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| These stories provided by children's author Rick Walton's Online Library. |
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Puddocky |
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THERE WAS ONCE UPON a time a poor woman who had an only daughter called `Parsley.' This beautiful child could eat hardly anything except parsley. So her mother went every night to the garden of an old witch and gathered great branches of it to satisfy her daughter's hunger.
The theft was soon discovered. The witch called the mother to her and proposed that the daughter come and live with her. Then she could eat as much parsley as she liked.
The mother could not refuse and so the beautiful Parsley took up her abode with the old witch.
One day three princes came to the town and saw the beautiful girl combing and plaiting her long black hair at the window. In one moment they all fell hopelessly in love with her. They quarreled over her and even drew their swords. The struggle was so violent and the noise so loud that the old witch heard it, and said at once, `Of course Parsley is at the bottom of all this.'
When she had convinced herself that this was so, she was full of wrath over the quarrels and feuds Parsley's beauty caused. She said, `I wish you were an ugly toad, sitting under a bridge at the other end of the world.'
Hardly were the words out of her mouth than Parsley was changed into a toad and vanished from their sight. The princes, when they could not find Parsley, put up their swords, kissed each other affectionately, and returned to their father.
The king was growing old and feeble and wished to yield his scepter and crown in favor of one of his sons, but which of the three should he appoint as his successor? He determined that fate should decide for him. He called his three children to him and said:
`My dear sons, I am growing old and am weary of reigning, but I cannot make up my mind to which of you three I should yield my crown. I love you all equally but I would like the best and cleverest of you to rule over my people. Therefore I am setting you three tasks. The one who performs them best shall be my heir. First, I ask you to bring me a piece of linen a hundred yards long, so fine it will go through a gold ring.'
The sons bowed low, and promising to do their best, started on their journey without further delay. The two elder brothers took many servants and carriages with them, but the youngest set out quite alone. In a short time they came to three crossroads. Two of them were gay and crowded, but the third was dark and lonely.
The two elder brothers chose the frequented ways, but the youngest, bidding them farewell, set out on the dreary road. Wherever fine linen was to be bought, there the two elder brothers hastened. They loaded their carriages with bales of the finest linen they could find and returned home.
The youngest brother, on the other hand, went on his weary way for many days. Nowhere did he find fine linen. So he journeyed on, and his spirits sank with every step. At last he came to a bridge over a deep river. He sat down on its banks and sighed over his fate. Suddenly a toad crawled out of the swamp, and sitting down opposite him, asked:
`What is the matter with you, my dear Prince?'
The prince answered impatiently, `There is not much good my telling you, Puddocky. You couldn't help me if I did.!
'Don't be too sure of that,' replied the toad. `Tell me your trouble and we shall see.'
Then the prince told the little creature why he had been sent out of his father's kingdom.
`Prince, I will certainly help you,' said the toad. Crawling back into her swamp, she returned with a piece of linen no bigger than a finger. She put it in the prince's lap, saying, `Take this home and you will see it will help you.'
The prince had no wish to take such a trifling toy with him; but he had a tender heart and did not like to hurt Puddocky's feelings. He took up the packet between his thumb and forefinger, put it in his pocket, and bade the little toad farewell. Puddocky watched the prince till he was out of sight and then crept back into the water.
The farther the prince went the heavier grew the roll of linen. Greatly comforted, he returned to the court of his father and arrived home just at the same time as his brothers with their caravans. The king was delighted to see them all again. He at once drew the ring from his finger and the trial began. In all the wagonloads there was not one piece of linen the tenth part of which would go through the ring. The two elder brothers, who had at first sneered at their youngest brother for returning with no baggage, began to feel rather small.
What were their feelings when he drew a bale of linen out of his pocket which in fineness, softness and purity of color was unsurpassable! The threads were hardly visible, and it went through the ring without the smallest difficulty, at the same time measuring a hundred yards quite correctly.
The father embraced the fortunate son and commanded the rest of the linen to be thrown into the water. Turning to his children, he said, `Now, dear sons, prepare yourselves for the second task. You must bring me back a little dog that will go comfortably into a walnut shell.'
The sons were in despair over this demand, but as each wished to win the crown, they determined to do their best, and after a few days set out on their travels again. At the crossroads they separated once more.
The youngest went by himself along his lonely way. This time he felt much more cheerful. Hardly had he sat down under the bridge and heaved a sigh, than Puddocky came out, and asked:
`What is wrong with you now, dear Prince?'
The prince, who this time had no doubt of the little toad's power to help him, told her his difficulty at once.
`Prince, I will help you,' said the toad again. She crawled back into her swamp as fast as her short little legs would carry her and soon returned, dragging a hazelnut behind her, which she laid at the prince's feet. `Take this nut home with you and tell your father to crack it very carefully. You will see then what will happen,' she said.
The prince thanked her heartily and went on his way in the best of spirits, while the little toad crept slowly back into the water.
When the prince reached home he found his brothers had just arrived with great wagonloads of all sorts of little dogs. The king had a walnut shell ready, but not one of the dogs would fit into the shell. When they had tried all their little dogs, the youngest son handed his father the hazelnut with a modest bow and begged him to crack it carefully. Hardly had the old king done so than a tiny dog sprang out of the nutshell, and ran about on the king's hand, wagging its tail and barking at all the other little dogs. The joy of the court was great. The rather again embraced his fortunate son.
`The two most difficult tasks have been performed,' he said. `Now listen to the third and last. Whoever brings the fairest wife home with him shall be my heir.'
This demand seemed so easy and agreeable and the reward so great that the princes lost no time in setting forth on their travels. At the crossroads the two elder brothers debated if they should go the same way as the youngest, but it looked too dreary and deserted, and so they followed their former paths.
The youngest was very depressed, and said to himself, `In anything else Puddocky could have helped me, but this task is quite beyond her power. How could she ever find a beautiful wife for me? Her swamps are wide and empty. No human beings dwell there, only frogs and toads and creatures of that sort.'
However, he sat down as usual under the bridge, and this time he sighed from the bottom of his heart. In a few minutes the toad stood in front of him and asked:
`What is the matter with you now, dear Prince?'
`Oh, Puddocky, this time you cannot help me, for the task is beyond even your power,' replied the prince.
`Still,' answered the toad, `you may as well tell me about it, for who knows but I may be able to help you this time also.'
The prince then told her the task they had been set to do.
`I shall help you right enough, my dear Prince,' said the little toad. `Just you go home, and I shall soon follow you.'
With these words Puddocky, with a spring quite unlike her usual slow movements, jumped into the water and disappeared. The prince went sadly on his way, for he did not believe the little toad could help him in his present difficulty. He had hardly gone a few steps when he heard a sound behind him, and looking round he saw a carriage made of cardboard, drawn by six big rats, coming toward him. Two hedgehogs rode in front as outriders, and on the box sat a fat mouse as coachman, and behind stood two little frogs as footmen. In the carriage itself sat Puddocky, who kissed her hand to the prince out of the window as she passed by.
Sunk deep in thought over the fickleness of fortune that had granted him two of his wishes and now seemed about to deny him the last and best, the prince hardly noticed the absurd equipage and still less did he feel inclined to laugh at its comic appearance. The carriage drove on in front of him for some time and then turned a corner. What was his joy and surprise when suddenly, round the same corner but coming toward him, there appeared a beautiful coach drawn by six splendid horses with outriders, coachmen and footmen, all in gorgeous liveries. Seated in the carriage was the most beautiful woman the prince had ever seen. He at once recognized the beautiful Parsley, for whom his heart had always yearned. The carriage stopped when it reached him, and the footmen sprang down and opened the door for him. He sat down beside the beautiful Parsley, and thanked her heartily for her help and told her how much he loved her.
He arrived at his father's capital at the same moment as his brothers, who had returned with many carriageloads of beautiful women. But when they were all led before the king, the whole court with one consent awarded the prize of beauty to the fair Parsley.
The old king was delighted and embraced his thrice fortunate son and his new daughter-in-law tenderly and appointed them as his successors to the throne. The prince married Parsley and reigned long and happily with her, and if they are not dead they are living there still.
[From the German]
(from The Green Fairy Book , by Andrew Lang)
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