Mr. Miacca
by Joseph Jacobs · from Collected Folk Tales
Adapted Version
Tommy is a good boy. But he forgets to listen.
His mama says, "Tommy, stay here. Do not go past the tree. A grumpy old man lives there. He catches kids who do not listen."
One day, Tommy forgets. He walks past the big tree. Mr. Miacca is there! He takes Tommy by the hand. "You come with me!" he says. Tommy is scared.
Mr. Miacca takes Tommy to his house. It is dark and messy. "You stay here," says Mr. Miacca. "You will clean my house." He tells Mrs. Miacca to watch Tommy. Then he goes out.
Tommy looks at Mrs. Miacca. "Do you like cake?" he asks. "Oh, I love cake!" says Mrs. Miacca.
"My mama makes the best cake!" says Tommy. "I can go get some!" Mrs. Miacca wants cake so much. "Yes, go!" she says. "But come back!"
Tommy runs home fast. His mama is so happy! Tommy listens to Mama. He is good for many days. But then one day, Tommy forgets.
He walks past the big tree. Mr. Miacca catches him! "You! I know you!" says Mr. Miacca. "You will not trick me this time!"
Mr. Miacca puts Tommy under the big sofa. He sits on top. "Stay there!" he says. Tommy cannot move.
"Put out your hand!" says Mr. Miacca. "I will tie it with rope."
Tommy smiles. He has an idea! He pushes out one leg of the sofa. It looks like a hand!
Mr. Miacca ties the rope. He does not look. He thinks it is Tommy! How silly!
"Mrs. Miacca! Mrs. Miacca!" he calls. No answer. He gets up. He goes to find her.
Tommy crawls out fast. He runs to the door. Tommy runs and runs. He runs all the way home!
Mama hugs Tommy. Tommy hugs Mama. He is safe. He is home. And Tommy listens to Mama. He does not go past the tree.
Original Story
MR. MIACCA
Tommy Grimes was sometimes a good boy, and sometimes a bad boy; and when
he was a bad boy, he was a very bad boy. Now his mother used to say to
him: “Tommy, Tommy, be a good boy, and don't go out of the street, or else
Mr. Miacca will take you.” But still when he was a bad boy he would go out
of the street; and one day, sure enough, he had scarcely got round the
corner, when Mr. Miacca did catch him and popped him into a bag upside
down, and took him off to his house.
When Mr. Miacca got Tommy inside, he pulled him out of the bag and set him
down, and felt his arms and legs. “You're rather tough,” says he; “but
you're all I've got for supper, and you'll not taste bad boiled. But body
o' me, I've forgot the herbs, and it's bitter you'll taste without herbs.
Sally! Here, I say, Sally!” and he called Mrs. Miacca.
So Mrs. Miacca came out of another room and said: “What d'ye want, my
dear?”
“Oh, here's a little boy for supper,” said Mr. Miacca, “and I've forgot
the herbs. Mind him, will ye, while I go for them.”
“All right, my love,” says Mrs. Miacca, and off he goes.
Then Tommy Grimes said to Mrs. Miacca: “Does Mr. Miacca always have little
boys for supper?”
“Mostly, my dear,” said Mrs. Miacca, “if little boys are bad enough, and
get in his way.”
“And don't you have anything else but boy-meat? No pudding?” asked Tommy.
“Ah, I loves pudding,” says Mrs. Miacca. “But it's not often the likes of
me gets pudding.”
“Why, my mother is making a pudding this very day,” said Tommy Grimes,
“and I am sure she'd give you some, if I ask her. Shall I run and get
some?”
“Now, that's a thoughtful boy,” said Mrs. Miacca, “only don't be long and
be sure to be back for supper.”
So off Tommy pelters, and right glad he was to get off so cheap; and for
many a long day he was as good as good could be, and never went round the
corner of the street. But he couldn't always be good; and one day he went
round the corner, and as luck would have it, he hadn't scarcely got round
it when Mr. Miacca grabbed him up, popped him in his bag, and took him
home.
When he got him there, Mr. Miacca dropped him out; and when he saw him, he
said: “Ah, you're the youngster what served me and my missus that shabby
trick, leaving us without any supper. Well, you shan't do it again. I'll
watch over you myself. Here, get under the sofa, and I'll set on it and
watch the pot boil for you.”
So poor Tommy Grimes had to creep under the sofa, and Mr. Miacca sat on it
and waited for the pot to boil. And they waited, and they waited, but
still the pot didn't boil, till at last Mr. Miacca got tired of waiting,
and he said: “Here, you under there, I'm not going to wait any longer; put
out your leg, and I'll stop your giving us the slip.”
So Tommy put out a leg, and Mr. Miacca got a chopper, and chopped it off,
and pops it in the pot.
Suddenly he calls out: “Sally, my dear, Sally!” and nobody answered. So he
went into the next room to look out for Mrs. Miacca, and while he was
there, Tommy crept out from under the sofa and ran out of the door. For it
was a leg of the sofa that he had put out.
So Tommy Grimes ran home, and he never went round the corner again till he
was old enough to go alone.
Story DNA
Moral
Disobedience can lead to dangerous situations, but cleverness can help you escape them.
Plot Summary
Tommy Grimes, a disobedient boy, repeatedly ignores his mother's warnings about Mr. Miacca, a child-eating monster. After being captured the first time, Tommy cleverly tricks Mrs. Miacca into letting him go by promising pudding. Upon his second capture, Mr. Miacca is more vigilant, but Tommy again uses his quick thinking, offering a sofa leg instead of his own when Mr. Miacca demands a limb. While Mr. Miacca is distracted, Tommy escapes for good, finally learning his lesson about obedience.
Themes
Emotional Arc
fear to relief to fear to relief
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
Joseph Jacobs collected and retold English fairy tales, often simplifying them for children. This story reflects common cautionary themes found in folklore.
Plot Beats (14)
- Tommy Grimes, a disobedient boy, is warned by his mother not to go around the street corner due to Mr. Miacca.
- Tommy disobeys, is caught by Mr. Miacca, and put into a bag.
- Mr. Miacca takes Tommy home, plans to boil him for supper, and leaves him with Mrs. Miacca while he fetches herbs.
- Tommy learns from Mrs. Miacca that they eat bad boys and asks if they eat pudding.
- Tommy tricks Mrs. Miacca into letting him go home to get pudding from his mother, promising to return.
- Tommy escapes and is good for a long time, but eventually disobeys again.
- Tommy is recaptured by Mr. Miacca, who recognizes him and vows not to be tricked again.
- Mr. Miacca forces Tommy under the sofa and sits on it, waiting for the pot to boil.
- Impatient, Mr. Miacca demands Tommy put out a leg to be chopped.
- Tommy cleverly puts out a leg of the sofa instead of his own.
- Mr. Miacca chops the sofa leg and puts it in the pot.
- Mr. Miacca calls for Mrs. Miacca, gets no answer, and goes to look for her in another room.
- While Mr. Miacca is distracted, Tommy escapes from under the sofa and runs home.
- Tommy never goes around the corner again until he is an adult.
Characters
Tommy Grimes ★ protagonist
Implied to be small enough to be carried in a bag and fit under a sofa.
Attire: Unknown, likely simple clothes of a child from the period.
Mischievous, clever, fearful, obedient (after his experiences).
Image Prompt & Upload
A young boy, around ten years old, with a determined yet hopeful expression. He has messy, straw-colored hair and bright, curious eyes. He wears a simple, slightly worn brown tunic over a cream-colored shirt, sturdy trousers, and scuffed leather boots. His posture is alert, standing straight with his shoulders back, one hand resting on his hip. He looks like he is ready for an adventure. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
Mr. Miacca ⚔ antagonist
Implied to be strong enough to carry a child in a bag and chop with a chopper.
Attire: Unknown, likely simple, possibly rustic or menacing attire.
Cannibalistic, forgetful, easily tricked, impatient.
Image Prompt & Upload
An elderly man with a gaunt, angular face, deep-set eyes, and a sly, thin-lipped smirk. He has a long, pointed nose and wispy, unkempt gray hair. He wears a tattered, dark cloak over a faded, high-collared shirt and simple trousers. His posture is slightly hunched, one bony hand clutching the cloak at his chest while the other is extended with crooked fingers. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
Mrs. Miacca ◆ supporting
Unknown, likely a typical housewife of the period.
Attire: Unknown, likely a simple dress or apron of a housewife from the period.
Compliant, fond of pudding, easily distracted, somewhat naive.
Image Prompt & Upload
A middle-aged woman with kind, crinkling eyes and a warm smile, her graying hair neatly pinned in a bun. She wears a practical, faded blue dress with a flour-dusted white apron. Her posture is slightly bent forward, as if offering help, with her hands clasped gently in front of her. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
Locations
The Street Corner
The specific corner of the street that Tommy is forbidden to go around, where Mr. Miacca waits to catch bad boys.
Mood: forbidden, dangerous, tempting
Tommy is repeatedly caught by Mr. Miacca here.
Image Prompt & Upload
Twilight at a forgotten street corner, deep purple shadows pooling between soot-stained brick buildings. A single gas lamp casts a sickly yellow glow, illuminating a narrow cobblestone alley that curves sharply into darkness. Bare, gnarled branches from an unseen tree claw at the foggy sky. Weathered wooden signs creak in a faint breeze, and a discarded child's toy lies half-hidden in the gutter. The air feels heavy and watchful, the architecture leaning in with peaked roofs and shuttered windows. Colors are muted: charcoal grays, bruised purples, and damp stone blues. no border, no frame, no watermark, no text, no signature, edge-to-edge illustration
Mr. Miacca's House - Main Room
The main living area of Mr. Miacca's house, where Tommy is first brought, and later hides under a sofa.
Mood: threatening, domestic (in a sinister way), tense
Tommy is brought here for supper, escapes the first time, and later hides under the sofa before his second escape.
Image Prompt & Upload
Evening light filters through a grimy window into Mr. Miacca's main room, casting long shadows across worn wooden floorboards. Dust motes drift in the dim, golden rays. The room is cluttered with heavy, dark wood furniture: a large wardrobe, a crooked bookshelf overflowing with old tomes, and a sturdy, faded velvet sofa with a deep, dark space beneath it. A cold fireplace sits in one wall, its mantel crowded with peculiar trinkets and a single, guttering candle. The atmosphere is quiet, still, and slightly eerie, with a sense of forgotten stories lingering in the air. no border, no frame, no watermark, no text, no signature, edge-to-edge illustration
Mr. Miacca's House - Another Room
An adjacent room from which Mrs. Miacca emerges when called, and where Mr. Miacca goes to look for her.
Mood: unseen, mysterious, slightly less threatening than the main room
Mrs. Miacca is called from here, and Mr. Miacca goes into it, allowing Tommy to escape.
Image Prompt & Upload
A dimly lit, mysterious chamber adjacent to a grand, shadowy hallway, viewed from the doorway. Evening light filters through a single, tall, grimy window, casting long, dramatic shadows across a worn, stone floor. The room is cluttered with dusty, oversized furniture—a towering wardrobe, a crooked bookshelf spilling ancient tomes, and a heavy, carved wooden table. The focal point is a second, slightly ajar doorway on the far wall, from which a faint, eerie, amber glow emanates, hinting at unseen spaces beyond. The atmosphere is thick with dust motes dancing in the slanted light, cobwebs clinging to the high, beamed ceiling, and a sense of quiet, watchful anticipation. The color palette is dominated by deep blues, grays, and browns, pierced by the warm, inviting yet unsettling glow from the other room. no border, no frame, no watermark, no text, no signature, edge-to-edge illustration.
