MemGPT/example_short_stories · Datasets at Hugging Face

text stringlengths 0 74
In olden times when wishing still helped one, there lived a king
whose daughters were all beautiful, but the youngest was so beautiful
that the sun itself, which has seen so much, was astonished whenever
it shone in her face. Close by the king's castle lay a great dark
forest, and under an old lime-tree in the forest was a well, and when
the day was very warm, the king's child went out into the forest and
sat down by the side of the cool fountain, and when she was bored she
took a golden ball, and threw it up on high and caught it, and this
ball was her favorite plaything.

Now it so happened that on one occasion the princess's golden ball
did not fall into the little hand which she was holding up for it,
but on to the ground beyond, and rolled straight into the water. The
king's daughter followed it with her eyes, but it vanished, and the
well was deep, so deep that the bottom could not be seen. At this
she began to cry, and cried louder and louder, and could not be
comforted. And as she thus lamented someone said to her, "What ails
you, king's daughter? You weep so that even a stone would show pity."

She looked round to the side from whence the voice came, and saw a
frog stretching forth its big, ugly head from the water. "Ah, old
water-splasher, is it you," she said, "I am weeping for my golden ball,
which has fallen into the well." "Be quiet, and do not weep," answered
the frog, "I can help you, but what will you give me if I bring your
plaything up again?" "Whatever you will have, dear frog," said she, "My
clothes, my pearls and jewels, and even the golden crown which I am
wearing." The frog answered, "I do not care for your clothes, your
pearls and jewels, nor for your golden crown, but if you will love me
and let me be your companion and play-fellow, and sit by you at your
little table, and eat off your little golden plate, and drink out of
your little cup, and sleep in your little bed - if you will promise
me this I will go down below, and bring you your golden ball up
again."

"Oh yes," said she, "I promise you all you wish, if you will but bring
me my ball back again." But she thought, "How the silly frog does
talk. All he does is to sit in the water with the other frogs, and
croak. He can be no companion to any human being."

But the frog when he had received this promise, put his head into the
water and sank down; and in a short while came swimmming up again
with the ball in his mouth, and threw it on the grass. The king's
daughter was delighted to see her pretty plaything once more, and
picked it up, and ran away with it. "Wait, wait," said the frog. "Take
me with you. I can't run as you can." But what did it avail him to
scream his croak, croak, after her, as loudly as he could. She did
not listen to it, but ran home and soon forgot the poor frog, who was
forced to go back into his well again.

The next day when she had seated herself at table with the king and
all the courtiers, and was eating from her little golden plate,
something came creeping splish splash, splish splash, up the marble
staircase, and when it had got to the top, it knocked at the door and
cried, "Princess, youngest princess, open the door for me." She ran to
see who was outside, but when she opened the door, there sat the frog
in front of it. Then she slammed the door to, in great haste, sat
down to dinner again, and was quite frightened. The king saw plainly
that her heart was beating violently, and said, "My child, what are
you so afraid of? Is there perchance a giant outside who wants to
carry you away?" "Ah, no," replied she. "It is no giant but a disgusting
frog."

"What does a frog want with you?" "Ah, dear father, yesterday as I was
in the forest sitting by the well, playing, my golden ball fell into
the water. And because I cried so, the frog brought it out again for
me, and because he so insisted, I promised him he should be my
companion, but I never thought he would be able to come out of his
water. And now he is outside there, and wants to come in to me."

In the meantime it knocked a second time, and cried, "Princess,
youngest princess, open the door for me, do you not know what you
said to me yesterday by the cool waters of the well. Princess,
youngest princess, open the door for me."

Then said the king, "That which you have promised must you perform.
Go and let him in." She went and opened the door, and the frog hopped
in and followed her, step by step, to her chair. There he sat and
cried, "Lift me up beside you." She delayed, until at last the king
commanded her to do it. Once the frog was on the chair he wanted to
be on the table, and when he was on the table he said, "Now, push your
little golden plate nearer to me that we may eat together." She did
this, but it was easy to see that she did not do it willingly. The
frog enjoyed what he ate, but almost every mouthful she took choked
her. At length he said, "I have eaten and am satisfied, now I am
tired, carry me into your little room and make your little silken bed
ready, and we will both lie down and go to sleep."

The king's daughter began to cry, for she was afraid of the cold frog
which she did not like to touch, and which was now to sleep in her
pretty, clean little bed. But the king grew angry and said, "He who
helped you when you were in trouble ought not afterwards to be
despised by you." So she took hold of the frog with two fingers,
carried him upstairs, and put him in a corner, but when she was in
bed he crept to her and said, "I am tired, I want to sleep as well as
you, lift me up or I will tell your father." At this she was terribly
angry, and took him up and threw him with all her might against the
wall. "Now, will you be quiet, odious frog," said she. But when he
fell down he was no frog but a king's son with kind and beautiful
eyes. He by her father's will was now her dear companion and
husband. Then he told her how he had been bewitched by a wicked

In olden times when wishing still helped one, there lived a king

whose daughters were all beautiful, but the youngest was so beautiful

that the sun itself, which has seen so much, was astonished whenever

it shone in her face. Close by the king's castle lay a great dark

forest, and under an old lime-tree in the forest was a well, and when

the day was very warm, the king's child went out into the forest and

sat down by the side of the cool fountain, and when she was bored she

took a golden ball, and threw it up on high and caught it, and this

ball was her favorite plaything.

Now it so happened that on one occasion the princess's golden ball

did not fall into the little hand which she was holding up for it,

but on to the ground beyond, and rolled straight into the water. The

king's daughter followed it with her eyes, but it vanished, and the

well was deep, so deep that the bottom could not be seen. At this

she began to cry, and cried louder and louder, and could not be

comforted. And as she thus lamented someone said to her, "What ails

you, king's daughter? You weep so that even a stone would show pity."

She looked round to the side from whence the voice came, and saw a

frog stretching forth its big, ugly head from the water. "Ah, old

water-splasher, is it you," she said, "I am weeping for my golden ball,

which has fallen into the well." "Be quiet, and do not weep," answered

the frog, "I can help you, but what will you give me if I bring your

plaything up again?" "Whatever you will have, dear frog," said she, "My

clothes, my pearls and jewels, and even the golden crown which I am

wearing." The frog answered, "I do not care for your clothes, your

pearls and jewels, nor for your golden crown, but if you will love me

and let me be your companion and play-fellow, and sit by you at your

little table, and eat off your little golden plate, and drink out of

your little cup, and sleep in your little bed - if you will promise

me this I will go down below, and bring you your golden ball up

again."

"Oh yes," said she, "I promise you all you wish, if you will but bring

me my ball back again." But she thought, "How the silly frog does

talk. All he does is to sit in the water with the other frogs, and

croak. He can be no companion to any human being."

But the frog when he had received this promise, put his head into the

water and sank down; and in a short while came swimmming up again

with the ball in his mouth, and threw it on the grass. The king's

daughter was delighted to see her pretty plaything once more, and

picked it up, and ran away with it. "Wait, wait," said the frog. "Take

me with you. I can't run as you can." But what did it avail him to

scream his croak, croak, after her, as loudly as he could. She did

not listen to it, but ran home and soon forgot the poor frog, who was

forced to go back into his well again.

The next day when she had seated herself at table with the king and

all the courtiers, and was eating from her little golden plate,

something came creeping splish splash, splish splash, up the marble

staircase, and when it had got to the top, it knocked at the door and

cried, "Princess, youngest princess, open the door for me." She ran to

see who was outside, but when she opened the door, there sat the frog

in front of it. Then she slammed the door to, in great haste, sat

down to dinner again, and was quite frightened. The king saw plainly

that her heart was beating violently, and said, "My child, what are

you so afraid of? Is there perchance a giant outside who wants to

carry you away?" "Ah, no," replied she. "It is no giant but a disgusting

frog."

"What does a frog want with you?" "Ah, dear father, yesterday as I was

in the forest sitting by the well, playing, my golden ball fell into

the water. And because I cried so, the frog brought it out again for

me, and because he so insisted, I promised him he should be my

companion, but I never thought he would be able to come out of his

water. And now he is outside there, and wants to come in to me."

In the meantime it knocked a second time, and cried, "Princess,

youngest princess, open the door for me, do you not know what you

said to me yesterday by the cool waters of the well. Princess,

youngest princess, open the door for me."

Then said the king, "That which you have promised must you perform.

Go and let him in." She went and opened the door, and the frog hopped

in and followed her, step by step, to her chair. There he sat and

cried, "Lift me up beside you." She delayed, until at last the king

commanded her to do it. Once the frog was on the chair he wanted to

be on the table, and when he was on the table he said, "Now, push your

little golden plate nearer to me that we may eat together." She did

this, but it was easy to see that she did not do it willingly. The

frog enjoyed what he ate, but almost every mouthful she took choked

her. At length he said, "I have eaten and am satisfied, now I am

tired, carry me into your little room and make your little silken bed

ready, and we will both lie down and go to sleep."

The king's daughter began to cry, for she was afraid of the cold frog

which she did not like to touch, and which was now to sleep in her

pretty, clean little bed. But the king grew angry and said, "He who

helped you when you were in trouble ought not afterwards to be

despised by you." So she took hold of the frog with two fingers,

carried him upstairs, and put him in a corner, but when she was in

bed he crept to her and said, "I am tired, I want to sleep as well as

you, lift me up or I will tell your father." At this she was terribly

angry, and took him up and threw him with all her might against the

wall. "Now, will you be quiet, odious frog," said she. But when he

fell down he was no frog but a king's son with kind and beautiful

eyes. He by her father's will was now her dear companion and

husband. Then he told her how he had been bewitched by a wicked