Peter’s Story from Stribor’s Forest One day Peter was sailing across a mysterious fjord. He didn’t know it was a magic place, full of positive and negative surprises according to what people deserved. This place was under a spell that would have been broken only thanks to the kindness of a special person. The boy entered the fog of the fjord and, because of its supernatural powers, fell into a deep sleep.

Suddenly he opened his eyes, frightened of the touch of a slimy creature: an enormous snake with bewitched eyes was on the top of him and was staring at him . ”What a charming creature!” Peter said. The snake thought: ”This foolish boy will marry me and take me with him”. Shortly afterwards the reptile turned into an enchanting girl. Peter liked her although he didn’t know what she had hidden inside her mouth.

Later he introduced the girl to his wise old mother who guessed she was hiding her true identity and might be a snake. Peter couldn’t understand how his mother knew about the girl. Ever since he started to suspect that his mother was a witch and began to hate her.

The snake girl began to live with Peter and his mother The snake girl began to live with Peter and his mother. The girl was spiteful and greedy and she always assigned the old woman dangerous tasks: she had to climb to the top of the mountains to get some snow to wash themselves and to catch fish in a frozen lake for their meals. While the old woman was carrying out the first task, she met a girl who helped her.

Good always triumphs over evil! They returned home and found Peter on the floor hugging the scales that were lying next to him. He was crying bitterly because the snake girl had disappeared. Peter’s mother and the girl looked for her everywhere, but they couldn’t find her. As time went by Peter and the young fell in love and got married. Good always triumphs over evil! M. Finocchio, F. Marcantonio, F. Paolini, F. Sborgia, M. Travaglini – 2^ F