Jane and the Sun - The snake and the crown

It was a beautiful summer morning and little Jane was asleep in her bed. Suddenly something warm tickled her nose. She opened one eye, looked around, saw nothing, and closed it. But something tickled her again. She opened the other eye and saw nobody, so she tried to fall asleep again. But a moment later she heard a soft voice.

“Jane…..Jaaaniiieee, wake up.” 

Jane didn’t even try to see who it was.  She just asked: “Who’s that? Mom, is that you? Can I sleep a little longer?”
“No, it is not your mom. It’s me. The Sun.”
“Whoa!” Jane almost jumped out of the bed.
“Good morning.” Jane saw the Sun shining and smiling and wishing her a good morning too.
“Is there anything I can do for you?” She asked.
“Yes there is actually…. I…. I like stories.” The Sun’s face went a little golden red.
“Oh, so you want me to tell you one?”
“Yes, yes, I would like that very much.”
“Okay, yesterday I read one you might like. It goes like this: 

Once, there was a little girl, who loved animals and her name was Emma. Emma’s mom was very protective of her daughter and was afraid that animals would harm her. So Emma had a secret. She found a snake in the nearby forest and took it home. The snake was very little, a baby. Emma named him Charles and took him up to her room. She even put him into a doll bed and covered him with blankets to make him warm. When one day he asked her for some food, she realized he could speak and she could understand him. They became friends and spent nights talking together. After a couple of months Emma noticed that Charles was getting bigger and stronger.
“Dearest Emma, thank you for saving my life, but now it is time for me to go home.”
“Oh no! Don’t leave me, you are my best friend.”
“We can still be best friends, I will just live not far from you. We will see each other every day. Don’t worry.”
“If you say so… but I will miss you anyway.” Emma started crying.
“Don’t cry. Please come with me, so you can see where I live.”
On the way to the forest Charles asked her to do one thing.
“When you see my father, he will try to reward you for saving my life. Ask for a crown and nothing else.”
“Why?”
“You will see. Just do as I say.”
Emma agreed.

Suddenly she heard someone breathing very close to her face. She turned her head and almost screamed from the shock. She saw the biggest snake in her life. He was bright green, with red, blue and purple patches, and huge eyes.  There was a golden crown on his head.
“This is Emma. She saved my life.” Charles went closer to his father, the Snake King and told him what she had done for him.
The Snake King was very grateful, so he asked her if there was something that would make her happy.
She remembered what she was told to say, and asked for the crown.
The Snake King smiled and brought her a crown that was even more beautiful than the one on his head.
She thanked him and went home.

She sneaked up to her room and stood in front of the mirror. She put the crown on her head and imagined herself as a princess in a beautiful pink dress. Suddenly she was dressed in it.  Then she imagined that her family and her friends’ families were very happy and had everything they needed and one second later she heard people laughing and crying from happiness.
Then she carefully took the crown off her head and hid it in her closet. She promised herself that she would only use it for good, not for anything selfish.

Emma and the Snake Prince were friends for many years and stayed friends even when Charles became as big and strong as his father. 

One spring morning, Emma started cleaning the whole house after a very long winter. She even opened boxes that were buried under warm blankets. She found the snake’s crown in one of them. She thought for a moment and then ran to the forest. She found Charles enjoying the sunny day on a big rock.
“Look Charlie, what I have just found. You have to take it back.” He looked surprised.
“Why? You deserved it. It was a gift.”
“I know. And I am grateful because it changed not only my life, but also the lives of my family and friends…. And we are happy…but I still think the crown will be safer with you.”
“Ok, but whenever you need it, come and I will give it to you.”
Emma agreed and went home.

Her daughters became friends with Charles’s baby snakes and they all lived happily ever after. Emma never asked for the help of the crown ever again.
“Dear Jane, thank you for this story. I really enjoyed it. Can I come tomorrow for another one?”
“Of course, dear Sun, I’ll be waiting for you.”

VOCABULARY

she was asleep - spala
something tickled her nose – něco ji pošimralo na nose
actually – vlastně, skutečně
protective – ochranářský, starostlivý
harm - ublížit
secret - tajemství
doll bed – postýlka pro panenky
she realized – uvědomila si, pochopila
if you say so – když to říkáš
reward - odměna
patch – skvrna
he was very grateful – byl velmi vděčný
she hid the crown – schovala korunku
boxes were buried – krabice byly zahrabané, ukryté  (pohřbené pod..)
whenever you need it – kdykoliv budeš potřebovat