The Witch And Three Wishes

Farmer Grimm was in the field, but couldn’t get his crop to yield. So, he wandered through the woods to find some help.

He happened onto a wild willow tree, with a trap door hidden underneath, got himself all tangled up, inside a trap.

Out of the roots around the tree, stepped a curious old woman. Dressed like a goddess who had fallen straight from heaven.

She smiled coyly at the man, as she circled like a spider, welcoming the confined farmer to her coven.

He begged and pleaded, for his life, the witch decided to be nice and said "OK, I can help you with your plea."

"For the spell to take effect, I’ll need some salt, but just a speck. And a rare and precious root, from a dragon tree."

Then, she added, "just a little more, a left tusk from a wild boar, and any tooth you choose, from a pigmy sloth, with toes of three."

The farmer argued and he fussed, spit his chew out, then he cussed. "You cursed woman, how do you expect me to find these things for you?"

The witch said, "I don’t care, you have no business being here and if you want my help, that’s what you’re going to do."

She blinked her eyes, and twitched her nose, the root the farmer held, arose, and released him from the sneaky trap that bound him.

With a nod of her head, they appeared, the little men with little beards, to accompany the befuddled, farmer Grimm.

They chanted a cheery chat, that made the grumpy farmer mad, but they continued on, like he was an illusion.

They said in unison, "The rarer the tree, the stronger the magic will be", and they zigged and zagged, adding to his confusion.

"Where are you going?" he demanded, "we've past every dragon tree that's planted, we only need one root, I don't know what you're thinking !"

The biggest, little man spoke up, and said, "will you please, kindly shut up, the ones we're looking for - aren't planted, but have feet."

The farmers eyes flew open wide, out of the corner of his eye, he saw the massive Dragon tree, just like they told him.

And the rare and precious root, was really the dragon's massive foot, and he appeared to know exactly why they came.

The little men all circled round, and pinned the dragon to the ground, they threw a knife, and told the farmer, "Catch this and cut!"

But the farmer couldn't do it, he couldn’t put the dragon through it, so he told the little men to, "STOP, and let him up!"

As the dragon towered over, the little men, behind his shoulder, standing face to face with the massive beast.

Teardrops in his eyes, he said, "if it's my time to die, I guess. I'll die with my dignity intact, at least."

The dragon moved a little closer, all the little bearded men, fell over, as the dragon spoke, his voice, just like a whisper.

Since you chose to spare my life, I can take away your strife, with three rare and precious, no strings attached, wishes.

The farmer wished his way back home, sent the witch her little gnomes, his harvest fixed, and worries nixed - enjoys lunch alone,with his new friend, Mitch. (The dragon tree)