Story: A Terra da Chuva Eterna (The Land of Eternal Rain)

Language Brazilian Portuguese – A story for learners of Brazilian Portuguese who speak English
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Anos atrás, em uma pequena cidade, havia uma bruxa. A bruxa fazia chover todo dia. Na primavera, no verão, outono e inverno: chuva, chuva, chuva, neve.

Years ago, in a small town, there was a witch. The witch made it rain every day. In spring, summer, autumn and winter: rain, rain, rain, snow.

Um dia, uma órfã chamada Beatriz foi até a prefeitura. Era um prédio grande e bonito. Ela foi construída quando Beatriz era bebê.

One day, an orphan called Beatrice went to the Town Hall. It was a large, beautiful building. It was built when Beatrice was a baby.

Beatriz disse: “Quero encontrar a bruxa. Ela tem que parar a chuva.”

Beatrice said: “I want to find the witch. She has to stop the rain.”

Havia sete homens na frente dela. Eles eram os líderes da cidade.

There were seven men in front of her. They were the leaders of the town.

“Vai brincar lá fora,” disse o homem mais velho.

“Go and play outside,” said the oldest man.

“Está muito molhado,” disse Beatriz.

“It’s too wet,” said Beatrice.

“Então fique no lado de dentro,” disse o homem velho.

“Then stay inside,” said the old man.

“Quero ajudar a cidade.”

“I want to help the town.”

O homem velho riu. “Você não pode ajudar. Chove por causa de uma bruxa malvada. Tentamos matá-la. Nós falhamos, e somos homens. Você é uma garotinha.”

The old man laughed. “You can’t help. It rains because of an evil witch. We tried to kill her. We failed – and we are men. You are a little girl.”

As pedras estavam molhadas. Era difícil subir a montanha. Beatriz subiu por horas. No topo, não estava chovendo. Estava escuro agora, mas ela viu o castelo da bruxa.

The rocks were wet. It was difficult to climb up the mountain. Beatrice climbed for hours. At the top, it wasn’t raining. It was dark now, but she saw the witch’s castle.

Ela bateu à porta. A bruxa abriu a porta.

She knocked on the door. The witch opened the door.

“Entre, está frio aí fora!” disse a bruxa.

“Come in, it’s cold outside!” said the witch.

Beatriz entrou. Havia uma lareira. O castelo era quente e aconchegante. A bruxa deu a ela uma xícara de chá e alguns bolinhos quentes. Beatriz agradeceu.

Beatrice went inside. There was a fire. The castle was warm and cosy. The witch gave her a cup of tea and some hot cakes. Beatrice said thank you.

Quando Beatriz estava seca, ela disse, “Por favor, pare a chuva.”

When Beatrice was dry, she said, “Please stop the rain.”

“Você sabe por que eu fiz chover?” perguntou a bruxa.

“Do you know why I made it rain?” asked the witch.

“Disseram que você é má.”

“They said you are evil.”

A bruxa riu.

The witch laughed.

“Anos atrás, as bruxas viviam na cidade com as pessoas, você sabia disso?”

“Years ago, witches lived in the town with the people, did you know that?”

“Não.”

“No.”

“Todos gostavam de nós. A gente usava nossa magia para ajudar a cidade. Mas um dia, as pessoas começaram a dizer que a magia era do mal. De repente, ninguém mais gostava de nós.

“Everyone liked us. We used our magic to help the town. But one day, people started to say that magic was evil. Suddenly, no one liked us.

“Eles disseram para a gente ir para a prefeitura. Eu não fui. Mas as outras bruxas foram para lá. Elas entraram. A prefeitura estava vazia. As pessoas fecharam as portas e botaram fogo no prédio.

“They told us to go to the Town Hall. I didn’t go. But the other witches went there. They went inside. The Town Hall was empty. The people shut the doors, and set fire to the building.

“Eu usei magia para fazer chover. Mas ela estava muito devagar. O fogo queimou a prefeitura. Não sobrou nada.”

“I used magic to make it rain. But it was too slow. The fire burned the Town Hall. There was nothing left.”

A bruxa olhou para Beatriz.

The witch looked at Beatrice.

“Desculpe, querida. Você está chateada.”

“I’m sorry, dear. You are upset.”

“Estou bem,” disse Beatriz. Ela estava chorando.

“I’m fine,” said Beatrice. She was crying.

“Por favor, não chore, querida. Quero te ajudar. Vou fazer qualquer coisa que você pedir.”

“Please don’t cry, my dear. I want to help you. I’ll do anything you ask.”

“Posso ficar com você?” Beatriz perguntou. “E, por favor, não pare a chuva.”

“Can I stay with you?” Beatrice asked. “And, please, don’t stop the rain.”

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