Page in english

Once upon a time there were twenty-five lead soldiers, all brothers, since they had been melted from the same old spoon. They carried the rifle on their shoulders and looked straight ahead; the uniform was beautiful, red and blue. The first word they heard as soon as the lid of the box containing them was lifted was “Lead soldiers!” A boy spoke it, clapping his hands. They were her birthday present, and she lined them up on the table. They were all exactly the same, except one, who was a little different from the others: he was missing a leg, since the last one had been melted, and the lead was not enough. But with one leg, he held himself as firmly as the others with two, and we are precisely going to talk about him here.

On the table where they were placed were many other toys, and among them was a beautiful paper castle, whose windows saw the interior rooms. In front, small trees surrounded a mirror that looked like a lake, in which wax swans floated and reflected. Everything was extremely exquisite, but the most beautiful thing was a little girl who was at the door of the castle. On paper, too, she wore a beautiful dress and a narrow blue sash on her shoulders, like a sash, with a glittering tinsel star in the center, as big as her face. The girl had her arms outstretched, because she was a dancer, and a leg raised, so much so that the lead soldier, not reaching to discover it, ended up believing that he only had one, like him.