THE TOWER IN THE WOODS

By 

BRADLEY W. SIMPSON

     Once upon a time, there lived a woman who had three daughters.  One winter morning she called them all together and said, “One of you must go into the world and find some means of earning money so we can pay our debts.  Which one of you will go?”

     The oldest, who was very lazy said, “I wish I could go, mother, but it’s best if I stay and haul kindling for the fireplace.”  But in fact, she did not intend to move so much as a twig.

     The second daughter, who was even lazier said, “I would like to go, but it is better that I stay and do the cooking.”  But the truth be known, she did not know the first thing about cooking or helping in the kitchen.

     But the youngest daughter, Holly, who was by far the most faithful of the three said, “If my sisters will tend to the chores, then I will go and earn our living.”  She bundled herself warmly, and wrapping a wool scarf about her neck, she set out the door.

     Before long, Holly came to a thick forest.  It was black and gloomy and the wind seemed to carry ghostly whispers through the air as it whipped between trees.  But she listened to the cheerful songs of the jays and redbirds and soon forgot her fear.  As she came to the heart of the woods, she spied a large stone tower rising above the cedars and pines.  It was the home of an old witch.

     Holly had never seen such a strange tower before, and was quite curious about it.  She looked through one of the blank, dusty windows and saw the witch curled up like a large cat, sound asleep on the hearthrug. 

     “I’m sure the old woman won’t mind if I go inside to warm myself for a moment,” she thought, for the wind was very cold and her ears were being chapped.  So she let herself in through the little door, being very careful not to wake the witch.

     “Ah, much warmer in here than out there,” she thought.

     While the witch snored loudly by the fireplace, Holly wandered quietly over the whole place, looking at rooms and halls as she pleased.  In one room, she saw several rusty cages with old toads locked inside croaking from time to time.  Large candles burned in another room and their flames took on grotesque shapes that left eerie shadows dancing on the walls.

     At last, she came to a narrow, winding staircase that ascended to the top of the tower.  Up the rickety steps she climbed until finally, she came to a small door with a rusty key in the lock.  When she turned the key the door opened, and inside a dusty little room stood a marble chest, filled with sacks of gold coins.

     “Tis your lucky day, you clever girl,” Holly told herself.  She took a bag of gold in each hand, crept down the stairs and out the door, and ran home as fast as she could.  The old witch, still sound asleep, was none the wiser.

     When Holly got home and showed her mother and sisters the gold coins, they were amazed and asked how she had found such good trade in such a short time.  But Holly would not tell, and replied only, “There is more where that came from.”  And with that, she went to bed.

     The next morning, after a breakfast of tea-biscuits and honey, Holly returned to the witch’s tower.  She peeped in through a window, and once again, the witch lay sound asleep, curled up before the glowing embers.

     Holly was nimble and quick and crept through the door and up the staircase to the little room at the top of the tower.  Like the day before, she took a bag of gold in each hand and was downstairs and out the door in no time, completely unbeknownst to the witch.

     “How did you manage such good wages again today?”  asked Holly’s mother when she saw the gold coins.  But Holly would not give a straight answer and said only, “There is more where that came from.”  And she went to bed.

     The next day, Holly went back to the witch’s tower for the third time.  Again, the witch was sleeping by the fireplace, and Holly slipped into the hall, and up to the little treasure-filled room.

     She raised the heavy lid of the chest and was about to take a bag of gold, when she felt someone tapping her on the shoulder.  She turned to find the old witch standing behind her.

     “Foolish girl!” squawked the witch.  “It is YOU who has been stealing my gold like a rat steals cheese.  You SHALL BE PUNISHED!”  The witch seized Holly by the arm and forced her down the narrow stairwell, out of the tower and to the edge of a deep ravine.  The witch meant to cast Holly over the edge and watch her be dashed to pieces on the jagged rocks below.  But Holly was quick-witted, and said to the witch, “It’s a lucky thing for me to be thrown into this chasm instead of being drowned in the water well.  Just think how COLD the water would be!”

     The cruel old witch thought for a moment.  The water in the well would indeed be cold.  In fact, it would be FREEZING cold.  “Well, that is exactly what I’ve decided to do to you,” jeered the witch, and she led Holly to the nearby well.

     “Into the bucket you go, girl!” the witch demanded.  Once Holly was inside, the witch untied the rope and began to lower Holly deep into the well.

     But after a moment Holly called out, Oh, my, I wish the whole world could see what I see!”

     “What is it you see?”  asked the witch, stopping the crank.

     “Oh, dear, it really is remarkable,” Holly answered.

     “Whatever it is, I want to see it, too!” the witch cried.   She reversed the crank and raised Holly out of the well.

     “If you want to see what I saw, you’ll have to descend into the well like I did,” Holly told the witch.  And that is just what the old witch did.  She hopped into the bucket and eased herself slowly downward with the rope.

     “I don’t see anything,” cried the witch.

     “Just go down a little lower,” said Holly.

     It was dark inside the well and the witch did not like it.  But before she could raise herself out, Holly grabbed an axe that was wedged in a nearby log.  With one sharp blow, she cut the rope.  Down, down the witch fell to the bottom of the well, and was never seen again.

     Holly went back to the tower and gathered all the gold she could carry, and went home to her mother and sisters.  She told them all about the chest filled with treasure and how she had outsmarted the witch.  She never went back to the tower in the forest after that day, and it was just as well, because she never needed to.