Hello,
Dear one.
My name is Jessica Amos,
But you can call me Jessa.
Tonight,
I will be reading you the story of The Boy Who Went to the North Wind.
But first,
Let's settle down,
Make yourself really comfortable,
And close your eyes.
Take a long,
Slow breath in through your nose and out through your mouth,
Relaxing your entire body and letting your mind paint pictures of this story as I read you these words.
The Boy Who Went to the North Wind Once there was a poor woman who lived on a farm with her son.
One day,
As she was about to make dinner,
She discovered that the meal in the bin in the kitchen was empty.
Giving her son a bowl,
She asked him to go to the storage shed and fetch some more.
As he was returning to the cottage with a bowl full of meal,
The cold north wind whistled past him and sent every grain of it swirling into the air.
Frustrated,
The boy went back to the shed for more meal,
But upon his return the same thing happened again,
The north wind scattered it across the countryside.
For a third time,
The boy repeated the process,
And for a third time he watched helplessly as the careless north wind blew away every little bit of meal that he and his mother had left.
That's it,
He said angrily.
Mother,
That greedy north wind has taken our meal,
And I intend to get it back.
So off he went,
To the land where the north wind lives,
With only enough pennies in his pocket for one night's lodging.
On and on he walked,
For it was a long journey from the farm to that cold and windy place.
It was late the next day when the boy at last stood before the north wind.
Well,
Demanded the icy north wind,
What brings you to my domain?
Gusting winds nearly knocked the boy off his feet,
But he stood firm.
My mother and I are very poor,
Sir,
The boy shouted above the roaring of the north wind,
And yesterday you took from my bowl the last of our meal.
I need you to give it back,
Please,
Or we will starve.
Meal,
The north wind said,
Impossible,
That meal was scattered to the four corners of the earth.
But if you are in such a bad way,
Maybe this will help.
Suddenly a tablecloth tumbled out of nowhere and was blown,
Flapping,
Against the boy.
He grabbed it immediately to keep it from blowing away.
Take this tablecloth,
The north wind said as gently as he could,
Spread it over any empty table,
And when you say the words,
Cloth,
Cloth,
Bring me a feast,
It will fill the table with all the food you can eat.
The boy thanked the north wind,
Folded the cloth,
Put it into the pocket of his ragged cloak,
And started on his way back home.
Soon it was dark,
And because the boy had traveled so far and still had such a long way to go,
He stopped for the night at an inn.
Before going up to his room,
The boy,
Who had not eaten for almost two days,
Found an empty table by the fire in the dining room.
And would the young man like a bit of hot gruel before we closed the kitchen this evening?
The innkeeper asked as the boy sat down.
Actually,
I'd like to try this gift I was given,
The boy said,
If you don't mind.
The innkeeper shrugged as he watched the boy take the cloth from his pocket and unfold it on the table.
Cloth,
Cloth,
Bring me a feast!
To the amazement of the innkeeper and the boy,
The table was instantly filled with a wonderful assortment of the most delicious-looking food that either of them had ever seen.
The boy immediately began to help himself to a leg of roasted chicken,
A freshly baked roll and a slice of hot apple pie.
I'll get you a napkin,
The innkeeper said as he ran to the kitchen to tell his wife what he had just seen.
She happened to have been watching from the kitchen door and had also seen the miracle with her own eyes.
Just think of the profits we could make with a cloth like that,
Said the greedy innkeeper.
And the works it would save me,
His wife added,
Grinning back.
Quietly,
They slipped into the kitchen and closed the door behind them.
Later that night,
When the inn was dark and quiet and the boy lay fast asleep in his room,
A figure crept up to his bedside.
There,
The boy's tattered cloak hung at the foot of the bed.
The figure silently pulled the magic tablecloth from the cloak's pocket and replaced it with another cloth that looked exactly like it.
Then the thief crept back out of the room.
The next morning,
The boy struck out early,
Eager to show his mother the wonderful tablecloth.
On and on he walked,
Traveling all day so that he might make it home by dinnertime.
Sure enough,
He arrived just as she was about to break her last crust of bread.
Mother,
The boy cried excitedly,
You won't believe what I have brought.
The north wind gave us this wonderful tablecloth that instantly serves the most glorious food.
I'll believe that when I see it,
She said with a sigh.
The boy pulled the cloth from his pocket and with a flourish and a snap spread it onto the table.
Cloth,
Cloth,
He cried,
Bring me a feast.
But no food appeared,
Not even a crumb.
Just as I thought,
His mother said,
Now do you want half of this crust of bread?
Why,
That north wind tricked me,
The boy cried.
Tomorrow I'll go back there and tell him to forget the magic cloth and just give me back our meal.
And that's just what he did.
By the end of the next day,
He stood once again before the bitter north wind.
You again,
Howled the north wind.
What now?
The cloth,
Sir,
The boy cried back,
It doesn't work.
So if I could just get our meal back,
I'll be on my way.
Your meal is halfway around the world,
Boy,
The north wind roared.
But here,
This should replace your loss.
From behind a fir tree,
A goat wafted through the air and landed before the boy.
Quickly he grabbed one of its horns and kept it from being taken by another gust of wind.
Say to this goat,
Goat,
Goat,
Make me some gold,
The north wind said,
And it will make you enough gold that you can buy all the meal you'll ever need.
Maybe then,
He added under his breath,
You'll stop bothering me.
The boy thanked the north wind,
Tied his belt around the goat's neck as a lead,
And started on his way back home.
By evening,
He found himself once more at the inn where he had stayed on his last journey.
We've got a room,
The innkeeper said,
But the goat will cost you extra.
The boy,
Having no money of his own,
Realized he could try out his latest gift.
Goat,
Goat,
Make me some gold,
He said,
And instantly,
Beautiful gold coins spilled from the goat's mouth and clinked upon the inn floor.
The boy scooped them up and offered two to the amazed innkeeper.
Will this do,
He asked.
Speechless,
The innkeeper could only nod as he led the boy and his goat to their room.
Secretly,
The innkeeper gave his wife a sly wink,
But she returned with a knowing grin.
Soon the boy was in bed and fast asleep,
And once again,
A figure crept into his dark room,
This time leading a goat.
The goat looked so much like the boys that they could have been twins.
Quickly and quietly,
The figure switched the goats,
Taking the boys and leaving the other in its place.
The boy was awake with the sun and wasted no time making the long trip home.
Mother cried the boy as he reached their cottage.
Look what the north wind has given us,
A magic goat.
Hmm,
His mother said doubtfully,
It looks like a regular goat to me.
Just watch this,
The boy said.
Goat,
Goat,
Make me some gold.
But nothing happened.
The goat only shook its head and started to eat the tablecloth.
Oh well,
The mother said.
What's another hungry mouth to feed?
Tricked again,
The boy cried.
This goat is supposed to make gold coins.
That's it.
The north wind has to make this right.
The next day found the boy making the all too familiar journey north,
Which was just as long and hard as the other two had been.
You again,
The north wind roared,
Nearly blowing the boy over.
Sorry,
Sir,
The boy shouted as he struggled to hold on to his flapping cloak.
But the goat stopped making gold.
Now,
Uh,
What about that meal?
That meal is gone,
Bellowed the north wind.
And I have given you my very best gifts.
All I have left is this stick.
Suddenly,
A large stick came spinning out of the sky and smacked the boy on the shoulder.
Quickly,
He grabbed hold of it before it could follow his long lost meal into the wind.
Say to this stick,
Stick,
Stick,
Do your work,
Said the north wind,
And it will do what it does best.
Then,
When you wish to stop,
Say stick,
Stick,
Stop,
And it will.
Now,
The north wind roared,
Goodbye.
Grasping the final gift,
The boy thanked the north wind and scurried back the way he had come.
By nightfall,
He was once again at the inn.
What,
No luggage or livestock this evening?
The innkeeper asked.
The boy handed him one of the few coins that were left from when he and the magic goat had stayed at the inn.
Just me and my stick,
The boy replied.
Follow me,
The innkeeper said,
Looking at his wife with a raised eyebrow as they passed.
She merely shrugged.
Later that night,
When the inn was dark and quiet,
The thieving figure once more stole into the boy's room,
This time carrying a big stick exactly like the boy's.
The figure didn't know what magic a walking stick might hold,
But if this boy had it,
The thief thought it might be worth stealing.
By this time,
The boy had grown suspicious of the innkeeper,
So instead of going to sleep,
He shut his eyes and pretended to snore loudly.
As the figure reached for the stick,
Leaning in the corner near the bed,
The boy suddenly stopped and cried,
Stick,
Stick,
Do your work.
Immediately,
The stick swung into action,
Swatting the mysterious figure,
Which ran about the room crying,
Ouch,
Ouch,
Stop.
The boy sat up in bed and saw the innkeeper being chased around and around by the magic stick.
Ow,
Ow,
He whined,
Make it stop and I'll give you back your tablecloth and goat.
At sunrise the next morning,
The boy was on the road heading home.
He had the magic tablecloth under his arm,
The lead for the magic goat in one hand and the magic stick in the other.
His mother was amazed and delighted by the gifts he had brought.
And for the rest of their days,
When the boy felt the north wind whistle past him,
He touched the brim of his hat as a way of saying thank you for a tablecloth that was always full and a meal bin that was never empty.
The End Hmm,
Okay,
My darling,
It's time to go to sleep.
You are so very loved and your heart is good.
I'm delighted to be here with you.
Sleep tight.
May your dreams be full of love and light.
