Week 13 Reading: English Tales Part B

 For the second part of the English Tales section I am taking notes on the story "Fairy Ointment"

Illustration by John D. Batten (1890)

Story

A midwife is hired by a weird little fella with squinty eyes to come take care of a baby. The guy takes her to the house on a black horse with red eyes that moves insanely fast. When she gets there, there are a few other children and a mother in bed. She takes the baby and is told to rub a special ointment on its eyes the second he opens them. She does so. Curious as to what the ointment is meant to be, the midwife waits until nobody is looking and rubs some on her right eye. Immediately, the room transforms into a beautifully furnished place, the children turn into mischievous things with pointy ears and the woman is more beautiful than ever. These are pixies.
    Eventually, the wife is good and the midwife is taken home. The next day she goes into market and sees the pixie taking things from the stalls but nobody notices. Wanting to maintain the relationship with a good customer, she says hello. The pixie flips out because she shouldn't be able to see him. He asks her which eye can see him. She proudly proclaims it's her right eye. The pixie pokes her right eye out and she is blinded. 

Bibliography. Fairy Ointment from English Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs (1890)

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