ANTHOLOGY OF SHORT STORIES FOR YOUNG LEARNERS

ANTHOLOGY OF SHORT STORIES FOR YOUNG LEARNERS
VOLUME IV

Published by
Institut Pendidikan Guru Kampus Kent
KG Bakut: KM 27.2, Jalan Tuaran Telipok,

89207 Tuaran, Sabah.
Tel. : 088-788500
Fax. : 088-788500
Copyright @ IPG Kampus Kent
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system or transmitted in any form or by any means whatsoever without the prior
permission of the copyright owner. Apply in writing to the publishers.

First Edition 2022

Institut Pendidikan Guru Kampus Kent
Tuaran, Sabah

ANTHOLOGY
OF

SHORT STORIES
FOR YOUNG LEARNERS

ANTHOLOGY OF SHORT STORIES FOR YOUNG LEARNERS

VOLUME IV

eISBN: 978-967-0008-30-1 BIL: 4.2022

Chief Editor
Daisy Ak Benedict Bamsa

Editors
Claire Leslie Sylvester

Daisy Constance
Daraini Binti Oyot
Fidelia @ Esther Mathew Sipaun

Sophia Tsen
Becky Lau Chung Xin

Illustrators
Alin Natasha binti Mazli
Josselyn binti Willison

INSTITUT PENDIDIKAN GURU KAMPUS KENT
KG Bakut: KM 27.2, Jalan Tuaran Telipok,
89207 Tuaran, Sabah.

TABLE OF CONTENT i
Preface ii
Acknowledgement 1
A Buffalo to Market 8
Hansel, Gretel and Red Riding Hood 19
The Beast Princess 27
Dear X 34
Silver Powder, Dirt and Gold 38
Princess Pingyang 44
Bibliography

PREFACE

Anthology of Short Stories for Young Learners is a compilation of short
stories written, adapted, edited and illustrated by PISMP TESL SK and SJK(C) student
teachers June 2020 Intake, who take TSLB3223 Children’s Literature as one of their
elective courses during the second semester of their degree. It comprises six genres,
including a fable, a fairy tale, a fantasy, a fiction, a folktale and a legend. These stories
are believed to expose children to new encounters, cater for their eclectic reading
preferences and expand their horizons.

Creating Anthology of Short Stories for Young Learners is a time-consuming
yet ultimately rewarding process. Student teachers are held accountable for taking
children’s perspectives into consideration as they write or adapt their stories since
children are the target readers of the anthology. With this, it is hoped that the anthology
will kindle their reading interest since the characters moulded are captivating and the
plot is structured with great caution.

By and large, Anthology of Short Stories for Young Learners is worth
reading. Therefore, it is hoped that children will reap the benefits of diving deep into
each and every story. With eye-catching illustrations complementing each story, it will
be much easier for them to grasp the gist of the story.

i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We would like to express our gratitude to everyone who threw themselves into
the publication of Anthology of Short Stories for Young Learners with passion,
tenacity and commitment. Our heartfelt appreciation goes to Dr Hamidah Binti
Samsudin, the Director of Institute of Teacher Education Kent Campus, all the lecturers
from the Language Department and PISMP TESL SK and SJK(C) student teachers
June 2020 Intake for their contribution towards the successful publication of this book.
Besides, we would like to offer our special thanks to Madam Daisy Ak Benedict
Bamsa, the Head of English Unit of Institute of Teacher Education Kent Campus. Her
constructive feedback was an enormous help to us. Without her tutelage, this book
would not have materialised.
Lastly, we are deeply grateful to Alin Natasha binti Mazli and Josselyn binti
Willison, who were directly involved in the production of this book.

ii

A Buffalo to Market

By: Azzrah Hazlin Binti Hasmariza & Fatehah Asma Sachi
An adaptation from A Donkey to Market by Elaine Lindy
Long ago in Malaysia, there lived a farmerette and her daughter. The two
of them took good care of all the animals on the farm. One baby buffalo grew up
to be the most handsome and plumpest one they had ever seen. He stood tall and
had brown, smooth fur. Upon seeing the fine grown-up buffalo, the farmerette
said to her daughter, “Look at this strong buffalo! If only there were a need in
our village to buy a buffalo, we would get a good price for him. But all the farmers
I know already have buffalo. We need to go far away, where most farmers do not
have a buffalo, to get the best price for him.”

“How far?” said the girl. “Can I come?”

“It would be good to have you with me on a long trip,” said the mother. “So
yes, let's go!”

1

“Where?” asked the girl inquiringly.

“The village of Kompang would be good,” the mother said. Then, she stopped,
"Wait! There is something we must think about. If the buffalo walks as far as the
village of Kompang, by the time we get there, he might be too thin. The price for
him will go down.”

At last, the mother had an idea. Both of them would get hold of the buffalo
and tie each pair of its feet tight. They passed a pole between the two pairs of
feet. The mother put the front of the pole on her shoulder. The daughter put the
back of the pole on her shoulder. In this way, the two of them could lift the
buffalo. They carried the buffalo that way and set off to Kompang.

While going on their way, they were seen by villagers who could not believe
their eyes. They laughed and laughed. “Look!” they called out. “Have you ever seen
such a thing? Two ladies are carrying a buffalo!”

They called out, “Old lady! People do not carry a horse or an ox. People do
not carry a buffalo! It is they that have to carry us on their backs!”

2

“Oh!” said the mother. She and her daughter took down the buffalo. They
untied its feet.

Said the mother, “We cannot both ride the buffalo, for he is not strong
enough to carry us both. Ride alone on the buffalo, and I will follow you.” And that
was what they did.

While passing through another village, her daughter was asked, “Where are
you riding to, my child?”

“To Kompang,” she said.

Pointing to the farmerette, they asked, “And who is this old woman behind
you?”

“My mother,” said the girl.

3

Upon hearing this, the villagers became mad. They said, “What a selfish
daughter you are! Why are you riding the buffalo when you are strong enough to
walk? You better get down at once! Let your old mother be the one who rides the
buffalo.”

Hearing these sharp words, the girl got down from the buffalo. Her mother
took her place to ride. That was how the two of them kept going. The young lady
walked behind, and the mother rode the buffalo.

After some time, they came to a village. A well was located there. A few
young men had come to it for water.

4

Seeing the beautiful young girl, the young men felt great empathy for her.
They were unhappy to see an old woman riding such a fine buffalo when such a
beautiful young girl had to walk behind her, tired and hot.

They called out to the old woman, “It’s not for you, old woman, to ride such
a fine buffalo. It should be this good-looking young girl to ride it!”

The mother and the daughter looked at each other. “Again, we must be
doing this wrong!” They decided to ride the buffalo. “You in front and I behind
you,” said the mother. “That way, no one will be mad.” And sitting like that, they
went on their way.

After a bit, the two of them reached a custom house. The custom house
officer said, “Where are you going, ladies?”

“To the village of Kompang,” they said.

The officer said in a sharp tone, “Your buffalo is not strong enough to carry
both of you! If you keep riding as far as the village of Kompang, it will get thin,
and its price will go down. How foolish you are! Why don’t you let the buffalo walk?”

The farmerette and her daughter looked at each other. They were doing
things wrong – again! They got off the buffalo and led it by a rope.

5

When they came to a field, the road ended. They had to cross the field to
find another road. The owner of the field was working, and she called out to them,
“Walk carefully! My field is full of thorns because it is not yet cleaned up.” The
daughter accidentally stepped on a thorn and cried out, "Ouch!"

The owner of the field saw their buffalo. “What are you doing?” she called.
“You have a buffalo. Why don’t you ride it? You are treating that buffalo as your
ruler! How foolish you are!”

“Oh, dear!” The mother and the daughter did not know what to do.
“Whatever we do, someone has something to say about it!” They talked and talked.

6

At last, they said, “We will travel as we see fit. And just put up with blame as it
comes.”

Hence, the farmerette and her daughter went on and reached the village
of Kompang. There they sold the buffalo for a very good price and to a good family,
too. And the two of them returned home without any more loss of time.
Moral Lesson: If you try to please everyone, you will please no one in the end.

7

Hansel, Gretel and Red Riding Hood

By: Scarlet Rachel Jim & Siti Shahriza Binti Mohd Nasrin
An adaptation from Hansel and Gretel by Grimm Brothers & Red Riding Hood by

Charles Perrault
Once upon a time, a woodcutter and his wife had two children named Hansel
and Gretel. They were very poor, and they lived in a tiny cottage in the forest.

One night, the children were woken up by their parents’ conversation in the
living room. “We must survive the upcoming winter. We must find enough wood for
the fire as well as food,” said the mother. The woodcutter replied, “I agree with
you, honey. Tomorrow, I will go to the forest and find wood and food so that we
can restore enough resources for the upcoming winter.”

8

Hansel and Gretel felt very pitiful towards their father because he needed
to work hard to provide for the needs of the whole family. Hence, Hansel and
Gretel decided to help their father. Hansel went to the living room and said,
“Father, Gretel and I are willing to help you. Can we go to the forest tomorrow?”
The woodcutter smiled and replied, “Yes, you can help me, but make sure that both
of you wake up early because it’s going to be a long day.”

“Okay, father.” Hansel nodded, and he went back to sleep in his room.

Early the next morning, before sunrise, the whole family woke up. The
woodcutter’s wife hugged the children. Then, she looked at her husband and said,
“Husband, make sure you go home before it is dark.” The woodcutter replied,
“Okay, honey. We will go home early.” Then, Hansel and Gretel bid goodbye to their
mother. “Bye, mother!”

“Bye, children, stay safe!” The woodcutter went to the forest with his
children. When they reached the middle of the forest, the woodcutter said, "Now,

9

children, go get some rest under that shady tree. I will pile up some wood over
there.”

Hansel and Gretel nodded, “Yes, father.” They sat under the shady tree.
Suddenly, Hansel saw a beautiful white bird on the tree. “Gretel, look at that
pretty white bird!” The bird chirped songs with its beautiful voice. A few moments
later, the bird flew away, and the two children started to follow it. The bird
brought them to a very weird house. The house had a wall made of chocolate, a
roof made out of cakes and windows made of candies. It was also decorated with
sweets and cream.

10

Hansel and Gretel could not believe their eyes. The house looked incredibly
delicious. They ran towards the house and took a little bite of the chocolate.
Suddenly, they heard a voice, “Ah-ha, two little kids are nibbling on my house.”
They looked around. They saw a sweet old lady in front of the door.

The old lady smiled and told them to come inside. “Come in children, there
is plenty of food inside this house.”

When Hansel and Gretel entered the house, they felt uneasy. The interior
of the house was very different from the outside. It was dark and scary. However,
both of them did not care much about it because they were hungry. The old lady
served them different kinds of food and desserts that they never had before.
Hansel and Gretel felt grateful because they could eat the scrumptious meal.

11

Unfortunately, when they had finished their meal, the old lady laughed.
“Iyahahahah...” she morphed into an ugly witch. Ppooffff! Hansel and Gretel were
frightened and looked at each other. The witch pulled Hansel by his head and
locked him in a cage. “Arghhh! My head hurts,” cried Hansel. The witch ignored
him, and she quickly dragged Gretel and locked her up in a room.

“Iyahahahah...those children will be a delicious meal tonight!” The witch was
very excited, and she sat on her cosy couch. She was tired, so she fell asleep.
Gretel yelled for help. She was hoping that someone could help them. Not far away
from the witch’s house, there passed a lovely girl. It was Red Riding Hood. “Help!
Help! Help!” She heard someone crying for help.

Red Riding Hood walked to the witch’s house. She knocked on the door three
times. “Hello, is there anybody at home?” It was silent. Nobody answered her.
Fortunately, the door was not locked. She slowly opened the door and saw an ugly
witch sleeping soundly on the couch. Red Riding Hood was surprised when she saw
that Hansel was locked up in a cage. She gave a sign to Hansel to stay quiet.
“Shhhh...” Red Riding Hood took the key on the table and unlocked the cage to
release the poor Hansel.

“My sister is in that room,” whispered Hansel. Red Riding Hood nodded, and
she tiptoed to the door to unlock Gretel. Thankfully, Gretel and Hansel were saved
by Red Riding Hood.

“Well, well, well. It looks like I will have three children to be roasted
tonight.” The witch was standing behind them. The witch grabbed Red Riding

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Hood’s scarf furiously. “Ouch!” cried Red Riding Hood. Hansel saw a magic wand
beside the cage and he took it. The witch yelled, “No! Be careful with that wand!
Do not break it!” Without thinking too much, Hansel broke the wand into pieces.
Crack!!!

The witch was in pain and wailed, “You little kids! That wand is my life!” The
witch slowly turned into clouds of black smoke and disappeared. The three
children ran out of the house.

“Thank you for saving our lives, Red Riding Hood,” said Gretel. Red Riding
Hood hugged them. She also thanked Hansel for saving her. Then, they went back
home safely before it was dark.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

“I’m here, grandma,” said Red Riding Hood cheerfully. Unfortunately,
nobody answered her greeting. She knocked on the front door again, but still,

13

nobody answered her. She opened the door carefully and stepped into the house.
As she made her way to the kitchen, she saw the silhouette of her grandmother.

“Oh, there you are, grandma. It has been such a tiring day for me, but do
you know grandma…”

Red Riding Hood could not continue after that. Her eyes widened and her
smile froze. “You look different today, grandma.” As she tried to take a few steps
backwards, she accidentally bumped into the table. The glass and the ceramic
plate fell onto the floor. She stumbled. Her body was shivering in fear.

“Nice to meet you, little girl,” the creature squatted and smiled in front of
her. It was so close to her that she could feel its breath. The big ears and the
sharp teeth that could eat her any moment explained everything. That was not
her grandmother. Her grandmother would never talk to her using a weird voice.

14

Her heart pounded faster and faster. She realised that it was a wolf. Not
an ordinary one, but a big wolf. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to
calm her nerves.

“Grandma, I would appreciate it if you let me stand up first,” she tried to
reply to the wolf calmly. “Why would I do…”

Pow! Red Riding Hood kicked the wolf as it tried to talk to her. The wolf
groaned in pain and held its stomach. Without wasting any moment, she ran away,
got out of the house and yelled for help.

“Help! Help! There is a wolf here! Someone please help me!” Red Riding Hood
almost cried because she was still in shock to see a beast inside her house. Her
scream echoed to another side of the lake. Fortunately, Red Riding Hood and her
grandmother were not the only villagers living in the thick forest. There was
another family living at the other side of the lake. It was Hansel’s family.

15

Hansel and Gretel heard screams as they made their way to their house.
They stopped and looked at each other.

“That sounds like Red Riding Hood!” Gretel said to Hansel.

“Yes! Let’s go and save her.” Hansel replied.

They ran as fast as they could to help Red Riding Hood. Thankfully, they
managed to get there before the wolf caught her.

“Come here, Red Riding Hood! We’ll save you!” shouted Hansel. She ran to
them, but all of a sudden, she could feel someone grabbing her left ankle. It was
the wolf who crawled to catch her. It was laying on its stomach to cover its injury.
Once again, Red Riding Hood fell onto the ground, and now she could not hold her
tears anymore. She burst into tears, wondering about her grandmother’s
whereabouts.

“Today, you’re going to be my dinner, Red Riding Hood,” said the wolf while
pulling her using its big paw. Red Riding Hood passed out.

Gretel panicked and unconsciously dropped to the ground. Hansel did not
give up. His eyes moved from side to side to look for some big wood in the forest.
All of a sudden, he sensed somebody moving in the bushes behind him.

16

“Father!” Gretel mimed his word silently. His face lit up when he saw his
father. The woodcutter had just finished his work for the day and was walking
back to his house. “Shhh…” his father put his finger on his lip to silence the siblings.
He gripped the handle of his axe tightly.

“Hiyaarghhh...” he ran, swayed his axe, and aimed at the nape of the wolf.
Slowly, blood ran down its neck.

“I’m not dying yet. Hahahahaha...” the wolf laughed and mocked the
woodcutter. That was its last word before it collapsed and died.

17

Not long after that, Red Riding Hood woke up from her unconsciousness.
She was in bed. She cried as she saw her grandmother sitting beside her.
“Grandma, where have you been? I miss you,” she said while hugging her firmly.
“The wolf hid me at the back of the house and it’s a relief that the family found
me,” said the grandmother.

“Thank you, Hansel, Gretel and Mr. woodcutter. You have saved me and my
grandma,” said Red Riding Hood. She turned to her grandmother once again and
told her the story about how she saved the siblings and how they saved her as
well. Both families had dinner together at Red Riding Hood’s house. Hansel, Gretel
and Red Riding Hood had learned something valuable that day. If you help others,
then they will also help you. Nevertheless, keep in mind not to easily trust a
stranger.

18

The Beast Princess

By: Winnie Ngu & Wong Ben Lu
An adaptation from Beauty and the Beast by Surbhit Chauhan
Once upon a time, there was a young princess named Veronica. She lived in
a beautiful castle in Starkle Land. She was wealthy but stingy at the same time.
She was gorgeous but proud, and that was why she did not have any friends. Her
parents: the king and the queen, the maids and the servants, could no longer bear
her attitude.

One day, an old beggar came to the castle. She asked Veronica if she wanted
to buy flowers, but Veronica rudely chased her away. Suddenly, the beggar turned
into a beautiful fairy. The fairy, Queen Bibiana, was irritated by Veronica’s

19

rudeness, so she changed Veronica into an ugly beast which reflected her true
inner self.

Veronica was frustrated and sad. She kept on whining about her hideous
face. However, the fairy had made a curse on her. The curse would only be broken
when Veronica made a sincere friend. If she failed to make a sincere friend before
her 18th birthday, she would forever become a beast.

Besides, the curse would also turn the people whom she had been rude to
into ice. Veronica was afraid, and she quickly went to seek help. However, all the
people in the castle were already turned into ice. Veronica then realised how awful
she had been to other people. She tried to make friends in the village nearby, but
nobody wanted to be her friend as they were scared of her.

20

There was a poor but kind girl who lived in another village. Her name was
Celine. She always offered to help hands in doing the house chores since her
father, Mr Aron was a busy man. His father was a wizard who used magic potions
to cure people.

One day, Celine’s father went out to find the last ingredient of his magic
potions — a pink lily. There were no people in the castle, so he plucked a lily without
permission. Coincidentally, Veronica returned to the castle. Upon seeing an
intruder plucking her precious flower, Veronica was furious. Mr Aron begged for
forgiveness and asked Veronica to spare his life since he had a daughter waiting
for him. He even promised to do anything for Veronica. Veronica thought for a

21

while and finally decided to let him go with one condition he would let his daughter,
Celine, stay with Veronica for a month. Actually, Veronica was thinking of
befriending Celine.

Mr. Aron ran as fast as he could back to his house. When he got home, he
cried and told his daughter about his unfortunate encounter in the castle. He was
reluctant to let his daughter stay with the beast, but Celine assured him that she
would be all right.

22

The next morning, Celine packed her stuff and left the house. Veronica was
already waiting for her at the castle.

Even though it was Celine’s first-time meeting with Veronica, she was not
scared of her. When she looked into Veronica’s eyes, she could see that she was
not as scary as she looked. Veronica was surprised to find that Celine was not
afraid of her despite her ugly appearance. She decided to tell Celine about the
curse and admitted that she regretted her awful behaviour. Veronica asked Celine
if she could be her friend and teach her how to treat people nicely. Celine was
touched after listening to Veronica’s confession and promised to help her.

23

In the following days, although sometimes Celine was treated rudely, she
would still be patient in teaching Veronica and giving advice to her. They even made
friendship earrings for each other.

Slowly, they became best friends. They enjoyed watching movies, eating
and playing together. However, the day before Veronica celebrated her 18th
birthday, they had a huge fight. Veronica started to doubt whether Celine was
sincere with her since the curse was still there. Celine begged Veronica to trust
her, but Veronica was so distressed that she chased Celine away.

Celine was sad. She left Veronica to calm herself down. Meanwhile, Veronica
was crying. She removed their friendship earrings. She wanted to throw them
away, but then she realised that she should not have doubted her best friend.
There was still a minute left for her to break the curse. She started to worry

24

because she thought Celine would leave her forever and that she would be lonely
again. She quickly ran to the door and looked outside. Sadly, she did not see Celine.
She was extremely disappointed.

All of a sudden, all the lights in the living room were turned off. Celine came
out from behind the curtain and exclaimed, “Surprise! Happy Birthday, Veronica!”
Celine was holding a big birthday cake with candles on it. Veronica was surprised
when she saw Celine. She thought that Celine had left her. Veronica cried. Celine
comforted her, assuring her that she would never leave her best friend, especially
on her birthday.

Even though Veronica had a bad temper and liked to mess things up, Celine
still regarded her as her best friend and guided her to overcome all her
weaknesses. Veronica was touched. Both of them hugged each other tightly.

25

The fairy queen was watching over them. She saw that Veronica had finally
made a sincere friend. Her behaviour had also improved. Eventually, she decided
to break the curse. Veronica has turned into a beautiful princess again, and Celine
was very happy for her. They were so happy, and they sang a friendship song
together.

Veronica’s and Celine’s Friendship Song
An adaptation from Rewrite the Stars by Anne-Marie and James Arthur

What if we rewrite the stars?
Say we were meant to be friends

Nothing could keep us apart
You'd be the one I was meant to find

It's up to you, and it's up to me
No one can say what we get to be
So why don't we rewrite the stars?

Maybe the world could be ours
From now

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Dear X

By: Nur Athirah Hanim binti Razis Ahmad
It was another early sunset on a rainy day in Gangwon. Mrs. Liu was playing
the piano. It was her daughter’s favourite piece called “Misiryeong Sunset”.

As she stared at the music sheet, she reminisced about the time her
daughter wanted to learn the piano after listening to the piece. Mrs Liu cherished
her daughter so much that she wished only good things would happen to her.

27

Until one day,
“Mama, I learned a new dance at school. It was so fun!”
“Oh, really, dear? What kind of dance?”
“Street dancing, mama.”

“My dear Xin, I hope that you always flourish in any choice of your life,”
said Mrs. Liu as she caressed Xin’s hair.

Day after day, Mrs. Liu realised how passionate Xin was in dancing. She is
the best version of herself when she does what she likes.

“Mama, I want to cut my hair. My long hair always covers my face when I
am dancing. It is so annoying.”

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“Sure, my dear.”

Xin gradually showed how dancing and singing made her feel the most alive
in this world. She started to go to popping classes. Her friend group was mostly
boys her age.

It was another early sunset in Gangwon. Mrs. Liu sat by the piano as she
enjoyed the sunset.

“Mama, I want to go to Beijing in China.”
29

Mrs. Liu was shocked. “What do you mean, Xin?”
“I want to continue my studies there. I can learn more about dancing and
singing.”
Little did Xin know how broken-hearted Mrs. Liu felt that day. She felt
really scared. It felt as if Xin was leaving her alone, but she promised herself that
she only wanted Xin to feel the happiest.

“Goodbye Mama. I promise I will work hard and make you proud.”
30

At the age of just 12 years old, Xin went to Beijing to pursue her dream.
Mrs Liu knew she was not strong enough to let her little girl leave, but she knew
that it was for the best. She believed in Xin. She believed in her daughter.

“Xin, let’s go to the cybercafé and explore Beijing.”
“No, I want to study.”
Xin, a first-year student in Beijing Contemporary Music Secondary School,
was determined to work hard to pursue her dream. Indeed, she was a diligent
student. She excelled every test, every class.

31

“One ticket to Changsha, please. Thank you.”
“Miss, no more sitting tickets are left. Do you still want it?”
Xin, a 15-year-old, went to Changsha without the presence of her parents
to join a competition — a competition where she thought would be the
gamechanger of her life.
“The winner of Changsha Youth Dancer goes to Liu Yuxin.”

Xin was crowned as the winner of Changsha Youth Dancer.
“Mama, I did it. Mama, are you proud of me?” Xin said silently to herself as
she waved to the camera.

32

*Misiryeong Sunset playing in the background*
“Yes, my dear, I see you. You did great. I am very proud of you. Always be
you — my dear, Xin.”

33

Silver Powder, Dirt and Gold

By: Ashley Umbau Anak Franklin & Gabriella Francis
An adaptation from The Magic Powder by Greystroke

Once upon a time, in a little
village on the banks of the Irrawaddy
River, there lived a young couple,
Theingi and Thuza.

Thuza just shook her head.
Disheartened, she started to cry.

One day, Thuza was ploughing
the field while her husband, Theingi,
was daydreaming in the hut.

Feeling frustrated about the Theingi had hurt his wife's
shortage of food, Thuza yelled at feelings!
Theingi and told him to work.

Theingi boasted that he need To cheer her up, he hurriedly
not work because he would soon know went into the forest to chop some
how to turn dirt into gold. wood and forage for food.

34

Deep in the forest, Theingi Theingi quickly wished to turn
heard a soft, pitiful voice crying out dirt into gold!
for help!

Theingi carefully searched his The fairy excitedly told Theingi
surroundings and stumbled upon a that the silver powder found on
bush. The sound came from under it. banana leaves could turn dirt into gold.
Digging underneath, he found an old, He should plant banana trees and cast
dirty bottle and opened it up. spells on them.

A fairy popped out!

Theingi had to gather a pound of
silver powder to turn dirt into gold.
The fairy gave him 100 coins to buy
banana plants.

Dancing and darting about Early the next morning, Theingi
joyfully, she thanked Theingi for went to the market to buy some
rescuing her. banana saplings. Clearing up the field,
he planted them while chanting the
As a token of appreciation, the magic spells.
fairy decided to grant Theingi a
special wish.

35

Theingi took care of his plants The fairy revealed that they
daily. He even bought more land to had been turning dirt into gold all
plant more banana trees. those times. Both of them finally
realised the secret!

Five years passed by quickly. Since then, Theingi continued
Theingi managed to collect a pound of buying more land to plant more banana
silver powder. The couple brought the trees.
silver powder before the fairy.
Meanwhile, Thuza harvested the
bananas and sold them at the market.

The fairy asked them what they
had done with the bananas over the
years. Theingi explained that Thuza
had sold all the bananas at the local
morning market.

The diligent couple continued
turning dirt into gold, living a
bountiful and happy life.

36

37

Princess Pingyang

By: Genevie Marsha Tan & Kang Jia Ying
An adaptation from The Warrior Princess by Anantika Choudhury

During the Tang Dynasty, there lived a princess named Pingyang. Unlike
other princesses — she was not ladylike, and she did not like playing with dolls or
being poised and elegant. She liked playing with swords, and she practised every
day to become a warrior.

One day, Pingyang sneaked into the training arena, but she was caught by
the guard. The guard told her that she should not enter the training arena as it
was a place for men, not for women. A princess should not play with the swords.
She was supposed to be courteous, elegant and poised. He reminded Pingyang that
a princess does not nag, brag, sweat, fret, slip or trip. A princess always has her
shoulders back and tummy in, breathes gently, steps lightly, smiles brightly and
nods politely. However, no matter how many times the guard kept reminding
Princess Pingyang, she was still determined to become a warrior. She continued to
join sword-fighting lessons.

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The King and Queen also felt helpless as they could not stop Pingyang from
playing with the sword. Whenever the Queen asked Pingyang to play with her
siblings, she would say, “I do not like to play with dolls like a small kid. I am a
grown-up.” The Queen loved her so much that she did not want to take her swords
away.

However, the King was furious when he found out that she never bothered
learning the courtesy of a princess; instead, she was busy learning to fight with
swords and knives. The King and Queen loved her, but they worried that she would
become a warrior. They knew the danger that came with it, and they wanted to
protect her at all costs.

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“Pingyang, I have told you countless times. A beautiful and elegant hand like
yours should not touch the sword. It is dangerous, and it is certainly not for
women!” said the King.

Princess Pingyang disagreed with the King, “Dad, there’s no such thing that
women could not touch the swords! Women hold knives every day, so why not
swords? There’re no differences between them! I want to become a warrior, not
a sleeping beauty who only knows how to serve tea in the palace!”

“Pingyang, I wish you were a man. You are so courageous, just like me when
I was younger. But you know that things don’t work this way. I allow you to learn
fighting, but you must remember, you are a woman. A woman brings honour to the
family.”

Since then, Princess Pingyang learnt sword-fighting in private.

As time went by, Princess Pingyang turned out to be a well-rounded warrior.
She was smarter than most of the men in the country as she knew how to fight

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with tactics. She was looked down upon by other princesses, but she did not care
as she knew better than anyone that she would be a great warrior. She wanted to
prove everyone that they were wrong. A girl can be anyone she wants to be.

Unfortunately, on her 15th birthday, the King and Queen died in the hand
of their enemy-king of Quitzerland. The whole country was in fear that they would
be attacked soon.

“How dare they kill my parents?” Princess Pingyang was furious. “Call the
guards! Prepare the army! I want everyone to be ready.” As the princess of the
country, Pingyang knew that she must protect her country and the citizens. She
practised even harder. From the time she woke up in the morning to the time she
went to bed at night, all she did was for the fight ahead.

Three months later, the battle that they feared finally came. The army
from Quitzerland came to attack! Sensei came running telling the princess,
“Princess! The armies have come! They are attacking our country!” Princess
Pingyang had expected their arrival, “Finally, you come. Gather all our armies now!”

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The enemy could not see Princess Pingyang’s armies and dared them to come
out to fight like a man. With Princess Pingyang leading the army, she told the
soldiers where they must hide so that they could attack when the enemy came,
but they must get there fast! “Quick! Make sure they will not find out where we
hide. Once they come, we may attack them by surrounding them.”

The soldiers had doubts about Princess Pingyang’s strategy. A soldier asked,
“General, are you sure we should not attack right away?”

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“No, patience is important in a battle. If you cannot wait for the right
moment, you might as well sacrifice the whole army.”

The soldier did not understand why they needed to hide when the enemy
was calling them cowards. “They are just goading us into being angry and losing
our strategy. Would you rather be called a coward or give in your life?” explained
Princess Pingyang. The soldier apologised. Even those who did not like that their
General was a woman could tell that the princess knew what she was talking about.
“There is no time for that. Hide yourself. We are not losing yet.”

“Yes! General,” the soldiers chanted.

When the enemy approached them, Princess Pingyang signalled the army to
surround the enemy. Then, they charged towards the enemy and fought with all
might, for the honour of their country.

It worked! They won the battle. It was such a big victory that the enemy
gave up at last. The war was over, and the Tang Dynasty was saved!

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