HIGH above the city, on a tall column, stood the statue of the Happy Prince. He was gilded all over with thin leaves of fine gold, for eyes he had two bright sapphires, and a large red ruby glowed on

his sword-hilt.

Mum! I want The moon!

Why can't you be like the Happy Prince ?He never cries for anything

He looks like an angel!

How do you know?You’ve never seen

one! Ah! But I have, in my dreams

When he saw the statue of the prince…

It seems a nice place to sleep

I’ll have a Golden bed

And saying that, he prepared to sleep in the foot of the statue

What a strange thing!!!There’s no single cloud in the

sky, but I can feel the rain

When he put his head up, he saw that the statue of the

Happy Prince was crying.

Why are you crying Happy

Prince?

When I was alive and had a human heart, I was always happy because I livedIn a place where sorrow is not allowed to enter. I played and danced all day long,and I Never got worried of what happened beyond my castle. Everyone called me “The Happy Prince because I lived and died so happily…

… but now I can see all the poverty, ugliness and misery of the world, and Despite my hearth is made of lead, I can’t help feeling sad…

Why don’t you help me?

I have to leave to Egypt!!

Please little Swarrow! In this same street there is a boy… he is ill but his mother can’t buy medicines!! He is thisty… my feet are fastened and I

can’t go… if you only…

I don’t like children! They throw stones to

me

Stay with me and be my messenger

And so did the little Swallow.

He took the rouby from the sword and helped the ill boy.

And day after day, night after night the little Swallow helped all the poor people in the city With the gold and gems from the Prince’s statue

And Even though it was getting colder and colder he stayed with his friend, because the day that he took the gems from his eyes he promised to be with him forever

One cold winter night, when there was no gold or gems left in the Prince’s statue, the little Swallow lied in the feet of his friend and died.

The following morning, all the wisemen ofThe city decided to put out the Prince’s Statue as it was ugly and old…

… and melt the iron to make a newStatue…

They threw the Swallow away…

But the hearth of the Prince couldn’t bemelted by the fire…

And it was thrown awayWith the Swallow…

One day, God asked to one of His Angels to bring to him the two nicest

things in the Earth

The angel bring him thehearth of the Prince andthe Swallow’s body

And God say:

You have rightly chosen for in my garden of Paradise this little bird shall sing for evermore, and in my city of gold the Happy Prince shall praise me

• Elena Moreno Fuentes

• Carlos Sanchez Garrido

• Luisa María Palacios Maroto