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5歲左右兒童

繪本節選

Once upon a time, in a place where magical beasts still roamed the earth, a young man named Alexi left home to seek his fortune and perhaps to find an adventure or two as well.

Alexi was an excellent huntsman, but after traveling for a week he had found neither work nor adventure. One evening, as night descended and the moon arose, he made camp at the edge of a glade.

A noise of hoofbeats in the forest startled Alexi. Thinking it a herd of deer or some other game, the lad readied his bow. Yet the young hunter did not loose his arro w, for the beast that appeared in the clearing was too wondrous to shoot. It was a golden mare with a silvery-white mane that streamed around her and sparkled in the moonlight.

The Golden Mare stood and gazed at the huntsman, who pointed an arrow at her heart.

"Hold, fair sir, do not shoot," said the mare, to the astonishment of the lad. Alexi lowered his bow and slowly approached the remarkable mare.

"I am at your service for sparing my life," she said. " What is your desire?"

曾幾何時，在一個魔獸還在地球上漫游的地方，一個名叫亞歷克西的年輕人離家出走，尋找他的財富，也許也能找到一兩次冒險。

亞歷克西是一個出色的獵人，但在旅行了一周后，他既沒有找到工作，也沒有找到冒險。一天晚上，夜幕降臨，月亮升起，他在一片空地邊緣扎營。

森林里一陣馬蹄聲驚動了亞歷克西。小伙子認為這是一群鹿或其他什么游戲，準備好他的弓。然而年輕的獵人并沒有松開他的箭，因為出現在空地上的野獸太神奇了，無法射擊。那是一匹金色的母馬，一頭銀白色的鬃毛在她周圍流動，在月光下閃閃發光。

金色母馬站起身來，看著獵手，獵手一箭射中了她的心臟。

“等一下，公平的先生，不要開槍，”母馬說，這讓小伙子吃驚。亞歷克西放下弓，慢慢接近這匹非凡的母馬。

她說：“我愿意為您服務，以挽救我的生命。” “你的愿望是什么?”