INTRODUCTION

Do you remember Ma Liang? She lives in China.
China is the biggest country in Asia.
Ma Liang lives in a little village but she wants to travel around the world.
Can you help her?

If you want to read the story again, go ahead!

Ma Liang´s magic brush

Ma Liang is a Chinese girl and she loves drawing but she is very poor and she hasn´t got a brush. Ma Liang draws her pictures on the ground. She draws with a stick.
One day she closes her eyes and she says three times, ´I want a brush! I want a brush! I want a brush! ´

Ma Liang opens her eyes and there, in front of her, is an old man. He has got a long white beard and he is holding a brush.
The old man says, ´This brush is for you! ´
´For me? ´
´Yes, it´s for you. Take it! It´s yours! ´
´It´s mine?´
Yes, it´s yours! It´s for you!´
Ma Liang takes the brush and she looks at it. It is a beautiful brush. She wants to say ¨Thank you¨ But the old man isn´t there! Ma Liang looks in front of her, he isn´t there. She looks to the right; he isn´t there; she looks to the left; he isn´t there. She looks behind her; he isn´t there.

Ma Liang finds a piece of paper. Wat can I draw?”
Then she sees a hen and she draws a hen.
¨Here´s its head. Here´s its bright eye. Here´s its proud neck. Here´s its strong body. And here are its long tail feathers.¨
Suddenly the picture begins to move. The hen is standing up on the paper! It is a real hen! Then it jumps off the paper and it looks at her.
Wonderful. It´s a magic brush!
Then Ma Liang picks up the hen and goes to a little house. Then woman in the house is very poor. She hasn´t got any hens. Ma Liang says,
¨This hen is for you¨
¨For me?¨
¨Yes, it´s for you. Take it it´s yours.¨
¨It´s mine? ¨
¨Yes, it´s yours. It´s for you. ¨
The hen lays an egg. The poor old woman is very happy!.

Then Ma Liang sees a farmer. He is trying to pull a plough in his field.
Ma Laing draws a cow: a big strong cow.
¨Here´s its small head and big gentle eye. Here´s its short, strong neck and its long, strong body. Here are its short, strong legs.¨
Suddenly, the cow begins to move. It stands up on the paper and then t jumps on the ground and it begins to grow, bigger and bigger and bigger. Ma Liang takes the cow to the farmer.
¨This cow is for you. ¨
¨For me?¨
¨Yes it´s for you. Take it it´s yours.¨
¨It´s mine? ¨
¨Yes, it´s yours. It´s for you. ¨
The cow pulls the plough. The farmer is very happy.
Everybody in the village knows Ma Liang. She draws things for all the poor people.

One day two soldiers come to the village. ¨Where is Ma Liang? ¨The people in the village say:¨ ¨She´s there! That´s Ma Liang! She is our wonderful girl!¨
¨Are you Ma Liang?¨
¨Yes¨
¨The king wants you. Come with us. ¨
¨Why? ¨
¨The King wants a picture. ´
¨No, I won´t come! I won´t draw a picture for the King. He has got a palace, and soldiers, farms and horses, and a lot of money! No, I won´t come.¨
The two soldiers take Ma Liang to the king. The king is in the garden.
¨Are you Ma Liang?¨
¨Yes.¨
¨Have you got a brush?¨
¨Yes.¨
¨Draw me a tree. Draw a tree for me! Draw me a tree, full of golden coins!¨
¨No, no, I won´t draw a tree! I won´t draw a tree full of golden coins.¨
¨Put her in prison. ¨

Ma Liang is in prison. What can she do?
Ma Liang draws a key, a big key for the door of the prison. She puts the key in the lock. She turns the key. She opens the door. She looks into the corridor. She sees some soldiers. She walks slowly and quietly down the corridor. Suddenly, the soldiers see her! Hey! You¡ Stop! Come back! Hey You! Stop! Come back!¨
Ma Liang begins to run. The soldiers begin to run. What can she do?
Ma Liang draws a horse! She jumps on the horse and the horse begins to run. The soldiers and the king jump on their horses and they begin to run!
Ma Liang´s horse is very fast. But the King and the soldiers get nearer and nearer and nearer.
What can Ma Liang do?

Ma Liang draws a hole! She throws the hole on the ground behind her. The hole grows bigger and bigger. The king and all the soldiers and their horses run into the hole!