MemGPT/example_short_stories · Datasets at Hugging Face

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laugh, and if he laughed, all would be over with him. The
woman did everything that her neighbor bade her. When she put
the egg-shells with water on the fire, goggle-eyes said, I am as
old now as the wester forest, but never yet have I seen anyone
boil anything in an egg-shell. And he began to laugh at it.

Whilst he was laughing, suddenly came a host of little elves, who
brought the right child, set it down on the hearth, and took the
changeling away with them.

There was once upon a time a miller, who had a beautiful
daughter, and as she was grown up, he wished that she was
provided for, and well married. He thought, if any good suitor
comes and asks for her, I will give her to him. Not long
afterwards, a suitor came, who appeared to be very rich, and as
the miller had no fault to find with him, he promised his
daughter to him. The maiden, however, did not like him quite
so much as a girl should like the man to whom she is engaged, and
had no confidence in him. Whenever she saw, or thought of him,
she felt a secret horror. Once he said to her, you are my
betrothed, and yet you have never once paid me a visit. The
maiden replied, I know not where your house is. Then said the
bridegroom, my house is out there in the dark forest. She
tried to excuse herself
and said she could not find the way there. The bridegroom said,
next sunday you must come out there to me, I have already
invited the guests, and I will strew ashes in order that you may
find your way through the forest. When sunday came, and the
maiden had to set out on her way, she became very uneasy, she
herself knew not exactly why, and to mark her way she filled both
her pockets full of peas and lentils. Ashes were strewn at the
entrance of the forest, and these she followed, but at every step
she threw a couple of peas on the ground. She walked almost the
whole day until she reached the middle of the forest, where it
was the darkest, and there stood a solitary house, which she did
not like, for it looked so dark and dismal. She went inside it,
but no one was within, and the most absolute stillness reigned.

Suddenly a voice cried,
turn back, turn back, young maiden dear,
'tis a murderer's house you enter here.
The maiden looked up, and saw that the voice came from a bird,
which was hanging in a cage on the wall. Again it cried,
turn back, turn back, young maiden dear,
'tis a murderer's house you enter here.

Then the young maiden went on farther from one room to another,
and walked through the whole house, but it was entirely empty
and not one human being was to be found. At last she came to the
the cellar, and there sat an extremely aged woman, whose head
shook constantly. Can you not tell me, said the maiden, if my
betrothed lives here.

Alas, poor child, replied the old woman, whither have you come.
You are in a murderer's den. You think you are a bride soon to be
married, but you will keep your wedding with death. Look, I
have been forced to put a great kettle on there, with water in it,
and when they have you in their power, they will cut you to
pieces without mercy, will cook you, and eat you, for they are
eaters of human flesh. If I do not have compassion on you, and
save you, you are lost.

Thereupon the old woman led her behind a great hogshead
where she could not be seen. Be still as a mouse, said she, do
not make a sound, or move, or all will be over with you. At
night, when the robbers are asleep, we will escape, I have long
waited for an opportunity. Hardly was this done, than the godless
crew came home. They dragged with them another young girl. They
were drunk, and paid no heed to her screams and lamentations.

They gave her wine to drink, three glasses full, one glass of
white wine, one glass of red, and a glass of yellow, and with
this her heart burst in twain. Thereupon they tore off her
delicate raiment, laid her on a table, cut her beautiful body
in pieces and strewed salt thereon. The poor bride behind the
cask trembled and shook, for she saw right well what fate the
robbers had destined for her. One of them noticed a gold ring on
the finger of the murdered girl, and as it would not come off at
once, he took an axe and cut the finger off, but it sprang up in
the air, away over the cask and fell straight into the bride's
bosom. The robber took a candle and wanted to look for it, but
could not find it. Then another of them said, have you
looked behind the great hogshead. But the old woman cried,
come and get something to eat, and leave off looking till the
morning, the finger won't run away from you.

Then the robbers said, the old woman is right, and gave up their
search, and sat down to eat, and the old woman poured a
sleeping-draught in their wine, so that they soon lay down
in the cellar, and slept and snored. When the bride heard
that, she came out from behind the hogshead, and had to step
over the sleepers, for they lay in rows on the ground, and great
was her terror lest she should waken one of them. But God
helped her, and she got safely over. The old woman went up with
her, opened the doors, and they hurried out of the murderer's den
with all the speed in their power. The wind had blown away the
strewn ashes, but the peas and lentils had sprouted and grown up,
and showed them the way in the moonlight. They walked the whole
night, until in the morning they arrived at the mill, and then the
maiden told her father everything exactly as it had happened.

laugh, and if he laughed, all would be over with him. The

woman did everything that her neighbor bade her. When she put

the egg-shells with water on the fire, goggle-eyes said, I am as

old now as the wester forest, but never yet have I seen anyone

boil anything in an egg-shell. And he began to laugh at it.

Whilst he was laughing, suddenly came a host of little elves, who

brought the right child, set it down on the hearth, and took the

changeling away with them.

There was once upon a time a miller, who had a beautiful

daughter, and as she was grown up, he wished that she was

provided for, and well married. He thought, if any good suitor

comes and asks for her, I will give her to him. Not long

afterwards, a suitor came, who appeared to be very rich, and as

the miller had no fault to find with him, he promised his

daughter to him. The maiden, however, did not like him quite

so much as a girl should like the man to whom she is engaged, and

had no confidence in him. Whenever she saw, or thought of him,

she felt a secret horror. Once he said to her, you are my

betrothed, and yet you have never once paid me a visit. The

maiden replied, I know not where your house is. Then said the

bridegroom, my house is out there in the dark forest. She

tried to excuse herself

and said she could not find the way there. The bridegroom said,

next sunday you must come out there to me, I have already

invited the guests, and I will strew ashes in order that you may

find your way through the forest. When sunday came, and the

maiden had to set out on her way, she became very uneasy, she

herself knew not exactly why, and to mark her way she filled both

her pockets full of peas and lentils. Ashes were strewn at the

entrance of the forest, and these she followed, but at every step

she threw a couple of peas on the ground. She walked almost the

whole day until she reached the middle of the forest, where it

was the darkest, and there stood a solitary house, which she did

not like, for it looked so dark and dismal. She went inside it,

but no one was within, and the most absolute stillness reigned.

Suddenly a voice cried,

turn back, turn back, young maiden dear,

'tis a murderer's house you enter here.

The maiden looked up, and saw that the voice came from a bird,

which was hanging in a cage on the wall. Again it cried,

turn back, turn back, young maiden dear,

'tis a murderer's house you enter here.

Then the young maiden went on farther from one room to another,

and walked through the whole house, but it was entirely empty

and not one human being was to be found. At last she came to the

the cellar, and there sat an extremely aged woman, whose head

shook constantly. Can you not tell me, said the maiden, if my

betrothed lives here.

Alas, poor child, replied the old woman, whither have you come.

You are in a murderer's den. You think you are a bride soon to be

married, but you will keep your wedding with death. Look, I

have been forced to put a great kettle on there, with water in it,

and when they have you in their power, they will cut you to

pieces without mercy, will cook you, and eat you, for they are

eaters of human flesh. If I do not have compassion on you, and

save you, you are lost.

Thereupon the old woman led her behind a great hogshead

where she could not be seen. Be still as a mouse, said she, do

not make a sound, or move, or all will be over with you. At

night, when the robbers are asleep, we will escape, I have long

waited for an opportunity. Hardly was this done, than the godless

crew came home. They dragged with them another young girl. They

were drunk, and paid no heed to her screams and lamentations.

They gave her wine to drink, three glasses full, one glass of

white wine, one glass of red, and a glass of yellow, and with

this her heart burst in twain. Thereupon they tore off her

delicate raiment, laid her on a table, cut her beautiful body

in pieces and strewed salt thereon. The poor bride behind the

cask trembled and shook, for she saw right well what fate the

robbers had destined for her. One of them noticed a gold ring on

the finger of the murdered girl, and as it would not come off at

once, he took an axe and cut the finger off, but it sprang up in

the air, away over the cask and fell straight into the bride's

bosom. The robber took a candle and wanted to look for it, but

could not find it. Then another of them said, have you

looked behind the great hogshead. But the old woman cried,

come and get something to eat, and leave off looking till the

morning, the finger won't run away from you.

Then the robbers said, the old woman is right, and gave up their

search, and sat down to eat, and the old woman poured a

sleeping-draught in their wine, so that they soon lay down

in the cellar, and slept and snored. When the bride heard

that, she came out from behind the hogshead, and had to step

over the sleepers, for they lay in rows on the ground, and great

was her terror lest she should waken one of them. But God

helped her, and she got safely over. The old woman went up with

her, opened the doors, and they hurried out of the murderer's den

with all the speed in their power. The wind had blown away the

strewn ashes, but the peas and lentils had sprouted and grown up,

and showed them the way in the moonlight. They walked the whole

night, until in the morning they arrived at the mill, and then the

maiden told her father everything exactly as it had happened.