The Golden Bread
Once upon a time, in a small village, there lived a woman named Marian with her only daughter, Narcisa. Marian was very humble and kind. Narcisa, on the other hand, was completely different.
You see, she was extraordinarily beautiful. She lived like a doll, and the funniest part was that she loved herself beyond measure.
— Narcisa, will you help me bake the bread? — Oh, no, Mother! The flour will ruin my bright, shining eyes! — Oh!
— Narcisa, will you help me plant these seeds? — What? Why would I do that, when I'll get dirt on my beautiful fingers? And worse, what if it gets on my face? Ugh!
That was the problem with Narcisa. She thought she was too good to work. Many suitors came to ask for Narcisa's hand, for her beauty was known everywhere. But she rejected them all, because she was very impolite.
— Why did you chase those men away yesterday? They seemed like good people. — Ha ha ha! You can't be serious, Mother! One of them had tiny eyes, like a bird's. Another had a giant nose! I didn't want to be near him when he sneezed! And the last one... — Stop! No! I don't want to hear another word! I only saw that those men were good people. My dear, you must understand that beauty isn't everything. — Mother, you must understand that I deserve a prince or a knight! — Goodness!
One night, as she slept, her mother sat beside her and watched her.
— My dear child, you are very beautiful and charming, but you care about nothing else besides your beauty.
At that moment, Narcisa began to laugh in her sleep. Her mother was amazed.
— How sweet! She's probably dreaming something very funny.
The next morning, when Narcisa woke up, she was all smiles.
— Here you are, dear. Tell me, what did you dream last night? — Oh, Mother, I had a fantastic dream! You know? There was a prince who came to me and said he wanted to marry me! He came in a golden carriage! Oh, and he was dressed from head to toe in gold! — What a silly dream! — And do you know the best part? When I was in my wedding dress, which was also made of gold, of course, everyone was looking only at me!
— Narcisa, there's nothing beautiful about that dream. It was a very, very selfish dream. — Oh, Mother! You don't know what you're talking about! That dream made me realize that I need better food than what I eat at home. Bread made of gold! Think about it!
Poor Narcisa's mother was very worried about her daughter and wondered what kind of life she would have. That day, two of Narcisa's mother's friends came to their house. Their names were Meli and Terry. The three of them were old friends.
But Terry and Meli had a secret. They were both magical creatures, but Narcisa's mother had no idea.
— Terry, Meli, oh, I'm so glad to see you! We haven't met in a long time, have we? — A very long time! How are you? — Very well. I'd be better only if... — Why? — Oh, if my daughter Narcisa were a little more understanding...
Marian told Meli and Terry about Narcisa and how she worried about her.
— She wants to eat bread made of gold. What am I going to do with her? — Well, I think maybe if her dreams came true... — That would truly be wonderful, wouldn't it? — Oh, never mind. In time she will grow up and learn what matters. Let's talk about something else now.
Later, Meli and Terry said goodbye to their old friend and left, secretly smiling at each other. That night, mother and daughter were getting ready for bed.
— Mother, I hope with all my heart that my dream comes true! — Oh, Narcisa.
The next day, while Narcisa and her mother were outside in the garden, a wonderful golden carriage came towards them. It was studded with precious stones and diamonds and looked astonishing.
It stopped, and a handsome young man stepped out and looked at Narcisa. She was amazed by how handsome the young man was.
— Mother, Mother! My dream is finally coming true! — Oh, what? — Hello! I have come to ask for Narcisa's hand in marriage. — But how do you know her name? And who are you? — I am Terence, the angel of fortune. Your daughter's name and beauty are known throughout the world. Here, I've brought you a gift. — Goodness! I would love to marry you! — What? But you don't even know him! You can't leave with him! — Oh, what nonsense! He's rich and handsome! What more could I want? Terence, I accept your proposal!
And so, she climbed into his carriage and without saying goodbye to her mother, she left with the angel. As they traveled, suddenly, the carriage passed through a magic portal. The carriage shook very violently and Narcisa was very, very scared.
— Goodness! Oh, no! What is this? — Ha ha ha! Don't worry, dear, it will all be over soon.
As soon as he said that, the carriage passed through another portal and arrived in front of a huge and magnificent golden castle. Narcisa was amazed by all the beauty around her.
— Wow! How beautiful! I knew I deserved many riches! — I knew you'd like it. Here you will find everything you desire. From the most beautiful dresses to the finest foods. Everything can be found in my palace. — Wow! Speaking of food, I'm very hungry after the journey! I'm starving! Can I taste some of those good foods? — Of course! This is Meli, Melisa. She will bring you whatever you want. — Hello, Narcisa! I've heard a lot about you! Poor you, you're hungry, aren't you? Come on, let's go to the table and get you something to eat! — Oh, thank you!
They entered the dining hall and on the table was the most astonishing food Narcisa had ever seen.
— The food looks fantastic! — Because it is! The jams are made of ruby, the salads of emerald, and the bread here is made of gold! — Golden bread! How beautiful! This jam will look and go perfectly with the bread!
She then took a slice of bread with ruby jam and bit into it.
— Ow! Ow! It's very hard! I can't eat something like this! — Well, this is bread made of gold, the purest gold! If you can't eat it, shall I bring you silver bread? — Silver? Yuck! Why don't you eat something else? — But I want normal bread! Bread that I can eat! Don't you have any? — No! My prince's future wife will only eat gold! You must eat the best!
Narcisa then looked at the foods on the table, but she was sad, for she could eat nothing. Soon, she began to cry.
— Let me go! I don't want this! — But the food is very good! Look, taste some golden potatoes! They're very good! — And after we get married, you'll have to eat everything here! I thought you liked elegant things! Ha ha ha! — No! No! I don't want to marry you! I want to go home! To my mother! Let me go home!
Melisa and Terence winked at each other.
— Well, if that's truly what you want, then I will take you home.
Terence took the crying and sad Narcisa home. In the carriage, she began to think carefully about the choice she had made. When she arrived home, she ran to embrace her mother who was sitting sadly in the house.
— Mother, Mother, I'm back! — Narcisa! Oh, my dear daughter! I thought I would never see you again! — Oh, Mother, I love you very much and you were right! How you look and riches don't mean everything. The golden bread was useless, because I couldn't eat it, and the man, though handsome, didn't care about me at all. — My dear, but do you realize that's how you treat everyone else? — I know! I'm sorry for how I behaved, Mother! — It's alright, because you've seen the mistake you made. Come, let me give you something good to eat.
From that day on, Narcisa changed. At first it was difficult for her, but with time and patience, she began to become much kinder. One day, Meli and Terry came to Marian again.
— Ah, welcome! — Tell us, Marian, how is Narcisa now?
Marian told them both what had happened.
— And since then she has changed a lot, a great deal. — Yes? Ha ha ha! I suppose she doesn't want golden bread anymore, does she? Ha ha! — You know what, Terry, you look a little like that angel. Oh, what am I saying? How could it have been you? You two are the kindest! Ha ha ha! — Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
Outer beauty is not as important as inner kindness.
