THIS BOOK HAS BEEN PREPARED

AS PART OF

THE FAIRY TALE TOWN

ETWINNING PROJECT

If you want, you can listen to our story from the audiobook.

CHAPTER 1 – THE RUBY OF GENEROSITY

(Because Brăila Is the Gift of the Danube)

     There is a picturesque city in Muntenia, eastern Romania. On a hill along the banks of the Danube, there rises this city named Brăila, with its wide streets and boulevards, with beautiful green parks and majestic buildings, creating the image of an Occidental capital. “A Gift of the Danube”, just like Egypt is “a gift of the Nile”, Brăila, as a major port on the navigable Danube, is related to two essential lands: The Orient and the Occident.In this city, there is a big square. A column is in the middle of the square. A very beautiful statue stands on top of that big marble column. The statue is the Happy Prince. He is a very beautiful prince. There are leaves of gold all over his body. He has got two bright sapphires instead of eyes. At the top of his sword is a large red ruby. He is a magnificent sight.

     People walk in the square and look at the beautiful statue of the Happy Prince. “Aren’t we lucky?” They say. We have a beautiful statue in our city.

      There is a little Swallow by the Danube river. He is in love with a beautiful Reed. The Reed lives by the Danube river. She is very happy.

    “Please, please come to Egypt with me”, says the Swallow to the Reed. The Reed just smiles. The wind blows and she dances a little.

   “Winter is coming”, says Swallow. “It is very cold here in winter”. The Reed is still smiling but she does not move.

    “You are not coming with me” says the Swallow sadly. “I must go now. It is getting cold” he says. He is late. There are no other swallows left.

 “Goodbye my beautiful Reed.” He says. Then he leaves.

     The Swallow flies all day. He is tired and he wants to sleep. He flies over the square in the big city and he looks at the beautiful statue high above the city. He really likes that place.

     “This is a good place,” he thinks. “I can sleep here. The little bird lands at the feet of the statue.

      “You are very beautiful,” he says to the statue. “Now I must sleep. I am very tired.  Goodnight.”

He puts his head under his wing and closes his eyes. He is about to fall asleep when a drop of water falls on him.

     “What’s that?” he asks, “Rain?” Then he looks up. The Happy Prince is crying. “Why are you crying?” he asks the beautiful statue of the Happy Prince.

       The Happy Prince is crying. His eyes are full of tears. The tears are running down his golden cheeks. The little Swallow is amazed.

    “Who are you?” he asks.

    “I am the Happy Prince” answers the statue.

“Why are you crying then?”  asks the Swallow “I am all wet.”

   “I am called Happy Prince, because when I was a human, I was hurting people and this made me happy. I’m very sad and that’s the reason why I’m crying”.

    “Are you always sad?” asks the little Swallow.

   “When I was alive, I was never sad”, answer the statue.  “I’m from Neverland, I lived in a beautiful palace where no one was sad. Everyone was happy.”

   “What happened?” asks the Swallow.

   “I was cursed by a witch called Maleficent that transformed me in a statue and send me in this square” answers the prince. “And the only thing that can help me get back to my land is to help people and make them happy by distributing all his rubies”

      “But now you are up here. You can look at your beautiful city down there with its circular and straight streets, fanning out from the center, with semicircular streets intersecting them. It’s only the straight boulevards which lead out of the city, while the others are born and die within. Some, starting at the Danube, form a semi-circle and come to an end on the other side of town, embracing the city like a lover embracing his girlfriend.”says the Swallow.

   The Swallow continued to explain why Brăila is a wonderful city: “The wide, green curve bordering the city to the south-east is the Danube, on which float various mobile toys- the ships. For the residents of Braila, the Danube is a liquid universe, steadily and ceaselessly flowing by, not in a hurry and brooking no obstacles. The river, called Dunar, Dunaris in years past and then, Danube, by the Dacian shepherds and fishermen, gives life to the city and its citizens as well.”

    “Sometimes, I think that I don’t deserve to stay in this beautiful city, to see the Danube every day.” says the Happy Prince.

   “Oh, don’t say that! It is enough to hear the name “Danube” and it conjures up an entire world with that single word. It is the port which makes Braila different from other cities, which may seem like monasteries enclosed within their walls. Braila is open, it gives and is given, offers and receives, it is like a mediating sea, it is like a beach of life. Sitting on the cliff, the traveler’s look dives down onto the wide quays of the port and on the liquid avenue of the Danube, full of tugboats and barges.”

   “I know, everything in Braila has a wide horizon, everything is magnificent and well organized, and all bears a seal of absolute order” says the Happy Prince and he begins crying again.

    “Then why are you crying?”

    “Well, before I was not as kind as I am now. I was rude to all my people and did not care about them. Now, I am high above the city and I can see the beautiful things, but I can also see the misery” says the prince with tears in his eyes.

    “Oh, please don’t cry. You are making me very wet and very sad”. “Maybe you can help me”, says the Happy Prince.

“How can I help you? I am just a poor little bird. You are a beautiful solid gold statue”.

    “Look”, says the Happy Prince. “Far away over there, there is a poor house in a little street. I can see a woman. She is sitting at a table. Her face is thin and sad. Her hands are rough and red because she is sewing all day long. The woman has a girl that is very sick, but her mother hasn’t got any money.Little Swallow, can you see the ruby in my sword? It is The Ruby of Generosity and my father gave it to me to help poor people.

    Please, take it to the woman” says the Happy Prince. “I cannot move because I am stuck here”.

    Then the little Swallow takes The Ruby of Generosity from the Prince’s sword. He holds in his beak. He flies over the city. He flies over the Cathedral, over The Saint Nicholas Church, The Emperor Traian monument, Public Garden, over the Clock from Traian Square and the kinetic fountain. He flies over the Danube River and he can see the lights of the ships. At last he reaches the poor house and puts the ruby on the table.The kind little Swallow flies back to the statue of The Happy Prince. He sits at the Prince’s feet and smiles. “I did my job and it’s strange, I don’t feel cold now”.

     “That is because you did something good”, The Happy Prince tells him.

    He puts his head under his wing and sleeps. The Prince smiles. He is happy again.

CHAPTER 2 – THE RUBY OF LOVE

(Because Ankara Is the Heart of Turkey)

      The next day the statue looks sad again.

“Swallow, Swallow, little Swallow, please stay with me one more night. Far away, in another city called Ankara I can see a little kid sitting alone in his room, feeling sad. His parents are so busy working for companies, meeting with other people, trying to earn a lot of money. They don’t have enough time for him to cuddle, to share, to have some fun together. Little Swallow, can you see the ruby on my hat? It’s The Ruby of Love and my mum gave it to me to remind people that love is the only thing they need. So, please, take it to the family. They need to remember what love is and how to raise their kid with love! Kids are our treasures; they must be happy.  Fly beautiful Swallow fly away there! You know “I cannot move because I am stuck in here”.

     Then the little Swallow takes The Ruby of Love from the Prince’s hat. He holds in his beak. He flies over the countries heading Ankara. Arriving the city, he flies over Atatürk Orman Çifliği, Anıtkabir, the Ankara Castle, Rahmi Koç Museum, Hacı Bayram Mosque, Augustus Temple, Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, The Museum of Etnography, Hatti Statue, Güvenpark, The Grand National Assembly of Turkey, Kocatepe Mosque, Kuğulu Park, Seğmenler Park, Botanic Park, Atakule, Eymir Lake.

       He continues flying over the Mogan Lake and finally sees the beautiful house of the family in Gölbaşı and the boy, whose cheeks in his hands, looking out of the window. He reaches the little boy and puts the Ruby of Love in his hands.

      The kind little Swallow flies back to the statue of The Happy Prince. He sits at the Prince’s feet and smiles. “I did my job and it’s strange, I don’t feel cold now like before.”

    “That is because you did something good again”, The Happy Prince tells him.

   He puts his head under his swing and sleeps. The Prince smiles. He is happy again.

CHAPTER 3 – THE RUBY OF COURTESY

(Because Kilis Is the Centre Of the Kindness)

       The next day the statue looks sad again.

“Swallow, Swallow, little Swallow, please stay with me one more night. Far away, in another city called Kilis, I can see people who have to leave their homes and come to Kilis. Some are injured, some are sick. People without homes, clothes, food. The people of Kilis love to help these people and open their homes. But there is a man out there who does not want to help. This man is not aware of the importance of courtesy and kindness. Little Swallow, can you see the ruby on my hat? It’s The Ruby of Courtesy and my dad gave it to me to remind the people that courtesy is the only thing they need.

So, please, take it to the man. He needs to remember what courtesy is and how to behave those people who need help with kindness. All lives are precious; they must have chance to live it freely. Fly beautiful Swallow fly away there! You know . I cannot move because I am stuck in here”.

     Then the little Swallow takes The Ruby of Courtesy from the Prince’s hat. He holds in his beak. He flies over the countries heading Kilis. Arriving the city, he flies over Ravanda Castle, Ulu Mosque, Hisar Nature Park, Oylum Höyük, Pirlioğlu Mosque, Talha Zübeyr Tomb, Mevlevihane, Ruhizade Mansion, Sheikh Mohammed Bedouin Mausoleum, lots of vineyards.

   He continues flying over the thousands of olive trees and finally sees the small house of the man in Polateli and the man who is standing in front of the door, looking at the trees. He reaches the man and puts The Ruby of Courtesy in his hands.

The kind little Swallow flies back to the statue of The Happy Prince. He sits at the Prince’s feet and smiles. “I did my job and it’s strange, I don’t feel cold now again.”

“That is because you did something good again”, The Happy Prince tells him.

   He puts his head under his swing and sleeps. The Prince smiles. He is happy again.

CHAPTER 4 – THE RUBY OF PEACE

(Because Çanakkale is the Land of Heroes)

      The next day the statue looks sad again.

“Swallow, Swallow, little Swallow, please stay with me one more night. Far away, in another city called Çanakkale, I can see that mothers, brothers and sisters rushing to help without even thinking, and that 15-year-old Mehmets, Johnnies, Abdullahs, Georges, and many other children with many different names making a legendary history. I can see soldiers who spend their meals with a piece of dry bread, stay sleepless in order to protect their homeland, and shield themselves in front of the bullets without blinking their eyes, and continue fighting with one leg when one leg is broken off. The children there need to stay at a warm family home, not fight at that age, not be sleepless, but do their homework in the evenings.

     They need to go to school in the morning, laugh, have fun, have a good time with friends, play on the street, play ball in peace. Little Swallow, can you see the ruby on my shield? It’s The Ruby of Peace. My elders always told me that as long as mankind puts Peace at the forefront, there is courage, heroism, goodness, benevolence in that society, and it will never disappear. The children there have the right to be like other children. Heroes now need to put an end to this war. Please, take it to those children” says the Happy Prince. “Fly beautiful Swallow fly away there and bring peace! I cannot move because I am stuck here”.

   Then the little Swallow takes The Ruby of Peace from the Prince’s shield. He holds it in his beak. He passes over the countries going to Çanakkale. Upon arrival in the city, the unique view of the Dardanelles, the azure sea and the lush nature charm the Little Swallow.

     When he sees Kilitbahir and Çimenlik Castle, which stands on both sides of the Bosphorus with all their glory and carries the traces of history, he realizes that this city actually smells of history. He glides into the battlefield, where the fumes rise, and stand next to a child who is not even able to walk through the trenches and gives him the ruby. The child does not know what to do, wants to ask the Swallow, but Little Swallow has already flown. As he starts to think with the ruby in his hand and questions in his mind, he gets the good news. PEACE has come. Everyone starts returning home. Children experience the joy of returning to their old lives and school. As Little Swallow continues to glide through the skies, he realizes that the wounds have already started to heal. He sees the “Stop Passenger monument overlooking the Bosphorus.

      There is a soldier figure on this monument and written below;

      “Stop Passenger! This land you step on is a place where an era has ended.” This monument has already taken its place for humankind not to forget their past, to remember the importance of PEACE and their ancestors’ heroism. Read the inscription on this monument and while flying over the Martyrs’ Monument, 57th Infantry Martyrdom, Anzac Cove, Arıburnu, Conkbayırı and Seddülbahir Village, the Swallow thought what great heroes the people in this city are and how much sacrifices they have made. When he sees that many of those who have been lying in the martyrdom he is flying over are just 15 years old, he no longer felt the weight of the wings he had flapped to bring that ruby. As he flies back to the statue of the Happy Prince, he passes over the city and now realizes that people peacefully take photos in front of the Trojan Horse in the square, they buy souvenirs from the Bazaar with Mirrors,

and visit the Museum of Sea, Ceramics and Archeology. He realizes what a great purpose it is to travel this long. Hearing the words “Peace at Home, Peace in the World” among the happy voices below, he thinks what a beautiful motto this is.

      The kind little Swallow flies back to the statue of The Happy Prince by scraping the unique view of Çanakkale for the last time and the scent of the Mount Ida, which contains a thousand flowers. He sits at the Prince’s feet and smiles. “I did my job and it’s strange, I don’t feel cold now”.

     “That is because you did something good”, The Happy Prince tells him.

    He puts his head under his wing and sleeps. The Prince smiles. He is happy again.

CHAPTER 5 – THE RUBY OF HUMILITY

(Because Adiyaman Is the Kingdom of The Sun)

        The next day the statue looks sad again.

“Swallow, Swallow, little Swallow, please stay with me one more night. Far away, in another city called Adiyaman I can see an arrogant king who is constantly seeking others admiration, by showing what he has achieved. He feels great love to those who adore and praise him but hates towards others who are indifferent. He always feels himself too big for one’s boots. He admires just for himself and forgets his society.

“Where this arrogant king lives?’’ the Swallow asks,

“He lives in his palace.” the statue answers.

“Where is his Palace?” the Swallow asks.

    “He looks down on one’s nose at his people so much that he doesn’t want to live in the same place with his people like an ordinary person and he moves his palace at the top of Nemrut Mountain which is the highest point of Adiyaman District. Mount Nemrut is the closest place to the sun. He wants to have everything even the sun. He believes that having a sun is his necessity of his kingdom. He wants sun to rise for only himself and set for himself.” statue answers.

    “What about his people?” the Swallow asks.

   “His people begin to call him as the king of the sun and they can never see their king with his people since then. The king never back his people up and leads them to misery. People are desperate and unhappy. Can you do me a favor again? He shows his boots. There is a “Humility Ruby” in it and my father gave it to me to help arrogant people. Can you take it to the king?” Happy Prince asks.

     The Swallow takes the Humility Ruby and flies to far away. He arrives to Gölbaşı first. The Swallow decides to stay and rest for a while near the Gölbaşı Lake which is known as the paradise of birds. He talks with other birds there and he listens the same sad story from them. The Swallow decides to leave at that moment without any hesitation. He leaves there and flies to Kingdom of Nemrut. While flying over the towns, it sees many miserable people around. He arrives to the Mount Nemrut. The Swallow finds the king. He is so busy with himself that he doesn’t notice the swallow. The swallow puts the Ruby of Humility to the king’s throne and leaves.

    While turning back, he sees Karakuş Tumulus, Cendere Bridge, Perre Ancient City, Arsemia Ancient City. He gets surprised when it sees all these places are built by king for his society before. He feels hopeful again and it believes that the king will be humble and devote himself to his people.

    He turns back to the happy prince. He sits at the Prince’s feet; he feels tired but feels happy and smiles to the Prince. “I did my job and it’s strange, I don’t feel cold now again.”

    “That is because you did something good again”, The Happy Prince tells him.

   He puts his head under his swing and sleeps. The Prince smiles. He is happy again.

CHAPTER 6 – THE RUBY OF VISION

(Because Rožňava Is A Town with A View)

         The next day the statue looks sad again.

“Swallow, Swallow, little Swallow, please stay with me one more night. Far away, in another city called Rožňava I can see a very miserable girl. She lives in a city with one of the best sights to see in Slovakia, like the watchtower and the museum of mining, yet she has been blind since she was born and she cannot enjoy the sights that the city she lives in offers.  Little Swallow, can you see the ruby on my hat? It’s The Ruby of Vision and my uncle gave it to me when I hit a branch while riding a horse and blinded myself, but I would much rather have the little girl have it, as I have been looking at my city for decades and I want her to have the opportunity to do the same. So, please, take it to the girl.

    Fly beautiful Swallow, fly to Rožňava. I would do it myself, but as you know, I cannot move because I am stuck in here”. The Swallow turned around in surprise of such a generous act. Giving someone his vision as a gift, even though it would mean sacrificing his own, is something extraordinary and should be remembered. It would be a shame if the Swallow failed this important task and so he spread his wings and flew high towards the clouds. He flew for days and nights, throughout cities, mountains, and forests, until he found the blind girl. She had no idea that her life was about to change since she couldn´t see the Swallow, only hear the fluttering of his wings. The little girl lived in a small flat and when she heard the Swallow land on her window ledge she got scared, but when the Swallow dropped the Ruby of Vision into the palm of this little girl,

a very pleasant feeling swept through her with so much power that she had to sit down on the floor.

      After a couple of seconds, eyesight came to her and when she saw what the world looked like, tears of joy filled her gray eyes, which will stay with her for the rest of her life as a reminder of what she gained that day. The Swallow, now satisfied with what he had done, left and returned to the Happy Prince. He turns back to him. He sits at the Prince’s feet, he feels tired but feels happy and smiles to the Prince. “I did my job and it’s strange, I don’t feel cold now again.”

     “That is because you did something good today”, The Happy Prince tells him.

    He puts his head under his swing and sleeps. The Prince smiles. He is happy again.

CHAPTER 7 – THE RUBY ​​OF HONESTY

(Because León Is the City of Well-Being)

     The next day the statue looks sad again.

“Swallow, Swallow, little Swallow, please stay with me one more night. Far away, in another city called León, there are many people who find it difficult to be honest with others, they only care about their own good and seek personal benefit. Then the swallow flew over the iconic Basilica of San Isidoro and the Parador de San Marcos, listened to the inhabitants of the city in its different markets, enjoyed the parks full of trees, hid among the pinnacles and gargoyles of the imposing cathedral and he could hear the legend of an emblematic figure of the city, “Guzmán el Bueno”. That story tells, in broad strokes, that Guzmán el Bueno, Alonso Pérez de Guzmán, defended the city of Tarifa from the siege of the Arabs.

     These had their son imprisoned, and they appeared before the doors of Tarifa to demand the surrender of the city. They showed Guzmán el Bueno’s son and threatened to kill him if the city was not returned to them, and Alonso Pérez de Guzmán himself gave them his knife to kill him with it, because he preferred to lose his son than to hand over Tarifa.

    When this was learned, the swallow informed the happy prince, who gave him the ruby ​​of honesty that was reflected in the historical person, to deposit it on the inhabitants of the city, who since then have been welcoming and trustworthy people.”

     The Swallow, now satisfied with what he had done, left and returned to the Happy Prince. He turns back to him. He sits at the Prince’s feet, he feels tired but feels happy and smiles to the Prince. “I did my job and it’s strange, I don’t feel cold now again.”

     “That is because you did something good today”, The Happy Prince tells him.

    He puts his head under his swing and sleeps. The Prince smiles. He is happy again.

CHAPTER 8 – THE RUBY ​​OF POWER 

     The next day, when the swallow opened his eyes, the statue was staring at him happily this time. He was happy because there was only one ruby left. The Happy Prince is only one step away to be happy forever. The ruby left was the ruby of power. He was keeping the last ruby for the swallow.

    The swallow noticed that the weather was so cold. It started snowing and the city of Braila was getting white every second. The swallow started to cry. While helping The Happy Prince, he missed his chance to fly to Egypt and now it was too late. The little swallow started to cry.

     The Happy Prince asked the swallow why he was crying.

      “I missed my chance to immigrate to south, I will die here in the cold” says the swallow.

    “No, you will not” replies The Happy Prince. “My last ruby is for you, the ruby of power. Because you helped me a lot, you deserve to take this last ruby and have the enough power to fly where ever you want”.

     The swallow was so happy. He grabbed the last ruby from The Happy Prince’s hat, thanked him a lot and fly away.

   With the last ruby used for good, the Happy Prince transformed into human again. The curse was gone. Now it is time for him to go to his hometown to live happily forever.

Voice Actors

Barry LEVERS – Chapter 1,4,7

Jacqueline TRUMBULL – Chapter 2,5,8

Joshua AGUİAR – Chapter 3,6

Writers

Chapter 1 : (T) Mirela Iordache, (S) Raluca Balan,

(S) Bianca Stefania Galbinas

Chapter 2 :(T)Şeyda Foşkanlı

Chapter 3: (T)Burhan Kalakenger

Chapter 4: (T)Çiğdem ŞEKER, (T)Özlem BENLİGİL,

(S)Hilal ŞITTAK, (S)Deniz OK

Chapter 5: (T)Pınar Belligün

Chapter 6: (T)Zuzana Polónyová, (S)Adam Anderko,

(S)Andrea Gehová

Chapter 7: (T) María Aránzazu Martín

Chapter 8 :(T) Eylem Kılıç Sarışın

T: Teacher   ,      S: Student

Drawings,Pictures,Posters

Profile Picture : (S) Denisa Cristiana Dicianu

LOGO: (S)Adrian Crivilescu

Chapter 1: (S)Teodora Stroe, (S)Antofi Eliza,

(S)Mirabela  Goidescu, (S)Cubic Alexandra

Chapter 2: (S)İrem SENYIGIT, (T)Eylem KILIC SARISIN

Chapter 3: (S)Elvan PATOĞLU, (S)Nigar PANOĞLU,(S)Fadime TEKE

T: Teacher   ,      S: Student

Drawings,Pictures,Posters

Chapter 4:(S)İclal Zeynep ÖZTÜRK, (T)Özlem Benligil, (T)Çiğdem ŞEKER,(S)Mercan Nur KARGA,(S)Hilal ŞITTAK

Chapter 5: (T)Pınar BELLİGÜN, (S)Zeynep ÖZDEMİR,

(S)Begüm DURUK,(S)Begüm YILDIRIM

Chapter 6: (S)Alexandra Domonkošová,(S)Michaela Dovalová,(S)Zoja Lengyelová

Chapter 7: (S)Rocío Soto, (S)Nayeli Guamán,

(T) María Aránzazu Martín

Chapter 8:(T) Mirela Iordache, (S)Teodora Stroe

T: Teacher   ,      S: Student