Section 1
Have you ever seen a very old wooden cupboard that looks very dark because it’s been around for a long time? This cupboard is decorated with carved leaves and interesting shapes. Well, there was a cupboard just like that in a room called a parlor. It was passed down to the family by their great-grandmother as something she left behind for them. The cupboard was completely covered with carved roses and tulips, and there were very interesting designs all over it. If you looked closely, you could even see little deer heads with horns peeking out from the designs. Right in the middle of the cupboard door, there was a carving of a man that looked really funny when you looked at it. He had a big smile on his face, although it didn’t look like he was laughing. He had legs like a goat, small horns on his head, and a long beard. The children in the room always called him “Major General Field Sergeant Commander Billy Goat’s Legs.” It’s a really hard name to say, and not many people ever get a title like that. It’s actually quite amazing how someone carved him to look like that. But there he was, always looking at the table underneath the mirror, where a very pretty little shepherdess made of china was standing. Her shoes were shiny gold, and her dress had either a red rose or some other decoration on it. She had a hat on her head and was holding a stick called a crook, and both of them were covered in shiny gold. They looked really bright and beautiful. Right next to her stood a little chimney sweep, who was as black as coal and also made of china. But even though he looked dirty like a real chimney sweep, he was actually just as clean and tidy as all the other china figures. He was only made to look like a black chimney sweep, but the people who made him could have just as easily made him a prince if they wanted to. He was standing there holding his ladder very well, and his face was as fair and pink as a girl’s. Actually, that was a bit of a mistake because his face should have had some black marks on it. The little chimney sweep and the shepherdess were put next to each other, standing side by side. And when they were placed like that, they fell in love with each other and decided to be together. They were a perfect match because they were both made of the same delicate china material and could break easily. Right next to them, there was another figure who was three times bigger than them and also made of china. He was an old man from China, and he could move his head up and down, pretending to be the grandfather of the shepherdess. But he couldn’t really prove that he was her grandfather. But the old Chinaman acted like he was in charge of the shepherdess. So, when “Major General Field Sergeant Commander Billy Goat’s Legs” asked if the little shepherdess would marry him, the old Chinaman nodded his head to show that he agreed. He said to her, “You will have a husband who I truly think is made of a special type of wood called mahogany. He will make you a lady with a very important-sounding title, ‘Major General Field Sergeant Commander Billy Goat’s Legs.’ He has a whole cupboard filled with shiny silver plates, and he keeps them locked up in secret drawers.”
“I don’t want to go inside the dark cupboard,” said the little shepherdess. “I heard that he already has eleven other china wives in there.”
“Then you will be the twelfth,” said the old Chinaman. “Tonight, when you hear a noise coming from the old cupboard, that’s when you will get married. I promise you this, just like I am a Chinaman.” And with that, he nodded his head and fell asleep.
Then the little shepherdess started to weep and looked at her beloved, the china chimney-sweep. “I have to ask you,” she said, “to come with me to explore the big world because we can’t stay here anymore.”
“I will do whatever you want,” said the little chimney-sweep. “Let’s go right away. I believe I can take care of us with my job.”
“I will only be happy when we are actually out in the world,” she said. “But first, we need to find a way to get safely down from the table.”
