Tell Me a Story (21 traditional stories from the British Isles dramatised by J.D.Graham), страница 16

So the girl went to see the King who thought a party was a very good idea.   The girl asked all the people she knew to the party and they all came, dressed in their best clothes.   There was dancing but the woman didn’t come and the girl began to get more worried.   “Where is she.   Why doesn’t she come?”   And as it got later, the guests began to get tired.   The girl begged them not to go yet.   “Please say a little longer,” she said.   “Let’s play a game.”   And she showed them how to play.   “I tie a handkerchief round your eyes - and you have to try to catch one of us.”   So they all started the play the game.   And then the door opened, and the woman came in.   She was dressed in the girl’s best clothes and looked beautiful.   The girl was very pleased to see her and she joined in the game.

Now, in the woman’s pocket was a pot of grease - thick and oily grease.   As the woman moved among the guests she dipped her fingers in the grease and put it on their clothes.   And they all began to quarrel, blaming each other for the grease on their best clothes.   Even the King had some grease on his coat sleeve.   He sniffed at the grease and exclaimed “It’s cart grease!”   “No, it isn’t”, said the woman, “it’s spindle grease.   All that grease you’ve got on your clothes comes from my hand.   I used to spin a lot,” she added.   “I used to spin five skeins a day.   And I did so much spinning that the spindle grease worked into my hand and now I can’t get it out.   I’ve washed my hands again and again, but the grease won’t come out and every time I touch anything, I leave a dirty greasy mark on it.   And if you wife spins five skeins a day like I did, then she’ll have grease on her hand like me.”

The King looked at all the people at the party with dirty greasy marks on their clothes.   Then he looked at his coat sleeve and sniffed it - and he rubbed it - and he looked at it again - and he thought about it.   And then he looked at his wife.   “My dear?”, he said, “No more spinning!   If I ever see you with a spindle in your hand again, your head’ll come off!.

So the girl didn’t have to spin anymore - not ever!

13 - THE STORY OF THE GOOD HOUSEWIFE

This is a story about a busy housewife whose name was Jean.   She lived with her husband Andrew, in a farmhouse.   Now, Jean was a very good housewife.   Her house was always clean and tidy.   She swept and polished every day.   She was always busy.   And one evening she was even busier than usual.   The bread was baking in the oven, Jean was spinning and her husband, after a hard day’s work on the farm, was asleep by the fire.   As it got later, Jean began to feel very tired, and she said:  “I wish someone would help me with all this work.”   And no sooner  had she spoken the words than there was a knock on the door and she heard a voice outside saying “Jean!   Jean!   Open the door and I’ll come in and help you!”  

So Jean got up and opened the door and in came a strange-looking woman dressed in green.   She sat down at the spinning wheel and started to spin.   No sooner had she sat down than there was another knock at the door.   Jean opened it and another woman dressed in green came in.   She picked up the broom and started to sweep the floor.   And then there was another knock at the door and this time a little man dressed in green came in and he started to wash the dishes.

And so it went on.   More and more people came in to help.   Soon the house was full of little people - all chattering at the tops of their voices.   Jean didn’t know what to do.   She thought she had better give them some food and drink so she set to work preparing a meal.   As soon as she put the food down, the fairies ate it up and asked for more.   Jean worked harder and harder, cooking and getting the food ready.   She was so busy that she was soon even more tired than before.   “Oh, I’m worn out,” she said, “What am I going to do?!”