English / B2
The Hedley Kow
An old woman once lived in a village where she earned a modest living running errands for the farmers’ wives. The work brought in very little, but a plate of food here and a cup of tea there helped her get by. To judge from her cheerful expression, you would never have guessed that she lacked anything.
One summer evening, as she was walking home, she came across a large black pot lying beside the road. It seemed a useful thing to have, even if she had nothing to put in it. She looked around, expecting to see its owner nearby, but there was nobody in sight.
“Perhaps it has a hole in it,” she thought. “That would explain why someone left it. Still, it would make a fine pot for a flower in my window.”
Bending her stiff back, she lifted the lid to examine it. Then she jumped away in astonishment. The pot was filled to the top with gold coins.
For several moments she could do nothing but walk around her discovery, admiring the gold and wondering at her luck. Eventually, the practical question of getting it home interrupted her excitement. She could not carry such a weight, so she tied one end of her shawl to the pot and dragged it behind her.
It would soon be dark, she told herself. Nobody would notice what she was taking home, and she would have the whole night to decide what to do with it. She might buy a grand house and live like a queen, sitting by the fire with a cup of tea instead of working. Or she could ask the priest to look after the money and collect a coin whenever she needed one. Perhaps she would bury most of it in the garden and keep a little on display by the teapot.
Tired from pulling the heavy pot, she stopped to rest and turned to check that her treasure was safe. But there was no pot of gold. In its place lay a large lump of shining silver.
She rubbed her eyes and looked again. Silver it remained.
“I could have sworn it was gold,” she said. “I must have been dreaming. Well, this is an improvement. All those coins would have been a terrible responsibility. A lump of silver won’t be so easy to steal, and I’m still rich!”
She set off again, happily considering all the things she would do with her money. Soon, however, she needed another rest. Looking back, she found that the silver had turned into iron.
“How convenient!” she exclaimed. “I can sell that easily and get plenty of ordinary pennies. Gold and silver would only keep me awake at night, imagining that the neighbours were robbing me. Besides, iron is useful. You never know what you might need it for.”
Pleased with this change as well, she continued along the road. A little later, she glanced over her shoulder to make sure her find was still there. This time it had become a large stone.
“Now, how did it know I wanted something to hold my door open? That’s a very good change indeed!”
Eager to see how the stone would look beside her door, she hurried downhill to her cottage. She opened the gate and turned to release her shawl. For once, the stone appeared quite unchanged, lying peacefully on the path. There was enough evening light left for her to see it clearly.
As she bent down, the stone suddenly jumped and let out a sharp cry. In an instant, it grew as big as a horse. Four long legs appeared, followed by two long ears and a tail. The creature kicked up its feet and ran off, laughing like a child who had played a trick.
The woman watched until it was out of sight. Then she recognised what she had encountered: the Hedley Kow, a magical creature that could take different shapes.
“Well, I must be the luckiest person in the village! Fancy having the Hedley Kow all to myself, and being so familiar with it!”
She went into her cottage and sat down by the fire to think over her good fortune.
English summary · includes the ending
An old woman earns little money by helping local farmers’ wives, but she remains cheerful. One evening, she finds a black pot beside the road. Nobody is nearby, and when she looks inside, she discovers gold coins. She ties her shawl to the pot and begins pulling it home.
Whenever she stops or looks back, her treasure has changed. The gold becomes silver, then iron, then a stone. Each time, she finds a reason to be pleased. Silver seems safer than gold, iron is useful and easy to sell, and the stone will hold her door open.
At her gate, the stone turns into a strange animal and runs away laughing. She recognises the Hedley Kow, a magical creature that changes its shape. Instead of feeling cheated, she considers herself lucky to have met it. She goes inside and sits by the fire, still enjoying her good fortune.
Adapted for LEJRBÅL from the public-domain English folktale The Hedley Kow in More English Fairy Tales, collected and edited by Joseph Jacobs. Regional and historical phrasing is modernized.
Read the source