After months and months of trying to save his land, Farmer Brown finally gave up. A drought had washed through the land, and his soil was depleted. There was no way he'd ever be able to make enough crops to feed his family unless he was able to find another suitable place to farm. He set out on a mission to find a piece of land that he could plow, but time was running out, so he had to act quickly.
No soon after he had started his search, he quickly came upon a forest, loaded with beautiful trees and bushes. The soil was so rich and healthy, he knew this was the place - if only he could knock down all the trees. Farmer Brown began slowly cutting down the first tree that he could seeing.
"Ahem...and just who is that cutting down our trees?" a mysterious voice from seemingly nowhere called out.
"It's just me, Farmer Brown. I am desperate for land to grow food for my family. This land is perfect, but I must cut down the trees to be able to farm. Who are you? Is this your land?" Farmer Brown stated.
"Well, you're in luck. We are the fairies that dwell on this land, but we certainly don't want to see your family starve. We'd love to help you," a woman with wings said as she emerged in the open.
Excited and thankful for the help, Farmer Brown began chopping down the trees. Within minutes time, the entire land was cleared, thanks to the fairies' kindness. Knowing there was no time to waste, Farmer Brown began planting yam and corn crops throughout the newly plowed land. All that was left to do was wait for the crops to grow. The land was so valuable and sacred, Brown vowed to keep this a secret from everyone, including his wife.
With the harvesting months fast approaching, Mrs. Brown began getting anxious. She knew that her husband had a plan, but she couldn't take the anticipation of the crops. She decided she would just pick the crops herself.
"Dear, where are you keeping this hidden land of yours? I am growing weary, and our food supply is dwindling. Please, tell me where it is so I can fetch the food," Mrs. Brown begged to husband.
Farmer Brown was quick to deny his wife this valuable information, but after his wife continued to nag, he gave in to her request.
"Okay, here's the deal. I will tell you the location, IF you promise to me you will not speak or answer any sort of question that maybe asked of you," Mr. Brown informed his wife.
"Yeah, sure. Okay, yeah whatever you say! No questions...got it!" And with that, Mrs. Brown took off the harvest the plants.
When she got to the secret land, she began frantically picking the crops, not paying any attention to check if the crops were even ready for harvest. Before she could even gather more than one crop, a voice from nowhere shouted, "Who is picking the crops? These crops belong to our friend."
"I am Mrs. Brown. Farmer Brown has sent me here to gather up the crops for our food."
"Ahh, of course. Well, let us help you harvest the food," the kind fairy stated.
With the help of the fairies, the crops were picked in a moment's notice. Mrs. Brown, feeling excited and empowered, hurried home with a basket full of green yams and corn. However, the moment she got home, her husband was furious.
"NO! You were supposed to only pick the yams and corn that were READY to be harvested! You talked to the fairies didn't you. They are the only ones who could have helped you pull off a feat like this? Ugh, they will help anyone. None of this food is even edible and now we have to wait for the soil to turn over. We will have no food for this upcoming winter," the farmer yelled at his wife.
Mrs. Brown, now in tears, took off back towards the secret land. She had to make this right, or they were going to starve for the winter. Surely if the fairies were as nice as they seemed, they would help her come up with some sort of food for her and her husband.
"Fairies. Oh, Faaaaaaries! Please come. I need your help. We did a terrible thing by picking the crops and now I need your help making it right," Mrs. Brown called out.
"We don't normally honor requests, but we know your intentions were well. Have your husband come back tomorrow and the land will be plentiful," one of the fairies explained.
Mrs. Brown ran home to tell her husband. The next morning the two of them awoke and took off towards the land, and just like the fairy had promised, the entire land was flooded with yam and corn crops that were ready to be harvested. The Browns now had plenty for the winter, and all was right within their world.
Author's Note: This story was adapted from the West African folktale Farmer Mybrow and the Fairies. While some of the storyline remains the same, I decided to change up the ending. In the original story, the Farmer goes back to the land multiple times, and each time the fairies help him establish his land. The wife becomes curious of where the land is and decides she wants firewood from the land. The farmer tells her where the land is, but like in my story, tells her not to answer any questions from anyone. She, of course, disobeys him, and the fairies help her pick the crops (instead of gathering the firewood like she originally intended). The end of the original story ends with the farmer getting mad at the wife, and does not really have a conclusion. I decided to spin my a little bit, by adding the detail of desperately needing the food in order to not starve during the winter. By adding this minor detail, I was able to create an ending with more closure than the original.
Bibliography: West African Folktales by William H. Barker and Cecilia Sinclair (1917)
The words you use are so precise and on-point! The flow of the story just takes over as you read because you transition each sentence and thought seamlessly. The dialogue was a great addition because it gave a deep look into the characters. By changing up the ending of the story, you really made it your own! That is one method I want to try using more.
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