lose this bet.
Slowly but surely the horse began to gain pace, and soon it was trotting through the mountain paths, then it was cantering and at last it was galloping so fast that the trees were mere blurs of black and green.
When at last the fairy’s cave came into sight for the second time, the horse stopped in its tracks.
“What’s this foolishness?” said the wolf, who had grown thoroughly sick of this horse’s antics. On top of which, the fairy had begun to sing again, in his whiny high pitched voice.
“Whatever you do, Wolf, don’t get off the horse,” said Sophie, holding tight to the wolf’s paws.
“But he’s singing again,” wailed the wolf.
“Then you sing and drown him out,” said Sophie. “Teach me one of your opera arias.”
So the wolf began to sing.
“What’s that noise,” screeched the fairy.
“That is singing,” replied the wolf.
“Make him stop,” screeched the fairy.
“Wolf, sing another one,” said Sophie.
The wolf, who was feeling nice and warmed up, began again.
“Stop! Stop!” screeched the fairy.
“Make the horse move,” said Sophie.
Reluctantly, the fairy walked over to the horse, and led it back to the camp.
“Alright Wolf, you can stop now,” said Sophie, putting her hand over the wolf’s mouth.
“You are a cheat, you and your wolf, no one has ever had the patience to ride my horse to the end,” said the
fairy.
“We had plenty of patience; you just couldn’t bear wolf’s singing, that’s not our fault. The horse is ours,” said Sophie.
The fairy grew so angry that he had been tricked into giving away his magic horse that he glowed bright red and blew up in a shower of sparks.
With the fairy gone, all the skulls in the grotto were restored to living men, who gathered round Sophie and the wolf eager to express their gratitude.
Sophie received many marriage proposals from the son’s of kings and lords, who promised to make her a
queen and live a life of luxury.
Sophie was very flattered, and looking at the wolf on the magic horse, Sophie knew which choice to make.
“Singing, I can definitely hear singing,” said the wolf. “It’s coming from further up the mountain.”
“Well then, let’s follow it,” said Sophie, as they walked on along the path.
At last, Sophie too could hear the singing, faintly at first, like the tinkling of bells, and then louder and more distinct as words became clear.
“Far away far away,
In the mountains I hide.
A treasure rewards,
Whoever can ride.”
Hidden away in a cave, Sophie and the wolf could see a little winged creature dancing about a fire singing to itself. Deeper in the cave Sophie could see a magnificent golden horse, all about it stood piles of gold, which fell from its mane whenever it shook its head.
“Sophie, can we go, that singing is awful,” said the wolf, pressing his paws to his ears.
“No, I want to find out about this reward,” said Sophie moving closer to the mouth of the cave.
“Well, can you get him to stop singing, he hasn’t hit a single note correctly, and he has made up quite a few of his own,’ said the wolf, who was very fussy about his music, and had a season pass to the Vienna Court Opera. But Sophie was no longer listening.
“Excuse me,” said Sophie, interrupting the fairy’s singing. “What reward are you offering?”
“My horse, if you can ride her twice around the mountain, you can keep her. If not, I keep you, or rather your head in my garden,” said the fairy, gesturing to a grotto filled with skulls in various states of decay.
“What do you think wolf, shall we try and ride the horse?” asked Sophie, looking up at the wolf, who was busily stuffing pocket handkerchiefs into his ears.
“Will that get us away from this fairy’s squeaking?” said the wolf.
“Yes.”
“Alright then, but get him to show you how to ride the horse first,” said the wolf, knowing that fairies contracts always have a catch.
“We will ride your horse, but you must show us how it is done first,” said Sophie, addressing the fairy.
“Gladly,” said the fairy. Leading the horse out of the cave, the fairy leapt on its back and road twice around the mountain so fast nothing of neither horse nor rider, but, a golden blur.
Returning to the campfire, the fairy dismounted and said, “See nothing to it.”
Taking the horse from the fairy, Sophie climbed up onto its back and the wolf clambered up after her, holding on to her waist.
“Many have tried to ride my horse, but none have been able to resist her,” called the fairy, as he slapped the horse and sent it racing off around the mountain.
Sophie had expected the ride to be over in a moment, but rather than speed as it had for the fairy, the horse slowed down, plodding along, taking its time.
“Sophie, can’t the horse go any faster? At this rate, we won’t be finished before night fall. I can walk faster than this,” said the wolf, looking down at the ground barely moving beneath their feet.
“We have to stay on the horse, or else we lose,” said Sophie, who had a good idea what had caused every other rider to lose this bet.
Slowly but surely the horse began to gain pace, and soon it was trotting through the mountain paths, then it was cantering and at last it was galloping so fast that the trees were mere blurs of black and green.
When at last the fairy’s cave came into sight for the second time, the horse stopped in its tracks.
“What’s this foolishness?” said the wolf, who had grown thoroughly sick of this horse’s antics. On top of which, the fairy had begun to sing again, in his whiny high pitched voice.
“Whatever you do, Wolf, don’t get off the horse,” said Sophie, holding tight to the wolf’s paws.
“But he’s singing again,” wailed the wolf.
“Then you sing and drown him out,” said Sophie. “Teach me one of your opera arias.”
So the wolf began to sing.
“What’s that noise,” screeched the fairy.
“That is singing,” replied the wolf.
“Make him stop,” screeched the fairy.
“Wolf, sing another one,” said Sophie.
The wolf, who was feeling nice and warmed up, began again.
“Stop! Stop!” screeched the fairy.
“Make the horse move,” said Sophie.
Reluctantly, the fairy walked over to the horse, and led it back to the camp.
“Alright Wolf, you can stop now,” said Sophie, putting her hand over the wolf’s mouth.
“You are a cheat, you and your wolf, no one has ever had the patience to ride my horse to the end,” said the
fairy.
“We had plenty of patience; you just couldn’t bear wolf’s singing, that’s not our fault. The horse is ours,” said Sophie.
The fairy grew so angry that he had been tricked into giving away his magic horse that he glowed bright red and blew up in a shower of sparks.
With the fairy gone, all the skulls in the grotto were restored to living men, who gathered round Sophie and the wolf eager to express their gratitude.
Sophie received many marriage proposals from the son’s of kings and lords, who promised to make her a
queen and live a life of luxury.
Sophie was very flattered, and looking at the wolf on the magic horse, Sophie knew which choice to make.