Mother Ludlam’s Cauldron

Long ago, near the town of Farnham in Surrey, there was a sandy hill with a cave in its side. A little spring of clear water bubbled out of the cave and ran down to the river. And inside the cave lived a kind old fairy called Mother Ludlam.

Mother Ludlam was a friend to all the people who lived nearby. Whenever people needed something, they could borrow it from her. They only had to follow her rules.

First, you went to the cave very early in the morning, before anyone else was awake. You turned around three times and said, “Good Mother Ludlam, please lend me what I need.” Then you said what you needed, and when you would bring it back. You went home, and the next morning, there it would be, waiting for you at the mouth of the cave.

The villagers borrowed all sorts of things. A farmer borrowed a spade, and a mother borrowed a warm blanket for her new baby. A baker borrowed a big wooden bowl, and a boy borrowed a fishing net. And every time, they brought the things back on the very day they had promised. Mother Ludlam was always happy to help.

Then one day, a man from the village came to borrow her great copper cauldron. It was the biggest pot anyone had ever seen, and it shone like the sun. “I will bring it back in two days,” he promised, and the next morning, the cauldron was waiting for him.

The man cooked a huge pot of stew for a big party, and everyone ate and sang and danced. But after the party, he was busy, and he forgot all about the cauldron. Two days went by, and then three, and then a whole week. At last he remembered, and he carried the cauldron back up the hill to the cave.

But this time, nobody came to take it. The man waited and waited, and he called out, “I’m sorry, Mother Ludlam!” The cave stayed silent, and the cauldron sat outside in the rain. Mother Ludlam was hurt that her friend had broken his promise, and she never lent anything to anyone again.

The villagers were sad, but they kept her cauldron safe. They carried it to the church in the nearby village of Frensham, and you can still see it there today. And whenever people there borrow something, they remember Mother Ludlam and bring it back right on time.