The Velveteen Rabbit & Other Stories

by Margery Williams

  “I am the nursery magic Fairy,” she said. “I take care of all the playthings that the children have loved. When they are old and worn out and the children don’t need them any more, then I come and take them away with me and turn them into Real.”

  “Wasn’t I Real before?” asked the little Rabbit.

  “You were Real to the Boy,” the Fairy said, “because he loved you. Now you shall be Real to every one.”

  And she held the little Rabbit close in her arms and flew with him into the wood.

  It was light now, for the moon had risen. All the forest was beautiful, and the fronds of the bracken shone like frosted silver. In the open glade between the tree-trunks the wild rabbits danced with their shadows on the velvet grass, but when they saw the Fairy they all stopped dancing and stood round in a ring to stare at her.

  “I’ve brought you a new playfellow,” the Fairy said. “You must be very kind to him and teach him all he needs to know in Rabbit-land, for he is going to live with you for ever and ever!”

  And she kissed the little Rabbit again and put him down on the grass.

  “Run and play, little Rabbit!” she said.

  But the little Rabbit sat quite still for a moment and never moved. For when he saw all the wild rabbits dancing around him he suddenly remembered about his hind legs, and he didn’t want them to see that he was made all in one piece. He did not know that when the Fairy kissed him that last time she had changed him altogether. And he might have sat there a long time, too shy to move, if just then something hadn’t tickled his nose, and before he thought what he was doing he lifted his hind toe to scratch it.

  And he found that he actually had hind legs! Instead of dingy velveteen he had brown fur, soft and shiny, his ears twitched by themselves, and his whiskers were so long that they brushed the grass. He gave one leap and the joy of using those hind legs was so great that he went springing about the turf on them, jumping sideways and whirling round as the others did, and he grew so excited that when at last he did stop to look for the Fairy she had gone.

  He was a Real Rabbit at last, at home with the other rabbits.

  Autumn passed and Winter, and in the Spring, when the days grew warm and sunny, the Boy went out to play in the wood behind the house. And while he was playing, two rabbits crept out from the bracken and peeped at him. One of them was brown all over, but the other had strange markings under his fur, as though long ago he had been spotted, and the spots still showed through. And about his little soft nose and his round black eyes there was something familiar, so that the Boy thought to himself:

  “Why, he looks just like my old Bunny that was lost when I had scarlet fever!”

  But he never knew that it really was his own Bunny, come back to look at the child who had first helped him to be Real.

  The Frog Prince

  Once upon a time, there lived a king whose daughters were all beautiful, but the youngest was the most beautiful of all. On warm days, the youngest princess liked to sit by the side of a nearby well. When she was bored she would throw a golden ball, her favorite toy, up high and catch it.

  One day, the princess’s ball rolled straight into the water. She looked inside, but the well was so deep that the bottom could not be seen. She began to cry until a voice said, “What ails you, Princess? You weep so that even a stone would show pity.”

  The princess looked around and saw a frog stretching forth his big, ugly head from the water.

  “I am weeping for my golden ball, which has fallen into the well,” she said.

  “Do not weep,” answered the frog. “I can help you, but what will you give me if I bring your ball up again?”

  “Whatever you want, dear frog,” said she, “my clothes, my pearls and jewels, and even the golden crown that I am wearing.”

  The frog answered, “I do not want anything but for you to love me and let me be your friend, and let me sit by you at your little table, and eat off your little golden plate, and drink out of your little cup, and sleep in your little bed. If you will promise me this, I will bring your golden ball up again.”

  “Oh, yes,” said she, “I promise you all you wish, if you will but bring me my ball back again.” But she thought, As if a silly frog could really be a person’s friend!

  The frog dove into the water and retrieved the ball. The delighted princess picked it up and ran quickly away.

  “Wait!” called the frog. “Take me with you. I can’t run as fast as you!” But the princess ran to the castle without looking back.

  The next day, while she was dining with the king and all the courtiers, something crept splish-splash, splish-splash up the marble staircase, and then knocked at the door and cried, “Princess, open the door for me!” She ran to open the door, and there sat the ugly frog. Frightened, she slammed the door and sat down to dinner again. The king saw plainly that she was afraid and said to her, “Daughter, why are you so afraid? Is there perchance a giant outside who wants to carry you away?”

  “It is no giant but a disgusting frog,” replied the princess. She explained what had happened at the well. In the meantime, the frog knocked a second time and called for her again.

  The king said, “What you promised, you must do. Go and let him in.” She went and opened the door, and the frog hopped in and followed her, step by step, to her chair. And so the frog sat by her at the table, ate off her little golden plate, and drank out of her little cup. The frog enjoyed himself, but almost every spoonful the princess ate choked her. After dinner, he said, “Now I am tired. Carry me into your little room, and we will both lie down and go to sleep.”

  The king’s daughter began to cry, for she was afraid of the cold frog and did not want him to sleep in her pretty, clean little bed. But the king grew angry and said, “He helped you when you were in trouble and should not be despised by you now.” So she took hold of the frog with two fingers, carried him into her room, and put him on her bed.

  The frog said, “Now give me a goodnight kiss or I will tell your father.” The princess shut her eyes and kissed the frog on his clammy cheek. When she opened her eyes, he was no longer a frog but a king’s son, with kind and beautiful eyes. The prince told her how he had been bewitched by an evil fairy to live as a frog, and how no one could have delivered him from the well but herself. The next day, the prince and princess celebrated a joyful wedding and went together to rule his kingdom and live happily ever after.

  Peter Pan

  Late one night, Peter Pan and the fairy Tinker Bell flew across the London sky. They stopped at the window outside the nursery of the Darling house and crept inside. Peter was looking for his shadow. He had left it behind the last time he visited the nursery, when he secretly listened to Wendy Darling tell bedtime stories about his home, Neverland, to her brothers, Michael and John.

  Finally, Peter found his shadow. After he caught it, he tried to sew it back on, but that didn’t work. Peter started to cry, which woke up Wendy. She could not believe her eyes. A boy and a fairy were flying around her room!

  “Don’t be frightened,” Peter said. “Will you come to Neverland with me and tell your stories to my friends? I’ll teach you to fly!”

  Wendy agreed only after he included John and Michael in the fantastic adventure. The fairy Tinker Bell sprinkled her fairy dust over the children, and soon they were all soaring through the sky and over the sea.

  “Second to the right, and straight on till morning!” Peter shouted. When they reached Neverland, they found a beautiful island with golden rainbows, blue waterfalls, the Mermaids’ Lagoon, and a pirate ship where the evil Captain Hook lived.

  Peter Pan took the children to meet his friends, the lost boys. At the Mermaids’ Lagoon, Peter saw that Captain Hook had captured the beautiful Princess Tiger Lily. Peter followed Captain Hook to Marooners’ Rock, where they had a duel. Peter made Captain Hook fall into the sea, where he was chased away by a crocodile. Tiger Lily was saved!

  That wasn’t the end of Captain Hook. He kidnapped
Tinker Bell and tricked her into telling him the location of Peter’s home. He led his band of pirates to capture the lost boys and the Darling children.

  Tinker Bell was imprisoned in the pirate ship, but escaped just in time to alert Peter. She knew that Hook had put poison in Peter’s cup, but Peter would not believe her. As he was about to drink it, Tinker Bell quickly flew and drank it all herself. Suddenly, she dropped to the ground, with her light fading rapidly.

  “Oh, Tink, did you drink it to save me?” Peter cried. “How can I help you?”

  Tinker Bell said weakly, “I can get well again if children believed in fairies.”

  Peter wasted no time. He thought of the many children who were dreaming of Neverland at that moment, and asked of them all, “Do you believe?” Tinker Bell heard the children murmur “Yes!” in their sleep and felt much better. She was saved!

  Peter and the fairy flew to Captain Hook’s pirate ship, where the Darlings and the lost boys were walking the plank. Wendy had just stepped off and was falling into the ocean! Peter swooped in just in time and rescued her, and then began a fierce duel with Captain Hook. Once again, the evil Hook fell into the water and was chased away by the crocodile—this time forever.

  Tinker Bell sprinkled her fairy dust on the ship, and suddenly it was flying through the skies of Neverland, on its way to London. Back in the nursery, Peter Pan and Tinker Bell said good-bye to the children and sailed off into the night. Wendy watched as the beautiful ship sailed past the moon on its journey home to Neverland, the most wonderful land of her dreams.

  The Good Little Mouse

  Once upon a time, an evil king invaded another kingdom and captured the queen and her infant daughter. He shut them both into the highest room of the tallest tower in the castle. The room was small and empty, with only one table and a very hard bed on the floor. The wicked king sent for a fairy, who was so moved by the prisoners’ misery that she whispered to the queen, “Courage, Madam! I think I see a way to help you.”

  “Silence!” the king cried. He turned to the fairy. “Tell me, is this baby girl destined to grow up to be a worthy bride for my son?”

  The fairy answered that the princess would be kind and beautiful. Satisfied, the king declared that the queen would raise the baby in the tower until the girl was old enough to marry his son. Then he took the fairy with him and left the poor queen in tears.

  As the days went on, the queen and her baby grew thinner and thinner, for every day they were given only three peas and a crust of black bread to eat. One evening, as the queen sat at her spinning wheel—for she was made to work day and night—she saw a pretty little mouse creep out of a hole. She said to the mouse, “Alas, little creature! Why did you come here? I have only three peas to eat each day, so unless you wish to starve, I’m afraid you must go elsewhere for your food.”

  But the mouse danced and twirled so prettily that the queen clapped and laughed and gave the mouse her last pea, which she was keeping for her supper.

  Suddenly, a delicious meal appeared on the table. The queen was amazed! Quickly she fed her baby and herself and gave the mouse its own share.

  The next day, and every day after that, the queen gave the mouse all of the peas, and instantly the empty dish was filled with all sorts of wonderful things to eat. But the queen still worried about the fate of her daughter. The queen despaired and said, “If only I could think of some way of saving her from marrying the horrible prince!”

  As she spoke, she noticed the little mouse playing in a corner with some long straws. The queen began to braid the straws, thinking, If I had enough straws, I could make a basket to lower my baby down from the window. A kind passerby might take care of her and raise her in freedom.

  As she sat braiding, the little mouse dragged in more and more straw, until the queen had plenty to weave her basket. At last, the basket was finished. The queen went to the window to see how long a cord she must make and noticed an old woman far below, looking up at her. The old woman called to the queen, “I know your trouble, Madam. If you like, I will help you.”

  The queen was overjoyed and told the old woman that she would be rewarded for her kindness.

  “I don’t care about any reward,” the old woman replied. ‘“But there is one thing I should like. I am very particular about what I eat, and I fancy above all else a plump, tender little mouse. If there happens to be any mouse in your garret, just throw it down to me. That’s all I ask.”

  The queen began to cry. “There is only one mouse in this garret,” said the queen, “but I cannot bear to think of its being killed.”

  “What!” cried the old woman, in a rage. “You care more for a miserable mouse than for your very own baby? Good-bye, Madam! I leave you and your poor daughter to enjoy its company!”

  That night, the queen sadly placed the baby in the basket and prepared to lower it into the street. Just then, in sprang the little mouse.

  “Oh, little mouse!” said the queen. “It cost me dear to save your life.”

  Suddenly, the mouse answered, “Believe me, Madam, you will never regret your kindness.”

  The queen was astonished when the mouse began to speak, and still more so when the mouse suddenly grew into a tall, fair lady. The queen recognized the fairy who had come up to her tower room with the wicked king.

  The fairy smiled at her astonished look and said, “I wanted to see if you were faithful and capable of real friendship before I helped you. You see, we fairies are rich in everything but friends, and those are hard to find. I was the little mouse whom you fed when there was nothing to be gained by it. I was the old woman whom you talked to from the window. You are indeed capable of true friendship.” Turning to the princess, she said, “Dear little one, I promise you and your mother will be safe under my care. Let us live happily together in my castle, far from here.”

  The fairy then cast a spell, and all three vanished from the prison room, never to see the wicked king again.

  Princess Cat

  In ancient China, there lived an emperor with three sons. The emperor was old but did not want to give up his throne, although his sons were old enough to rule. He decided to keep them too busy to think of succeeding him.

  The king called his three sons together and told them that he would give up his crown to the son who found him the smallest dog. He gave each of his sons plenty of gold and told them to return in one year. The eldest prince was disappointed, since the crown would traditionally be passed down to him without competition from his brothers, but he was too polite to argue with his father. The next day, the three princes set out in different directions.

  The youngest son was handsome, smart, and very brave. One evening, as he was riding through a forest, a storm suddenly broke. The prince saw a bright light ahead and followed it until he came upon a magnificent palace with walls of crystal and an enormous door encrusted with jewels. When he knocked, the door swung open, and the prince was pulled inside by dozens of invisible hands.

  Though uneasy, the prince looked about and found rich clothes set out for him. Then the hands led him to a dinner table set for two. A beautiful snow white cat entered and introduced herself as Princess Cat. She offered the prince a lavish feast and plenty to drink.

  The prince was impressed by Princess Cat’s generosity and her marvelous castle. He spent the night, and the next day the prince and Princess Cat played games, hunted in the woods, and picnicked by a waterfall. The prince had so much fun that he stayed the next night, and the next, and the next—until the entire year was almost up.

  Luckily, Princess Cat remembered the emperor’s contest. She gave the prince a tiny acorn and told him to take it to his father. The prince sadly rode away from Princess Cat’s land, already missing her wonderful company.

  At the emperor’s palace, the two older brothers showed their small dogs. Then it was the young prince’s turn. The prince opened the acorn and out jumped a perfect, tiny dog that was no bigger than a snowflake. The dog barked and danced in t
he palm of the emperor’s hand.

  The emperor was amazed at his son’s gift, but still did not want to give up his throne. He offered his sons the last challenge. After one year, whoever brought back the most beautiful princess in all the land would be emperor.

  The prince immediately returned to Princess Cat. She welcomed him back with a feast and a dance. The pair spent many months fishing, reading aloud, and playing in the woods. As quickly as before, the prince’s year was almost up, and he had not yet found a beautiful princess. Resting in front of a fireplace, he asked Princess Cat for advice.

  “This is what you must do,” Princess Cat said. “Cut my tail off and throw it into the fire.”

  The prince refused to do as Princess Cat requested. He loved her and did not want to harm her. Princess Cat promised the prince that she would not be hurt and that it would please her. Finally, the prince agreed and shut his eyes as he cut off Princess Cat’s tail and threw it into the fire.

  Lo and behold! Out of the fireplace stepped a beautiful princess with silken hair and sparkling robes. At that instant, an elegant winged lady flew into the room and embraced the princess. Seeing the prince’s confusion, the princess explained that she had been turned into a cat after she refused to wed an ugly magician. The winged lady was Princess Cat’s friend, a kind fairy who had ensured that the spell would one day be broken by a prince who loved her dearly.

  The prince did love Princess Cat with all his heart, and the pair made plans to marry. The fairy brought the prince and Princess Cat in her flying palanquin back to his father’s palace. The emperor was amazed at Princess Cat’s incredible beauty and declared his youngest son the winner of the challenge.

  But then Princess Cat interrupted the emperor. “I am the ruler of six kingdoms,” she said, “and I would love nothing more than to share those kingdoms with you and your sons.” Two kingdoms were given to each prince, and the emperor was overjoyed that he could continue to rule his own. The three brothers wed their princesses, and everyone in the land celebrated their happy marriages for many years to come.