The White Horse
Prelude
Once upon a time, there was a farmer who lived on the edge of the thick woods with his wife and two daughters. The farmer had claimed the fields from the woods himself, and built the cozy homestead for his family with his bare hands. Every morning he would rise with the sun to work in the fields. The people of the nearby village thought he was mad, living so close to the thick woods. Who knew what sort of creatures lurked there! But the creatures of the forest knew the farmer was kind and clean of heart, and stayed out of the farmer's neatly-tilled fields.
That is, until one fateful morning.
Part I: The Horse Appears
The farmer rose with sun as he did every morning, pulled on his boots an favorite worn work-shirt, and strode out to check on the fields he had sown the previous day. An unfamiliar sight made him rub his eyes in disbelief - there, in the very middle of the field, stood a beautiful white horse wearing a silver bridle! The farmer was amazed by its beauty, and thought to take the creature into his stable. So he took up the bridle's loose reins and tugged.
The horse would not move.
The farmer pushed at its flanks, pulled on the bridle, threw his weight into lifting the horse's legs. The horse refused to budge!
Catching a glimpse of the activity through the window, the farmer's wife came out to see what was wrong.
"Oh, what a lovely horse!" she exclaimed. "We should put it in the stable!"
"I'm trying," the farmer breathed heavily, "but it won't move!"
"Let me try," said the wife, and took some carrots out of her apron. With the carrots, she bribed and cajoled the horse, waving the vegetables a few feet before its face, encouraging it with kind words.
Still, the horse would not move!
The farmer's two beautiful daughters heard the commotion and hurried outside. They too marveled at the beauty of the white horse, and pondered over what could be done to move it.
"Perhaps we should startle it," proposed the eldest daughter, and promptly began to stamp and clap and shout.
The horse remained completely calm and continued to stand.
The farmer and his family were at a loss for words. As everyone stood about, thinking, the youngest daughter stepped up to the horse. She pet its white mane and breathed into its soft nostrils. Then, taking the bridle in her gentle hands, she removed it from the horse's head.
The horse looked deeply into her eyes, bowed its head in thanks, and walked out of the field and back into the thick woods. The youngest daughter just stood, holding the silver bridle, as the rest of the family gaped in disbelief. Then everyone began to chatter and scurry about, looking to see where the horse had gone, wondering where it came from, admiring the silver bridle. What a great stroke of luck to have such a rich treasure in their possession! For the rest of the day and well into the night, it was all anyone talked about.
Part I: The Second Morning
The farmer assumed they had seen the last of the mysterious horse, and yet the next morning it was back in the field! This time it wore not only a bridle, but a saddle as well, both crafted out of exquisite gold. He called his family out to see their guest and its new finery.
The wife and two daughters were surprised to see the animal again. The youngest daughter was especially delighted, and pet the horse's lovely mane. However, there was much work that needed to be done, and the farmer was again faced with getting the white horse to move. Remembering what the youngest daughter had previously done, the farmer removed the golden bridle. The horse shook its head, happy to be free, but did not move its legs. The wife pointed out there was a saddle, and perhaps they needed to remove that as well. The eldest daughter undid the buckles and straps, and slid the saddle off the horse's back.
But the horse still would not move!
Confused, the family again began pushing and pulling and pleading with the animal - all except the youngest daughter, who ran back into the house. She emerged with a handful of sugar cubes.
As the family watched, she approached the horse and fed it the cubes one by one, all while speaking gently and breathing into its soft nostrils. Once the sugar was gone, the girl stepped back. As it had done the previous day, the horse nodded its head to the youngest daughter in thanks, and disappeared into the thick woods.