Meeting Mrs. Gray

Meeting Mrs. Gray

Winter arrived. All the flowers had died and the wind blew cold. Thumbelina wore a coat made of leaves until it fell apart. She could not keep herself warm and she had no food. “ Where is everybody?” Thumbelina asked out loud. “ Does everyone have a home but me?”

One morning Thumbelina woke up in a dried-up corn field. Big snowflakes fell around her. “ I need to find shelter, ” she said, looking in every direction. Just then Thumbelina saw a dark hole by a corn husk. “ That looks like a good place to sleep, ” she said. “ I’ll just curl up inside for a while. ”

Thumbelina walked over to the hole and peeked in. “ Why, there’s a door here! ” she exclaimed. As she started to knock, the door opened. “ Goodness me! ” a mouse cried. “ You look half frozen. Come inside at once. ”

Thankfully, Thumbelina took one step forward. “ Wait! Wipe your feet first, ” said the mouse. She pointed to a mat on the floor. When Thumbelina finally got inside, the house was warm and cozy. It was very clean too. “ I’m Thumbelina, ” she said. “ You have a lovely home. ”

“ I know. I’m Mrs. Gray. Now wait here. I’ll bring you something to eat. ” Thumbelina sat on a chair and fell asleep right away. When she woke up, Mrs. Gray fed her. Then Thumbelina fell asleep again. She was very weak. “ Poor little thing, ” said Mrs. Gray. “ I’ll take good care of you. ”