I Can Do It Myself!

Once upon a time, there lived a boy named Percy. Like all boys and girls, he never wanted to go to bed on time.

The hut where he lived with his mother was small, made of rough stone, which was plentiful in those parts, and stood right on the border between England and Scotland. Though they were poor, in the evenings, when the peat burned brightly in the hearth and the candle flickered warmly, their home felt exceptionally cozy.

Percy loved to warm himself by the fire and listen to the old tales his mother told him, or simply doze off, admiring the whimsical shadows cast by the blazing hearth. Finally, his mother would say:

"Well, Percy, it's time for bed!"

But Percy always thought it was too early, and he would argue and bicker with her before finally going. Yet, as soon as he lay down in his wooden bed and rested his head on the pillow, he would fall into a deep sleep.

One evening, Percy argued with his mother for so long that she ran out of patience. Taking the candle, she went to bed, leaving him alone by the glowing hearth.

"Sit there alone by the fire!" she said as she left. "Maybe the old wicked fairy will come and take you away for not obeying your mother!"

"Pfft! I'm not afraid of old wicked fairies!" thought Percy, and he stayed by the fire.

In those distant times, every farmstead and every hut had its own little brownie who would come down the chimney every night to tidy up, clean, and scrub. Percy's mother always left a small jug of goat's cream by the door as thanks for his work, and by morning, the jug was always empty.

These little brownies were kind and friendly house spirits, but they were also very easily offended. Woe to the housewife who forgot to leave them a jug of cream! By the next morning, everything in her house would be turned upside down, and the brownie, offended, would never show his face again.

The brownie who helped Percy's mother always found the jug of cream and therefore never left their house without tidying everything up nicely while Percy and his mother slept soundly. But this brownie had a very wicked and angry mother.

This old, evil fairy couldn't stand humans. It was her that Percy's mother had in mind when she went to bed.

At first, Percy was quite pleased with himself for insisting on staying by the fire. But as the fire began to die down, he started to feel uneasy and longed for his warm bed. He was just about to get up and leave when he heard a rustling and scratching in the chimney, and suddenly a little brownie jumped into the room.

Percy startled in surprise, and the brownie was equally surprised to find Percy still awake. Staring at the long-legged brownie with pointy ears, Percy asked:

"What's your name?"

"Sam!" replied the brownie, making a funny face. "And yours?"

Percy thought the brownie was joking and decided to play along.

"I'm Sam!" he answered.

"Catch me, I'm Sam!" the brownie shouted and darted to the side.

Percy and the brownie began to play by the fire. The brownie was a nimble and quick little imp: he leaped so deftly from the wooden sideboard to the table—just like a cat—and bounded and tumbled around the room. Percy couldn't take his eyes off him.

But soon the fire in the hearth almost completely died out, and Percy took the poker to stir the peat. Unfortunately, a burning ember fell right onto the little brownie's foot. The poor brownie let out such a loud wail that the old fairy heard him and shouted down the chimney:

"Who hurt you? I'll come down right now, and then they'll be sorry!"

Frightened, Percy darted behind the door into the next room, where his wooden bed stood, and burrowed under the blanket.

"It's I'm Sam!" the brownie replied.

"Then why are you yelling and keeping me from sleeping?" the old, wicked fairy snapped. "Scold yourself!"

And with that, a long, bony hand with sharp claws reached out of the chimney, grabbed the little brownie by the scruff of his neck, and pulled him up.

The next morning, Percy's mother found the jug of cream still in the same spot by the door where she had left it the night before. And the little brownie never returned to her house. Though she was sad to lose her little helper, she was very pleased that from that evening on, she no longer had to remind Percy twice to go to bed.

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I Can Do It Myself!

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