Stupid's Cries
by Unknown · from More English Fairy Tales
Adapted Version
'Apples and bread! Apples and bread!' Tom walks to the shop. He says it again and again. He does not want to forget. Mom needs apples. Mom needs bread. Tom must remember. He walks very carefully.
Tom walks. He sees a big stone. He trips on the stone. He falls with a bump. He sits down. Oh no! He forgets the words. He rubs his knee. He looks at the stone. He sees dark mud. 'Stones and mud! Stones and mud!' Tom says.
Tom walks on. He says the new words. He sees The Garden Lady. She sweeps her path. Her path is very clean. Her flowers are bright. 'Stones and mud! Stones and mud!' Tom says. He points to the path. The Garden Lady looks very sad. She shakes her head slowly. 'Oh no, Tom!' she says. 'Say: So clean and pretty!' Tom says sorry. He walks on. 'So clean and pretty! So clean and pretty!' Tom says.
Tom walks on. He says the new words. He sees a boy. The boy cries. Big tears fall down his face. He lost his red ball. The Boy's Dad stands near. He looks worried. 'So clean and pretty! So clean and pretty!' Tom says. The boy cries even more. The Boy's Dad looks very sad. He sighs. 'Oh dear, Tom!' he says. 'Say: I hope you find it!' Tom says sorry. He walks on. 'I hope you find it! I hope you find it!' Tom says.
Tom walks on. He says the new words. He sees The Kitten Girl. She has many small kittens. They are fluffy and playful. They jump from her basket. One kitten runs away. 'I hope you find it! I hope you find it!' Tom says. The Kitten Girl laughs loudly. She giggles. 'No, silly!' she says. 'Say: What cute kittens!' Tom says sorry. He walks on. 'What cute kittens! What cute kittens!' Tom says.
Tom comes to the shop. He still says the words. 'What cute kittens! What cute kittens!' Tom says. A shopkeeper smiles. Tom stops. He thinks very hard. He remembers the first words. 'Apples and bread!' Tom says. He gets the food. Tom walks home. He is very careful this time. Mom smiles. 'The right words matter, Tom,' Mom says. Tom laughs. He eats a crisp apple. 'Apples and bread! I said it right!' Tom says. Mom smiles.
Original Story
Stupid's Cries
There was once a little boy, and his mother sent him to buy a sheep's head and pluck; afraid he should forget it, the lad kept saying all the way along:
"Sheep's head and pluck!
Sheep's head and pluck!"
Trudging along, he came to a stile; but in getting over he fell and hurt himself, and beginning to blubber, forgot what he was sent for. So he stood a little while to consider: at last he thought he recollected it, and began to repeat:
"Liver and lights and gall and all!
Liver and lights and gall and all!"
Away he went again, and came to where a man had a pain in his liver, bawling out:
"Liver and lights and gall and all!
Liver and lights and gall and all!"
Whereon the man laid hold of him and beat him, bidding him say:
"Pray God send no more!
Pray God send no more!"
The youngster strode along, uttering these words, till he reached a field where a hind was sowing wheat:
"Pray God send no more!
Pray God send no more!"
This was all his cry. So the sower began to thrash him, and charged him to repeat:
"Pray God send plenty more!
Pray God send plenty more!"
Off the child scampered with these words in his mouth till he reached a churchyard and met a funeral, but he went on with his:
"Pray God send plenty more!
Pray God send plenty more!"
The chief mourner seized and punished him, and bade him repeat:
"Pray God send the soul to heaven!
Pray God send the soul to heaven!"
Away went the boy, and met a dog and a cat going to be hung, but his cry rang out:
"Pray God send the soul to heaven!
Pray God send the soul to heaven!"
The good folk nearly were furious, seized and struck him, charging him to say:
"A dog and a cat agoing to be hung!
A dog and a cat agoing to be hung!"
This the poor fellow did, till he overtook a man and a woman going to be married. "Oh! oh!" he shouted:
"A dog and a cat agoing to be hung!
A dog and a cat agoing to be hung!"
The man was enraged, as we may well think, gave him many a thump, and ordered him to repeat:
"I wish you much joy!
I wish you much joy!"
This he did, jogging along, till he came to two labourers who had fallen into a ditch. The lad kept bawling out:
"I wish you much joy!
I wish you much joy!"
This vexed one of the folk so sorely that he used all his strength, scrambled out, beat the crier, and told him to say.
"The one is out, I wish the other was!
The one is out, I wish the other was!"
On went young 'un till he found a fellow with only one eye; but he kept up his song:
"The one is out, I wish the other was!
The one is out, I wish the other was!"
This was too much for Master One-eye, who grabbed him and chastised him, bidding him call:
"The one side gives good light, I wish the other did!
The one side gives good light, I wish the other did!"
So he did, to be sure, till he came to a house, one side of which was on fire. The people here thought it was he who had set the place a-blazing, and straightway put him in prison. The end was, the judge put on his black cap, and condemned him to die.
Story DNA
Moral
Words have power and context matters; speaking without understanding can lead to dire consequences.
Plot Summary
A young boy, sent on an errand, forgets his message after a fall and begins repeating an inappropriate phrase. Throughout his journey, he encounters various people who are offended by his words, beat him, and give him new phrases to repeat. Each new phrase, when repeated in the wrong context, leads to further trouble and more beatings. The escalating series of misunderstandings culminates when he repeats a phrase about a single eye to a one-eyed man, then repeats a phrase about light to people at a house on fire, leading to him being accused of arson, imprisoned, and ultimately condemned to death by a judge.
Themes
Emotional Arc
innocence to peril
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
This story reflects a time when children might be sent on errands alone and public corporal punishment was common, even for minor offenses or perceived insults.
Plot Beats (12)
- A boy is sent to buy a 'sheep's head and pluck' and repeats the phrase to remember it.
- He falls, forgets the original phrase, and starts repeating 'Liver and lights and gall and all!'
- He encounters a man with liver pain, who beats him for his insensitive words and tells him to say 'Pray God send no more!'
- He repeats 'Pray God send no more!' to a sower, who beats him and tells him to say 'Pray God send plenty more!'
- He repeats 'Pray God send plenty more!' at a funeral, where the chief mourner beats him and tells him to say 'Pray God send the soul to heaven!'
- He repeats 'Pray God send the soul to heaven!' to people taking a dog and cat to be hung, who beat him and tell him to say 'A dog and a cat agoing to be hung!'
- He repeats 'A dog and a cat agoing to be hung!' to a couple getting married, who beat him and tell him to say 'I wish you much joy!'
- He repeats 'I wish you much joy!' to two laborers fallen in a ditch, one of whom beats him and tells him to say 'The one is out, I wish the other was!'
- He repeats 'The one is out, I wish the other was!' to a one-eyed man, who beats him and tells him to say 'The one side gives good light, I wish the other did!'
- He repeats 'The one side gives good light, I wish the other did!' to people at a house with one side on fire.
- The people accuse him of setting the fire, and he is imprisoned.
- A judge condemns the boy to death.
Characters
The Little Boy
A small, slender boy of perhaps 7-9 years old, with a generally unkempt appearance from his travels and falls. His knees and elbows might show scuffs or dirt from his tumble over the stile.
Attire: Simple, worn peasant clothing typical of a child in a rural European setting, perhaps a coarse linen tunic or shirt, breeches that are a bit too short, and sturdy, well-used leather shoes or even bare feet. The fabric would be undyed or faded earth tones.
Wants: To fulfill his mother's errand, then later, to avoid further punishment by repeating the last phrase he was taught.
Flaw: Extreme literal-mindedness and a profound lack of situational awareness, leading him to repeat inappropriate phrases.
He starts as an obedient child trying to remember a task and devolves into a confused, repeatedly punished figure who simply repeats whatever he's told, ultimately leading to a dire misunderstanding.
Obedient (initially), forgetful, easily confused, naive, persistent (in repeating phrases), innocent, somewhat dim-witted.
The Mother
Likely a practical, hardworking woman, perhaps a bit stern, with the sturdy build of someone accustomed to physical labor.
Attire: Simple, functional peasant dress made of sturdy linen or wool, perhaps with an apron, in muted, practical colors.
Wants: To ensure her son completes his errand.
Flaw: Underestimating her son's literal-mindedness.
None, she appears only at the beginning.
Practical, responsible, perhaps a bit overprotective (in her fear he would forget).
The Man with Liver Pain
A man in visible distress, likely hunched over or clutching his side. His face would be pale and drawn with pain.
Attire: Simple, worn peasant clothes, possibly disheveled from his agony.
Wants: To alleviate his suffering and stop the boy's offensive cries.
Flaw: His intense physical pain makes him short-tempered.
None, a momentary encounter.
Irritable, suffering, quick to anger due to his pain.
The Hind (Sower)
A sturdy, sun-weathered farmer, with strong hands and a practical build from working the land.
Attire: Rough, practical farming clothes: a coarse linen shirt, sturdy trousers, and perhaps a leather apron or vest, all covered in dust and soil.
Wants: To ensure a good harvest and prevent bad luck from the boy's words.
Flaw: Superstition and quick temper.
None, a momentary encounter.
Hardworking, superstitious (regarding crops), easily angered by perceived bad omens.
The Chief Mourner
A man dressed in somber attire, likely with a grave and sorrowful expression. His build would be average, not particularly distinctive beyond his role.
Attire: Formal, dark mourning clothes, likely a black or very dark grey coat, trousers, and a somber hat, typical of a European funeral in a past era.
Wants: To ensure the deceased is honored and to stop the boy's inappropriate words.
Flaw: His grief makes him sensitive and prone to anger.
None, a momentary encounter.
Grief-stricken, solemn, easily offended by disrespect.
Locations
Rural Path with Stile
A winding, unpaved path through a rural landscape, likely with overgrown grass and weeds along its edges. A simple wooden stile, possibly weathered and rickety, crosses a low stone wall or fence, marking a boundary between fields or properties. The path is exposed to the open sky.
Mood: innocent, slightly melancholic after the fall
The boy falls over the stile, forgets his original errand, and begins his series of misremembered phrases.
Wheat Field
A vast, open field of ripening wheat, stretching towards a distant horizon. The wheat stalks are tall and golden, swaying gently in a light breeze. A farmer, dressed in simple, practical clothing, is actively sowing seeds by hand, scattering them across the prepared earth between the rows of existing wheat. The ground is tilled and earthy in places.
Mood: industrious, peaceful, then suddenly confrontational
The boy encounters a hind sowing wheat and his inappropriate chant leads to him being thrashed and given a new phrase.
Rural Churchyard
A solemn, ancient churchyard surrounding a simple, stone-built rural church, possibly with a modest bell tower. Weathered gravestones of varying sizes are scattered amongst neatly kept grass. A funeral procession is underway, with mourners dressed in dark, somber clothing gathered around an open grave or coffin. The air is still and respectful.
Mood: somber, respectful, then disrupted
The boy encounters a funeral and his 'Pray God send plenty more!' causes outrage, leading to another beating and a new phrase.
Burning House
A traditional, possibly half-timbered or stone-built house, with one side engulfed in bright, orange flames and thick, dark smoke billowing into the sky. The heat is palpable, and embers might be visible. People are gathered around, looking on in distress or attempting to douse the fire with buckets of water. The surrounding area is chaotic and illuminated by the fire's glow.
Mood: chaotic, dangerous, terrifying
The boy arrives at a house with one side on fire, and his final, misinterpreted phrase leads to him being blamed and imprisoned.