Once upon a time, there was a little boy named Leo. Everyone in the village called him Buttered Lamb because he was so scared of everything! If he saw a stranger, he would run and hide right away, and everyone thought he was an easy target.
His reputation spread to a nasty, hungry witch who lived in the woods.
The Sack and the Stone
One day, the witch disguised herself as a kind traveller and came to the village. She saw Buttered Lamb run and hide in his mother’s cupboard. The witch tricked his mother, opened the cupboard, grabbed Leo, and stuffed him into her big sack. Then she walked off, planning to cook him for dinner!
But she made a mistake. She got tired and stopped for a nap by a tree.
While she slept, Buttered Lamb carefully and quietly untied the knot. He slipped out, found a heavy rock, rolled it into the sack, and tied the knot back up tight. Then he ran all the way home!
When the witch woke up, she picked up the sack. “Oof! This lamb is heavy!” she cackled. She took it home and put it on the fire. KABOOM! The sack burst open, and all she found was a big, hot rock! The witch was very, very mad.
The Present and the Pot
The next day, the witch tried a new trick. She disguised herself again and went to Leo’s house, carrying a beautifully wrapped box. She knew he was hiding in the flour barrel.
She called out, “Little boy! I have brought you a lovely present!”
Buttered Lamb loved presents! He forgot all about being scared and leapt out of the barrel, covered in white flour!
The sudden floury ghost-boy scared the witch, and she froze for a moment. That was all the time Buttered Lamb needed. He saw the witch’s old cooking pot nearby, snatched it up, and banged her right on the head! CLANG!
The stunned witch dropped her box and ran away screaming, never to come back.
From that day on, no one called him Buttered Lamb. Everyone called him Leo the Brave, because he learned that being quick and clever is much better than running away.
Sweet dreams, now.