The Hedley Kow

Long ago, in the village of Hedley in Northumberland, there lived a cheerful old woman. She was very poor, and she ran little errands for her neighbors to earn her supper. But she always had a smile on her face, no matter what happened.

One evening, she was walking home along the lane when she saw a big black pot lying in the ditch. “Well, now, what a lucky find!” she said. “It must have a hole in it, but it will make a fine flower pot for my window.” She bent down to look inside, and she gasped. The pot was full to the top with shining gold coins!

“Oh, my, I am rich!” said the old woman. The pot was far too heavy to lift, so she tied her shawl around it and dragged it behind her. Bump, bump, bump, it went along the lane. As she walked, she dreamed about all the things she could do with so much gold.

After a while, she stopped to rest and looked back at the pot. The gold was gone, and the pot was full of silver instead! “Well, isn’t that lucky?” she said. “Silver is much easier to look after than gold, and nobody will try to steal it.” So she went on dragging, bump, bump, bump.

The next time she looked back, the silver had turned into a big lump of iron. “Well, isn’t that lucky?” she said. “I can sell a lump of iron at the market for a few pennies, and that will buy me some bread.” So she went on dragging, bump, bump, bump.

Just before she got home, she looked back once more. The iron had turned into a big round stone! “Well, isn’t that the luckiest thing of all?” she said. “I have been needing a good stone to hold my garden gate open.”

She bent down to untie her shawl from the stone. Suddenly, the stone gave a jump and a wiggle! Out popped legs, then floppy ears, then a swishy tail, until it looked like a funny, shaggy pony. With a snort and a giggle, it danced away down the lane and was gone. “That was the Hedley Kow!” said the old woman, clapping her hands. “It is a playful spirit that loves to play tricks, and I have seen it with my very own eyes!”

So she went into her little cottage, wrapped her shawl around her shoulders, and made a cup of tea. “I am the luckiest old woman in all of Hedley,” she said, and she smiled and smiled.