The Little Singing Frog
Once upon a time, many years ago, there lived a humble peasant farmer and his wife. Despite their poverty, they were enveloped in happiness. However, the farmer’s wife yearned for one thing more passionately than anything else in the world. She wished to have a child.
A Cry for Kinship
“How delightful it would be if we had a young daughter or son to raise and play with. That would surely complete my joy,” said the farmer’s wife one day. The poor farmer, too, frequently expressed similar desires.
“Any kind of child would suffice. A son or a daughter resembling a frog would be no less dear to us,” the wife continued. That night, the farmer and his wife earnestly prayed for the gift of a child.
A Frog-faced Blessing
As the sun ascended the next morning, the farmer’s wife discovered a delightful surprise in their kitchen: a wooden cradle nurturing a tiny girl with a frog-like face. Despite the unconventional appearance, the pair were overjoyed, for the gods had indeed answered their prayers.
The Singing Frog
The years drifted away, and the girl, together with her frog face, aged. She endured an isolated childhood due to her unconventional appearance, which invited scorn and ridicule from her immediate society. Yet the child found solace in her tranquility, nurturing a beautiful voice that echoed her poignant life.
A Prince’s Love
One fateful day, a handsome prince came across the girl’s captivating voice. Enthralled, he sought out the source, to discover the frog-faced girl. Instead of ridicule, he saw in her a radiant beauty that was unparalleled. He was captivated by her voice and struck by the depth of her character, that he professed an immediate desire to marry her. After some reassurance, the farmer acquiesced, and the frog-faced girl was betrothed to the prince.
The Royal Trial
As part of royal customs, the prince and his betrothed were required to present a flower to the Czar, with the princess holding the most beautiful flower destined to rule the kingdom. The little singing frog girl decided on a humble, golden ear of wheat. When the day arrived, she was ridiculed by sentries, yet she stood firm, undergoing a radiant transformation as she donned a golden dress. In the end, she ended up impressing the Czar with her choice demonstrating her grasp of the valuable and useful over superficial beauty, and was chosen to be the future Czarina of Yugoslavia.
The little frog girl, once isolated by her society’s shallow dictates, had ascended from a humble peasant home to become a beloved princess. She lived many more years, basking in a happiness far removed from her initial isolation and filled with love and respect.