ari: ary )‘Tin soldiers!’ cried a boy delighted as he tore open his birthday present. The twenty five tin soldiers were made out of the same tin spoon. They wore uniforms and shouldered muskets. The soldiers were exactly alike, except one, who had only one leg. He was made last and there wasn't enough tin left to complete him. But he still looked remarkable.The table where the tin soldiers were kept was covered with many playthings. The most attractive among them was a paper castle. In front of the castle was a lake made of glass. Swans, made of wax, swam { iin it. However, the prettiest among all | these was a lady mai Be i of paper.She wore a muslin dress with a narrow K blue ribbon with a tinsel rose on it, Masa unde erau tinuti Efe) (eC-(eol Rape eele0) scaled cu multe jucarii. Cea mai leet ikexe tes IE) un castel din hrtie. in fata castelului era un lac din sticla. Lebede din ceara inotau in el. Cu toate acestea, cel mai dragut lucru din toate acestea era o doamna din hartie. Purta o rochie de muselina cu o panglica albastra si un trandafir din beteala pe ea.The lady was a dancer. She stretched out both her arms and raised one of her legs so high, that it could not be seen. She too has one leg like me’, thought the soldier. | must befriend her. But she lives in a castle while | stay in a box with other tin soldiers”. Later that night, all the playthings YY visited each other. "= Doamna era o balerina. isi intinse ambele brate si ridica un picior atat de sus incat nu se mai vedea.a So ror »Are un picior, ca mine’, se : gandi soldatelul. ,Trebuie sa ma 4 § imprietenesc cu ea. Dar locuieste intr-un castel in timp ce eu stau intr-o cutie cu alti soldati de jucarie” 7 Mai tarziu in noaptea aceea, toate jucariile se vizitara.»Tin soldier’, said the goblin, don’t wish for what does not belong to you. The tin soldier pretended not to hear him. Nery well” we will see tomorrow, said the goblin. - Soldatelule, spuse spiridusul, nu tanji la ceea ce nu-ti apartine. Soldatelul s-a prefacut cA nu-l aude. - Bine, vedem maine, spuse spiridusul. yNext morning, while playing, the children placed the tin soldier in the window. Suddenly, a strong wind opened the window and the soldier was caught in it. He fell three storey’s down, head over heels! He wondered if the goblin had done that. It was a terrible fall; for his helmet and musket were stuck in between the flagstones, and his one leg was up in the air. The boy came looking for him but couldn't find. Dimineata, in timp ce se jucau, copiii pusera soldatelul la fereastra. Dintr-o data, o rafala puternica deschise 4 geamul si soldatelul cazu trei etaje. Se intreba daca spiridusul asta. Baiatul merse sa-l caute dar nu-l gasiApo incepu sa ploua tare. Cand s-a oprit, doi baieti |-au pus pe soldatelul de tinichea intr-o barca de hartie si l-au trimis sa navigheze in canal. Curentul fa puternic dar soldatetul se tinea tare. Dintr-o data, barca intra in scurgere. »Unde sunt acum?” se intreba el. E numai vina spiridusului.And then, it started to rain heavily. When it stopped, two boys placed the tin soldier in a paper boat and sent him sailing down the gutter. The two boys ran alongside the boat, clapping cheerfully. The current was strong but the soldier remained steady. Suddenly, the boat entered the drain and it became dark. ‘Where am | going now?’ thought he. ‘This is the goblin’s fault’Suddenly there appeared a water-rat in the drain. ‘Show me your passport, squeaked the rat. The tin soldier kept quiet. The rat followed the boat but soon the strong current drove away the boat. Then the tin soldier heard a loud roaring sound. He was afraid. Minutes later, the boat fell into a canal. It whirled round three or four times and then filled with water. All this time, the tin soldier onlyDintr-o data, in scurgere aparu un sobolan de apa. - Arata-mi pasaportul, chitai sobolanul. Soldatelul nu spuse nimic. Sobolanul urmari barca dar curentul puternic 0 indeparta. Dupa cateva minute, barca cazu intr-un canal. Se invarti, apoi se umplu cua in tot acest timp, soldatelul de tinichea se gandea doar la balerina eleganta.incet, barca de hartie se dezintegra si soldatelul se scufunda in apa. Aproape instantaneu, fu inghitit de un peste. Pestele care il inghitise fu prins si vandut unui bucatar care fl despica. Bucatarul il apuca pe soldat si il puse intr-o camera.Slowly, the paper boat fell to pieces and the soldier sank into the water. Almost immediately, he was swallowed by a fish. The fish swam to and fro for a while and then the fish became still. Suddenly, there was blinding light and a voice cried, ‘The tin soldier is here!’ The fish that had swallowed the tin soldier had been caught, sold to the cook who had cut it open with a knife. The cook picked up the soldier and placed him in a room.\ \ ) Miraculously, the tin soldier was in the same room from where he had fallen! He now stood near the dancer. His joy knew no bounds. Suddenly, the boy sent him flying into the fireplace by accident. The flames lighted up the tin soldier. Next minute, a draught of air caught up the dancer and she fell next to the tin soldier. She was burned instantly. +) The tin soldier melted down into a lump. The next morning, while cleaning the fireplace, the maid found a little tin heart and tinsel rose next to it. Ca prin minune, soldatelul ajunse in aceeasi camera de unde cazuse! Acum statea langa balerina. Era bucuros peste masura. Dintr-o data, baiatul il arunca din greseala in semineu. intr-o clipa, o pala de vant o prinse pe balerina si aceasta c4zu langa soldatelul de plumb. Arse instantaneu. Soldatelul de plumb se topi. A doua zi, cand curata semineul, menajera gasi o mica inimioara de tinichea si un trandafir de beteala langa ea.