Ole Lukøje

There's no one on earth who knows so many stories as Ole Lukoie-he certainly can tell them!

When night comes on and children still sit in good order around the table, or on their little stools, Ole Lukoie arrives.

He comes upstairs quietly, for he walks in his socks.
Softly he opens the door, and flick! he sprinkles sweet milk in the children's eyes-just a tiny bit, but always enough to keep their eyes closed so they won't see him.
He tiptoes behind them and breathes softly on their necks, and this makes their heads hang heavy.
Oh yes!

But it doesn't hurt them, for Ole Lukoie loves children and only wants them to be quiet, and that they are only when they have been put to bed.

He wants them to be quiet so that he can tell them stories.

As soon as the children fall asleep, Ole Lukoie sits down on the bed beside them.
He is well dressed.
His coat is made of silk, but it would be impossible to say what color it is because it gleams red, or green, or blue, as he turns about.

Under each arm he carries an umbrella.
One has pictures on it, and that one he opens up over good children.
Then they dream the most beautiful stories all night long.
The other is just a plain umbrella with nothing on it at all, and that one he opens over naughty children.
Then they sleep restlessly, and when they wake up in the morning they have had no dreams at all.

Now you shall hear how for a whole week Lukoie came every evening to a little boy named Hjalmar, and what he told him.

There are seven of these stories, because there are seven days to a week.

Monday

"Now listen," Ole Lukoie said, as soon as he got Hjalmar to bed that evening.
"First, let's put things to rights."

Then all the flowers in the flower pots grew to be big trees, arching their long branches under the ceiling and along the walls until the room became a beautiful bower.

The limbs were loaded with flowers, each more lovely than any rose, and their fragrance was so sweet that if you wanted to eat it-it was sweeter than jam.

The fruit gleamed like gold, and besides there were dumplings bursting with currants.

It was all so splendid!

Suddenly a dreadful howl came from the table drawer where Hjalmar kept his schoolbooks.