A short fairytale - Krótka bajka

Once upon a time there was a boy who lived in a very small village. He was poor and his parents couldn’t afford to buy him many things. Therefore he had to go to work, just to get by. He gave his parents all his money but everything was spent on food. Thus, he didn’t have any toys. Other children didn’t want to play with him because he was wearing shabby clothes and was often dirty.

All these things made Charlie very sad. When he had nothing to do, he just walked along the path that led to the nearby forest. He never entered the forest, though, since older people had used to say that those who had done it, never came back...

One day, when Charlie finished his work and there was nobody in the village he could talk to, he went to the forest once again. The sun was shining and birds were singing all around him. He was really happy since spring came and everything was being brought to life. It looked as though a very talented painter had melted all the snow and had used every single paint to create an unforgettable view.

The forest looked a bit different as well. It was lit by numerous sunbeams and Charlie was thinking of entering it for the first time in his life. Suddenly, a squirrel stood in front of him.

- Come with me Charlie – it said. – I’ll show you treasures!

The squirrel told that and disappeared in the bushes. Charlie began to chase it but the only thing he could see was its red tale. He had no shoes and some twigs hurt his feet but he kept on running. When he realized that there were no more trees in front of him, he stood in amazement. He could not believe his eyes – there was gold spread all around. Golden coins, cups, and shields.

He put as much of it as he could in his pockets and came back home. Finally he was rich and his parents could afford to buy him toys and new clothes. He returned to the forest, took the rest of the treasure with him and gave away much of it. From then on he wasn’t hungry or sad and lived happily ever after.