EnglishStory《GoldFlowerandtheBear》.doc

English Story《Gold Flower and the Bear》
Long long ago, there was a clever and brave gilr called Gold Flower who lived with her mother and brother. They were very happy.
One day, her mother said:“Your Aunty is ill. I’m going to see her and won’t be back tonight. Look after your brother and ask your Granny to stay with you tonight!” Then she left with a basket of eggs and a hen.
At sunset, Gold Flower herded the sheep home.
After penning up the sheep, she shooed all the chickens into the coop.
Then, she and her brother climbed a small hill to call Granny. Usually, after one shout, there would be an answer, but today there was no reply after several shouts.
Gold Flower thought：“It doesn’t matter. I’m not afraid.”They went home and she bolted the door.
Lighting a wick, they sat by the fire-pan and she began to tell her brother a story.
Suddenly they heard a knock at the door. Brother hugged her and cried：“I’m afraid!”
They heard a strange but kindly voice saying：“I’m Granny.”Brother was very happy and shouted：“Sister, open the door! Granny has come!”
Gold Flower leaned against the door and asked：“Is that you. Granny? What’s wrong with your voice?”“I’ve a cold.”Came the reply followed by coughs.
The boy urged his sister to open the door. Meanwhile, the voice continued：“My dear, there is something wrong with my eyes and I’m afraid of light. Please blow out the wick before letting me in.”
It was so dark in the room that they could’t see who was coming in.
Gold Flower invited“Granny”to a stool, but it cried out when sitting down. The children jumped in fright.
The“Granny”said：“Dear, I’ve a boil so I can’t sit on hard wood. Please give me a wicker basket.”
The swishing of the Bear’s tail in the dark caused Gold Flower to ask：“What’s making that noise?”“Oh! It’s the fly-swatter your Grandpa bought for me.”replied“Granny”.
The clever girl stoked the fire brighter and, wow, there was a pair of hairy feet! Now she realized：“This isn’t Granny. It’s the Bear which likes to eat children.”
Gold Flower calmed and pretended to have seen nothing. But how to deal with this wicked Bear?
Her mother had told her that bears were afraid of lice. She grabbed a handful of seeds and took off her brother’s hat, pretending to be catching lice in his hair. She threw the seeds into the fire.They crackled.
The Bear growled：“Don’t let him with me with his lice. Let him sleep outside!”Brother was so afraid that he began to sob.
Gold Flower coaxed him to go to the other room to sleep.
She locked the door on her way back.
When she got back, the Bear asked her to go to bed.
The Bear was very happy because it could have a hearty meal at midnight. But the clever Gold Flower was also thinking of a way out.
After sleeping for a while, she cried：“My tummy hurts! I want to go on the pot.”
The Bear thought：She would not be good to eat like this. So, it tied one end of a belt to Gold Flower’s hand and let her go outside.
After a while, the Bear pulled and then pulled again, It seemed that the girl was still on the other end.
A long time passed. The Bear called several times but there was no answer. It got worried and pulled hard. Clunk. Something tumbled.
The Bear was puzzled and felt its way along the belt.
There was nothing at the end but a pot. The Bear was very angry. It was already midnight and the Bear started bellowing for food like any beast.
Failing to find Gold Flower, it stopped to drink some water from a pond before continuing the search.
It saw Gold Flower in the water and was overjoyed.
When the Bear reached into the water to grasp Gold Flower, she disappeared.
The Bear angrily watched. When the water became still, Gold Flower reappeared. The Bear reached out but Gold Flower again vanished. The Bear did not know what to do.
A laugh came from above. The Bear quickly looked up and saw Gold Flower in a tree. The image in the water was her reflection.
The Bear wanted to climb the tree, but Gold Flower had covered it with grease. The Bear slipped again and again.
The Bear could only wait under the tree hapless while Gold Flower laughed up on the tree.
“Granny, do you want to eat some pears? Please get me the spear in the house.”The Bear was really happy to hear this and went to fetch the spear.
The Bear handed her the spear and, pointing to a few big pears, it said: “Give me those.”
“Granny, open your mouth. Here comes the pear!”Gold Flower threw one at the Bear’s mouth.
The Bear ate it in two bites and asked her to spear more.
“Granny, this time open your mouth wide. It is a real big one.”The Bear opened its mouth as wide as it could. And with all her might, Gold Flower threw the spear into its mouth.
With a groan, the Bear fell flat.
Gold Flower slid down the tree and kicked the dead Bear.“Do you still want to eat children?”
Roosters crowed. Gold Flower opened the door to her brother’s room. He was sleeping soundly.
She woke him and took him to the dead body. Now he knew that it was the wicked old Bear.
The sun was rising red in the east. Mother came back. She was very pleased to hear what had happened and praised the brave little girl. The story of Gold Flower and the Bear spread far and wide.