There once lived a kind woman who wished for something very special: a tiny, sweet child. One day, a friendly old woman gave her a magic seed. "Plant this," she said, "and see what happens!" The woman planted it, and soon a beautiful flower bloomed. Inside, on a soft petal, sat a tiny girl, no bigger than your thumb! So, they called her Thumbelina.

Thumbelina slept in a polished walnut shell for a bed, with violet petals for a blanket. She was very happy. But one night, as she slept, a big, warty toad hopped through an open window. "My, what a pretty wife for my son!" she croaked. She gently picked up the walnut shell with Thumbelina inside and hopped away to the stream where she lived.

The old toad placed Thumbelina on a big water lily leaf in the middle of the stream. Her son, who was just as warty as his mother, was very pleased. Poor Thumbelina woke up and cried when she saw where she was. She did not want to marry the toad's son! Some little fish swimming by saw her tears. They felt sorry for her, so they nibbled at the stem of the lily leaf until it broke free. The leaf floated away down the stream, carrying Thumbelina with it.

A beautiful white butterfly fluttered nearby. Thumbelina tied her sash around it, and the butterfly pulled her leaf along even faster. It was a lovely journey, until a big Maybug (a type of beetle) buzzed down, grabbed Thumbelina in his claws, and flew up into a tree. The poor butterfly was left tied to the leaf.

The Maybug thought Thumbelina was very pretty. He offered her honey from the flowers. But then other Maybugs came to visit. They looked at Thumbelina and said, "She only has two legs! And she doesn't have any feelers! She's not pretty at all!" The Maybug started to believe them and decided he didn't want her anymore. So, he flew down and left her on a daisy.

Thumbelina lived all alone in the big meadow for the whole summer. She wove herself a bed from blades of grass and drank dew from the leaves for water. But then autumn came, and the days grew colder. Winter was on its way. Poor Thumbelina shivered. Her clothes were torn, and she was so small and delicate.

Looking for shelter, she came to the door of a Field Mouse. The Field Mouse was kind and warm. "You poor little thing!" she said. "Come in out of the cold. You can stay with me for the winter if you tell me stories and keep my house tidy." Thumbelina was very grateful and happily agreed.

The Field Mouse often had a visitor, a rich Mole who lived in a grand tunnel nearby. He wore a fine black velvet coat. The Mole couldn't see very well, but he heard Thumbelina's sweet singing and fell in love with her voice. The Field Mouse thought it would be a wonderful match. "He is very rich," she told Thumbelina. "You will be very comfortable." But Thumbelina did not want to marry the Mole and live underground in the dark forever.

One day, while digging a new tunnel between their homes, the Mole and the Field Mouse found a bird lying on the ground. It looked dead. "He won't sing anymore," said the Mole, nudging it with his foot. But Thumbelina felt sorry for the bird. That night, she crept into the tunnel. The bird was a Swallow, and he wasn't dead, just frozen from the cold! Thumbelina gently covered him with hay and her own tiny warmth. All winter, she secretly cared for the Swallow, bringing him seeds and water.

When spring came, the Swallow was strong again. "Thank you, dear little girl," he chirped. "You saved my life! Now I must fly away to the warm countries, but I will come back for you." And off he flew.

Thumbelina was sad to see him go. The Field Mouse was busy planning Thumbelina's wedding to the Mole. Thumbelina cried because she really didn't want to marry him. On the day before the wedding, she went outside to say goodbye to the sun. Suddenly, she heard a familiar "Tweet-tweet!" It was her Swallow!

"The cold winter is coming here soon," said the Swallow. "Hop on my back, and I will take you far away to a land where it is always warm and sunny!"
Thumbelina joyfully climbed onto the Swallow's back. They flew high above the mountains and fields, towards the warm, sunny lands.

At last, they reached a beautiful country full of flowers. The Swallow gently placed Thumbelina on a large, white flower. And who do you think was sitting in the middle of that flower? A tiny little man, no bigger than Thumbelina herself! He wore a golden crown on his head and had the most beautiful, delicate wings. He was the prince of the flowers.

He had never seen anyone as lovely as Thumbelina. He asked her to be his wife and the queen of all the flowers. Thumbelina said yes! From every flower came tiny ladies and gentlemen, bringing her gifts. The best gift of all was a pair of beautiful, transparent wings, just like the prince's. Now she could fly from flower to flower too. Everyone was so happy, and the prince gave her a new name, Maia. And so, Thumbelina, now Maia, lived happily ever after with her flower prince, among the sunshine and blossoms.

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