In a small village by the sea lived a girl named Annabelle. She lived with her mum and dad in a little cottage. The yard was planted with beautiful flowers, which the girl tended together with her mum, and with her dad Annabelle often went fishing.
In the evenings the girl loved to snuggle under a warm blanket, Mum would give her hot tea with warm pie and read her daughter fairy tales. Annabelle always eagerly awaited a new story, because magical things always happened in them.
One lovely evening Mum told the girl a new fairy tale about a handsome prince who fell in love with a young maiden and took her to his magnificent palace.
When Mum switched off the light in the room and wished her daughter goodnight, the girl settled in comfortably and began to dream that someday she too would meet a prince who would love her, they would live together in a grand magnificent palace, and he would always protect and shield her from all troubles.
Every day Annabelle imagined that in the palace courtyard would grow all different kinds of flowers, and there would also be a huge orchard with fruit trees. She, in a beautiful dress, would sit on a sunny warm day in the shade beneath a lush apple tree and read new interesting magical fairy tales. With the prince they would live happily ever after, and no one could separate them.
Time passed, and the little girl grew into a young, beautiful maiden. Her parents had died several years ago, and now she lived in her little cottage by the sea all alone. An old woman helped her with the housework, who since childhood had treated the girl like her own granddaughter, and Annabelle in return also helped the old woman around the house, in the vegetable garden and in the orchard.
One evening, when the young beauty had already turned off the lights in the house, switched on her bedside lamp, under which in childhood Mum had read her fairy tales, and settled in comfortably, there was suddenly a knock at the door.
Who's there?
The girl asked in surprise.
Only silence in reply. Annabelle approached the door and listened. Suddenly there was another knock, more insistent than before.
Well, who is it? Why won't you speak?
Curiosity overcame the girl, and she cautiously opened the door. On the threshold stood a beautiful white horse. Its long wavy golden mane fell almost to the ground, and golden horseshoes sparkled with bright light.
Where on earth did you come from?
Annabelle exclaimed.
Where's your owner? Why are you all alone at such a late hour?
The horse only shook its head anxiously, as if beckoning the girl into the forest.
What's happened? Why are you so worried?
Then the horse reared up on its hind legs and whinnied so loudly that the girl recoiled in fright.
You want me to come with you? That's why you knocked on my door? Just a moment, I'll just grab a jumper, wait for me, there's a good boy!
Annabelle immediately threw on a cardigan, put on her shoes and rushed after her evening visitor. Finding herself in the thick, dark forest where the horse had led her, the girl suddenly saw on the ground the bloodied body of a young man. Annabelle thought the bloke was dead, leaned over him, and suddenly heard a heartbeat.
He's alive!
She cried out.
Someone, help!!!
But the forest was utterly silent, and no one was around. Annabelle tried to haul the young man onto the horse, but she didn't have enough strength.
And then the forest was illuminated with bright light, as if night had become day, and out of nowhere appeared a beautiful girl. She waved a magic wand, and Annabelle suddenly felt herself becoming stronger. The rescuer lifted the young man and hoisted him onto the horse, which carried them both to Annabelle's cottage.
A day passed, the young man came to. The girl had cared for him all night, never taking her eyes off him, brewed a herbal infusion from her grandmother's recipe and gave the young bloke drinks throughout the night.
Some time later Annabelle and the young man were married, it turned out he was a prince and lived in a wonderful palace.
The girl remembered how once long ago Mum had told her:
My girl, when you grow up, you will definitely meet your prince, who will love you, protect and shield you! Believe in your dream, and the fairy tale will come to your home and all dreams will come true.
And then Annabelle understood — there, in the forest, when the girl had no strength left at all, the fairy tale had helped her. And do you read fairy tales, do you believe in magic?
