Chapter Four: The Enchantress's Reward

The cottager spreads his wealth and the gods praise the enchantress.

The egg was of gold, as the cottager knew,

So they melted it down to the thickness of glue

And poured it in molds and it cooled into coins

And here’s where the lovely enchantress rejoins:

 

She hobbled to market, disguised as a hag,

And found the good gooser with one bulging bag

With which he was carrying all he could buy

From every seller that met his bright eye.

 

“A necklace!” he shouted, “my wife will love two!

Here’s five golden coins, and a good luck to you.

Some decorative rugs!  Oh, I’ve always desired

A fine purple pattern to lay by my fire.”

 

He scurried and scrambled to share his new wealth

With all of his neighbors, and those with poor health

Received many extra gold coins from his purse

So they could afford enough food and a nurse.

 

For, though he was only a cottager meek,

He knew circulation could make strong the weak:

The more he distributed what he’d been given,

The higher the village economy driven!

 

Delighted, the magic one chuckled and sat,

Admiring the gooser whose heart was so fat.

And there, hiding beauty beneath her old cloak,

She prayed to her friends in the heavens.  She spoke:

 

 

“I thank thee, friends, for ev’ry time

Thy hands have shaped this life of mine.

I often think back to the day

I very first knelt down to pray

 

“And asked if I, like thee above,

Could share my overflowing love

Through means beyond a mortal’s hand;

Celestial means, both bold and grand.

 

“’Twas then you sent my Book of Spells!

Right there, it rose up from the Wells

And floated in the air before

My wanting eyes, wanting no more.”

 

“You wanted not for many years,”

The gods replied.  “Our greatest fears

Were that, one day, you’d wish to be

As powerful as even we.

 

“And when a prayer you wished to grant

We worried that a sycophant

You had become, a hungry fool

With plans to overthrow and rule.

 

“But now we see your heart is pure,

Your mind is sound, your love is sure.

And so, your righteous works to bless,

Your power now is limitless.”

 

 

The woman was grateful to tears with the news

For now she could help anyone she could choose.

She leapt to her feet, filled with whimsical glee,

And the cottager spotted her past a small tree.

 

He rushed quickly to her and said, out of breath,

“Your promise was true!  My goose escaped death!

I’ll thank you forever for giving us hope.

Please take this small token for helping us cope.”

 

He lifted her hand and turned over his pack:

Sixteen golden coins tumbled out of the sack.

He closed up her fingers, all gnarled and old

(A magic illusion), on top of the gold.

 

She shook her head slowly, hood hiding a smile,

And dumped the coins back in the pack.  In a while

The cottager, already half the way home,

Discovered the number of pieces had grown.

 

For weeks, the poor cottager and his poor wife

Were blessed by their goose with a wonderful life.

Their neighbors could hardly believe it when told

The weak little bird was the source of the gold.

 

The news travelled quickly; before very long

The whole of the kingdom had heard tale or song

Of the magical bird in the easternmost town

Of the country of Belles “with more wealth than the crown.”