The little Tin Soldier

Once there was a boy who had many toys. He kept them all in his room and during the day he spent hours and hours happily playing with them.

One of his favorite games was to make war with his lead soldiers. He put them in front of each other, and began the battle. When they were given away, he realized that one of them lacked a leg because of a casting defect.

However, while playing, he always placed the mutilated soldier in the front line, in front of everyone, inciting him to be the most brave. But the child did not know that their toys came to life during the night and talked among themselves, and sometimes, by placing the soldiers neatly, he inadvertently stuck the mutilated soldier among the other toys.

And so it was that one day the soldier could meet a gentle dancer, also of lead. Between the two a current of sympathy was established and, little by little, almost without realizing it, the little soldier fell in love with her. The nights passed quickly, one after the other, and the little soldier in love could never find the time to declare his love. When the boy left him in the midst of the other soldiers during a battle, he longed for the dancer to realize his value at night, when she told him if he had been afraid, he would respond vehemently than not.

But the insistent eyes and sighs of the little soldier did not go unnoticed by the little devil who was locked in a box of surprises. Whenever, by magic, the box opened at midnight, a warning finger pointed to the poor little soldier.

Finally, one night, the devil exploded.

"Hey, you! Stop looking at the dancer!"

The poor little soldier blushed, but the dancer, very kind, comforted him:

"Do not listen to him, he's an envious one. I'm very happy to talk to you.

And he said it blushing.

Poor statues of lead, so timid that they dared not confess their mutual love!

But one day they were separated, when the boy placed the little soldier on the window sill.

But the insistent eyes and sighs of the little soldier did not go unnoticed by the little devil who was locked in a box of surprises. Whenever, by magic, the box opened at midnight, a warning finger pointed to the poor little soldier.

Finally, one night, the devil exploded.

"Hey, you! Stop looking at the dancer!"

The poor little soldier blushed, but the dancer, very kind, comforted him:

"Do not listen to him, he's an envious one. I'm very happy to talk to you.

And he said it blushing.

Poor statues of lead, so timid that they dared not confess their mutual love!

 But one day they were separated, when the boy placed the little soldier on the window sill.

Enormous rats, teeth gnashing, watched as the unusual sailor passed before them on top of the dingy little boat. But it took more than wretched rats to frighten him, who had faced so many dangers in his battles!

The gutter flowed into the river, and to him came the boat, which in the end capsized without help, driven by turbulent eddies.

After the shipwreck, the leaded soldier believed that his end was near when sinking in the depths of the water. Thousands of thoughts crossed his mind, but above all, there was one that distressed him more than any other: it was never to see his ballet dancer again ...

Suddenly, an immense mouth swallowed him to change his destiny. The little soldier found himself in the dark stomach of an enormous fish, which voraciously flung himself upon him, attracted by the bright colors of his uniform.

However, the fish did not have time to indigestion with such heavy food, since it was caught a short time in the net that a fisherman had tended in the river.
Shortly afterwards he ended up dying in a shopping cart along with other fish as unfortunate as he. It turns out that the cook of the house in which the soldier had been, approached the market to buy fish.
"This specimen seems appropriate for the guests tonight," the woman said, staring at the fish on a counter.
The fish ended up in the kitchen, and when the cook opened it to clean it, she found herself surprised with the soldier in her hands.
"But he is one of the soldiers of ...!" He shouted, and went to the boy to tell him where and how he had found his little soldier with a missing leg.
"Yes, it's mine!" Exclaimed the boy jubilantly, recognizing the mutilated soldier he had lost.
"Who knows how it got to the belly of this fish!" Poor thing, how many adventures he has gone through since he fell from the window! "And he placed it on the mantel where his little sister had placed the dancer.
A miracle had brought the two lovers back together. Happy to be together again, during the night they told each other what had happened since their separation.
But destiny reserved for them another malevolent surprise: a gale lifted the curtain from the window and, striking the dancer, made her fall into the hearth.
The leaded soldier, frightened, watched as his companion fell. He knew the fire was on because he felt the heat. Desperate, he felt helpless to save her.
What a great enemy is the fire that can melt a few lead figurines like us! Swinging with his only leg, he tried to move the pedestal that supported him. After some effort, he finally fell into the fire. Together this time, they were close to each other, so close that the lead of their little feet, licked by the flames, began to melt.
The lead of one's base mingled with that of the other, and the metal surprisingly acquired the shape of the heart.
His little bodies were about to merge, when the child came to pass. Seeing the two statues in the flames, he pushed them away from the fire. Since then, the soldier and the dancer were always together, just as destiny had united them: on a single base in the form of a heart.

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1. Original German story name.

2. Year it was published

3. What number is in Andersen's collection of stories.