The pig's wife is standing outside her house. Little does she know that my youngest son was killed by her husband, so I turned him into a pig. I put a spell on him that would last three years, and his term is nearly done. She calls me to come and speak with her,...
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Wizard of a Man
Themes: Advancement | Artificiality | Support
The Tsar kept me under lock and key for years, and do you know why? Because I am a wizard of a man, yes indeed! A mere peasant made me of copper, with iron hands and a steel head. I am virtually indestructible. One day a boy walked past my prison grate. I recognized...
Clay Doll
Themes: Abuse | Artificiality | Disassociation
An old man with a beard longer than himself made me. He put clay into a mold and made a doll as large as life. When he was finished, he bored a hole into my breast and put a piece of bread inside, followed by a poisonous snake. Then he took the blood of a girl named...
False Bride Maleen
Themes: Artificiality | Disguise | Frustration
It was arranged that I should marry the king's son, and he was truly handsome. But I was no match for him. I felt so ugly and wretched, I hid in my room. Then I had an idea. I would get Maleen, the scullery maid, to dress up in my wedding gown. She could go to the...
Old Man without a Heart
Themes: Artificiality | Secrecy | Wonder
I didn't tell my young bride where I kept my heart. I lied to her. I said that I kept it under the bed cloth. Later I found her embroidering flowers on the quilt. How quaint. I said, "No, my dear, it's not under the bed cloth. It's in the--" "Where, dear husband?" "It...
Betraying Waiting Maid
Themes: Artificiality | Betrayal | Force | Power
Ha! The princess doesn't see that she has lost the precious handkerchief that holds her mother's blood. I watch it go tumbling downstream. Now I have her in my power! "Don't even think about getting back up on your high horse," I tell her. "Your horse is mine. And...
King’s Equerry
Themes: Artificiality | Deception | Suspicion
The king has been looking for a wife for some time, and he did not believe that he would ever fall in love until today. We were traveling through the woods when suddenly we heard the most awful shrieking of cats, and then we saw an extraordinary hunt. A lady, mounted...
Artificial Nightingale
Themes: Artificiality | Competition | Perfection
I came to the emperor in a parcel labeled Nightingale. I am a mechanical bird who looks and sounds exactly like the real one—with several important improvements. Unlike the dull, dun-colored nightingale, I am set all over with diamonds, rubies, and sapphires, and,...