What is this
beerwood stew you speak of...
“Have you ever smelled a stew this good, Tulli?”
“Come to think of it Hopson, I have smelled better. Nothing beats the beerwood stew I had with the giants of the north.”
“Ah yes, the legendary beerwood stew. Didn’t those giants teach you how to make it, Tulli?”
“Why yes, Hopson. I only wish I were able to reach my pocket, for I have some beerwood root they gave to me as a parting gift.”
The giant, sharpening his knife by a pot of stew the size of a house, stopped to look at the two men tied up next to him.
The giant grunted and waved his knife at them. “What is this beerwood stew you speak of?”
“Only the finest stew in all the land, right Hopson?”
“Yes, Tulli. But everyone knows the giants of the north are the best stew makers and you, mighty giant, are from the south.”
The giant stood up with his head above the trees and thundered, “The giants of the south are the best stew makers!”
“They would be if they made beerwood stew.” Tulli replied.
“Then you will give me your beerwood root, and teach me how to make this or I will eat you both right now.”
“First, you have to untie Tulli so he can get the beerwood root out of his pocket,” Hopson said.
The giant did as he was told. Tulli pulled something out of his pocket and handed it to him.
“This looks like an ordinary root,” the giant noted.
“Yes, but it has magical properties. You must cut beerwood root sitting inside the cooking pot to release its magic and make the best stew possible.
The giant wanted to make a stew better than the giants of the north, so he readily climbed into the pot that was the size of a house.
Once the giant was inside, Tulli untied Hopson.
“You must sit in there, cutting the beerwood root while we get more wood for the fire to properly cook the stew.”
Tulli and Hopson ran off into the forest with no intention of getting more firewood, but at least the giant did get a good, long bath.
“Come to think of it Hopson, I have smelled better. Nothing beats the beerwood stew I had with the giants of the north.”
“Ah yes, the legendary beerwood stew. Didn’t those giants teach you how to make it, Tulli?”
“Why yes, Hopson. I only wish I were able to reach my pocket, for I have some beerwood root they gave to me as a parting gift.”
The giant, sharpening his knife by a pot of stew the size of a house, stopped to look at the two men tied up next to him.
The giant grunted and waved his knife at them. “What is this beerwood stew you speak of?”
“Only the finest stew in all the land, right Hopson?”
“Yes, Tulli. But everyone knows the giants of the north are the best stew makers and you, mighty giant, are from the south.”
The giant stood up with his head above the trees and thundered, “The giants of the south are the best stew makers!”
“They would be if they made beerwood stew.” Tulli replied.
“Then you will give me your beerwood root, and teach me how to make this or I will eat you both right now.”
“First, you have to untie Tulli so he can get the beerwood root out of his pocket,” Hopson said.
The giant did as he was told. Tulli pulled something out of his pocket and handed it to him.
“This looks like an ordinary root,” the giant noted.
“Yes, but it has magical properties. You must cut beerwood root sitting inside the cooking pot to release its magic and make the best stew possible.
The giant wanted to make a stew better than the giants of the north, so he readily climbed into the pot that was the size of a house.
Once the giant was inside, Tulli untied Hopson.
“You must sit in there, cutting the beerwood root while we get more wood for the fire to properly cook the stew.”
Tulli and Hopson ran off into the forest with no intention of getting more firewood, but at least the giant did get a good, long bath.
Follow her on Twitter @AmandaBergloff
Check out her Amazon Author page HERE
5 comments:
I really enjoyed this clever story of brains over brawn. Also, the use of hops and Tulli (Beerfest, Finland) to name the two protagonists. So much substance in such a short story, with a classic fairy tale ending. Terrific story, Amanda. The art is quite nice as well.
To clarify, I recognize the protagonists were named for EC supporters Jude Tulli and Kevin Hopson. I just also liked the fortuitous way their names worked so perfectly with Beerstew along with the other salient terms.
Here in my original comment is a prime example of realizing an omission right after the publish button is pressed. This correction should point out just how much more clever the use of names in this story were.
This story makes me think of Bilbo and the three trolls. Well done!
Nice dialogue! One tiny detail that makes one long for one more sentence. Why is a man carrying a root in his pocket? I think, given the tale's location, perhaps the root is a prized tulip bulb for his wife being taken home? Bartered for and hard won over a game of chance and mug of beer that would make a wild desperate mind think "beerwood" while stumbling on words from his mouth to try to get him out of a certain death at the hands of a giant? Perhaps others have other creativity? Love the story. Reminds me also of Stone Soup but a different twist.
Good old troll stupidity. Clever story.
Post a Comment