Will there be a Unicorn? and Other Tales

The Clever Young Witch

At the edge of a wood by an overgrown ditch.
In a small wooden hut, lives a clever young witch.
She lives in that hut with a tortoiseshell cat,
A green-feathered bird and an upside down bat.

The witch has a field where the earth is dark brown,
It's here she grows crops which she sells in the town.
And here's where we find her this fine April day.
She's planting some seeds when she hears the cat say,

'I shake and I shiver! I'm tremble with fear!
I feel in my whiskers, some danger is near.'
The witch isn't frightened, she looks all around.
She sees nothing strange, but she hears an odd sound.

A growl and a grumble from deep in the wood.
'Oh no!' says the bird. 'No, that doesn't sound good.'
'Don't worry,' the witch says. 'Take courage, take heart.
Remember your witch is incredibly smart.'

All of a sudden, they hear a great shout,
And from inside the forest, a giant steps out.
The giant is huge, he is fierce, he is strong.
His eyes, they are black. His hair, it is long.

His teeth: they are sharp. His skin: it is grey.
'Help!' shouts the bat. 'Witch, he's coming our way!'
'I won't let him hurt you, dear bat,' says the witch.
'Now take cat and bird and go hide in the ditch.'

The animals hide and the witch starts to think.
The giant comes closer. Oh my! What a stink!'
He's shaking his fists now, he's stamping his feet.
He's looking for something (or someone) to eat.

The witch doesn't run, doesn't scream, doesn't yelp.
She puts on a smile and says, 'How can I help?'
'I've come here to eat you,' the giant replies,
'I'll gnaw on your bones, I'll suck out your eyes.

I'll bite off your fingers, I'll tear you apart.
I'll munch on your liver, I'll feast on your heart.'
'Oh no!' says the witch. 'No, you shouldn't do that.
I'm thin and I'm scrawny, not juicy and fat.

I'm chewy and tough, I'm not tasty and sweet.
I'm just skin and bones and I've got smelly feet.
I'm sure you can see that I'd make a poor meal.
If you leave me alone now, I'll make you a deal.'

'A deal?' Giant says with a snort and a grunt.
'What do you have I could possibly want?'
'Why, here in this field, I grow all kinds of food:
Cereals, vegetables, pulses and fruit.

Here I grow so many good things to eat.
They're better by far than some chewy old meat.
I'll let you take everything, all that grows here.
You'll have so much food, you can feast for a year.

But now you must wait, see the seeds have been sown,
Come back in the autumn and take what I've grown.
Come and take everything, all you can see,
But what grows underground, well, I'll keep that for me.'

The giant is puzzled, bewildered, bemused.
He scratches his head, picks his nose, looks confused.
'So you grow the food and I take it away?
Alright,' says the giant, 'I'll do what you say.'

'That's settled,' the witch says. 'Now hop it! Chop, chop!
Buzz off and come back when the leaves start to drop.'
Off stomps the giant. The witch waves goodbye,
She takes a deep breath and she lets out a sigh.

She calls to her friends, 'You can come out, you three!
The giant has gone. Come on, let's have some tea.'

*****

Time passes by in the usual way,
Hour follows hour, day follows day.
The witch tends her field as she does every year
And soon from the earth, little seedlings appear.

The witch waves her wand and she says a small spell,
To make them grow quickly, to make them grow well.
The sun shines, the rain falls from clouds in the sky.
Week follows week and the seedlings grow high.