English 7

The Frog Prince

 A young and very beautiful princess lost her ball in the water, while she was playing by the side of a lake. She began to cry so sadly that the frog who sat beside the lake croaked to her, “What will you give me if I get you your ball back?”

“All the gold you could wish for!” replied the princess. “No, I ask only that I am allowed to stay with you and be your friend,” said the frog. The prin­cess gave her word (what did such a promise cost her if it meant she could have her ball back?), but she had absolutely no intention of keeping her promise. In fact, the moment she had her ball back she ran off so fast that the frog could not keep up with her. Nevertheless, after a while the frog arrived at the palace.

As soon as she saw the frog, the princess was frightened. She ran to ask for help from her father, but the king, who knew what had happened, ordered his daughter to keep her promise. So the princess picked the frog up gently in her hand, but, with a shiver of disgust, she let it drop to the ground again. But that one brief touch was enough to break the spell that bound that frog, and caused it to turn back into the young and hand­some prince he had been before.

The story ends with the happiest of wedding ceremonies.