Okay, imagine this: there was a merchant, and business was NOT booming. In fact, all his ships had sailed off and forgotten to come back, and his money bags were as empty as a cookie jar after a party. He was wandering in a spooky forest, feeling very glum, when a tiny little man with a long beard and twinkly eyes popped out from behind a mushroom.

"Why the long face?" asked the little man.
The merchant sighed. "I've lost everything!"
"Hmm," said the little man. "I can fill your pockets with gold, more than you can count! But, you must promise me the very first thing that bumps into your legs when you get back home."

The merchant thought, "That'll be my fluffy dog, Fido! What a bargain!" So he shook the little man's hand and said, "It's a deal!"

He hurried home, his heart thumping with excitement about all the gold. He opened his gate, and who came running out, full of wiggles and giggles, and bumped right into his legs? Not Fido! It was his own dear son, his favorite little boy!

The merchant's face went pale. "Oh no!" he whispered. But a promise was a promise, especially to a magical little man.

When the time came, the son was very brave. "Don't worry, Papa," he said. "I'll go."
The little man appeared and led the boy away, not to a scary cave, but to a dazzling mountain made entirely of gold! It shimmered and shone so brightly, you needed sunglasses.

The boy lived with the little man on the Golden Mountain. He had to do chores, but it wasn't too bad. One day, the little man said, "I'm going on a short trip. You can explore anywhere in my golden castle, but DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT open the door to the twelfth room at the end of the long, sparkly hallway. Promise?"
The boy promised.

But as soon as the little man was gone, curiosity started tickling the boy like a feather. "Just one peek," he thought. "What could be so special about that room?"
He tiptoed to the twelfth door, took a deep breath, and creaked it open.

Inside, it wasn't treasure. It was a beautiful princess, but oh dear, she was trapped! She looked like she was made of glass, and she was surrounded by what looked like giant, sleepy snakes made of shadows. Actually, she *was* a giant snake, but a very sad and beautiful one.
"Help me!" she hissed, but her voice was like wind chimes. "A wicked spell has turned me into this! If a brave young man is willing to face three challenges from the King of the Golden Mountain (that's the little man!), I can be free!"

The boy, though a bit startled by a talking snake-princess, had a kind heart. When the little man returned, the boy confessed. The little man, who was actually the King of the Golden Mountain, wasn't angry. He just twinkled his eyes. "So, you want to free the princess, eh? Very well."

The King set three tasks. First, the boy had to find the princess's lost pearl necklace in a giant haystack. Easy peasy, with help from some friendly ants the princess secretly sent. Next, he had to chop down an entire forest with a tiny silver axe in one day. Phew! But some magical squirrels helped him. For the last task, he had to stay awake all night in a room full of sleepy music, guarding the princess (still a snake). If he fell asleep, she'd be a snake forever! He almost dozed off, but he thought of her kind eyes, and he pinched himself to stay awake.

When morning came, POOF! The snake was gone, and there stood the most beautiful princess, no longer made of glass or shadows! "You did it!" she cheered.
The King of the Golden Mountain smiled. "You are brave and true. Take the princess, and as much gold as you can carry!"

The boy, now a young man, and the princess filled their pockets and a magic sack (a gift from the King) with sparkling gold. They traveled back to the young man's home. His parents were overjoyed to see him, and even more overjoyed to see he was safe, happy, and had brought a princess and a lot of shiny gold!

They had a wonderful party, and the young man and the princess decided they liked each other so much, they got married. And thanks to their adventure on the Golden Mountain, they all lived very comfortably, and Fido the dog got lots of extra treats, happily ever after.

1901 Views