Once upon a time, there was a young man named Thomas. One day, he received a horn from his dying father.
“Son, it won’t be long before I leave this world,” sighed the old man. “Take this horn. If you hold it to your ear, you can hear what other people are thinking.”
A few days later, the old man passed away.
“There’s nothing left for me here,” sighed Thomas. “I think I’ll travel for a while and look for work.”
He took the horn, packed his belongings, and set off. After many days of travel, Thomas arrived at a massive castle. The castle belonged to a giant with long, golden hair. Though Thomas was afraid of the giant, he asked if there was any work for him.
“You can cook my meals,” bellowed the giant.
Thomas unpacked his things and began preparing dinner.
One day, as he went down to the basement to fetch some flour, he heard someone crying. In a dark corner, he found a young girl.
“Who are you?” Thomas asked. “What are you doing down here?”
“I am a princess,” the girl replied. “The giant killed my father, locked me up, and cursed our castle. Will you help me?”
Thomas felt sorry for the girl, but he couldn’t imagine how he could overpower the enormous giant. Then he had an idea.
“Don’t worry,” he said to the crying girl. “I’ll help you.”
Thomas returned to the kitchen. That evening, when he brought dinner to the giant, he took the horn with him. As the giant ate, Thomas held the horn to his ear and listened to the giant’s thoughts.
“I think my cook knows about the princess,” thought the giant. “I’ll eat him for breakfast tomorrow. He must never find out that it’s my long, golden hair that gives me my strength.”
Thomas had no desire to become the giant’s breakfast! That night, he crept into the giant’s bedroom and cut off his long, golden hair.
When the giant woke the next morning, he felt very weak. He saw his golden hair lying on the floor and knew he was now too weak to eat Thomas. In a hurry, he packed his belongings and fled the castle.
As soon as the giant was gone, Thomas went down to the basement and freed the princess. The giant’s curse was lifted, and the castle returned to its former glory. Thomas and the princess fell in love and later got married.
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