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Tale Summary

There once lived a tiny elf, so small that human eyes could not see him, in the middle of a garden in the petals of a rose bush. One night, the sprite was out exploring too late, and by the time he arrived home the rose petals had closed. He flew across the garden, intending to find refuge in a honeysuckle bush, but on the way found a young couple. He learns that the man had to leave her because of her wicked brother, and saw the woman pass him a beautiful rose which opened under her kisses. The little elf dove in and hid among the petals while the man walked away in sorrow. During this walk, the girl's evil brother appeared and stabbed the man in the back and cut off his head. He buried him on the spot. The little elf landed on a linden tree leaf, which floated down to be atop the evil man's head, and rode upon him back to a palace where him and his sister lived.The elf went into her room, and whispered in her ear what had happened to her love, and as proof, laid the leaf on her sheets. She was devastated when she awoke, and when darkness again fell, she stole away from the house and found his body. She took with her his head and a little spray of a jasmine tree that was flowering nearby. She planted them both in a pot, and as time went on, the jasmine grew and bloomed. One night, after the girl had been growing paler and paler with grief, the elf crept into her ear and whispered to her about that night in the arbor, giving her sweet dreams. She passed away in her sleep and her wicked brother took the beautiful plant for himself. The little elf went with it and found that there were little sprites living in each of the flowers. He told them about what the man had done, although they already knew. He then flew to the bees outside and told them the same tale, and the queen decided that they would kill him for his crimes. That night, every flower opened and out came the tiny sprites with poison spears. Some sat by his ear and gave him terrible dreams, and others flew over his mouth and pierced his tongue with poison darts. When morning came and the bees swarmed in, the man was already dead. People stood around his body and proclaimed that the sweet smell of the jasmine must have killed him. The bees swarmed around the flower pot, and stung the hand of a man who had picked it up. The pot fell and broke, and all saw the white skull inside, and knew the man must have been a murderer.

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