The Well of the World's End

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Once upon a time, and a time it was when the grass grew greener, the trees grew taller, and the sun shone more brightly than it does today, there lived a young girl.

Now her mother had died, and her father had re-married. And her new mother, her stepmother, looked at that young girl and saw that she - the young girl - was far prettier than she herself had ever been, or could be now. And for that reason she hated the young girl from the bottom of her heart. Each day she made that young girl's life harder and harder. But even that was not enough, and at last she thought to get rid of her for ever.

So she went into the kitchen and took the sieve: "Go and fetch me a sieve full of water from the Well of the World's End. Bring it back full, or woe betide you." (For she thought the girl would never find the Well, and if she did, how could she bring back a sieve full of water!)

But the young girl took the sieve and went out to look for the Well of the World's End. She asked everyone she met, but no one knew where it was. At last, however, she met a little old woman, a woman so old she was bent almost down to the ground, and that old woman told her not only where the Well of the World's End was, she told her all she must do to get there.

Now the young girl did as she was told - and at last she arrived at the Well of the World's End. And she was happy she had found it, for the Well looked so beautiful; the old walls around the Well were covered in rich green moss, and studded with bright spring flowers. And the water was crystal clear.

And she dipped in her sieve - but of course the water ran out through the holes. She tried again, and again the water ran out; and no matter how often she tried, she could not take out a sieve full of water. And so she sat down, and she cried as if her heart would break.

But as she she cried, she heard a voice, a voice behind her a voice which sang, "Oh, why are you crying, my pretty young girl?"

She turned around, and saw, as you know she had to see, a frog. And again the frog sang, "Oh, why are you crying, my pretty young girl?"

So the young girl told the frog of all that had happened. And the frog said, "But I can tell you what to do."
"You can?"
"Yes, and I shall. I shall - if you promise to do whatever I ask of you. And all night long. Then I'll tell you what to do."

Well, the young girl looked at the frog, and the frog was so small, and she thought, "What can such a frog ask of me that is so hard?" So she gave the frog her promise. And the frog looked up, and he sang, "Stop it with moss and daub it with clay, and then you can carry the water away."

Now when the young girl heard these words, she took some of the thick, green moss from the walls of the Well, and she stopped the holes in the sieve. Then she knelt down and picked up some smooth, wet clay from the ground around the Well, and daubed that onto the moss inside the sieve. And then she dipped her sieve into the clear, crystal waters, and lifted it out - and not a drop ran through.

As she turned to take her water home, the frog called out, "Remember your promise, your promise to me." And he gave a hop, and a skip and a jump, and dived down into the waters of the Well of the World's End.

Now when she came home, her stepmother was very surprised to see her again, but did not say a word. She just took the sieve full of water, and took it to the kitchen. But that evening, as the two sat on either side of the table, there came a knock at the door - low down on the door.

"Now who can that be? Open the door, stepdaughter."
And the young girl opened the door. And there stood the frog, and he sang,
"Let me in, my hinny, my heart,
Let me in, darling.
Remember the words that you and I spoke
At the World's End Well but this morning."

When the stepmother heard this, of course she asked the girl what it meant, and the young girl told her of all that had happened. And when the stepmother heard that now her stepdaughter would have to do all that a frog, a green frog, asked of her, and all night long, she cried, "Young girls must keep their word. Let the frog in!" And the frog came in. And the frog hopped across the floor to where the young girl was sitting. And he looked up at the girl, and he sang,

"Lift me up, my hinny, my heart,
Lift to your knee, my darling.
Remember the words that you and I spoke
At the World's End Well but this morning."

But the young girl looked at the frog, and she really did not want to pick up that wet, slimy frog's body and put him onto her own clean white dress. But her stepmother saw this and cried, "Young girls must keep their word. Lift the frog up!"

So the young girl lifted the frog onto her lap. And the frog sat there, and he sang,

"Give me my supper, my hinny, my heart,
Give me my supper, my darling.
Remember the words that you and I spoke
At the World's End Well but this morning."

But the young girl looked at the frog, and she really did not want to put her own clean, white fingers anywhere near that frog's wide, gaping mouth. But her stepmother saw this and cried, "Young girls must keep their word. Give him his supper!"

So the young girl took some bread, and put it, piece by piece, deep into the frog's open mouth. And when the frog had eaten his supper, he turned to her and he sang,

"Take me to bed, my hinny, my heart,
Take me to bed, my darling.
Remember the promise you promised to me,
At the World's End Well but this morning."

Now the young girl looked at the frog, and saw his long, long legs, and she looked at his body, and she did not want to take that frog into her own clean, white bed. But her stepmother saw this and cried, "Young girls must keep their promises. Take him to bed!" So the young girl lifted the frog up, and carried him into her bedroom. And she closed the door. And she opened her bed, and put the frog in. Then she took her own clothes off, and got into bed. And she tried to keep as far away as she could, and all night long.

But, just as day was beginning to break, the frog turned to her and he sang,

"Chop off my head, my hinny, my heart,
Chop off my head, my darling.
Remember the promise you promised to me,
At the World's End Well but this morning."

Now the young girl, as she looked at the frog, thought of what the axe would do as she brought it down on the frog's neck. And she did not want the blood, she did not want the pain. But the frog sang again, and again, so piteously,

"Chop off my head, my hinny, my heart,
Chop off my head, my darling.
Remember the promise you promised to me,
At the World's End Well but this morning."

So at last the young girl took the axe and she swung it through the air. But she could not bear to look, and she closed her eyes as she brought it down.

But when she opened her eyes, instead of seeing the blood and the mangled body - she saw, as you know she had to see - a prince.

A prince so handsome. A prince who told her that she had freed him of the magic spell, which could only be broken when a young girl did all he asked of her, and all night long. Which now she had - so she must come to live with him in his castle. Which then she did - leaving her stepmother so angry that her stepdaughter was now a princess, and all because she had sent her to fetch a sieve full of water from the Well of the World's End.