On the top of a small hill stood a windmill. It looked tall and special. The windmill was quite proud of itself and thought it was very different from the other buildings.
“Actually, I’m not proud,” said the windmill. “But I do think I’m a little special. I’m clean and bright on the outside and on the inside. The sun shines on me, and the moon shines on me.I also have all kinds of lights: mixed candles, whale oil lamps, butter lamps… In short, I am always bright.“
”I’m not just good-looking, I’m also very ‘intelligent’,“ the windmill continued. ”My body is well-structured and comfortable to look at. I have a millstone in my belly that can be used to grind things. I also have four wings that grow on my head, just below my hat.”
“Did you know that ordinary birds only have two wings, and they’re on their backs? I have four, and they’re on top of my head. Isn’t that amazing?”
“I am a Dutch windmill, and you can tell by my appearance. People often say that ‘flying Dutchmen’ are mysterious and strange creatures. But I’m not like that. I’m normal and natural.”
“There is a corridor in the middle of my body, and there is a small room underneath. That is where my ‘brain’ is. I have many thoughts there. One of those thoughts is the strongest, and everyone calls it the ‘mill master’. He knows what his job is, and he is responsible for grinding wheat into flour.”
“The ‘mill master’ also has a companion, whom everyone calls ‘mother’. She is my heart.She is not stupid, nor does she act recklessly. She knows what she wants and how to get it. She is as gentle as a breeze and as powerful as a storm.“
”She knows how to deal with problems and always achieves her goals. She is my soft side, while ‘Dad’ is my strong side. Although they have different personalities, they live together very well. They call each other ‘old partner.’”
At this point, the windmill’s tone became more serious: “These two adults also have a child, ‘Little Thought’. These little ones are always making noise. Recently, I feel like something is wrong with my body. I want them to check the millstone and the wheel for me.”
“A person should also reflect on themselves often to see where they are doing wrong.But these little guys are too noisy, making a racket in my head all day long. As a windmill standing on top of a mountain, I really don’t feel very dignified. After all, in the sunlight, all my problems are exposed.“
”Sometimes these little thoughts run to the top of my head and shout and scream. I know they will grow up someday. But right now, they are still too naughty.”
“Besides the thoughts in my own home, there are also some foreign little thoughts that come to play with me. They’re not part of our family and don’t have much in common with me. Those houses without wings—you can’t hear their voices—also have thoughts. They come to see me and even fall in love with my thoughts.”
“Does that sound a little strange? But that’s how the world is; all kinds of things happen.”
The windmill paused, as if recalling something: “Recently, I’ve noticed some changes in my body. The grinding stones aren’t as smooth as they used to be. I feel like ‘Dad’ has a new wife, a new partner who is gentler and more energetic than the previous one.”
“But she’s still the same person. It’s just that time has made her more mature and lovable. Some of her previous worries are gone, and everything has become easy and enjoyable.”
Day after day passed, and new days came. “Every day is a little better than the day before,” said the windmill, “until one day, it seems like everything is coming to an end.”
“At that time, I thought I was finished, completely finished. But then I realized that I wasn’t really ending, but becoming a new and better windmill. I would be dismantled and rebuilt. Although I would no longer be the same as before, I would still continue to exist.”
“I hope I can keep my family: ‘Dad,’ ‘Mom,‘ and ‘the children,’ which are all my thoughts. I call them ‘family members’ because without them, I wouldn’t be me.”
“I also hope to keep my millstone, my wings, and my corridor. Otherwise, others won’t recognize me, and I won’t know who I am either. Otherwise, people will say, ‘There’s a windmill on the hill. It looks pretty cool, but it’s nothing special.’”
These were the words of the windmill. It said more, but this was the most important part.
Day after day passed, and finally the day came.
That night, the windmill suddenly caught fire. The flames shot high into the sky, burning its beams and planks. Soon, the entire windmill was engulfed in flames. Finally, it collapsed, leaving only a pile of ashes.
After the fire died down, all that remained was a pile of smoking ruins on the ground. The wind blew, scattering the smoke.
But do you know what? The ideas that once existed in the windmill did not disappear with the fire. On the contrary, this event gave them a new opportunity.
The windmill’s owners—although they were just different parts of a soul, they were like a complete family—decided to rebuild the windmill.
They built a brand new, more beautiful windmill. The new windmill was exactly the same as the old one and functioned in much the same way. Only this time, they used better materials and updated equipment.
When people passed by the mountain, they would say, “Wow, that windmill on the mountain looks really nice!”
The new windmill was more modern and advanced than the old one. After all, times were changing. The wood of the old windmill had long been eaten by insects and damaged by rain. Now it had turned to dust.
The windmill had thought it would be rebuilt using its original body. But it didn’t realize that it was actually continuing to live in a new form.
It understood: Not everything needs to be taken literally. Many things in the world cannot be judged by their appearance alone.
Of course! Based on the rewritten content of Andersen’s fairy tale “The Windmill” you provided earlier, I will add the sixth point, “The truth behind the story,” and the seventh point, “What we can learn.” These two parts will further deepen the meaning of the article, making it more educational and thought-provoking, and more suitable for SEO content optimization, blog posts, or children’s education websites.
The truth behind the story
Although this is a story about a windmill, its true protagonist is not the large rotating structure, but the “thoughts” within it.
The windmill is using personification to tell us that everyone has their own inner world. This inner world is like the “family members” inside the windmill, including our reason (father), emotions (mother), and those active little thoughts (children). These thoughts are sometimes quiet and sometimes noisy, but together they make up who we are.
The windmill caught fire, which looked like destruction, but it was actually a rebirth. It was dismantled to build a better new windmill. This is like when we encounter setbacks in life, such as failure, pain, or loss, which seem like the end, but are actually a new beginning.
In the end, the windmill realized that it would not disappear because of a change in appearance. As long as its core remains, as long as those important ideas remain, it will still exist.This “constancy amid change” is the essence of growth.
So, the true meaning of the story is:
Even if the form changes, as long as the heart remains, we are still alive.
This is why people often say, “Out with the old, in with the new.” Sometimes, we must experience loss in order to welcome new life.
What can we learn from this?
Although this story is simple, it teaches us many life lessons. Here are a few important points we can learn from it:
① The heart is more important than the appearance
The windmill’s greatest pride was not its tall appearance, but its inner thoughts and family. This tells us that a person’s value does not lie in how well-dressed they are or how luxurious their home is, but in whether they have a rich inner life, love, a sense of responsibility, and dreams.
② Family and relationships are important
The windmill has a “father,” “mother,” and “child” who live and work together. This symbolizes a happy family. Whether it is a windmill or a person, only by having good interpersonal relationships can one live a more fulfilling and powerful life.
③ Failure is not scary; what is important is to grow from it
The windmill caught fire, which was a disaster.But it is precisely this fire that gives it the opportunity to become a newer and better windmill. In life, we will also encounter various difficulties and setbacks, but as long as we don’t give up, we will find new hope.
④ Change is not the end, but a new beginning
The windmill was dismantled, but it did not disappear; it continues to exist in another form. This shows that change is not scary; what is scary is refusing to change. Only those who refuse to progress will truly be eliminated.
⑤ Don’t just look at the surface, learn to think about the underlying meaning
At first, the windmill thought it would “come back to life” in its original form, but later it realized that some things cannot be understood literally. Reality is often more complex and meaningful than we imagine. We must learn to ask ‘why’ instead of just looking at “what.”
⑥ The meaning of life lies in continuity and inheritance
The core idea of the windmill—its “family members”—did not disappear with the fire, but was instead continued. This is like each of us: although our bodies will eventually grow old, our thoughts, values, and love can be passed down from generation to generation.
Summary
This is a story about growth, change, and rebirth. Although the windmill was burned down, it did not truly disappear. It was reborn through reconstruction, becoming more modern and practical.
The story teaches us that even if we lose our original form, as long as our core remains, we can still continue to exist. Just like the “ideas” within the windmill, they were not destroyed by the fire but found new life in a new environment.
At the same time, this story reminds us not to judge by appearances but to learn to think about the deeper meaning behind things. Many things in life cannot be understood merely by their surface meaning; we must learn to feel and experience them with our hearts.
