Jack and the Goblins
Not too long ago, Jack took himself a wife. That's her right beside him. Isn't she cute? The two had a problem, however. Jack didn't have a house or a penny to his name.
So Jack and his wife went out to find their fortune. As they walked along, they found a needle laying on the ground. They might have walked right past the needle if it had not started up a conversation with them. You can only imagine their surprise when they heard that needle talking.
The Needle asked, "Where you going to, Jack?"
"We're off to find our fortune," answered Jack, trying to be polite. He didn't know the best way to show good manners to a Needle. This is my wife with me. "Isn't she cute?"
Then the Needle said, "Take me with you all the way, and I will help you every day."
Now Jack's wife knew that every woman had to have a good Needle, so she pushed the point of the Needle into her apron and off the couple went. As they walked along, they met a Crawfish. They might have missed the Crawfish entirely, since it sat along the edge of a puddle they had stepped over. The Crawfish, like the Needle, talked to them. You can only imagine their surprise when the Crawfish began to talk.
"Where you, going, Jack?" asked the Crawfish. Mind you, the Crawfish wasn't trying to be rude by only talking to Jack, but polite folks in Jack's time always addressed the man of the family first.
Jack had never seen talking Crawfish before, but he said, "We're off to find our fortune. This is my wife with me. Isn't she cute?"
"Well," began the Crawfish, "Take me with you all the way, and I will help you every day."
So, Jack found a bucket and put some water from the puddle in it and picked up the Crawfish with his fingers and put it into the bucket, and off the couple went. As they walked along, they found some Acorns.
They just might have walked past that pile of acorns, but like the Needle and the Crawfish, the Acorns started speaking. "Where you off to, Jack?" asked the acorns.
Jack had never seen talking Acorns before, but he said, "We're off to find our fortune. This is my wife with me. Isn't she cute?"
Then the Acorns said, "Take us with you all the way, and we will help you every day."
So, Jack put the acorns into his pocket, and with the Needle, the Crawfish, the Acorns, and off the couple went. As they walked along, they met a Duck. They might just have walked right by that Duck, but like the Needle, the Crawfish and the Acorns - it just had to speak up.
"Quack, Quack, Quack! Where you goin', Jack?" asked the Duck.
Jack had never seen a talking duck before, but he said, "We're off to find our fortune. This is my wife with me. Isn't she cute?"
Then the duck said, "Take me with you all the way, and I will help you every day."
So, Jack picked up the Duck in his arms and held it as his hand rested on the pocket carrying the acorns as he carried the bucket of water with the crawfish in it with the other hand, walking beside his wife who had a Needle stuck in her apron.
As they walked along, they met a Rooster. They might not have even looked twice at that Rooster, but it looked up and said, "Where you goin', Jack?"
Jack had never seen a talking Rooster, but he was growin' more used to hearing unusual things talk, so he answered, "We're off to find our fortune. This is my wife with me. Isn't she cute?" asked Jack.
"Take me with you all the way, and I will help you every day." said the Rooster.
Jack wasn't sure how that Rooster could help him, but he let the Rooster sit on his shoulder while the Duck sat in his one arm that had the hand resting on the pocket carrying the acorns as he carried the bucket of water with the crawfish in it with the other hand, walking beside his wife who had the Needle stuck in her apron.
As they walked along, they met an Ox. By now, Jack wasn't the least bit surprised when that Ox asked, "Where you goin', Jack?"
Jack said, "We're off to find our fortune. This is my wife with me. Isn't she cute?"
"Take me with you all the way, and I will help you every day." said the Ox.
Now, that old Ox looked to be pretty strong, and a farmer always needs a good ox to pull the plow, so Jack took off the rope that was holding up one side of his britches and tied it around the Ox. He now sat the Duck and the Rooster on the back of the Ox and took the rope that led the ox in one hand while he still carried the bucket filled with crawfish in the other with his pocket full of acorns besides. His wife walked along beside him wth the Needle still stuck in her apron.
As they walked along, they met a horse. Like the others, the horse asked, "Where you goin', Jack?"
Jack said, "We're off to find our fortune. This is my wife with me. Isn't she cute?
"Take me with you all the way, and I will help you every day." said the horse.
So Jack put his wife with the Needle still in her apron on the back of the horse, and it followed beside the Ox with the Duck and the Rooster on his back while Jack still carried the bucket filled with crawfish and his pocket full of acorns.
So, Jack and his wife and the Needle and Crawfish and the Acorns and the Duck and the Rooster and the Ox and the Rooster walked on until they came to a large empty house in the woods. It was a mighty fine house to be sitting empty. The dust and cobwebs made it look like no one had been there for years. What they didn't know was that a wicked Goblin lived there. He kept that house looking empty to attract people for him to haunt.
Since the house appeared empty, Jack and his wife decided to stay for a spell. Jack's wife took the Needle out of her apron and put it on the bench by the table. Jack put the Acorns in the fireplace to roast. He left the crawfish in their bucket of water next to the fireplace. The duck sat down next to the stove. The rooster went to roost in the sitting room. The ox and horse went to the barn to graze and rest until morning. Meanwhile, Jack and his wife went upstairs and laid down for a good night's rest.
Late that night, the Goblin returned, planning tricks to play on Jack and his wife. As he sat on the bench to think, he sat right on the Needle, and it poked him. He shouted and grabbed his rear end. The Goblin looked at his fingers and saw blood from where he had touched his behind. He ran to the bucket for water to wash off his hands. As his fingers went into the bucket, the crawfish pinched him hard. The Goblin ran to the fireplace to put warm ashes on the swelling. But, the Acorns began to pop open and, "Bang!" One hit him in the eye. The Goblin stepped back right on the sleeping duck, which woke up and pecked at his ankles shouting, "Quack, Quack Quack!" The Goblin ran from the kitchen into the sitting room waking the Rooster, which jumped on him, pecking him and shouting, "Cock-a-doodle-doo!"
The Goblin ran out the door and into the barn - right into the ox which lifted him up with his horns and threw him against the back of the sleeping horse. The startled horse kicked the Goblin right out the barn door. The Goblin got right to his feet and started running and ran straight to see the King of the Goblins in the middle of the forest.
"My house is haunted by humans, said the Goblin. I sat down at the table, and their cook stabbed me with a knife. I tried to get some water, and a man pinched me with a pair of pliers. I went to put warm ashes on my hand, and a soldier shot me in the eye. Then someone started poking my legs saying, "Attack, Attack, Attack!" Another one jumped on my head back and said, "Let me get him too!" Then when I ran into the barn, someone stabbed me with a giant pitchfork, and someone else hit me with a giant club. I'll never go back there again!
The Goblin never did go back to the house. Nor did he go back for the fortune that was hid under the bed upstairs - that Jack's wife found later.
That's how Jack and his wife got their house and how they found their fortune. And the last I heard, they and their animal friends were doing right well.
Dr. Mike Lockett is an educator, storyteller and children's author from Normal, IL. Dr. Lockett has given more than 4000 programs across the USA and as far away as eastern Asia. Contact Mike by writing to Mike@mikelockett.com in order to book him for a storytelling program or young authors program or to inquire about purchasing his books and CDs. More stories and information about storytelling can be found at www.mikelockett.com