Three Tales of Mr Toast

Tale I - The Witch
Mr Toast had traveled for many leagues, through ancient forests and up into hills which lay before the towering Ural mountains. There he found a small town nestled beneath the cliffs. Oddly all the doors in the town were shut and all the windows shuttered. He found the inn and knocked loudly on the door. "Go away monster" came the voice from inside. "I am not a monster, I am a traveler. I have silver to pay for room and board" said Mr Toast.

One of the windows of the inn cracked just a bit so Mr Toast held out a handful of coins. The window shut and the door opened just enough to let him in. "As I have said I am just a traveler and will do you no harm" said Mr Toast. "I am sorry that I am distrustful but our town is in the midst of terrible times" said the inn keeper "for there is a witch in the mountains and she has a giant oven in which she bakes monsters that lay siege to our town. Gryphons that fly, serpents that crawl and hideous men that walk like us. But the creatures cannot speak or make sounds for the witch does not fashion them mouths. Each night they attack the town and try to steal the children. Our weapons have little effect against these enchanted creatures. We have tried to attack the witch and destroy the oven but she has many more monsters guarding it. At first I took you for one of these monsters but you have a much different manner."

"If you bring me something to drink and eat I will give some thought to your problem" said Mr Toast. After eating Mr Toast said "take me to the town baker and then assemble the men of the town here in your common room." With the help of baker, Mr Toast set about to fashion weapons made with flour, butter and sugar. Right before they were placed in the oven Mr Toast pulled out a small bag and sprinkled a sparkling dust over the weapons. After the appropriate time they pulled out the weapons, put them in a cart and headed to the inn where all the men had assembled. "We shall fight the baked monsters with baked magic weapons" said Mr Toast as he passed out the spears, swords and torches.
Their journey into the mountains was harrowing but the weapons were effective against the monsters. Soon they had reached the oven which the witch defended with her last of her greatly diminished army. The men fought valiantly and though some were lost, in the end they were victorious. The witch was captured and dispatched in the fires of her own oven. Mr Toast was given a heroes feast when all returned to the town.

The End
LAST - HOME - NEXT