The Little Mermaid

Ariel's Underwater Adventure

Once upon a time there was a beautiful little mermaid named

Ariel. She was the youngest daughter of the Sea King,
Triton. Even though she lived at the bottom of the ocean,
Ariel was not interested in her watery world. This little
princess was only interested in the world above the ocean
the world of humans.

Ariel spent most of her time searching through sunken ships,

looking for objects that had once belonged to humans. To
Ariel these rusty old things were wonderful treasures.

One afternoon Ariel was treasure hunting in a graveyard of

old sunken ships with her best friend, Flounder the fish.

"Come on, Flounder!" shouted Ariel as she swam into a

broken-down ship. "Let's look in here."
"Are you sure it's safe?" asked Flounder.
"Sure," answered Ariel. "Follow me."

Inside, Ariel found a chest full of treasures.

"Oh, Flounder!" gasped Ariel. "Have you ever seen anything
this wonderful in your entire life?"

Among the objects in the ship, Ariel found a fork and a

pipe." This is great!" the little mermaid cried. She put the
objects into a pouch. "I don't have any of these in my
collection yet!"

Just then Flounder heard a noise. "W-what was that?" he

cried.
"I didn't hear anything," said Ariel, who was too busy
looking for more treasures to notice any strange sounds.

Trembling with fear, flounder peeked outside the doorway of

the ship. There, with his huge mouthful of sharp teeth open
wide, was a shark.

"Shark!" screamed Flounder as he raced back inside.

The small porthole didn't stop the shark. He crashed right

through the side of the ship after them.

The mermaid and her little companion were swimming hard, but
they were barely staying ahead of the shark's terrible jaws.
The shark lunged at them, his jaws snapping the ship's mast
as if it were a matchstick.

The two swam as fast as they could towards a huge, old

anchor. The shark followed, only inches behind them.
"I hope this works," gasped Ariel.
"M-me, too," cried Flounder.

When they reached the anchor, Ariel and Flounder slipped

through the ring at the top. The shark tried to follow, but
he was too big. His enormous face got stuck in the anchor.

"Let's get out of here," said Ariel. "We can head up to the
surface to show Scuttle my new treasures."

On the surface, Ariel and Flounder visited with their friend

Scuttle the sea gull. Ariel pulled one of her new treasures
out of her pouch.

"Do you know what this is?" Ariel asked Scuttle, handing him
the fork.

"Why certainly," replied the cockeyed sea gull. "After all,

I'm the world's greatest expert on humans. This is a...a
dingelhopper. Humans use it to straighten their hair, like
this." Scuttle ran the old fork through Ariel's hair.

"What's this, Scuttle?" asked Ariel, this time handing him

the pipe.

"This is most definitely a...a snarfblatt!" he answered.

"It's used to make music." Scuttle blew into the pipe, but
nothing came out except water. "Hmm. Nothing worse than a
defective snarfblatt!"

Soon it was time for Ariel and Flounder to leave. They said
good-bye to Scuttle and returned to the undersea kingdom.

Ariel went to her secret cave, where she hid all her human
treasures.

The two friends were playing with Ariel's special collection

when suddenly the cave got very dark. Ariel looked up
through an opening and noticed something on the surface of
the water blocking out the moonlight.

"I'm going to see what that is, Flounder," said Ariel.

On the ocean's surface was a very big ship.

"How beautiful it is!" exclaimed Ariel. "We've got to get a

closer look."

Ariel reached up and peered over the side of the ship while
Flounder looked on from the water below. Ariel saw a young
man. His shipmates were singing and dancing.

"I've never seen a human this close before," said Ariel to

Scuttle, who was also curious about the humans and had come
for a better look.

"He's very handsome, isn't he?" said Ariel, looking at the

young man the sailors called Prince Eric.

"He looks kind of hairy to me," said Scuttle, looking at

Prince Eric's sheepdog, Max.

But Ariel didn't hear the sea gull. All she could think
about was the young man- the one she would someday join in
the world of humans. Ariel was falling in love.

Suddenly, without warning, a big storm came up. Rain poured

down, lightning flashed and the wind tossed the ship like a
toy sailboat. Ariel watched Prince Eric as he and his crew
tried to keep the fish afloat.

As the ship tossed and turned in the water a bolt of

lightning hit the mast. The burning mast collapsed onto a
keg of gunpowder. The explosion threw Prince Eric overboard
into the raging waves.

"The Prince!" shouted Ariel.

Prince Eric sank under the water. Ariel knew that if she
didn't act at once, her handsome prince would drown.

Ariel dived into the sea. She grabbed Prince Eric and
brought him up to the surface. Holding him tightly, she swam
to shore and dragged the prince onto the sandy beach.

While the prince lay sleeping, Ariel stroked his hair and
sang him a beautiful love song. How Ariel wished she could
be with Prince Eric in the human world!
Before the prince began to stir, Ariel heard his crew
coming. She knew she had to leave before she was seen by the
humans.

Blowing the prince a kiss, Ariel turned and dived back into
the ocean.

Ariel and Flounder returned to her secret cave so the little

mermaid could be with her human treasures.

"Oh, Flounder," said Ariel. "Prince Eric's so handsome. I

can hardly wait until I see him again."

Flounder just smiled. Ariel combed her hair with her

dingelhopper and wished for the day when she would be with
her human prince forever.

Prince and the Pauper

Once upon a time there was a good and kindly king. He ruled
his country with fairness and generosity.

But one day the king became very ill and could no longer
watch over his kingdom. His son, the prince, worried by his
father's bedside.

"Aha," said the greedy captain of the guards, "Now my

friends and I can steal from all the king's subjects!" And
day after day they filled up the palace with mountains of
food and trunks of gold.

It seemed that nobody could save the kingdom from the

thieving captain. Then one day...

... two peasants hoping to find something to eat wandered

near the palace.

It just happened that one of the paupers, Mickey, looked

exactly like the king's son, the prince. But this beggar
boy's life was not like the life of the prince.

Mickey had no fine clothes to wear nor a fancy palace to

live in. But he did have two loyal friends. One was a
bumbling fellow named Goofy, and the other was a large,
friendly dog named Pluto.
Mickey and Goofy watched as the captain of the guards sped
by in the royal coach. "Look at those delicious turkey
drumsticks," sighed Mickey.

"Woof, woof," barked the hungry Pluto as he chased the coach

towards the palace.

"Stop!" shouted Mickey, "Come back!" He dashed away after

the dog.

Pluto chased the royal coach to the gates of the palace,

with Mickey right behind him. To Mickey's surprise, the
royal guard waved him in and called him "Your Majesty."

"Our prince is certainly dressed oddly today," thought the

guard." And he got himself a new dog, too."

By now, Goofy had lost sight of Mickey and wondered where

he'd disappeared to.

Meanwhile, inside the palace, the real prince was sitting

through a boring lesson. To amuse himself, he took out his
peashooter and aimed it at his servant, Donald.

"Wak!" shouted Donald when he got hit. He shot a pea back at

the prince. But he missed the prince and hit the tutor, who
tossed him out of the room.

At that moment, all of them heard a loud crash near the

palace entrance. They ran to see what the noise was and saw
a suit of armor rolling around on the floor.

"I'm sorry," said a voice inside the armor. "I guess I got
tangled up."

Then the prince saw a face peering out of the helmet a

face that looked exactly like his!

Both the prince and the pauper screamed.

After Mickey explained who he was, the prince took him into
the room so they could have a talk.

"Oh," sighed the prince, "how happy your life must me. You
never have to take any boring lessons and you can wander and
play all day."
"But you go to feasts all the time," said Mickey, whose
empty stomach was growling.

"I have a wonderful idea," said the prince. "Why don't you
and I change places for a day!"

Mickey hesitated. "I don't think that would work at all. I

don't know how to be a prince."

"Oh, it's easy," the prince assured him. And soon Mickey and
the prince had exchanged clothes.

Then the prince gaily waved good-bye and dashed out the door
of the palace. This time, the captain of the guards, seeing
a boy who looked like a peasant, angrily booted him and his
dog over the wall and into a snow bank.

"Ha," the prince chuckled. "My disguise is working. My own

guard didn't recognize me!"

But the prince didn't fool Pluto. A quick sniff and a closer
look told the dog this boy was not his old friend. Pluto
sadly walked away.

"Hey, there you are!" shouted Goofy. "I've been looking all
over for you!"

"Uh, hello!" said the prince. He did not know the pauper's
friend and quickly walked away.

Back at the palace, Donald brought food to Mickey's room.

Mickey, very hungry, reached for it, but Donald snatched it
away. "I'm checking for poison," he said biting into a
turkey leg and smacking his lips.

The smell of food was driving Mickey crazy, and he was

afraid Donald would eat his entire lunch.

"Thanks," said Mickey, grabbing the leg back from Donald.

Then he pushed the duck out of the door and slammed it
behind him.

"Now it's time for your falconry lesson," said the tutor,
showing Mickey how to control the bird. But instead of
making the falcon fly, the angry bird chased Mickey and made
him fly- in the opposite direction!
The horseback riding lesson didn't go any better - Mickey
kept falling off the horse!

Meanwhile, the real prince had decided to try sledding

through the snow with the peasants.
Unfortunately, he tripped and tumbled down the hill,
becoming a giant snowball!

The prince rolled and rolled and rolled down to a busy

marketplace. And there, to his astonishment, the prince saw
the captain of the guards stealing food from the peasants!

"Stop!" ordered the prince, but the guards didn't recognize

him and kept on stealing. "I had no idea our guards were
taking food from the people," said the prince. "There'll
certainly be some changes when I get back to the palace."

Just then a royal food wagon appeared. "Give these people

food," the prince ordered the guard, showing him his royal
ring.

"Yes sir," said the guard when he saw the ring. But the
cruel captain and his men came dashing through the crowd,
trying to steal the food right back. They shoved the people,
and the prince as well. Luckily, Goofy came along and helped
him to escape.

"You saved my life!" the prince said gratefully.

Just a few minutes later the town crier came by and

announced that the good king had died.

"I must go to the palace right away," said the prince. I

will miss my father greatly, but now it is my duty to take
over as king."

"Gosh'" said Goofy. "You're the prince. I didn't know. I

thought you were my old buddy Mickey."

"I am your friend from now on," vowed the prince as he

rushed away from the palace.

At the palace, the prince was greeted by the captain of the

guards. " I see your royal ring," the captain said. "But it
won't do you any good." He grabbed the prince and tossed him
into the dungeon." As soon as the pauper is crowned king,"
said the captain, "I shall unmask him as an imposter and
rule the kingdom myself!"

The prince soon discovered that he had company. Donald was

in the dungeon, too.

The prince stared at the locked door. "If I don't get out in
time for my coronation, our kingdom will be ruined!"

Just then the door down the hall opened and a prison guard
rushed in. He was a very strange guard who stumbled and
bumped into everyone. He bumped hardest against the other
guard, who tumbled right down to the floor.

"Hi, prince," the guard giggled. It wasn't a guard at all.

It was Goofy!

"You saved my life again," said the prince. Then the prince
took the keys and unlocked the dungeon, and everybody dashed
out.

Meanwhile, in the throne room, Mickey was trying desperately

to wriggle away from the royal crown. "Please don't put it
on my head," he begged.
"He is not the prince!" yelled the evil captain. "He is an
imposter! Seize him!"
"But I'm not an imposter!" came a voice from the balcony. It
was the real prince!

The prince was crowned king, and his first act was to arrest
the evil captain, and all his scheming friends.
Everybody in the kingdom was happy again
especially Pluto, who was reunited with his old friend
Mickey.

From that day on, the new king, like his father, ruled with
kindness and generosity. He always remembered his day as a
pauper, and he saw to it that nobody was hungry.

He made Goofy captain of the guards, and Mickey became the

provider of food.
Together they created a wonderful kingdom for all.

Lady and the Tramp

Lady was a cocker spaniel who came to live with two People
called Darling and Jim Dear.
She had two neat feeding bowls of her own.
She had a basket with a blanket in it, too.

But she trained her People to feed her from the table just
a bit now and then.
And she trained them to let her sleep at the foot of their
beds.

She brought in their morning paper, and most of the mail.

And she ran when Jim Dear whistled, coming home at night.

Lady was sure that she had a very happy home. And her two
next door neighbours, Jock and Trusty by name, two
gentlemanly dogs, agreed with her.

But there was another dog around the neighbourhood, a saucy

young fellow called The Tramp.
"I'll wear no man's collar!" was his proud boast.
"That's the way to be happy," said he.

"But where do you sleep?" Lady asked him. "And what do you
do for food?"
"Ah, that's easily arranged if you know your way around,"
said The Tramp with a jaunty air." And as for you, my proud
beauty, you'll find things very different when a baby comes
to your house to stay! For there's only so much room for
love in People's hearts. And when a baby comes in, out goes
the dog!"

His strange words worried Lady. They worried her more when a
baby really did come to her house to live. Not that Darling
and Jim Dear didn't mean to be kind, but they were very busy
now.

And worst of all, Darling's Aunt Sarah came. "That dog!" she
said. "It must stay out in the yard, and you'll have to have
a muzzle for it!"

"Oho!" said The Tramp, when he saw Lady. "So it's happened
already, just as I said. Well, I'm sorry to see it, but come
along. We'll be rid of that muzzle soon."

"Come along?" cried Lady. "Can't you see I'm tied?"

"I forgot," said The Tramp. "You've a lot to learn." So he
showed her how to lunge against the rope until quite soon it
broke.
Then away they went, to get the muzzle off.

Lady could not imagine what The Tramp planned, but he led
her straight across town, past the guards at the gate of the
Zoo.

There they met Beaver. "Hi there, "said The Tramp."Like to

help us out?"
"Sure," said Beaver, always glad to oblige. Say, Miss that's
a fine muzzle you have there."

"That's just what we want to get rid of," said The Tramp.
"You can have it if you get it off."
So Beaver chewed the muzzle off, and when Lady and The Tramp
left, after thanking him, he was already trying it on.

"Now where?" said The Tramp. "The world is wide. We'll go

anywhere you say."

"Oh, I must go home," said Lady. "I have to watch the house
and the baby you know."
"Home!" said The Tramp. "After the muzzle and all? I'll
never understand a woman's mind!" But he went along.

Just as they reached Lady's yard they saw a light, a strange

light flickering in the kitchen. It was a fire, just a
little flame, but they knew it should not be burning there.

"The baby!" cried Lady, and in she raced, with The Tramp
right at her heels.

And The Tramp stood guard at the baby's crib while Lady woke
Jim Dear and Darling.

What a time! When Darling and Jim Dear woke up, the baby
began to cry.

At first Darling and Jim Dear blamed Lady and The Tramp. But
when they saw the fire, all that was changed.

"Well, thanks, young fellow," said Jim Dear to The Tramp,

after he'd put the fire out. "Looks as if you've found
yourself a home and a job. Shall we go down tomorrow for a
license and a collar, so everything will be set?"

The Tramp looked out of the window where the wide world
waited. Then he looked at Lady at his side.
"Arf!" he said, which means, All right." And he offered Jim
a paw to shake.

Now Lady and The Tramp have two families to look after.
Darling and Jim Dear and the baby are one.
The other is a family of roly-poly puppies. And The Tramp in
his collar is the proudest dog in town.

Sleeping Beauty

In a faraway land, long ago, King Stefan and his fair queen
wished for a child. At last a daughter was born and they
named her Aurora.

To honour the baby princess, the king held a great feast.

Nobles and peasants, knights and their ladies everyone
flocked joyfully to the castle.

King Stefan welcomed his good friend King Hubert to the

feast. King Hubert had brought his young son Phillip with
him. The kings agreed that someday Phillip and Aurora would
be married.

Among the guests were three fairies, Flora, Fauna, and

Merryweather. Each of these magic beings wished to bless the
infant with a gift.

Waving her wand, Flora chanted, "My gift shall be the gift
of Beauty."
"And mine," said Fauna, shall be the gift of Song."

Merryweather's turn was next. But before she could speak,

the castle doors flew open.

Lightning flashed. Thunder rumbled. A tiny flame appeared

and grew quickly into the form of the evil witch
Maleficient. Her pet black raven was perched on her
shoulder.
Maleficent was furious, for she hadn't been invited to the
feast. Now she took revenge.
"I, too, have a gift for the newborn babe," she sneered.
"She shall indeed grow in grace and beauty. But before the
sun sets on her sixteenth birthday, she shall prick her
finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel...and die!"
With a cruel laugh, the witch vanished. Everyone in the room
was grief-stricken.

But Merryweather still had a gift to give, and she tried to

undo Maleficient's curse. She said to the infant:
"If through this witch's trick
A spindle should your finger prick,
Not in death, but just in sleep
The fateful prophecy you'll keep,
And from this slumber you shall wake
When true love's kiss the spell shall break."

King Stefan ordered that every spinning wheel in the land be

burned.
But he still feared the witch's curse, so the good fairies
hatched a plan. They would take Aurora to live with them,
deep in the woods, safe from Maleficient.

The king and queen agreed. They watched with heavy hearts as
the fairies hurried from the castle, carrying the baby
princess.

To guard their secret, the fairies disguised themselves as

peasant woman and changed Aurora's name to Briar Rose. The
years passed quietly, and Briar Rose grew into a beautiful
young woman.

At last the princess reached her sixteenth birthday.

Planning a surprise, the fairies sent her out to pick
berries. Fauna baked a cake for her, while the others sewed
her new gown.

In a mossy glen, Briar Rose danced and sang with her

friends, the birds and animals. She told them of her
beautiful dream about meeting a tall, handsome stranger and
falling in love.

A handsome young man was riding by. When he heard Briar Rose
singing, he jumped from his horse and hid in the bushes to
watch her. Then he reached out to take her hand.

Briar Rose was startled. "I didn't mean to frighten you,"

the young man smiled, "but I feel like we've met before."

Briar Rose felt very happy. She and her admirer gazed into
each other's eyes. The young man didn't know she was
Princess Aurora. And she didn't know he was Prince Phillip,
to whom she had been betrothed many years before.

Back at the cottage, the fairies gave Briar Rose her

birthday surprise. Then Briar Rose told them that she had
fallen in love.

"Impossible!" they cried. They told her the truth at last

that she was a royal princess, betrothed at birth to a
prince. Now it was time for her to return home. So poor
Aurora was led away, pining for her handsome stranger.

Maleficent's raven, perched on the chimney of the cottage,

had heard everything. It flew off to warn Maleficent that
the princess was finally returning to her rightful home.

Maleficent sped to the castle. There, using her evil powers,

she lured Aurora to a high tower. In the tiny room, a
spinning wheel suddenly appeared.

"Touch the spindle!" hissed Maleficent. "Touch it, I say!"

The three good fairies rushed to the rescue, but they were
too late. Aurora had touched the sharp spindle and instantly
fallen into a deep sleep. Maleficent's cruel curse had come
true. Now, with a harsh laugh, the witch vanished.

The fairies wept bitterly. "Poor King Stefan and the queen,"
said Fauna.

"They'll be heartbroken when they find out," said

Merryweather.

"They're not going to," said Flora. "We'll put them all to
sleep until the princess awakens." So the three fairies flew
back and forth, casting a dreamlike spell over everyone in
the castle.

Meanwhile, the witch had captured Phillip and chained him

deep in her dungeon.

But the good fairies had other plans for him. Using their
magic, they melted the prince's chains. They armed him with
the Shield of Virtue and the Sword of Truth. Then they sent
him racing to the castle, to awaken the princess.
When the witch saw Phillip escaping, she furiously tried to
stop him. She hurled heavy boulders at him, but the brave
prince rode on.

When Phillip reached Aurora's castle, Maleficent caused a

forest of thorns to grow up all around it. Phillip angrily
hacked the thorns aside with his powerful sword.

In a rage, the witch soared to the top of the highest tower.

There she changed into a monstrous dragon. "Now you shall
deal with me, O Prince!" she shrieked, "and all the Powers
of Evil!"

Maleficent breathed huge waves of flame. Phillip ducked

behind his strong shield.

Thunder cracked! Flames roared around him! The prince fought

bravely. Guided by the good fairies, he flung his magic
sword straight as an arrow. It buried itself deep in the
dragon's evil heart, and the beast fell to its death.
Maleficent was no more.

Phillip raced to the tower where his love lay sleeping.

Gently he kissed her. Aurora's eyes slowly opened. She was
awake!

Now everyone awoke, smiling. The king and queen were

overjoyed to see Aurora again, and wedding plans were soon
made.

The good fairies were blissful, too. It had all ended just
the way it should happily ever after.

Beauty and the Beast

Once upon a time, in a faraway land, there lived a young
prince in a beautiful castle. Although he had everything his
heart desired, the prince was spoiled and selfish.

One winter's night an old beggar woman asked the prince for
shelter from the bitter cold. In return she offered him a
rose. Repulsed by the old woman, the unkind prince turned
her away.

The woman warned him not to be deceived by appearances,

since beauty is found within. But when the prince dismissed
her again, the old woman's ugliness melted away to reveal a
beautiful enchantress.

The prince tried to apologize, but it was too late. The

enchantress knew that there was no love in his heart.

As punishment, the enchantress transformed the prince into a

hideous beast. Then she placed a powerful spell on the
castle and all who lived there.

The rose she had offered was an enchanted rose. It would

bloom until the prince was twenty-one. If he could learn to
love and be loved before the last petal fell, then the spell
would be broken. If not, he would remain a beast for all
time.

Ashamed of his monstrous form, the Beast hid inside the

castle. A magic mirror was his only window to the outside
world.

As the years passed, he fell into despair. He did not

believe that anyone could ever love him.

Slowly the rose began to wither.

In a nearby village there lived a young girl named Belle.

She was very beautiful. But Belle, unlike the other girls in
the village, cared only for her books and always felt out of
place.

Her father, Maurice, was a reader of books, too. But while

Belle read about adventure and romance, her father studied
technical books. Maurice was an inventor a genius,
according to Belle; a crackpot, according to the townsfolk.
"Belle is even stranger than her father," the villagers
whispered. "Her nose is always in a book, and her head is in
the clouds."

Gaston the hunter, who was the handsomest man in town,

wanted to make Belle his wife. No matter how many times she
turned him down, Gaston would not take no for an answer. He
was determined to wed the lovely Belle, even though she
thought he was a brainless brute.

One cold day Maurice hitched his horse Philippe to a wagon

and set off to show his latest invention at a faraway fair.
With his mind on the fair, Maurice became lost in a misty
forest. As an icy wind whistled through the trees, he
suddenly heard an even more disturbing sound...the howling
of wolves! Philippe bolted, and Maurice fell to the ground.
To escape the wolves, the frightened man ran deeper and
deeper into the woods.

He came to a castle that seemed deserted and stumbled

inside. There Maurice was greeted by Mrs. Potts the teapot,
Cogsworth the mantelclock, and Lumiere the candelabra. But
before he had time to marvel over these strange creatures,
an even stranger one appeared the Beast!

When Maurice stared at the beast in horror, the Beast howled

angrily. Then he scooped Maurice up and carried him off to a
dungeon.

Meanwhile, Philippe had made his way back home. Belle took
one look at the riderless horse and knew something awful had
happened to her father.

"Philippe! Take me to him!" she cried, leaping astride the

exhausted horse. Without a pause, the animal thundered off
toward the woods.

When she reached the castle, Belle burst inside and searched
frantically for her father. The enchanted objects led her to
the tower, but just as she found Maurice, the Beast
appeared. Belle let out a terrified gasp at the hideous
sight of the Beast.

When she realised that this was Maurice's captor, belle

begged the Beast to free her father. When he refused, she
bravely offered herself in Maurice's place.

"No, Belle!" Maurice cried, even as the Beast said, "Done!"

Before Belle could bid her father good-bye, the Beast led
her to her room. "The castle is now your home," he said
gruffly. Belle was free to go anywhere she liked except
the West Wing.
"You will join me for dinner," the Beast ordered. "That's
not a request."

Still, Belle refused, and the Beast stomped off in anger.

That night Belle slipped out of her room and found her way
to the forbidden West Wing. She discovered the Beast's foul
lair, but he was nowhere in sight.

Belle was drawn to the enchanted rose she saw by the window.
When she reached out to touch it, the Beast appeared on the
balcony outside the window.

Belle screamed and fled from the room.

Her heart pounding, Belle ran out of the castle, mounted

Philippe, and fled into the night. But a pack of wolves soon
had the girl and her horse surrounded. Belle was helpless.
She knew that death was near.

Suddenly the Beast was there, throwing the wolves aside. A

terrible snarling and howling sounded as the Beast and the
wolves battled for their lives. At last the wolves ran off
into the woods, but the Beast lay in the snow badly injured.

Back at the castle, Belle gently bound the Beast's wounds.

Gentle as she was, the Beast roared in agony.

"I barely touched you," said Belle. Then she saw a look of
pain on his face. "I forgot to thank you for saving my
life," she added softly.

The beast only grunted in reply. But when Belle turned away,
the hint of a smile could be seen on his face.

In the days that followed, the Beast tried to be a proper

host. He showed Belle his library, where they read together,
and she, in return, began to teach him how to act like a
gentleman.
"Perhaps it isn't too late," Cogsworth whispered to Mrs.
Potts and her son, Chip the teacup. "If Belle could only
love the Beast, this dreadful spell might yet be broken."

The winter passed pleasantly for Belle and the Beast. Belle
thought of the Beast as her dearest friend. He thought of
little but the beautiful Belle.

One night while Belle was teaching him to dance, the beast
stammered," Belle, are you happy here - with me?"
"Yes," said Belle without hesitation, but the Beast saw a
trace of sadness in her eyes. Then Belle added," If only I
could see my father again, even for a minute."
"You can," the Beast said, handing her the magic mirror.
Belle gazed into it with wonder, for there was Maurice,
trudging through the forest. But he looked frail and old.
Even as she watched, her father collapsed in a heap.

"I must go to him!" Belle cried. "He might be dying!"

The Beast heard her anguished plea. "I release you," he said
sadly. "But take the mirror. Then you will always have a way
to look back and remember me."

With the magic mirror to guide her, Belle soon found her
father. But their happy reunion was cut short with a
pounding on their cottage door.

"We've come to take Maurice to Maison des Loons," announced

Monsieur D'Arque, director of the village's insane asylum.
"No!" Belle cried. "My father isn't crazy."
Gaston's friend Lefou stepped forward. "Maurice has been
raving that you were imprisoned by a hideous beast," he
said. "Only a crazy man would tell such a tale."

"But its true," Belle protested. Her worried eyes searched

the angry crowd and lit on Gaston.
"Gaston!" she cried. "You know my father isn't crazy. Tell
them."
Gatson quickly drew Belle to one side, and he whispered that
he might be able to calm the crowd if Belle would promise
to marry him.
"Never!" Belle exclaimed. "And my father is not crazy. There
really is a Beast, and I can prove it." She turned to the
crowd. "Look in this mirror and see."

The townspeople looked at the Beast's reflection and grew

frightened.
Gaston was furious. His plan would be foiled. "We must hunt
down this savage animal!" he cried, stirring up the mob.
"Who's with me?"
"We are!" answered the villagers.

After locking Belle and her father in the cellar of the

cottage, the villagers rode off to storm the Beast's castle.

Luckily Chip, Mrs. Pott's son, had stowed away in Belle's

saddlebag. After the villagers were gone, he used Maurice's
latest invention to release Belle and her father from the
cellar.
By the time Belle reached the castle, the townspeople had
broken in. Gaston and the beast were in a mortal duel on the
castle roof. The Beast managed to knock Gaston's weapon from
his hand. Then there was nothing to stop him from killing
Gaston- nothing but the Beasts own humanity.

Gaston screamed for mercy. The Beast granted it and turned

away from his foe. Then Belle watched helplessly as Gaston
rose up and plunged a knife into the Beast's back.

The beast roared in pain, frightening Gaston. Backing away

from the wounded Beast, the hunter lost his footing and fell
off the roof into the fog below.

Broken hearted, Belle flew to the Beast's side.

"You came back," the Beast said weakly. "At least I can see
you one last time."

"No! No!" Belle said, sobbing, as she kissed his cheek.

"Please don't die...I love you."
At that moment the spell was broken, and in one magical
instant, the Beast turned back into his princely self. The
enchanted servants returned to their human forms as well.

The castle came alive with rejoicing. Mrs. Potts cried human
tears of joy as the handsome young prince gathered the
beautiful Belle into his arms. Mrs. Potts, Cogsworth, and
Lumiere had not one doubt that the loving couple would live
happily ever after.

Peter Pan

There was a place, a faraway place, where the sun always

shone, the sky was always blue, and no one ever grew old.
This place was called Never Land, and it was where Peter Pan
and Tinker Bell lived.

Not so very far away, in the city of London, lived John,

Wendy, and Michael Darling. Every night they would gather in
the nursery to hear Wendy tell wonderful tales of Peter
Pan's adventures with friendly Indians and nasty pirates in
Never Land.

One night, when Wendy was telling John and Michael a

favourite Peter Pan story, Nana, their Saint Bernard,
started barking outside in the yard. Not a moment later
Peter Pan appeared with Tinker Bell.

"I came to find my shadow," said Peter Pan. "Nana took it

from me the other night as I was secretly listening to your
stories."
"Here it is," said Wendy. John and Michael looked on in
amazement as she sewed it back onto Peter's body.

"I'm so glad we saw you tonight, Peter," Wendy said. "You

see, tonight's my last night in the nursery, because
tomorrow I have to grow up."
"But that means no more stories," cried Peter, "unless I
take you all back to Never Land with me!"

Wendy, John and Michael couldn't believe their ears. "That

would be wonderful!" they shouted.

Peter Pan sprinkled some of Tinker Bell's pixie dust over

the children and told them to think happy thoughts.
"Now you can fly!" said Peter Pan.
Suddenly they were all soaring through the skies of London,
heading directly towards Never Land.

Down below they saw golden rainbows and blue waterfalls and
mermaids singing in a lagoon. It was the most beautiful
place they had ever seen. There were beaches and deep
forests and, of course, there was the Indian camp! Yes, this
indeed was Never Land.

"This way," called Peter Pan as Wendy, John, and Michael

landed in one of the forests. He led them to the secret
underground home where he lived with his good friend the
Lost Boys.

John and Michael played with the boys while Peter and Wendy
went to visit the beautiful mermaids in the lagoon.

It was there that Peter Pan spied the Indian chief's

daughter, Tiger Lily, tied up in the boat of the evil
Captain Hook.

Peter and Wendy could overhear the pirate demanding, "Tell

me the hiding place of Peter Pan!" But Tiger Lily wouldn't
tell.
"I have to save her," Peter told Wendy. They flew off
together to Skull Rock, where Captain Hook had taken Tiger
Lily.

There, Peter challenged Captain Hook to a thrilling duel.

Peter was so quick and brave that at last the nasty pirate
landed in the water, only to be chased back to his ship by a
ferocious crocodile. Peter rescued Tiger Lily and returned
her to her father, the chief.

Captain Hook was very angry. "That cursed Peter Pan! I shall
have my revenge against him once and for all!" he cried.

He captured Tinker Bell and forced her to show him where

Peter Pan lived. Then he caged her in a lantern.

As Captain Hook's band of pirates approached Peter Pan's

home, the Darlings and the Lost Boys were coming up from
underground. One by one they were captured and taken to the
pirate ship.

"Peter Pan will save us," Wendy said bravely.

Captain Hook roared with wicked laughter. "Pan will never be
able to save you," he shouted. "You will walk the plank!"

No one noticed as Tinker Bell escaped from the lantern. She

flew as fast as she could to alert Peter Pan.

Once Tinker Bell reached Peter Pan, he raced out to sea to

rescue his friends. "I've come to stop you once and for all,
Captain Hook!" cried Peter. "This time you've gone too far!"

After another fierce duel, Peter Pan threw Hook and all the
pirates overboard. Hook was chased away by the crocodile,
and nobody cared to save him!

"Thank you ever so much for rescuing us, Peter," said Wendy.
"We would love to stay in Never Land a while longer, but
it's getting late and I think it's time for us to leave."
John and Michael nodded in agreement.
"Well, if that's the case," said Peter, "we sail tonight!"

Once again Peter Pan sprinkled Tinker Bell's pixie dust over
everyone, and Captain Hook's pirate ship was suddenly
sailing through the skies of Never Land heading back to the
Darling's home in London.
But before Peter Pan and Tinker Bell started off for Never
Land, they made Wendy, John and Michael promise never to
forget them. And they never did!