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  • Every Christmas, all the other families had tables loaded with delicious food,

  • and the streets were full of happy children holding beautiful presents.

  • But Tyltyl and Mytyl were unhappy, and could only watch from a distance.

  • Look at that beautiful thee-tired cake! Have you ever seen so much icing?

  • Forget the cake, I wish I could have that charming pink dress

  • Every Christmas they looked on in envy,

  • because their Father was only a poor carpenter and could not afford to buy them fancy presents.

  • As they looked longingly out of the window at all the bright lights and happy families and sighed,

  • the heard the creak of footsteps on the stairs.

  • It must be mother! Quick, turn off the light!

  • When they opened their eyes for a quick peek, they cried out in horror

  • The figure that entered through the door was not their mother at all, but a hideous witch!

  • Where is our mother!?

  • Don’t be frightened, children, I have not come to harm you.

  • What, then?

  • I have come to ask for a favour. My daughter is gravely ill, and only the legendary Blue Bird can cure her.

  • You must find it for me.

  • We only have a yellow bird,.,,you can have it if it will help

  • No, it must be the Blue Bird.

  • But why?

  • It is the Blue Bird of happiness that I seek. No other bird will do.

  • Happiness?

  • Yes, the Blue Bird will bring happiness to any who possesses it.

  • Can it truly make anyone happy?

  • Even poor, miserable children like us?

  • Of course, that is its purpose. Here, take my magic hat, and use its powers to find the Blue Bird.

  • Buthow?

  • The hat will show you the way. Good luck!

  • As they touched the hat, the world around them suddenly grew dark.

  • Tyltyl, are you there? I’m frightened!

  • It’s okay, I’m here! Take my hand!

  • At that moment, the Queen of the Night materialized out of the darkness, dressed in shimmering silver robes, her cold laughter ringing in the air.

  • Have you come into my realm of darkness to steal the Blue Bird? Ha!

  • Your courage is admirable, but how can two children succeed where countless great knights have failed?

  • The true Blue Bird is hidden amongst thousands of impostors. Claim it if you can!

  • Look! Here it isthe Blue Bird!

  • No wait! It isn’t the real one

  • Looking around at all the blue birds, Mytyl and Tyltyl realized that they all looked the same,

  • and there was no way of telling which was the real one.

  • Many have tried to find the Blue Bird, and all have failed.

  • They wasted their lives in a futile search until they died of old age, and so will you! Ha ha!

  • The Queen of the Night placed a large mirror before them.

  • Look into the mirrormake your choice now, or watch yourselves whither away and die!

  • What’s happening to us! Our hair is graying!

  • No! How do we stop this!?

  • The two children could see themselves ageing in the mirror.

  • We must get out of here, now! / You are right!

  • No!! How dare you run, cowards! You were to be my next sacrifice! Come back!

  • As they left the Kingdom of the Night, the children crossed over into the Land of Memory.

  • They saw a worn couch, with an elderly couple dozing on it.

  • Where are we now?

  • Are we in the future? Are those people us? Have grown old and died?

  • I can’t die yet! I still haven’t tried that lovely dress I wanted!

  • Well, I don’t want to die before I’ve had some of that cake!

  • The children began to weep loudly, not realizing that they had entered the Land of Memory.

  • The sound of their sobbing woke the elderly couple.

  • Ohis it morning already? I can hear the baby crying.

  • That can’t be the baby, it must be the rooster!

  • No listen, does that sound like a rooster to you, woman!?

  • Youre right…I can hear our little grandchildren.

  • Seelike I said

  • Theyre Grandma and Grandpa!

  • Do you really think our grandchildren can be here now? Let’s take a closer look….yes, it really is them!

  • The children had just been reunited with their grandparents who had passed away years ago.

  • The children and grandparents had a joyful reunion.

  • The grandparents baked a delicious cake,

  • and Mytyl and Tyltyl told them all about their quest for the Blue Bird.

  • So you see, that is how we began our journey in search of the Blue Bird.

  • Do you mean that blue bird sitting on the tree branch over there?

  • The children looked where their grandmother pointed and there was the Blue Bird.

  • There it is! / What? Where?

  • There! Let’s catch it! / Come on, run!

  • Wait children, stay a little longer! Don’t you want some more cake?

  • Tears filled the Old Woman’s eyes as she saw the children chase after happiness

  • without even looking back to say good-bye.

  • There’s nothing to cry over. Children are always chasing after something.

  • They have no time for old people like us.

  • Grandfather and Grandmother embraced as they dissolved into the wind.

  • Tyltyl and Mytyl chased after the Blue Bird as fast as they could,

  • but when it was almost within their grasp, it scattered on the wind just like their grandparents had done.

  • Where did it go?

  • No! What just happened?

  • They couldn’t see that the Blue Bird had faded along with their Grandparentshappiness.

  • After that, the two children journeyed on into the land of happiness, hoping to find the Blue Bird there.

  • There they met a gluttonous man, and a greedy woman.

  • I am the happiest man on earth, because I can have all the food I can dream of!

  • You are a simpleton and a pig! Who needs food when you can have glamorous jewels!

  • How can you say that! Nothing is better than food! / Jewels and riches are more precious than food!

  • The two people did not truly appear particularly happy,

  • but the children decided to ask them about the Blue bird anyway.

  • Have you by any chance seen the Blue Bird?

  • What Blue Bird? Show me one and I will roast it with some nice sauce

  • Go ahead, but leave me the feathers! I need some touches of blue for my new hat!

  • Can you think of nothing else when you look at the bird of happiness?

  • Think? What for? All I want to do is eat and eat until I explode! I don’t need your silly bird for that!

  • I have no time for worthless birds.

  • I have to find more gems and beautiful clothes to ornament myself while I am still young and beautiful!

  • What do you think, do the rubies or the emeralds suit me more?

  • I don’t know much about earings

  • I am almost certain the Blue Bird is not here, Mytyl. Let’s try some other place.

  • But isn’t this the land of happiness? This should be the Blue Bird’s home!

  • Happiness? You must be lost, child. This is the land of unhappiness!

  • What?

  • See that sign? It used sayLand of Unhappiness”, but we changed it. / What?!

  • Shocked and disheartened by the Greedy Woman’s words, the children reached for the witch’s hat.

  • This time, the children found themselves right where they had startedat home.

  • Isn’t this our room?

  • Ohwe have been sent home without finding the Blue Bird!

  • What will we do when the witch returns!?

  • Oh no! What if she turns us into frogs! I don’t want to be a horrid slimy frog!!

  • Wait, what if we paint our yellow bird blue? Maybe we can trick her!

  • Do you think that will really work?

  • The children ran to the cageand were amazed to see that the bird inside was not yellow at all, but blue!

  • The Blue Bird!!!

  • Suddenly, the witch appeared out of nowhere.

  • Tell me children, have you captured the Blue Bird for me?

  • Honestly, we didn’t actually find itit was waiting in our home all along.

  • Here, take it and heal your daughter’s illness.

  • Are you sure you want to give it to me? It can make you happy

  • But we are already happy. / That’s right.

  • I am very grateful to you both.

  • You have discovered that true happiness can only be found through love, understanding, and acceptance.

  • You will always be much happier now.

  • The witch vanished in a swirl of silver dust.

  • When Tyltyl and Mytyl awoke the following morning,

  • the first thing they saw was the little yellow bird back in its cage.

  • Even though Tyltyl and Mytyl realized it had all been a dream, they remembered the witch’s words,

  • and as they listened to the sweet songs of their own yellow bird, they felt truly happy.

Every Christmas, all the other families had tables loaded with delicious food,

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