Selected Tales of the Brothers Grimm by Brothers Grimm

Author:Brothers Grimm [Grimm, Brothers]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Classics, Fairy Tales; Folk Tales; Legends & Mythology, Short Stories (Single Author)
ISBN: 9781935744771
Google: lx0dAHyJfyoC
Barnesnoble:
Publisher: Steerforth Press
Published: 2013-03-15T04:00:00+00:00

THE BLUE LIGHT

There once was a soldier who had faithfully served his king for many years. But when the war was over, the king said to the soldier, who had suffered many wounds and so was no longer fit for combat, “You can go home now, I won’t be needing your services – but don’t expect any more money from me. I only pay those who can earn their keep.”

Now the soldier, who had no idea how to make ends meet, went off with a heavy heart and walked all day until evening when he came to a forest. When darkness fell, he saw a light, and approaching it, he came to a house in which lived a witch. “Give me shelter for the night, a bite to eat, and a drop to drink,” he said to her, “or else I’m done for.”

“Oho!” she replied. “Who would dare aid a deserted soldier? But I will show you mercy and take you in if you do what I ask.”

“What do you want me to do?” asked the soldier.

“I want you to plow my garden tomorrow.”

The soldier consented, and the next day he worked until he dropped, but come evening he hadn’t finished the job.

“It’s clear,” said the witch, “that you can’t do any more today. I’ll keep you another night, in exchange for which I want you to chop me a cartload of firewood tomorrow.”

The soldier took the whole of the next day to get the job done, and come evening, the witch offered to put him up for another night. “Tomorrow,” she said, “I only ask that you do me a small service. Behind my house there is an old well that has run dry. My light fell in, and it burns blue and never goes out. You must fetch it for me.”

The next day the old hag led him to the well and lowered him down in a basket. He found the blue light and made a sign for her to hoist him back up, which she proceeded to do. But when he got close to the rim, she reached out her hand and wanted to grab the light.

“Not so fast,” he said, sensing her evil intent. “I’ll only give you the light once I have both my feet firmly planted on dry ground.” Whereupon the witch flew into a rage, let him drop back down into the well, and walked away.

The poor soldier fell to the damp bottom without a bruise, and the blue light kept burning, but what good did that do him? Facing his inevitable death, he sat around sadly for a while, when he happened to reach into his pocket and found his pipe half stuffed with tobacco. This will be my last pleasure, he thought, and pulled out the pipe, lit it on the blue light, and started smoking. As the cloud of smoke rose around him, all at once a little black man appeared before him and asked, “Master, what is your wish?”

“How can a lowly creature like me command anything of you?” the flabbergasted soldier replied.

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