Heidi
by johanna spyri

when heidi opened her eyes on her first morning in frankfurt, she could not think where she was. she was sitting up in a high white bed, on one side of a large, wide room, into which the light was falling through very, very long white curtains. soon she remembered that she was in frankfurt. heidi jumped out of bed; then she ran first to one window and then another; she wanted to see the sky and country outside; she felt like a bird in a cage behind those great curtains. but they were too heavy for her to put aside.

as a bird, when it first finds itself in its bright new cage, darts hither and thither, trying the bars in turn to see if it cannot get through them and fly again into the open, so heidi continued to run backwards and forwards, trying to open first one and then the other of the windows. but the windows remained immovable, try what heidi would to open them, even endeavoring to push her little fingers under them to lift them up; but it was all no use.

at that moment a knock came to the door, and immediately after, tinette put her head inside and said, "breakfast is ready." heidi had no idea what an invitation so worded meant, but soon caught on that she was to go to the kitchen. there, she found clara, who had been some time at the breakfast table and gave heidi a kindly greeting. her face looking considerably more cheerful than usual, for she looked forward to all kinds of new things happening again that day.

as soon as the children were alone, heidi asked, "how can one see out from here, and look right down on to the ground? "

"you must open the window and look out," replied clara amused.

"but the windows won't open," responded heidi sadly.

"yes, they will," clara assured her. "you cannot open them, nor i either, but when you see sebastian, you can ask him to open one."

it was a great relief to heidi to know that the windows could be opened and that one could look out, for she still felt as if she was shut up in prison. clara now began to ask her questions about her home, and heidi was delighted to tell her all about the mountain and the goats, and the flowery meadows which were so dear to her.
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