Good vs. Evil

Grandma Jackson would tell me bedtime stories as a little girl. Here is one:

 

Once upon a time there was a young girl named Rose. She lived with her evil stepmother and step sister named Cherisa. They lived in a green cottage buried in the woods.  The step mother cherished Cherisa but despised Rose. Rose was regularly ordered to perform all of the household chores. One evening, the step mother demanded Rose to fetch some water from the well. Rose pleaded with her step mother to come with her. It was dark and cold. The woods were crawling with treacherous beasts of every kind. The step mother dismissed the plea and handed her the bucket. 

Rose grabbed her raggedy shawl and walked outside. The well was about a mile away from the cottage. To stop her teeth from chattering and her mind from wandering she began to quietly hum. Knowing her step-mother would not let her in the warm home without water, she pressed onward. She gathered the water from the well and started to make her way back to the cottage.

In the distance, she saw a dark figure along the path. Frightened, Rose began to panic. As Rose came closer, the moon light illuminated the pathway. The dark figure was an elderly woman, feeble and weak. The old woman stretched out her gnarled fingers and begged, "I am so thirsty, please can I have some of your water?" Rose, without hesitation, replied: "Of course you can have some of my water." She lowered her ladle into the bucket and let her drink. The old woman graciously thanked her and shuffled her way back into the woods. Rose felt a warmth radiate inside of her. She made her way back to cottage as soon as possible. Unaware to Rose, the old woman magically turned back into a beautiful princess and quietly followed Rose until she got home to ensure she made it safely.

Upon entering the door, the step-mother asked, "What took you so long?" As Rose began to answer, diamonds, rubies, and other jewels came out of her mouth and fell on the floor. The step mother was astonished. Without questioning, the step mother sent Cherisa out the next morning to get water from the well.

Cherisa made her way to well and, again, saw the old woman hunched over near the well, covered in her ratty shawl. She too, stretched out her gnarled fingers and begged, " I am so thirsty, please can I have some of your water?" Cherisa refused, "Old woman, I do not have time to give you some of my water. I do not have time to refill my bucket." She pushed the woman aside, gathered the water, and left. 

Upon entering the house, the step-mother awaited a reply. Instead of diamonds, rubies,and jewels, out came frogs, toads, and polliwogs. They both shrieked, and left the frogs hopping on the floor.

 

Moral of the Story: You will be rewarded for your kind words and deeds.