We are nearing the end of World Folktales and Fables Week (March 17-23), and in honor of that, I’ve coerced my spokesmonsters and some other local residents to star in retellings of two stories. Credits are at the end, so without any ado, today’s story!
The sorcerer’s apprentice was left alone with instructions to have the floor clean before the sorcerer’s return.
The sorcerer’s apprentice felt rather put upon to constantly be mopping the floor, and although he’d been explicitly instructed not to try magic, he decided to use a spell he’d seen the sorcerer use, and bring the broom to life to mop for him.
It worked! The broom began industriously mopping the floor.
…too industriously. Water began to collect. “Stop! Stop!” cried the sorcerer’s apprentice. He racked his brain for the magic word to change the broom back to an inanimate object, but it would not come to him.
Finally he resorted to an axe. He chopped the broom in half and was relieved to see the pieces fall to the floor.
His relief lasted but a moment, however, as the broken pieces sprang to life as two full brooms and began again to mop.
The apprentice had decided to run away and hide forever when the sorcerer appeared at the door. With one word the brooms were stopped. The apprentice turned to the sorcerer. “About all that water….”
D.L. Ashliman is a professor emeritus of the University of Pittsburgh with an extensive index of folktales and mythology. It was very helpful in picking stories to retell, and I recommend the page for casual reading as well.
CopyCatFilms generously provided a blank intertitle card to the interwebs, which I’ve used to begin and end this story.
Dieter Steffman designed the font I used on the title cards, Chelsea, and many other wonderful fonts available without charge.