By Andrew Lang
ReadOasis Step 2
(Part 1)

Once upon a time there lived a farmer called Ivan. His wife’s name was Marie. They were very happy together. But there was one thing they were missing. They had no children. They used to like watching their neighbors’ children. But now they were old, and they wished they had their own child.

One winter, the snow was very deep. It came up to the knees of even the tallest man. When the snow stopped falling, the sun started shining again. The children ran ...