Once upon a time, a man and his wife lived in the woods in a beautiful house the man built. The man was very industrious, and cut the grass and tended the garden and washed the windows, but the woman was lazy, and did nothing all day but sit upon a cushion and eat chocolates and pin things on Pinterest.

It happened that the man planted blueberry bushes by the porch, and the berries on one of the bushes ripened. The woman, who was as greedy as she was lazy, did not even bother to go into the grass, as her husband did, to pick the blueberries, but stuck her arm between two rail-posts. To punish her, the mischievous sprite Comeuppance drew her sword, Splinter, and cut the woman’s arm.

The woman’s blood fell upon the grass, so that it looked like Christmas had come early, whereupon the woman sat upon the porch and wept bitterly.

The good fairies Soapandwater, Neosporin, and Adhesivebandage took pity on her and came and ministered to her, and the woman promised thereafter to put on her boots and spray for ticks and go into the freakin’ grass the next time she wanted some freakin’ blueberries.

Whether or not they will live happily ever after, it is too soon to say, but the blueberry pancakes were extremely good.

A WRITING PROMPT FOR YOU: A character tries to take some kind of short cut and is sorry.

MA