Kind William And The Water Sprite

Please join me for a bedtime reading of this lovely old English folk tale, in which Kind William, aged seven, helps a water sprite and is required to make three promises. In return, she gives him sixty-three strands of her golden hair. Listen to find out what happens next...

Transcript

Hello there,

My name's Mandy.

I'm really pleased that you've decided to join me tonight.

We're going to be listening to Kind William and the Water Sprite,

Which is a really old English folk tale.

So go right ahead and make yourself really comfortable and we'll begin.

Kind William and the Water Sprite.

There once lived a poor weaver whose wife died a few years after their marriage.

He was now alone in the world except for their child who was a very quick and industrious little lad and moreover of such an obliging disposition that he gained the nickname of Kind William.

On his seventh birthday his father gave him a little net with a long handle and with this Kind William betook himself to a shallow part of the river to fish.

After wandering on for some time he found a quiet pool dammed in by stones and here he dipped for the minnows that darted about in the clear brown water.

At the first and second casts he caught nothing but with the third he landed no less than 21 little fishes and such minnows as he had never seen for as they leapt and struggled in the net they shone with alternate tints of green and gold.

He was gazing at them with wonder and delight when a voice behind him cried in piteous tones Oh my little sisters,

Oh my little sisters,

Kind William turned round and saw sitting on a rock that stood out of the stream a young girl weeping bitterly.

Weeping bitterly.

She had a very pretty face and abundant yellow hair of marvellous length and of such uncommon brightness that even in the shade it shone like gold.

She was dressed in grass green and from her knees downwards she was hidden by the clumps of fern and rushes that grew by the stream.

What ails you my little lass said kind William but the maid only wept more bitterly and wringing her hands repeated oh my little sisters,

Oh my little sisters,

Presently adding in the same tone the little fishes,

Oh the little fishes.

Dry your eyes and I will give you half of them said the good-natured child and if you have no net you shall fish with me this afternoon.

But at this proposal the maid sobs redoubled and she prayed and begged with frantic eagerness that he would throw the fish back into the river.

For some time kind William would not consent to throw away his prize but at last he yielded to her excessive grief and emptied the net into the pool where the glittering fishes were soon lost to sight under the sand and pebbles.

The girl now laughed and clapped her hands.

This good deed you shall never rue kind William said she and even now it shall repay you threefold.

How many fish did you catch?

21 said kind William not without regret in his tone.

The maid at once began to pull hairs out of her head and did not stop until she had counted 63 and laid them together in her fingers.

She then began to wind the lock up into a curl and it took far longer to wind than the 63 hairs had taken to pull.

How long her hair really was kind William never could tell for after it reached her knees he lost sight of it among the fern but he began to suspect that she was no true village maid but a water sprite and he heartily wished himself safe at home.

Now said she when the lock was wound will you promise me three things?

If I can do so without sin said kind William.

First she continued holding out the lock of hair will you keep this carefully and never give it away it will be a gift to you.

Never give it away it will be for your own good.

One never gives away gifts said kind William I promise that.

The second thing is to spare what you have spared fish up the river and down the river at your will but swear never to cast net in this pool again.

One should not do kindness by halves said kind William I promise that also.

Thirdly you must never tell what you have now seen and heard till thrice seven years have passed and now come hither my child and give me your little finger that I may see if you can keep a secret.

But by this time kind William's hairs were standing on end and he gave the last promise more from fear than from any other motive and seized his net to go.

No hurry no hurry said the maiden and the words sounded like the rippling of a brook over pebbles.

Then bending towards him with a strange smile she added you are afraid that I shall pinch too hard my pretty boy.

Well give me a farewell kiss before you go.

I kiss none but the miller's laughs said kind William sturdily for she was his little sweetheart.

Besides he was afraid of the water which would enchant him and draw him down.

At his answer she laughed until the echoes rang but kind William shuddered to hear that the echoes seemed to come from the river instead of from the hills and they rang in his ears like a distant torrent leaping over rocks.

Then listen to my song said the water sprite with which she drew some of her golden hairs over her arm and tuning them as if they had been the strings of a harp she began to sing warp of woolen and woof of gold when seven and seven and seven are told.

But when kind William heard that the river was running with the cadence of the tune he could bear it no longer and took to his heels.

When he had run a few yards he heard a splash as if a salmon had jumped and looking back he found that the yellow haired maiden was gone.

But kind William was trustworthy as well as obliging and he kept his word.

He said nothing of his adventure.

He put the yellow lock into an old china teapot that had stood untouched on the mantelpiece for years and fishing up the river and down the river he never again cast net into the haunted pool.

And in the course of time the whole affair passed from his mind.

14 years went by and kind William was kind William still.

He was as obliging as ever and he still loved the miller's daughter who for her part had not forgotten her old playmate.

But the miller's memory was not so good for the 14 years had been prosperous ones with him and he was rich whereas they had only brought bad trade and poverty to the weaver and his son.

So the lovers were not allowed even to speak to each other.

One evening kind William wandered by the riverside lamenting his hard fate.

It was his 21st birthday and he might not even receive the good wishes of the day from his old playmate.

It was just growing dusk a time when prudent bodies hurry home from the neighborhood of fairy rings,

Sprite haunted streams and the like and kind William was beginning to quicken his pace.

Then a voice from behind him sang warp of woolen and woof of gold when seven and seven and seven are told.

Kind William felt sure that he had heard this before though he couldn't recall when or where but suspecting that it was no mortal voice that sang he hurried home without looking behind him.

Before he reached the house he remembered all and also that on this very day his promise of secrecy expired.

Meanwhile the old weaver had been sadly preparing the loom to weave a small stock of yarn which he had received in payment for some work.

He had set up the warp and was about to fill the shuttle when his son came in and told the story and repeated the water sprites song.

Where is the lock of hair my son asked the old man.

In the teapot still if you have not touched it said kind William but the dust of 14 years must have destroyed all gloss and color.

On searching the teapot however the lock of hair was found to be as bright as ever and it lay in the weaver's hand like a coil of gold.

It is the song that puzzles me said kind William.

Seven and seven and seven make 21.

Now that is just my age.

There is your warp of woolen if that is anything added the weaver gazing at the loom with a melancholy air.

And this is golden enough laughed kind William.

And this is golden enough laughed kind William pointing to the curl.

Come father let us see how far one hair will go on the shuttle.

And suiting the action to the word he began to wind.

He wound the shuttle full and then sat down to the loom and began to throw.

The result was a fabric of such beauty that the weavers shouted with amazement and one single hair served for the woof of the whole piece.

Before long there was not a town dame or a fine country lady but must needs have a dress of the new stuff.

And before the 63 hairs were used up the fortunes of the weaver and his son the fortunes of the weaver and his son were made.

About this time the miller's memory became clearer and he was often heard to speak of an old boy and girl love between his dear daughter and the wealthy manufacturer of the golden cloth.

Within a year and a day kind William married his sweetheart and as money sticks to money in the end he added the old miller's riches to his own.

Moreover there is every reason to believe that he and his wife lived happily to the end of their days and what became of the water sprite that you must ask somebody else for I do not know.

The end.

Reviews

As you said, a lovely old story! I enjoyed it very much, and Im excited to have found you! 🥰

what a wonderfully told fairy tale! gracias...peace

Thank you Mandy for sharing this fun story! 😊👏😀👍

Beautiful! Loved this tale and listening to it! Took me back to childhood! 💞🙏

When is the next Alice through the Looking Glass coming up?

Love your stories!!!! The subject, the accent, the tempo & rhythm with which you read them… just brilliant. Thank you ever so much.

Sweet, classical fairy tale of promises, Fae, and a changed fortune,