It was not my fault. I was hungry.
We were poor folk. My mother and I worked very hard to make ends meet. Once winter had passed, things became even tougher. All our savings had been depleted. Mother asked me to sell our cow. Hesitantly, I had obliged and taken our cow to the market. No one wanted our old cow. At the end of the day, just when I was ready to go back, an old man showed interest in her. He offered me ten beans in exchange. Magic beans they are, he had said. I believed him and traded my cow for them. After I told mother, she was livid. She sent me to bed without giving me supper. Starving that I was, I ate the ten beans.
I repeat. It was not my fault. I was hungry.
How would I know the beans would turn me into a giant boy?
“I said I don’t eat maidens.”
The knight pointed his sword at the dragon. The sun glinted off of it and momentarily blinded the dragon.
“I don’t care. Here she is.” He pointed to the maiden. “Where’s my gold?”
“Your gold sits in your castle. My gold is in my cave.”
“I need more.”
“Need? You think you give me a woman and I’ll share my fortune.”
“Dragons love eating maidens. I tied her up for you so she won’t run.
The dragon stepped closer and sniffed.
“I prefer cattle. Or knights.”
He swallowed the knight before he could run.
Monica Wenzel is a high school Spanish and French teacher who lives in Minnesota with her husband, toddler son, and two cats. She enjoys photography, reading, and travel, in addition to writing. She won the Geek Partnership Society writing contest in 2015.
Covers: Amanda Bergloff
Thank you for reading today's Fairy Tale Flash stories, and please share your thoughts about them in the comments section below. We'd love to hear from you!
THESE TALES SPONSORED BY
Follow him on Twitter @GuyRicketts
Check out Guy's "Night Walking" Book
and vote for it HERE
and
Follow her on Twitter @karenleestreet
Check out Karen's book
Edgar Allan Poe and the Jewel of Peru HERE
