Faeries’ Field

There once was a farmer and he had to leave his land because of drought. Now he travelled with his wife and son till he came to a town he’d never seen before. On the edge of the town was a field, now that field was large enough to feed a man and his family. He went into the town and asked:

So he made his way to the field and he picked a blade of grass and a faery appeared.

And the faery started to pull up the grass and by late afternoon it was all gone.

Well the farmer went home and the following day he went to the field and he turned a sod of earth with his spade and ten faeries appeared.

And the faeries started to dig the field and by noon it was all dug.

Well the farmer went home and the following day he went to the field and started to rake it and a hundred faeries appeared.

And the faeries stated to rake the field and in an hour all the sods were broken up and the field was as level as a billiard table.

Well the farmer went home and the following day he went to the field and he started to drill small holes with a stick and a thousand faeries appeared.

And the faeries started to drill and in no time at all the field was full of holes.

Well the farmer went home and the following day he went to the field and he started to drop seeds into the holes and ten thousand faeries appeared.

And the faeries started to drop seeds into the holes and in no time at all the seeds were planted.

Well the farmer went home and the following day he went to the field and he started to water the seeds and twenty thousand faeries appeared.

And the faeries started to water the seeds and in no time at all the field was watered.

Well the farmer went home.

At harvest time up came the finest crop of wheat that ever met a farmer’s eye. The farmer sent his young son to look at the crop. Well the young lad took a head of corn and started to rub it between his fingers and thirty thousand faeries appeared.

And the faeries started to rub the corn between their fingers and in no time at all it was ground to powder.

Well the young lad was afraid to go home and tell his father what had happened so that night he slept in a ditch by the side of the field.

The following morning the young lad stood up he stretched and started to scratch himself and forty thousand faeries appeared.

And the faeries started to scratch the boy and in no time at all he was just scraps of skin, flesh and bones.

Well the farmer went out to see what had happened to his son and when he saw what was left of him he beat his chest with his fists and fifty thousand faeries appeared.

And the faeries started to beat the farmer with their fists and in no time at all he was just scraps of skin, flesh and bones.

Well the farmer’s wife went out to see what had happened to her husband and son and when she saw what was left of them she wept and a hundred thousand faeries appeared.

And the faeries started to cry and in no time at all there was a great flood and the remains of the farmer and his son were washed away and as for the farmer’s wife well she was drowned.

At the edge of the town there’s a field, now that field is large enough to feed a man and his family. And if anyone asks who owns the field they’ll say:

And if anyone asks who can farm that field they’ll say: