The quiltmaker's gift - 1st part

[Stories for Everyone - AF <afi AT storiesforeveryone.com>]

 

Pedagogical Project

“The Joy of Reading”

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The Quiltmaker’s Gift

 

 

There was once a quiltmaker who kept a house in the blue misty mountains up high. Even the oldest great, great grandfather could not recall a time when she was not up there, sewing away day after day.

Here and there and wherever the sun warmed the earth, it was said she made the prettiest quilts anyone had ever seen.

The blues seemed to come from the deepest part of the ocean, the whites from the northernmost snows, the greens and purples from the abundant wildflowers, the reds, oranges, and pinks from the most wonderful sunsets.

Some said there was magic in her fingers. Some whispered that her needles and cloth were gifts of the bewitched. And still others said the quilts really fell to earth from the shoulders of passing angels.

Many people climbed her mountain, pockets bursting with gold, hoping to buy one of the wonderful quilts. But the woman would not sell them.

“I give my quilts to those who are poor or homeless,” she told all who knocked on her door. “They are not for the rich.”

On the darkest and coldest nights, the woman would make her way down the mountain to the town below. There she would wander the cobblestone streets until she came upon someone sleeping outside in the chill. She would then take a newly finished quilt from her bag, wrap it around their shivering shoulders, tuck them in tight, and tiptoe away.

Then the very next morning, with a steaming cup of blackberry tea, she would begin a new quilt.

Now at this time there also lived a very powerful and greedy king who liked nothing better than to receive presents.

The hundreds of thousands of beautiful gifts he got for Christmas and his birthday were never enough. So a law was passed that the king would celebrate his birthday twice a year.

When that still wasn’t enough, he ordered his soldiers to search the kingdom for those few people who had not yet given him a gift.

Over the years, the king had come to own almost all of the prettiest things in the world. Throughout the castle, from top to bottom, in drawers and on shelves, in boxes and trunks and closets and sacks, all of the king’s countless things were stashed.

Things that shimmered and glittered and glowed.

Things whimsical and practical.

Things mysterious and magical.

So many, many things that the king kept a list of all the lists of things he owned.

And yet with all these marvelous treasures to enjoy, the king never smiled. He was not happy at all. “Somewhere there must be one beautiful thing that will finally make me happy,” he was often heard to say. “And I will have it!”

One day a soldier rushed into the palace with news about a magical quiltmaker who lived in the mountains. The king stamped his foot. “And how is it that this person has never given me one of her quilts as a gift?” he demanded.

“She only makes them for the poor, Your Majesty,” the soldier replied. “And she will not sell them for any amount of money.”

“Well, we shall see about that!” the king roared. “Bring me a horse and a thousand soldiers.” And they set off in search of the quiltmaker.

But when they arrived at her house, the quiltmaker merely laughed. “My quilts are for the poor and needy, and I can easily see that you are neither.”

“I want one of those quilts!” the king demanded. “It might be the one thing that will finally make me happy.”

The woman thought for a moment.

“Make presents of everything you own,” she said, “and then I’ll make a quilt for you. With each gift that you give, I’ll sew in another piece. When at last all your things are gone, your quilt will be finished.”

“Give away all my wonderful treasures?” cried the king. “I don’t give things away, I take them.” And with that he ordered his soldiers to seize the beautiful star quilt from the quiltmaker.

But when they rushed upon her, she tossed the quilt out the window, and a great gust of wind carried it up, up and away.

The king was now very angry. He marched the woman down through town and up another mountain where he had his royal iron-makers shape a thick bracelet of iron. Then they chained her to a rock in the cave of a sleeping bear.

Once more the king asked her for a quilt, and once more she refused.

“Very well then,” the king replied. “I’ll leave you here. And when the bear awakens, I’m sure he will make a very fine breakfast of you.”

Later, when the bear’s eyes opened and he saw the woman in his cave, he stood on his mighty hind legs and gave a roar that rattled her bones. She looked up at him and sadly shook her head.

“It’s no wonder you’re so grouchy,” the quiltmaker said. “You’ve nothing but rocks on which to rest your head at night. Bring me an armful of pine needles and with my shawl, I’ll make you a great big pillow.”

And that is what she did. No one had ever been so kind to the bear before. So he broke the iron bracelet and asked her to spend the night.

Now although the king was very good at being greedy, he was very bad at being mean. All that night he could not sleep for thinking about the poor woman in the cave.

“Oh my, oh my, what have I done?” he wailed.

So he woke up his soldiers and they all marched in their pajamas up to the cave to save her. But when they arrived, the king found the quiltmaker and the bear having a breakfast of berries and honey.

Now the king completely forgot about feeling sorry and became angry all over again. He ordered the royal island-makers to build an island barely big enough for the woman to stand on her tiptoes.

Once again the king asked her for a quilt, and once again she said no.

“Very well,” the king replied. “Tonight when you’re too tired to stand, and lie down to sleep, you’ll drown.” And the king left her alone on the tiny island.

…

(continues next week)

Jeff Brumbeau

The Quiltmaker’s Gift

New York, Orchard Books, 2000

 

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Dear Sir/Madam,

 

 

We are a group of teachers with some experience in the area of storytelling and we would like to share our project – The Joy of Reading – with everyone who is in touch with children and young people in general but above all with everyone that enjoys reading.

This project consists of sending stories for free on a weekly basis. So this particular e-mail and the ones that will follow it in the next weeks are intended to share some small stories with you. All the stories we send have some values within: respect for nature, tolerance, tenderness, responsibility, solidarity and many more. They all aim at developing the reading skills among young people, as well as allowing some moments of reflection and dialogue about topics connected with human values, which seem to have been somewhat forgotten in these times of materialism and hedonism.

 

We thank you for your attention and hope you will welcome this project (which, it is important to say, does not have any profitable aims).

If you know anyone interested in receiving the weekly stories by email, please let us know by sending their emails to us.

                

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Yours faithfully

 

The Pedagogical Team

 

afi AT storiesforeveryone.com

 

 

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