My Little Brother Grimm

The story of a little boy named Grimm and his search to find a village where he won't be bullied and teased.

 

There was long ago a little boy named Grimm. He lived in a time where the world was made of felt and people were made of yarn. His eyes were the darkest black buttons around and the most beautiful anyone had ever seen, but it was because of this that Grimm was teased and bullied beyond compare so one day he decided to leave behind his little village and travel abroad to start somewhere else anew. 

He packed his little belongings into one little suitcase and set out into the world. It wasn't long until he came across a large yarn cat with big glass eyes laying down on the road who stopped him for a toll.

"Where are you going?" asked the Cat.

"To find a village where no one will tease me." replied Grimm.

The cat smiled a devious smile, “then you must pay me a toll to pass or I will rip out your stuffing and use it as my own.”

This scared Grimm, for a yarn boy without stuffing would simply be a ball of yarn. So he asked the Cat what he required as his toll. “Answer my riddle and you may pass, answer wrong and I will rip out all your stuffing and use it as my own."

If Grimm could have shaken he would have at this point, but since yarn does not get cold he could do no such thing.

The Cat began to recite,

 

What is fully grown at birth and looks no bigger than a dime.

Yet it never truly lives or dies and is present all the time.

 

He had to think long and hard and after some long thinking exclaimed, “A moon.”

“Is that your final answer?” asked the cat, his devious smile growing again.

“A moon looks no bigger than a dime, is always present even in the day, its always been as big as it is now, and it doesn’t actually live so it can’t die.”

“Final answer?” the Cat asked again.

“Yes, it’s a moon.” Grimm said with confidence.

So the Cat lowered his head and let the little yarn boy pass. He came across a little village and decided to settle in there for it looked pleasant and friendly. But it wasn’t long until Grimm again packed up his little suitcase and set off to find a new home for even in the new village he was teased and bullied beyond compare.

It wasn’t long after he’d set off when he once again came across the Cat.

“Where are you going?” asked the cat.

“To find a village where no one will tease me.” Replied Grimm.

The Cat smiled his devious smile and said, “then you must pay me a toll to pass or I will rip out your stuffing and use it as my own.”

This time Grimm gave the Cat a nod of his head so the Cat began,

 

There are more of us than you can count though many will have tried

A King and Queen have joined our ranks once they lived and died.

 

Grimm had to think for a long time until finally he decided on his answer. “The stars.”

“Is that your final answer?” asked the cat grinning his devious smile.

“Cassiopia and Cepheus became constellations in the sky so a king and a queen have joined ranks among the stars.”

“Final answer?” the Cat asked again grinning from ear to ear.

“Yes, the answer is the stars.”

And just like that the cat lowered his head and allowed Grimm passage down the road so off he set in search of the next town. He found the town very pleasant and enjoyed his stay. But in a short time the teasing and bullying began and Grimm packed up his little suitcase again and set off in search of a town where he would not be teased. No sooner had he set off when he came across the Cat sitting at the center of the road grooming his paw.

“Where are you going?” asked the Cat.

“To find a village where I will not be teased for my beautiful eyes.” Replied Grimm.
“Then you must pay my toll or I will rip out your stuffing and use it as my own.”

By now Grimm was expecting the cat and knew he would ask a riddle of him so he simply gave a nod of his head and waited for the riddle,

So the Cat began to recite,

 

In pairs I come, that’s normal for me

No matter where you look, there I’ll be.

 

He considered the riddle for a long time and the longer he took the wider the Cat’s grin grew.

“Do you give up?” asked the Cat staring at the little boy of yarn.

“No” replied Grimm, “I’ve got it.” The Cat’s grin grew ever so slightly. “It is eyes. They come in pairs and wherever I look my eyes will be. It is defiantly eyes.” So the Cat grinned and bowed his head and let Grimm pass by unscathed.

“In the next village,” added the Cat, “there will be a woman sitting on the street. Sit with her for a while and I will grant you free passage the next time we meet.”

Grimm took the Cat’s words and move on to the next village. It was wonderful. The streets were filled with dancing and the taverns were full of happy customers. He found a grant looking Inn and was about to enter when in a dark corner, sitting on the dirty ground, he saw a woman seated alone. But she was dressed in rags and sitting on the dirty ground so Grimm stayed at the Inn and didn't give the woman another look. In the middle of the night, while everyone was asleep, someone snuck into Grimm’s room and sliced open his belly to take out his stuffing, no sooner had he been opened up than Grimm awoke. He jumped from his bed and raced out the door without bothering to pack his little suitcase and was off to find a friendlier village. No sooner had he stepped from the village limits when he spotted the Cat.

“You did not heed my words and now look at what has happened to you.” The Cat looked at Grimm holding his own stuffing in his hands.

“Please help. I was asleep and someone broke into my room and cut open my belly to steal my stuffing but I woke and ran away.”

The Cat smiled his broad grin. “If you had sat with the woman on the street this would not have happened. None-the-less I will help you.” So the Cat took out a zipper and sewed it into Grimm’s stomach and he was happy with the result.

“Oh Cat,” said he, “village after village I do not find the peace that I am looking for. I wish I knew why I am always being teased and bullied.”

The Cat grinned his broad grin.

 

“It is your eyes” said the Cat, “why you are always teased and bullied. You must get rid of them if you wish to be free of it. Normally I do not help little yarn boys but you have caught me in a giving mood today. I will exchange my eyes for yours so you may start anew in the next village.

Grimm was overcome with relief and took the Cat’s offer.

So the Cat took Grimm’s black button eyes for his own and from that day forth Grimm was no longer teased about his perfect black button eyes...just his zipper belly and glass-bead eyes.