📝 Description
Characters & Their Appearance
👧 Elisa – A kind-hearted girl with golden hair and gentle green eyes. She wears a simple dress of soft blue and a crown of wildflowers.
🦢 Eleven Brothers / Swans – Handsome young princes with kind faces. When transformed, they become majestic white swans with bright eyes and golden crowns on their heads.
👑 Evil Stepmother – A tall, cold-looking woman with dark robes and sharp features. She has piercing eyes and carries a staff of twisted wood.
🧵 Old Forest Woman – A wise, wrinkled woman in a mossy cloak with a basket of herbs. Her eyes sparkle with ancient knowledge.
🔥 King – A noble man with a regal beard and a kind yet firm expression. He wears a red cloak and a jeweled crown.
📜 Script
Narrator:
Once upon a time, a king had twelve children—eleven boys and one girl named Elisa 👧. They lived happily until the king remarried a woman with a heart as cold as ice 👑.
👑 Stepmother: “These children are in my way!”
Narrator:
With dark magic, the stepmother turned the eleven princes into wild swans 🦢. They flew far away, leaving Elisa behind.
The stepmother sent Elisa to a faraway village, where she grew up lonely but strong. One day, she dreamed of her brothers and decided to find them.
Narrator:
After a long journey, Elisa reached a deep forest. There, the wild swans flew down and transformed into her brothers at sunset.
🧵 Forest Woman: “To break the curse, you must weave eleven shirts from nettles and never speak a word until you are finished—even if it takes years.”
👧 Elisa (nodding): “I will do it, no matter how painful.”
Narrator:
Elisa began gathering the stinging nettles with bare hands. Her fingers bled, but she worked in silence, day and night.
One day, a king riding through the forest found Elisa and brought her to his castle. She could not speak to explain herself. The people whispered:
🗣️ Townsfolk: “She must be a witch! Look at her strange clothes and silence!”
Narrator:
Still, Elisa stayed quiet and kept sewing the shirts. The king grew to love her, but his counselors were suspicious.
Finally, Elisa was accused of witchcraft and sentenced to burn. As the firewood was stacked, the eleven swans flew down from the sky.
Narrator:
Just as the flames were about to rise, Elisa threw the shirts onto her brothers. They transformed back into princes—except the youngest, who still had one swan wing.
👧 Elisa (finally speaking): “They are my brothers. I broke the curse with love and silence.”
Narrator:
The truth was revealed. Elisa married the king, and her brothers were free forever 🕊️❤️.
📚 Vocabulary
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Nettles – a stinging plant that causes pain when touched.
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Curse – a magical spell that causes harm.
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Witchcraft – magical acts often viewed as evil.
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Sentence – a punishment given by law.
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Transform – to change in form or appearance.
💬 Useful Expressions
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“Her fingers bled, but she worked in silence.” – She suffered but stayed determined.
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“She must be a witch!” – An accusation based on fear and misunderstanding.
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“I broke the curse with love and silence.” – Love and patience defeated the magic.
❓ Comprehension Questions
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What did the evil stepmother do to Elisa’s brothers?
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How could the curse be broken?
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Why couldn’t Elisa speak during her task?
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How did people react to Elisa’s silence and strange clothes?
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What happened when Elisa threw the shirts onto her brothers?