Good evening, children. It's Granny McDuff, ready with a story. So make yourselves comfy,

and I'll begin.

Once upon a time, there was a village in which the residents were quite wealthy peasants.

There was only one poor one who was known among his neighbours as the little peasant.

He did not even own a cow and had no money to buy one.

But it was his wife's only wish to have a cow.

One day, he told her,

I have spoken to our friend the carpenter.

He will make us a wooden calf and paint it brown

so that it will look like any other,

and in time it will most certainly grow and be a cow.

She liked the idea and agreed with her husband.

And so they asked their friend to make them a cow.

The carpenter cut and planed the little calf and painted him brown.

He made it with its head down, as if it were eating

grass. The next morning, when the cows were being driven out, the little peasant called to the

cowherder. Look here. I have a little calf, but he is still small and must be carried. The cowherder

replied, all right, bring him here. And he took the calf in his arms and carried him to the pasture

and set him among the tall, sweet grass. The little calf was always standing like one which was

eating. The cowherder said, We'll soon be strong enough to run on its own.

Just look how it's eating.

That evening, the cowherder was preparing to drive the herd home,

...