Like all other stories, this one too begins with… once upon a time, there was a strong young, woman called Dete. As she was walking to her home town, Dorfli, holding by the hand a 5 year-old girl with rosey cheeks, she suddenly heard a voice:

– Where are you taking this child, Dete?

– I’m taking her to the Uncle’s house, she’s my sister’s orphan child.

– What are you saying? You can’t take her to the old grumpy man, up the mountain. You know that everybody is afraid of him!

– I’m sorry, he’s the girl’s grandfather and I must take her to him. I’ve taken care of her for as long as I could, but now I’ve been offered a good job and I can’t turn it down.

 And so started Heidi’s adventure, living with „the uncle from the mountain”, an old man whom everybody thought strange, living alone with his two goats. His cottage was downwind and always sun-kissed and behind it were three big fir trees. When Heidi got there, her grandfather was sitting on a bench, smoking his pipe, gazing peacefully down into the valley.

– Why did you bring her here? What am I to do if she gets bored or starts crying?

– Now it’s your turn to take care of her, I’ve done my duty for more than 4 years.

– Good day, grandpa! Where will I sleep?

– Wherever you please!
Heidi chose a comfortable nook in the attick, which overlooked the entire valley.

– You can drink this warm milk and eat this bread with some cheese, said the old man, staring at the girl sitting at his table.
A new adventure had begun for both of them.
What’s more, the old man built a chair just for her and introduced her to the two goats: Little Swan and Little Bear.

 Life was so beautiful, but time passed so quickly! On her long walks, Heidi befriended the goatherd, Peter, an 11 year-old boy, who took the goats grazing. He lived with his mother and his blind grandmother in a run-down cottage and roamed the fields with his new friend.

– Take good care of her, Peter. Make sure she doesn’t fall off the cliffs.

– Grandpa, asked Heidi one evening, why do people say such horrible things about you?

– Do you want to know why? Because people are mean, they always talk behind the others’ backs and they always quarrel. Here, up the mountains, I have found my peace.

 As time passed, Heidi learnt a great deal of things from Peter. He went to school, he could read and write and the little girl wanted to know everything about that place called… school. Still, Heidi’s grandfather wouldn’t send her to school, but made another one of her wishes come true: he helped Peter’s mother and grandmother fix their cottage and even agreed to come visit from time to time.

 After a few years, an unexpected guest came knocking on their door. It was aunt Dete, who had come to take the girl with her, to a beautiful house in Frankfurt, where she would live with a rich family.

– I won’t go with you!

– Get dressed, hurry, we don’t have time to waste!

 And so Heidi came to live with the Sesemanns, where she met Clara, a girl who spent all of her days in a wheelchair and who was in great need of a friend.

 Understanding she wasn’t coming back any time soon, Heidi started dreaming of the day she would escape the fancy house, which now felt like a cage. In time, due in part to her governess’ strict behaviour, but also because she missed her grandfather so, Heidi fell ill. With the help of the Sesemanns’ doctor, she was sent back to the mountains.

– My biggest wish has come true, grandpa! I get to see the sun set, the mountains, the cliffs, you, Peter, his grandmother. Now I know how to read and I can read to you every night if you so wish.

 In the mean time, Clara’s health was getting worse and the doctor decided that a trip to Switzerland, to visit her friend, would do her good. Still, after thinking about it long and hard, the doctor and Clara’s father decided that such a long journey to the cold mountains could be dangerous, so the only person who would embark on the trip was the doctor himself.

– I promise that, come spring time, Clara will come here too and she will get to see these beautiful lands with her own eyes. Until then, she has sent each of you a gift: tabacco for your pipe, a warm scarf, tea, cookies and more sweets.

 And so she did. After a cold winter, Clara sent Heidi a letter and told her she was coming to visit, but this made Peter jealous. Clara seemed an unknown enemy, especially as she could take Heidi way from him again.

– If it were up to me, I’d never leave, said Clara looking outside, enjoying the cheese and the bread. I’m so happy to be here!

– You can leave Clara here for a while, the old man told Clara’s parents. She will get better here – the fresh air will help.

 And so young Clara was left with her friend, having a great time. Peter however was getting angrier and angrier, and, one day, when nobody was looking, he pushed Clara’s chair down the hill.

– Oh, no, this is terrible! Now that the chair is ruined, I will have to go back home!

– Worry not, child, we’ll go on a walk even without the chair. Look, we’ll make a chair out
of these blankets, said the old man, glaring at Peter.

– Clara, you must see these flowers! Peter, help me get her up!.

 To make things easier, Clara pushed herself up and, to everyone’s surprise, took a few
steps.

 Clara’s father was amazed when he got to the cottage and saw his daughter walking on her own two legs, beaming with joy. In return, before taking Clara back to Frankfurt, mister Sesemann asked each of them how he could repay them, and Clara promised to send the goats as much salt as they wanted.

– Farewell, girl of the mountais, said Clara, waving to Heidi. I hope to see you soon!