VINTAGE TALES FROM AROUND THE WORLD

THE GOBLIN PONY (French 🇨🇵)

France, which is officially known as the French Republic, is a stunning country situated in Western Europe. Its rich cultural heritage includes a vast collection of mythical, folklore, which consists of captivating fables stories, enchanting fairy tales, and fascinating legends that have been passed down through the generations to the French people.

Let's read ;

Peggy cautioned against venturing away from the hearth tonight as the gusts of wind were fierce enough to rattle the very foundation of the house. Additionally, it is Halloween, a time when witches and their minions disguise themselves and roam about, posing a threat to the safety of human children.

"Please take note of the warning", said Old Peggy with a serious tone, "I advise you not to move away from the warmth of the fireplace tonight. The wind outside is blowing fiercely causing the entire house to tremble. Moreover, this is the night of Halloween, when the witches come out to play, and their mischievous servants, the goblins, roam around in various disguises, tricking and playing pranks on innocent children and adults alike. It is better to stay indoors safe from their wickedness ".

"Why should I stay here?"I need to leave ", said the eldest of the young people, I must go and see what the daughter of old Jacob, the rope maker is doing. She wouldn't close her blue eyes all night if I didn't visit her father before the moon had gone down".

"I must go and catch lobster and crabs", said the second, and not all the witches and goblins in the world can stop me".

All of them decided to carry on with their plans or activities and disregarded the wise counsel of Old Peggy. Only the youngest child hesitated for a moment when she said to him, "Stay here, my little Richard and I will tell you beautiful stories".

But, he wanted to gather some thyme and blackberries and went out after the rest of them. The old woman talks of wind and storms, but never was the weather finer or the sky clear; see how majestically the moon stalks through the transparent clouds!"

All of a sudden, their attention was drawn toward a small dark-colored pony that was standing just a few feet away from them. The pony seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, and it was staring at them curiously with its big round eyes. Its coat was sleek and shiny and it had a long mane that was blowing gently in the breeze. The pony was calm and quiet, and it didn't seem to be bothered by their presence.

"Oh, ho!" they exclaimed, "that's the old Valentine's pony; it must have escaped from the stable and is heading towards the horse pond to drink ".

"You mustn't run too far, my little pony", said the eldest as he patted the creature with his hand."I'll take you to the pond myself".

After saying these words, he jumped onto the Pony's back. Soon after, his second brother joined him followed by his third brother, and so on, until all of them were riding the pony together. Even little Richard, who didn't want to be left behind, joined them on the Pony's back.

As they headed towards the pond, they came across some of their friends. They invited their friends to join them in
mounting the little pony and surprisingly the Pony didn't seem to mind the extra weight and continued trotting along with ease.

The quicker it trotted the more the young people enjoyed the fun; they dug their heels into the Pony's sides and called out, "Gallop, little horse, you have never had such brave riders on your back before!"

In the meantime, the wind had risen again, and the waves began to howl; but the Pony didn't seem to mind the noise, and instead of going to the pond cantered gaily towards the seashore.

Richard began to regret his thyme and blackberries and the eldest brother seized the Pony by the mane and tried to make it turn round for he remembered the blue eyes of Jacob the rope maker's daughter. But he tugged and pulled in vain, for the Pony galloped straight on into the sea till the waves met its hooves. As soon as it felt the water it neighed lustily and capered about with glee advancing quickly into the foaming billows. When the waves covered the children's legs they repented their careless behavior and cried out: "The cursed little black Pony is Bewitched".If we had only listened to old Peggy's advice we shouldn't have been lost".

The further the Pony advanced, the higher the sea; at last, the waves covered the children's heads and they were all drowned.

Towards morning Old Peggy went out, for she was anxious about the fate of her grandchildren. She sought them high and low, but couldn't find them anywhere. She asked all the neighbors if they had seen the children but no one knew anything about them except that the eldest had not been with the blue-eyed daughter Jacob the rope maker.

As she was going home, bowed with grief, she saw a little black Pony coming towards her, springing and curveting in every direction. When it got quite near her it neighed loudly and galloped past her so quickly that in a moment it was out of her sight.

("Ignoring wise advice can lead to regretful outcomes".

This story serves as a cautionary tale, reminding us to always listen to the advice of those who are wiser and more experienced than us. Furthermore, this story teaches us to be mindful of our actions and to make responsible choices.)

Source:(1900) A French Folktale by Andrew Langs from The Grey Fairy Book.

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