The Purple Jar
A story in Romanian.
Once upon a time, in the bustling city of London, there lived a little girl named Rosamond. She loved everything beautiful and didn't think at all about her hasty decisions.
Unfulfilled Wishes
One day, while shopping with her mother, she marveled at the wonderful things she saw in the window.
— Oh, Mama, I wish I could buy all the wonderful things! Wouldn't that be fantastic? — Hmm, yes, it would be very. What? Oh, no! What would you do with all of them? — Oh, I'll think about that later!
Rosamond's mother shook her head and, walking on, they came across a Milliner's shop, where Rosamond looked at the ribbons hanging from the colorful, shiny hats and the beautiful flowers in the window.
— Ooh! Mama, aren't they just lovely? You should buy them all! — All of them? What would I do with them? — Oh, we'll surely find a use for them! — Rosamond, I prefer to know what I'll use something for before I buy it. Let's go!
The Purple Jar
Rosamond left the Milliner's shop upset. Soon, they arrived at the jeweler's. There, she was amazed by all the necklaces and trinkets on display.
— Mama, look! Aren't they absolutely wonderful? — Yes, they are. — I adore them all! Can we buy them? Can we? — Rosamond, we already have enough jewelry, and I don't think we need to buy any more. — But, Mama, the colors are so beautiful and they sparkle! Isn't that a good enough reason to buy them? — Do you really think so? Well, I can't agree with you, my dear. Now, let's go do our shopping.
Then, Rosamond was taken away from the jeweler's and walked grumpily after her mother until they reached a pharmacy. There, she saw many bottles of different shapes, sizes, and bright colors. But her eyes fixed upon a purple jar.
— Mama, Mama, isn't that jar so beautiful? — Hmm? — Will you get it for me? — What would you do with it? — I'll put flowers in it. They'll look beautiful! — But you already have enough vases for flowers. Come on, let's go!
But even after they left, Rosamond kept thinking about the purple jar.
— Mama, I think you don't have any money. — I have enough money, darling. — Well, then I don't understand you. If I had money, I would buy all the ribbons, trinkets, and jars I could find. — Seriously? Well, I don't think you should buy such things. Otherwise, we wouldn't have any money left. We would only have pretty things in life. — Wow! That would be fantastic!
The Broken Shoes
— You know what? I think if you looked more closely at that jar, you wouldn't like it so much anymore. — I'm sure I like it. You don't need to check pretty things, you know?
As they walked, Rosamond felt a pain in her foot.
— Ouch, ouch! Mama, stop! I have something in my shoe!
She took off her shoe and saw a big hole in it.
— Oh, no! These are my best shoes! How did this happen? — Why did you wear them? — Because they were so beautiful! Now they're ruined. I need other shoes.
So the two went to the shoe store to get shoes. Poor Rosamond had to walk carefully so as not to hurt herself on anything sharp. Soon, they entered the shoe store.
— Hello! Two pairs of shoes for two wonderful young ladies! — Oh, just one, for the young one. — Very easy! See that pair over there? It will fit her perfectly. — Excuse me! — Excuse me for a moment.
Disappointment
— Well, don't you think this shop is nice? — No! The shoes are boring and dull, and it smells awful in here. Ugh! — Well, that's what leather smells like. Let's see which pair fits you. — Those seem to be my size. — You can't be sure until you try them on. Likewise, you can't be sure if you like that jar if you don't see it up close. — No need to check. I know for sure I like it. Can you buy me both the shoes and the jar, Mama? — Well, I don't have money for both. You'll have to choose. Why don't you decide for yourself? That way, you'll be responsible for your actions.
So Mama left Rosamond to think about the jar and, in the meantime, spoke with the shoemaker. Rosamond looked at the shoes with disdain. However, when she thought of the shiny purple jar, her face lit up. When her mother returned, she said without hesitation:
— Mama, I've decided to take the purple jar! These shoes aren't that ruined. They'll surely last another month. — Very well, but you must promise me that for a month you won't ask me for any other shoes.
Rosamond nodded, and they left the shoe store. A mistake, for immediately her foot began to hurt.
— Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch!
Thus, at the pharmacy, Rosamond smiled happily when she received the purple jar. As they walked home, she held the jar tightly to her chest. However, it wasn't easy for her to walk, as pebbles kept getting into her shoes.
— Ouch! Mama, my foot hurts! — You chose, remember? Do you want to give the bottle back? — What? No! I can walk fine. It doesn't hurt that much.
So, she continued to limp all the way home. She took off her shoes and saw that they were ruined.
— Well, I can use normal shoes. Now, let me look at this wonder!
Rosamond took the beautiful flowers they had bought and went to put them in the jar. As soon as she opened it, an awful stench came out.
— Eww! What is that? — What is it, dear? — Mama, this jar contains some foul-smelling liquid. I need to put flowers in it. — Well, why don't you fill it with water? You'll have to throw out the other liquid.
She went to the sink and poured out the dark liquid.
— Oh, no! It's, it's just a normal jar!
And so it was. The purple liquid inside made the jar look so attractive, and now little Rosamond was completely disappointed.
— Oh, Mama, what shall I do? I don't want this jar anymore! — Why not? You can still put the flowers in it. — No! I wanted the jar because it was purple! — Well, I told you to examine it closely. If you had, perhaps you would have bought the shoes instead of the jar. — Shoes! Mama, if I give you the jar back, will you buy me shoes? — I'm sorry, my dear, but as I said, you won't get shoes this month. You'll have to manage without.
An Invitation to a Dance
Rosamond was not happy, but she kept her promise and didn't reply. However, in the following days, her father surprised her.
— Darling, we've been invited to the dance tonight in the neighboring town. — Oh, we'll have a wonderful time, won't we, children? — Wow, we're going to a dance! — Yay!
A Lesson Learned
Thus, as evening came, when everyone was getting ready, Rosamond went to look for her shoes.
— Oh, my good shoes are ruined! Maybe Papa won't see them and will let me come.
But as they were leaving, her father saw them.
— Rosamond, what do you have on your feet? Those shoes are dreadful! Change them immediately! — But, but, Papa, I don't have any other shoes. — Well, then you can't come to the dance with those. You'll stay home tonight.
Poor Rosamond begged him to take her, but her father was a stern man, and eventually, they left without her.
— Oh, what have I done? How good it would have been if I were smarter and more careful about what I chose!
The next day, Rosamond was very sad and gloomy.
— What's wrong, Rosamond? — Oh, Mama, today is Alice's birthday, and I can't go to the party. I made a very bad choice, but in the end, it was my fault. — I'm glad you realized it's your mistake. It's a brave thing to admit that. So, here's a reward. Here you go!
Mama gave Rosamond the box she had with her, and inside she saw a pair of wonderful shoes, which were hers.
— Oh, Mama! They're wonderful! But what about the promise I made to you? — Well, my dear, you made that promise. I didn't promise you anything.
Thus, little Rosamond learned a very important lesson.
You shouldn't desire something just because it looks beautiful. You might like it very much, but also be disappointed, so always think before you choose.
