A CAPFUL of MOONSHINE
by Laurence Housman · from Moonshine & Clover
Adapted Version
Long ago, Papa Toonie lived near a big hill. He wanted to see the fairies! Papa Toonie asked the Old Stick Man. "How can I see fairies?" Old Stick Man said, "Be brave. Be quiet. Carry a special light." He warned, "It is hard. Do not try three times."
Papa Toonie went to the hill. He saw a Kind Man. Papa Toonie said, "Hello!" He forgot quiet. His special light went away. No fairies came.
Papa Toonie tried again. He saw an Old Man. The Old Man asked for help. Papa Toonie spoke again. His special light went away. Still, no fairies came.
Papa Toonie was very determined. Mama Toonie helped him. She tied a soft scarf. It was around his mouth. He could not speak. She put his cap on tight.
Papa Toonie walked up the hill. The Old Man waved a stick. He wanted to scare Papa Toonie. Papa Toonie got very scared. He ran away fast. He disappeared with the Fairies.
Mama Toonie was very sad. She had a baby boy. His name was Little Toonie. Little Toonie could not speak. He was very quiet. He saw things in a special way. He saw things like the moon.
Little Toonie grew up big. He grew up strong. He worked on a farm. He was very quiet. He was very kind. He helped with many things.
One night, Little Toonie left the farm. The bright moon called to him. He walked towards Drundle Head hill.
Little Toonie saw the old man on the hill. The old man tried to talk. But Little Toonie could not speak. So he stayed quiet.
The old man waved his stick. He wanted to stop Little Toonie. But Little Toonie was very strong. He walked past the old man. He was not scared.
The old man saw he could not stop Little Toonie. He held onto Little Toonie's legs. He asked him to stop. The fairies would be cross.
Little Toonie did not understand. He was kind and strong. He picked up the old man. He carried him to the fairies.
The fairies were surprised! Little Toonie had come. Now they must give him a wish.
The fairies gave Little Toonie his voice! He could speak now. He learned the old man was his father. It was Papa Toonie! Papa Toonie stayed with fairies a long time.
The fairies offered many good things. But Little Toonie wanted one thing. He wanted his father to be free.
The fairies were a little cross. But they let Papa Toonie go. He was free. He was with his son.
Papa Toonie and Little Toonie walked down the hill. They walked together. Papa Toonie was so happy. Little Toonie was happy too. He had his father. Family love was the best magic of all.
Original Story
A CAPFUL OF MOONSHINE
ON the top of Drundle Head, away to the right, where the foot-track crossed, it was known that the fairies still came and danced by night. But though Toonie went that way every evening on his road home from work, never once had he been able to spy them.
So one day he said to the old faggot-maker, "How is it that one gets to see a fairy?" The old man answered, "There are some to whom it comes by nature; but for others three things are needed—a handful of courage, a mouthful of silence, and a capful of moonshine. But if you would be trying it, take care that you don't go wrong once too often; for with the third time you will fall into the hands of the fairies and be their bondsman. But if you manage to see the fairies, you may ask whatever you like of them."
Toonie believed in himself so much that the very next night he took his courage in both hands, filled his cap with moonshine, shut his mouth, and set out.
Just after he had started he passed, as he thought, a priest riding by on a mule. "Good evening to you, Toonie," called the priest.
"Good evening, your reverence," cried Toonie, and flourished off his cap, so that out fell his capful of moonshine. And though he went on all the way up over the top of Drundle Head, never a fairy did he spy; for he forgot that, in passing what he supposed to be the priest, he had let go both his mouthful of silence and his capful of moonshine.
The next night, when he was coming to the ascent of the hill, he saw a little elderly man wandering uncertainly over the ground ahead of him; and he too seemed to have his hands full of courage and his cap full of moonshine. As Toonie drew near, the other turned about and said to him, "Can you tell me, neighbour, if this be the way to the fairies?"
"Why, you fool," cried Toonie, "a moment ago it was! But now you have gone and let go your mouthful of silence!"
"To be sure, to be sure—so I have!" answered the old man sadly; and turning about, he disappeared among the bushes.
As for Toonie, he went on right over the top of Drundle Head, keeping his eyes well to the right; but never a fairy did he see. For he too had on the way let go his mouthful of silence.
Toonie, when his second failure came home to him, was quite vexed with himself for his folly and mismanagement. So that it should not happen again, he got his wife to tie on his cap of moonshine so firmly that it could not come off, and to gag up his mouth so that no word could come out of it. And once more taking his courage in both hands, he set out.
For a long way he went and nothing happened, so he was in good hopes of getting the desire of his eyes before the night was over; and, clenching his fists tight upon his courage, he pressed on.
He had nearly reached to the top of Drundle Head, when up from the ground sprang the same little elderly man of the evening before, and began beating him across the face with a hazel wand. And at that Toonie threw up both hands and let go his courage, and turned and tried to run down the hill.
When her husband did not return, Toonie's wife became a kind of a widow. People were very kind to her, and told her that Toonie was not dead—that he had only fallen into the hands of the good-folk; but all day long she sat and cried, "I fastened on his cap of moonshine, and I tied up his tongue; and for all that he has gone away and left me!" And so she cried until her child was born and named little Toonie in memory of his lost father.
After a while people, looking at him, began to shake their heads; for as he grew older it became apparent that his tongue was tied, seeing that he remained quite dumb in spite of all that was done to teach him; and his head was full of moonshine, so that he could understand nothing clearly by day—only as night came on his wits gathered, and he seemed to find a meaning for things. And some said it was his mother's fault, and some that it was his father's, and some that he was a changeling sent by the fairies, and that the real child had been taken to share his father's bondage. But which of these things was true Little Toonie himself had no idea.
After a time Little Toonie began to grow big, as is the way with children, and at last he became bigger than ever old Toonie had been. But folk still called him Little Toonie, because his head was so full of moonshine; and his mother, finding he was no good to her, sold him to the farmer, by whom, since he had no wits for anything better, he was set to pull at waggon and plough just as if he were a cart-horse; and, indeed, he was almost as strong as one. To make him work, carter and ploughman used to crack their whips over his back; and Little Toonie took it as the most natural thing in the world, because his brain was full of moonshine, so that he understood nothing clearly by day.
But at night he would lie in his stable among the horses, and wonder about the moonlight that stretched wide over all the world and lay free on the bare tops of the hills; and he thought—would it not be good to be there all alone, with the moonbeams laying their white hands down on his head? And so it came that one night, finding the door of his stable unlocked, he ran out into the open world a free man.
A soft wind breathed at large, and swung slowly in the black-silver treetops. Over them Little Toonie could see the quiet slopes of Drundle Head, asleep in the moonlight.
Before long, following the lead of his eyes, he had come to the bottom of the ascent. There before him went walking a little shrivelled elderly man, looking to right and left as if uncertain of the road.
As Little Toonie drew near, the other one turned and spoke. "Can you tell me," said he, "if this be the way to the fairies?"
Little Toonie had no tongue to give an answer; so, looking at his questioner, he wagged his head and went on.
Quickening his pace, the old man came alongside and began peering; then he smiled to himself, and after a bit spoke out. "So you have lost your cap, neighbour? Then you will never be able to find the fairies." For he did not know that Little Toonie, who wore no cap on his head, carried his capful of moonshine safe underneath his skull, where it had been since the hour of his birth.
The little elderly man slipped from his side, disappearing suddenly among the bushes, and Toonie went on alone. So presently he was more than half way up the ascent, and could see along the foot-track of the thicket the silver moonlight lying out over the open ahead.
He had nearly reached to the top of the hill, when up from the ground sprang the little elderly man, and began beating him across the face with a hazel wand. Toonie thought surely this must be some carter or ploughman beating him to make him go faster; so he made haste to get on and be rid of the blows.
Then, all of a sudden, the little elderly man threw away his hazel stick, and fell down, clutching at Little Toonie's ankles, whining and praying him not to go on.
"Now that I have failed to keep you from coming," he cried, "my masters will put me to death for it! I am a dead man, I tell you, if you go another step!"
Toonie could not understand what the old fellow meant, and he could not speak to him. But the poor creature clung to his feet, holding them to prevent him from taking another step; so Toonie just stooped down, and (for he was so little and light) picked him up by the scruff, and by the slack of his breeches, so that his arms and legs trailed together along the ground.
In the open moonlight ahead little people were all agog; bright dewdrops were shivering down like rain, where flying feet alighted—shot from bent grass-blades like arrows from a drawn bow. Tight, panting little bodies, of which one could count the ribs, and faces flushed with fiery green blood, sprang everywhere. But at Toonie's coming one cried up shriller than a bat; and at once rippling burrows went this way and that in the long grass, and stillness followed after.
The poor, dangling old man, whom Toonie was still carrying, wriggled and whined miserably, crying, "Come back, masters, for it is no use—this one sees you! He has got past me and all my poor skill to stop him. Set me free, for you see I am too old to keep the door for you any longer!"
Out buzzed the fairies, hot and angry as a swarm of bees. They came and fastened upon the unhappy old man, and began pulling him. "To the ant-hills!" they cried; "off with him to the ant-hills!" But when they found that Toonie still held him, quickly they all let go.
One fairy, standing out from the rest, pulled off his cap and bowed low. "What is your will, master mortal?" he inquired; "for until you have taken your wish and gone, we are all slaves at your bidding."
They all cringed round him, the cruel little people; but he answered nothing. The moonbeams came thick, laying their slender white palms graciously upon Toonie's head; and he, looking up, opened his mouth for a laugh that gave no sound.
"Ah, so! That is why—he is a mute!" cried the fairies.
Quickly one dipped his cap along the grass and brought it filled with dew. He sprang up, and poured it upon Toonie's tongue; and as the fairy dew touched it, "Now speak!" they all cried in chorus, and fawned and cringed, waiting for him to give them the word.
Cudgelling his brain for what it all meant, he said, "Tell me first what wish I may have."
"Whatever you like to ask," said they, "for you have become one of our free men. Tell us your name?"
"I am called Little Toonie," said he, "the son of old Toonie that was lost."
"Why, as I live and remember," cried the little elderly man, "old Toonie was me!" Then he threw himself grovelling at his son's feet, and began crying: "Oh, be quick and take me away! Make them give me up to you: ask to have me! I am your poor, loving old father whom you never saw; all these years have I been looking and longing for you! Now take me away, for they are a proud, cruel people, as spiteful as they are small; and my back has been broken twenty years in their bondage."
The fairies began to look blue, for they hate nothing so much as to give up one whom they have once held captive. "We can give you gold," said they, "or precious stones, or the root of long living, or the waters of happiness, or the sap of youth, or the seed of plenty, or the blossom of beauty. Choose any of these, and we can give it you."
The old man again caught hold of his son's feet. "Don't choose these," he whimpered, "choose me!"
So because he had a capful of moonshine in his head, and because the moonbeams were laying their white hands on his hair, he chose the weak, shrivelled old man, who crouched and clung to him, imploring not to be let go.
The fairies, for spite and anger, bestowed every one a parting pinch on their tumbledown old bondsman; then they handed him to his son, and swung back with careless light hearts to their revels.
As father and son went down the hill together, the old man whistled and piped like a bird. "Why, why!" he said, "you are a lad of strength and inches: with you to work and look after me, I can keep on to a merry old age! Ay, ay, I have had long to wait for it; but wisdom is justified in her children."
Story DNA
Moral
True wisdom and happiness can be found in selfless love and family bonds, rather than material wealth or personal gain.
Plot Summary
Toonie attempts three times to see fairies on Drundle Head, following specific rules, but fails each time and is enslaved by the fairies. Years later, his son, Little Toonie, born dumb and 'full of moonshine,' escapes his life as a farmhand and is drawn to Drundle Head. Due to his unique nature, Little Toonie unknowingly overcomes the fairy guard and reaches the fairies, who are compelled to grant him a wish. Discovering the guard is his long-lost father, Little Toonie selflessly chooses his father's freedom over any other magical boon, reuniting them.
Themes
Emotional Arc
suffering to triumph
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
Reflects common folk beliefs in the British Isles regarding mischievous fairies and the dangers of interacting with them, often involving specific rituals or rules.
Plot Beats (17)
- Toonie learns from an old faggot-maker that seeing fairies requires courage, silence, and moonshine, with a warning about failing three times.
- On his first attempt, Toonie greets a 'priest' and loses his silence and moonshine, failing to see fairies.
- On his second attempt, Toonie encounters an old man who asks for directions to the fairies, causing Toonie to speak and lose his silence, again failing.
- Determined, Toonie has his wife tie on his cap and gag his mouth for his third attempt.
- Near the top of Drundle Head, the old man from before beats Toonie with a wand, causing him to let go of his courage and flee, leading to his capture by fairies.
- Toonie's wife becomes a 'widow' and gives birth to Little Toonie, who is born dumb and 'full of moonshine'.
- Little Toonie grows up strong but simple-minded, working as a farmhand and enduring beatings.
- One night, Little Toonie escapes his stable and is drawn to Drundle Head by the moonlight.
- He encounters the same elderly man, who tries to speak to him, but Little Toonie's dumbness prevents him from breaking silence.
- The old man then tries to beat Little Toonie with a hazel wand, but Little Toonie, accustomed to beatings, simply hurries on.
- The old man, realizing he cannot stop Little Toonie, clings to his feet, begging him to stop, fearing the fairies' wrath.
- Little Toonie, unable to understand or speak, simply picks up the old man and carries him to the fairy gathering.
- The fairies, seeing Little Toonie has passed their guard, are forced to grant him a wish.
- They restore Little Toonie's speech, and he learns the old man is his father, enslaved by the fairies.
- Despite the fairies offering riches and youth, Little Toonie chooses to free his father.
- The fairies, in anger, pinch the old man before releasing him to his son.
- Father and son walk down the hill, the father celebrating his freedom and his son's strength.
Characters
Toonie ★ protagonist
A man of average build and height, likely sturdy from manual labor. His features are not explicitly described but would suggest a common working man from a rural British setting.
Attire: Simple, practical working clothes typical of a rural laborer in a British setting, such as a coarse linen shirt, wool breeches, and sturdy leather boots. Perhaps a simple cap.
Wants: To see the fairies and gain a wish, driven by a belief in his own capabilities.
Flaw: Lack of self-control, easily startled, and a tendency to forget instructions, leading to his downfall.
Fails three times to see the fairies due to his own mistakes, ultimately falling into their hands and becoming their bondsman, disappearing from his family's life.
Overconfident, foolish, easily distracted, eager for adventure, but ultimately lacking true courage and discipline.
Image Prompt & Upload
A sturdy adult man of average height and build, with a weathered face and short, practical brown hair. He wears a coarse cream linen shirt, dark wool breeches, and sturdy brown leather boots. He is caught mid-action, flinging a simple brown cap from his head, with a surprised expression. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
The Old Faggot-Maker ◆ supporting
An old man, likely thin and stooped from years of collecting faggots (bundles of sticks). His hands would be gnarled and calloused.
Attire: Rough, patched, and worn peasant clothing, likely made of homespun wool or linen in muted earth tones, suitable for a faggot-maker.
Wants: To share ancient wisdom, perhaps to test those who seek it.
Flaw: Not applicable; he serves as a source of information.
Remains a static character, serving as a guide.
Wise, cryptic, observant, and traditional, holding knowledge of local folklore.
Image Prompt & Upload
An elderly, thin man with a deeply wrinkled face, a long grey beard, and wispy grey hair. He is hunched over, carrying a large bundle of sticks on his back. He wears patched, coarse brown wool trousers and a faded green linen tunic. His hands are gnarled. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
The Priest ○ minor
A man of respectable appearance, likely of average build, riding a mule. His features would be calm and benevolent.
Attire: A dark, simple cassock or clerical robe, typical of a rural priest, possibly made of sturdy wool or linen. No elaborate adornments.
Wants: Simply going about his daily duties.
Flaw: Not applicable; he is a plot device.
A static character, appearing briefly to trigger Toonie's first failure.
Friendly, observant, and polite.
Image Prompt & Upload
An adult man of average build, with a calm, kind face and short, neatly combed dark hair. He wears a simple, dark grey wool cassock. He is seated upright on the back of a brown mule, facing forward. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
The Little Elderly Man (Old Toonie) ○ antagonist | supporting
Small, shrivelled, and frail, appearing much older than his actual years due to his long bondage. His body is likely thin and bony, with visible ribs.
Attire: Tattered, dirty, and ill-fitting clothes, likely remnants of his original attire or simple rags provided by the fairies. Perhaps a faded, patched tunic and breeches.
Wants: To prevent mortals from reaching the fairies (under compulsion) and later, to escape his bondage and be reunited with his son.
Flaw: His extreme fear of the fairies and his physical frailty.
Initially appears as an obstacle, compelled to deter others from the fairies. He is revealed to be the lost father, Toonie, and is ultimately rescued from his cruel bondage by his son, regaining his freedom.
Fearful, desperate, cunning (in his attempts to deter others), pathetic, and ultimately loving towards his son.
Image Prompt & Upload
A small, shrivelled elderly man with a deeply wrinkled, anxious face, sparse grey hair, and wide, fearful eyes. He wears tattered, faded brown linen breeches and a patched, loose-fitting grey tunic. His body is thin and bony. He is clinging desperately to the ankles of an unseen figure, with a pleading expression. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
Toonie's Wife ○ minor
Not explicitly described, but would be a woman of the working class, likely sturdy and practical. Her appearance would reflect her grief and later, her struggles as a single mother.
Attire: Simple, practical peasant clothing, likely a homespun linen dress and apron, in muted colors, reflecting her status and grief.
Wants: To help her husband succeed, then to mourn his loss and raise her child.
Flaw: Her grief and inability to understand her son's condition.
Becomes a 'kind of a widow' after Toonie's disappearance, raises their son, Little Toonie, and experiences sorrow and confusion regarding his condition.
Supportive, practical, sorrowful, and later, somewhat resentful or resigned due to her son's condition.
Image Prompt & Upload
An adult woman of sturdy build, with a sorrowful expression and practical brown hair tied back. She wears a simple, faded blue linen dress and a cream apron. She is seated, looking down, with tears in her eyes. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
Little Toonie ★ protagonist
Initially a child, growing into a man 'bigger than ever old Toonie had been,' implying a large, strong, almost horse-like build. He is physically powerful.
Attire: Coarse, simple, and likely ill-fitting working clothes, such as a rough tunic and trousers, suitable for a farm laborer, possibly patched and worn.
Wants: Initially, to endure his life. Later, driven by an unspoken longing for the moonlight and the hills, and ultimately, by compassion for the old man.
Flaw: His muteness and his 'moonshine-filled' brain, which makes him unable to understand things clearly by day.
Grows up mute and mentally slow by day, but with a unique connection to the night. He escapes his bondage, follows his intuition to Drundle Head, overcomes the old man's attempts to stop him, and ultimately uses his wish to rescue his long-lost father, gaining his voice and freedom in the process.
Dumb (mute), mentally slow by day ('head full of moonshine'), but thoughtful and sensitive by night. Patient, enduring, and possesses a deep, intuitive connection to moonlight and nature. Compassionate.
Image Prompt & Upload
A very tall, muscular young adult man with a large, powerful build. He has a simple, kind face that appears thoughtful, with unkempt brown hair. He wears a coarse, patched grey linen tunic and sturdy brown trousers. He stands bathed in soft, ethereal moonlight, looking upwards with a sense of wonder. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
The Fairies ○ antagonist | magical beings
Little people, with 'tight, panting little bodies, of which one could count the ribs,' and 'faces flushed with fiery green blood.' They are small and quick, almost insect-like in their movements.
Attire: Not explicitly described, but implied to be minimal or natural, perhaps made of leaves or gossamer, reflecting their wild, natural habitat. They are described as 'little people' rather than wearing specific garments.
Wants: To maintain their secrecy and power, to torment their bondsmen, and to enjoy their revels.
Flaw: Bound by the rules of granting wishes to mortals who successfully find them.
Remain static in their nature, forced to comply with Little Toonie's wish.
Cruel, proud, spiteful, easily angered, but bound by their own rules and compelled to grant wishes to those who successfully reach them.
Image Prompt & Upload
A group of tiny, ethereal figures with faces flushed with fiery green blood, and visible ribs on their small, tight bodies. They have sharp, quick eyes and wild, spiky hair. They are depicted in various poses, some flying, some cringing, with an angry or spiteful expression. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, multiple figures, no watermark, no text, no signature.
Locations
Drundle Head Foot-Track
A winding foot-track crossing the upper slopes of Drundle Head, known as a place where fairies dance by night. It is a path leading up a hill, with bushes and long grass along its edges.
Mood: Mysterious, hopeful, later frustrating and dangerous
Toonie's repeated attempts to see the fairies and his failures due to breaking the rules. Little Toonie's ascent, encountering the old man and the fairy ambush.
Image Prompt & Upload
A narrow, winding dirt foot-track ascends a gently sloping hill, disappearing into the distance under a bright full moon. Sparse, gnarled bushes and tall, swaying grasses line the path, casting soft, elongated shadows. The ground is a mix of exposed earth and patches of short, dew-kissed grass, reflecting the cool, silvery moonlight. The sky above is a deep, clear indigo, with scattered stars. no border, no frame, no watermark, no text, no signature, edge-to-edge illustration.
The Stable
A stable where Little Toonie sleeps among horses, likely a simple, rustic structure with timber walls and a dirt floor. The moonlight streams in through an open door or window.
Mood: Confined, reflective, yearning for freedom
Little Toonie's nightly contemplation of the moonlight and his decision to escape his bondage.
Image Prompt & Upload
Inside a rustic, dimly lit stable, rough-hewn timber walls rise to a low ceiling, with straw scattered on the packed earth floor. The warm, earthy scent of hay and horses hangs in the air. A wide, unlocked wooden stable door stands ajar, revealing a flood of cool, silvery moonlight pouring in, creating a stark contrast with the shadowed interior. Horses are visible as dark shapes in their stalls. no border, no frame, no watermark, no text, no signature, edge-to-edge illustration.
The Fairy Dancing Ground (Top of Drundle Head)
The very top of Drundle Head, an open area bathed in thick moonlight where the fairies hold their revels. The ground is covered in long grass, with dewdrops shimmering like rain.
Mood: Magical, eerie, dangerous, later celebratory
The climax where Little Toonie confronts the fairies, gains his voice, and rescues his father.
Image Prompt & Upload
An expansive, open hilltop bathed in brilliant, ethereal moonlight, casting long, soft shadows. The ground is covered in lush, tall grass, each blade glistening with countless dewdrops that shimmer like scattered diamonds. The air is still and cool, with a sense of ancient magic. The horizon is a soft, dark line against the luminous sky. no border, no frame, no watermark, no text, no signature, edge-to-edge illustration.
