Selected Tales of the Brothers Grimm(36)

The soldier took the whole of the next day to get the job done, and come evening, the witch offered to put him up for another night. “Tomorrow,” she said, “I only ask that you do me a small service. Behind my house there is an old well that has run dry. My light fell in, and it burns blue and never goes out. You must fetch it for me.”

The next day the old hag led him to the well and lowered him down in a basket. He found the blue light and made a sign for her to hoist him back up, which she proceeded to do. But when he got close to the rim, she reached out her hand and wanted to grab the light.

“Not so fast,” he said, sensing her evil intent. “I’ll only give you the light once I have both my feet firmly planted on dry ground.” Whereupon the witch flew into a rage, let him drop back down into the well, and walked away.

The poor soldier fell to the damp bottom without a bruise, and the blue light kept burning, but what good did that do him? Facing his inevitable death, he sat around sadly for a while, when he happened to reach into his pocket and found his pipe half stuffed with tobacco. This will be my last pleasure, he thought, and pulled out the pipe, lit it on the blue light, and started smoking. As the cloud of smoke rose around him, all at once a little black man appeared before him and asked, “Master, what is your wish?”

“How can a lowly creature like me command anything of you?” the flabbergasted soldier replied.

“I must do,” said the little man, “whatever you ask.”

“Good,” said the soldier. “So first help me get out of this well.”

The little man took him by the hand and led him through underground passageways, the soldier remembering to take along the blue light. Along the way the little man showed him the treasures the witch had amassed and hidden there, and the soldier took as much gold as he could carry. Once they reached the surface, he said to the little man, “Now go and tie up the old witch and take her to prison.” A little while later she went riding by with a terrible shriek, quick as the wind, on the back of a wild tomcat. And shortly thereafter the little man returned. “Everything’s arranged,” he said, “and the witch is already dangling from the gallows. Master,” the little man continued, “what is your next wish?”

“Nothing at the moment,” the solider replied, “you can go home, just be sure to come when I call.”

“That won’t be necessary,” said the little man. “All you have to do is kindle your pipe with the blue light, and I’ll be standing there before you.” With these words he disappeared.

The soldier returned to the city he came from. He went to the finest inn and had a fine suit of clothes made, then asked the innkeeper to furnish a room for him as lavishly as possible. Once it was done and the soldier moved in, he called the little black man and said, “I faithfully served the king, but he sent me packing and would have let me starve to death. Now it’s my turn to take revenge.”

“What should I do?” asked the little man.

“Late at night when the king’s daughter is in bed, bring her here fast asleep. She will serve as my chambermaid.”

The little man said, “That’s easy enough for me, but for you it’ll be a bit of risky business. When the king finds out, you’ll be in big trouble.”

At the stroke of twelve, the door flew open, and the little man carried the king’s daughter in.

“Aha, is that you?” the soldier cried. “Get to work now! Go fetch a broom and sweep my room.” When she was done, he had her approach his chair, then he stretched his feet out and said, “Pull my boots off,” which she did, whereupon he flung them in her face, and she had to pick them up, and clean and polish them until they sparkled. But she obeyed his every command in silence and with half-closed eyes. At the cock’s first crow the little man returned with her to the royal castle and lay her back in bed.

That morning, when she got up, she went to her father and told him she’d had a strange dream. “I was carried through the streets at lightning speed and brought to a soldier’s room, whom I had to serve hand and foot as a chambermaid, and do all the menial tasks, sweep up and polish his boots. It was just a dream, yet I’m so tired as if I’d really done it.”

“The dream might not have been an illusion,” said the king. “I’ll give you a bit of advice – stuff your pockets full of peas and tear a tiny hole in your pocket. Should you be picked up again, the peas will fall out and leave a trail on the street.”

Standing by, invisible, the little man listened in and heard everything the king said. That night, as he once again carried the sleeping princess through the streets, peas did indeed fall out of her pocket but they left no trace, since the crafty little man had previously strewn peas in every street. Again the princess had to serve the soldier hand and foot until the cock’s first crow.