The Eternal Winter
Romanian Fairy Tales
Once upon a time, at the foot of a distant hill, there was a modest farming village, where a cheerful young girl named Elsa lived. She lived with her adoptive family, though Elsa didn't know this.
— Dad, look at these whiskers we have! — Thick, curly, and magnificent! — Alright, now off you go!
— Mom, isn't it strange that my hair is different from yours? — Oh, what? Why?
— Your hair is magnificent! — It's not just about hair. You all have freckles, and I don't. And my skin is lighter.
— Elsa, don't think about these things! You are our daughter, and we love you. Isn't that enough? — I've prepared toast, cheese, and walnuts. — But I want... — Cheese and honey! — Cheese and honey! — Here you go! — Mmm, it's delicious. I still don't understand why they don't like it.
Elsa always felt that something was amiss in her life, but she couldn't quite figure out what it was.
The Forest Adventure
One sunny day, Elsa decided to take a walk on the hill.
— It's so beautiful here. The flowers are wonderful. Mmm, if I gather a few and take them to Mom, she can sell them and get good money for them.
However, as she gathered the flowers, their charm enchanted her so much that she didn't realize how deep she was venturing into the forest.
— Mmm, the sun is so... warm. I'll rest here for a bit.
Elsa fell into a deep sleep until sunset, when she woke up with a start.
— Oh no! I'd better hurry home.
However, she couldn't see in the dark, so she ventured even deeper into the forest, until the wind began to turn ice-cold.
— What? What is this place? I must, I must get out of here. Oh!
But the strong wind led Elsa astray as she desperately searched for shelter.
— Brrr! There! I must, I must hurry!
— Is anyone there? — Oh!
As her eyes closed, the door opened, and a shadow loomed over her.
— Please, help me!
An Unexpected Encounter
The next day, Elsa woke up in a warm, luxurious bed.
— Where am I? That's right. I came here last night.
Elsa was delighted to find warm food, which she devoured immediately. She noticed that, although dusty, the room was beautifully furnished.
— I'd better go look for that man.
She left the room and found the man standing in front of the fire.
— You're awake? — Yes. Thank you for helping me last night. — Hmm. But you're fine, you should go home. Your parents must be... — My goodness! Are you alright? — Leave!
After leaving the bizarre house, she realized the wind was less biting. She looked in amazement at the frozen trees and white snow.
— How strange! It's spring, and the forest is wonderfully green. Yet, how is it winter here?
She soon left the frozen area of the forest.
— Elsa! Elsa! Are you here? — Mom? Dad? — Elsa! We were so worried. — Why did you come here? — I went to pick flowers to sell them and earn some money. But I got lost and huddled under a tree. I'm so sorry. — Oh, darling! It's alright. We don't need money obtained at the cost of your life. Don't ever come here again!
Elsa agreed, but didn't tell her parents about the strange encounter and went home puzzled.
An Unusual Friendship
The next day, Elsa fell into thought.
— Hmm. That man was kind to me, but he seemed very ill. Should I go see him? Dad is busy in the fields, and Mom is at the nursery, so they'll come home late. Tim and Ben always play outside until dark, so I'll go.
She climbed the hill, braving the ice-cold wind. Elsa knocked on the door impatiently.
— Hello! I'm the girl from... — What do you want? — To thank you for... — You didn't do that last night. Bye! — Wait! No, don't leave and abandon me here! — Do you live alone? — Oh, dear me! — Pardon? — Are you still here? What is this? — Soup. To cure a cold. Please, eat a little.
The man looked at the soup. He was very ill, and the warm liquid beckoned to him.
— Mmm, delicious!
Elsa was delighted and kept talking kindly while the man ate and listened to her chatter with a frown.
— Oh! I should leave. Mr... — Alfred. — Alright. Mr. Alfred, I'll visit tomorrow. — But why? — Bye!
Elsa smiled cheerfully and hurried home, arriving just before her family. Thus, she went to visit Mr. Alfred every day. She felt a strange sense of contentment whenever she was around him.
Initially, Mr. Alfred tried to ignore her, but then he realized he enjoyed her cheerful presence. Eventually, he began to show her and teach her new and wonderful things, even reading beautiful stories from his books.
— I want to offer you something.
He left and returned with a tray full of great snacks.
— I love this food! Toast with goat cheese and honey. — Oh! I love it too! But my family doesn't like it.
Soon, Mr. Alfred and Elsa grew closer, and a strong bond formed between them. Two years passed like this, and Elsa turned 18.
The Curse and the Truth
One day, a terrible disease destroyed all the crops in Elsa's village.
— To grow crops again, we'll need new seeds immediately. — But we don't have money to buy seeds.
During her visit that day, Elsa told Mr. Alfred about the disaster.
— With less food, some people will starve.
He looked at Elsa's distressed face and left the room.
— Here! — Oh! It's full of money, gold, and jewels! — Elsa, give these to the farmers, but secretly. It should be enough to save their crops.
Elsa, though surprised, agreed to fulfill his request. She divided the money into separate bags, leaving one at each farmer's door. They were very astonished.
— Mr. Alf, I did it! The farmers were so happy! — Thank you, Elsa! I'm sure my wife would have been happy too. — Your wife?
He smiled when he saw her so amazed.
— I'll tell you a story. A long time ago, I was rich, but cold and greedy. My beloved wife, Olivia, had a heart of gold, but I never listened to her advice. One New Year's Day, we were celebrating with guests in the house. — Enjoy yourselves as much as you can! — Thank you! Thank you! — Huh? What? — Please, I just wanted shelter and food tonight. — Leave! You're ruining our celebration! — Please, darling, she's hungry and cold! Let's help her! — I said no! Leave!
At that moment, the wind began to blow harder, and the old woman transformed into a fairy.
— You are as cold as ice. However, your wife is very kind. You don't deserve her love and you don't deserve a good life. I curse you to an eternal winter, and I curse your wife to fall into a deep sleep. When you truly regret your wicked ways, only then will she awaken, and know that hidden truths will come to light once the curse is broken.
After she said that, our land was engulfed by a wave of frost.
— Oh no! My precious little girl! Take her away from here! Save her, please!
Then, Olivia fell into a deep sleep, and I searched for my little girl, but couldn't find her.
— Oh, how sad! Ah! No, you are not a bad man. You have a good heart. Your wife will surely wake up. Can I see her too?
When they entered the frozen room, Elsa saw a beautiful lady, with a calm and peaceful face, sleeping in an ice coffin.
— She is Olivia. Dear Olivia, I am so sorry for the way I behaved. I regret my horrible behavior, and Elsa taught me how beautiful love and kindness are. If only you would wake up! — Oh! — What?
The spell broke, scattering all the ice in the forest. Flowers surprisingly bloomed again in the warmed house.
— Ah, Alfred! — Olivia! You're awake! — Where are we?
Alfred, tearfully, explained everything that had happened to Olivia, who began to remember the curse.
— She, is she our daughter? — No, no. She is Elsa. She's a good girl who has been visiting me for two years now. — But she has three brown spots on her cheek, see? Like I do. — What? But why haven't I seen them before? Oh! — Once the curse is broken, hidden truths will come to light.
Suddenly, Elsa heard her mother's voice.
— Elsa! Elsa! — Mom, I'm here! — Oh, Elsa! I told you not to come here again! — Madam, Madam Olivia! — Oh, Ali!
The two women cried when they saw each other, and Elsa remained completely confused.
— Where, where do you know Mom from? — Oh, Elsa, you see, actually, Madam Olivia is your real mother. They are your real parents. — What? — We took you in many years ago to keep you safe, but we couldn't tell you the truth. — But we truly loved you as our own daughter. — Ah, I know.
Elsa began to cry and hugged Ali.
— Elsa! — Yes! Dad! Mom! — No! Be ours!
A New Beginning
Thus, Elsa began to live with her true family. Of course, she often visited Ali, George, and the twins and loved them just as much. But she was happy that she had finally found her place.
Moral: Love and kindness can melt even the coldest winter, and the truth always comes to light.
