Saturday 11 June 2016

The Corn Dolly

A farmer was cutting his corn, when he thought he could hear someone crying far away.

Well, he kept on cutting the corn, and the crying got louder and louder until he had only one more shock of corn to cut, and it seemed as if the crying were coming right from it. So he peered into the last bit of corn and sure enough, there was a little creature made of corn stalks, sitting sobbing its heart out.



"What's the matter with you?" Asked the farmer.

The little creature looked up and said: "You don't care" and went on crying.

The farmer was a kindly man, so he said: " Tell me what your trouble is, and perhaps there is something I can do."

"You farmers don't care what happens to us corn dollies," said the creature.

Now the farmer had never seen a corn dolly before, so he said " What makes you think that?"

The corn dolly looked up and said " We live in the standing corn, we keep it safe and do no harm to anyone, and yet every year you farmers come with your sharp scythes and cut down the corn and leave us poor corn dollies homeless."

The farmer replied: " We have to cut the corn to make the flour to make the bread we eat. And even if we didn't cut it, the corn would wither away in the autumn and you corn dollies would still be homeless."

But the corn dolly burst into tears again and said: "Just because we're small and made of straw you think you can treat us anyhow, and leave us with nowhere to live in the cold winter."

The farmer said:"I'll find somewhere for you to live." And he picked up the corn dolly and took it to the barn and said; "Look! You can live here and be snug and warm all through the winter."

But the corn dolly said: "You live in a fine house made of stone, but just because us corn dollies are small and made of straw, you don't think we're good enough to live in a proper house."

The farmer said: " Not at all." And he picked up the corn dolly and carried it into his house and sat it on the window sill in the kitchen.

"There," he said:"you can live there."

But the corn dolly scowled and said: "  Just because we're small and made of straw, you think we're not good enough to sit with you and your wife."

The farmer said:"Not at all", and he picked up the corn dolly and carried it to the fireside, and he pulled up a chair and sat the corn dolly down between himself and  his wife. But still the corn dolly was not happy.

"What's the matter now?" Asked the farmer.

"Just because we're small and made of straw," said the corn dolly, "you've sat me on a hard chair, while you and your wife sit in soft chairs".

"Not at all," said the farmer, and he gave the corn dolly a soft chair. But still the corn dolly was not happy.

"Is there still something the matter?" Asked the farmer.

"Yes", said the corn dolly. "Just because I'm small and only made of straw, you've sat me over here, while you and your wife sit next to the fire and keep nice and warm."

The farmer said; " Not at all. You can sit wherever you like," and he picked the corn dolly up and put it next to the fire. And just then a spark flew out of the fire and landed on the corn dolly. And, because it was only made of straw, it burst into flames, and, because it was only very small, it was all gone before the farmer or his wife could do anything to save it.

Sometimes, we need to be careful what we wish for. We do not always know what we will get!



Story written by Terry Jones