KADDY’S LUCK
by Unknown · from Welsh Fairy-Tales and Other Stories
Adapted Version
Once, there was a kind young woman named Kaddy. She lived in a small house.
Fairies came to Kaddy's room. They came at night through the keyhole. Kaddy heard them. In the morning, they left. They always left Kaddy money. Kaddy found the money. This was Kaddy's secret.
Kaddy met a man. He was a kind man. Kaddy married him. They had a baby. The Baby was big and strong. The Baby was happy. Kaddy loved her Baby very much. Kaddy's Husband loved the Baby too. They were a happy family.
One night, Kaddy and her Husband went out. They went to a fair. The fair was fun. Many people were there. Kaddy hoped to hear the Fairies. Some people could hear them. The Fairies made a soft wind sound. Kaddy listened for this sound. She wanted to hear them.
Kaddy and her Husband waited. They waited for the Fairies. Kaddy told her Husband a secret. "Fairies come to my room," she said. "They come at night. They dance and sing. They leave me money. They always leave me money, every time." Kaddy's Husband listened closely. He heard Kaddy's words. Kaddy told her big secret. This was a special secret.
Kaddy and her Husband went home. They found their Baby in the cradle. The Baby was fine. The Baby was sleeping soundly. Kaddy and her Husband went to bed. They slept well through the night. All was quiet.
Next morning, Kaddy woke up. She went to see her Baby. She looked in the cradle. Kaddy saw a baby there. But it was not her Baby. This baby was very small. It was much smaller than her own child. Kaddy felt a little sad. Her big, happy Baby was gone. A small baby was there now. Kaddy did not know why this happened.
The Small Baby never grew big. It stayed very small. Kaddy was sad. The Fairies were not happy. Kaddy told their secret. She told about the money they left. The Fairies played a trick. They took Kaddy's big Baby. They left the Small Baby. Kaddy felt sad every day. The Small Baby never grew. It is good to keep secrets about the fairy folk. Especially when they give you gifts.
Original Story
KADDY’S LUCK.
There was a tall young woman whom the fairies used to visit, coming through the keyhole at night. She could hear them dancing and singing in her room, but in the morning they used to go the way they had come, only they always left her some money.
When she got married she chose a tall husband like herself, and they had a fine big child.
One night they went to a fair, and they got to one side to hear the fairies; for some people could tell when the fairies were coming, for they made a noise like the wind. Whilst they were waiting she told her husband how the fairies used to leave her money at night.
When they got home they found their baby all right, and went to bed. But next morning the young mother found her child had been changed in the night, and there was a very little baby in the cradle. And the child never grew big, for the fairies had changed her child for spite.
Story DNA
Moral
It is best to keep secrets about the fairy folk, especially those that involve their gifts.
Plot Summary
Kaddy, a young woman, regularly receives money from fairies who visit her room at night. After she marries and has a child, she tells her husband about the fairies' gifts. The next morning, Kaddy discovers her healthy baby has been replaced by a changeling, a very small baby that never grows, as a spiteful act by the fairies for revealing their secret.
Themes
Emotional Arc
contentment to sorrow
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
This story reflects common Irish folklore beliefs about fairies, their unpredictable nature, and the dangers of interacting with or revealing their secrets to mortals.
Plot Beats (7)
- Kaddy, a tall young woman, receives nightly visits from fairies who leave her money.
- She marries a tall man and they have a healthy, big child.
- One night, Kaddy and her husband go to a fair, hoping to hear fairies.
- While waiting, Kaddy tells her husband about the fairies leaving her money.
- They return home, find their baby well, and go to bed.
- The next morning, Kaddy discovers her baby has been replaced by a very small changeling.
- The changeling never grows, confirming the fairies' revenge for Kaddy revealing their secret.
Characters
Kaddy
A tall, slender young woman with a graceful build, possessing the kind of stature often associated with elegance. Her movements are likely fluid and unhurried.
Attire: A practical yet modest dress, perhaps made of sturdy linen or wool in muted earth tones, suitable for a woman living in a rural area. It would be a long-sleeved, high-necked gown, possibly with a simple apron over it, and sturdy leather shoes.
Wants: To live a peaceful life with her husband and child, and to understand the strange occurrences around her.
Flaw: Her initial naivety and perhaps a touch of boastfulness when she reveals her secret to her husband, which inadvertently leads to her child's misfortune.
She transforms from a young woman blessed by fairies to a sorrowful mother who has lost her true child due to fairy spite, learning the harsh realities of interacting with the fae.
Observant, trusting (initially), maternal, and later, sorrowful. She is initially accepting of the mysterious fairy gifts.
Kaddy's Husband
A tall man, matching his wife's stature, with a strong, capable build suitable for a working man. He would appear robust and dependable.
Attire: Sturdy, practical clothing typical of a rural man, such as a homespun linen shirt, wool breeches, and a simple jerkin or waistcoat in earthy tones. He would wear sturdy leather boots.
Wants: To provide for and protect his family, and to understand the strange events his wife describes.
Flaw: His curiosity or perhaps a lack of understanding of the dangers of the fairy world, which leads him to listen to his wife's story in a place where fairies might overhear.
He remains largely unchanged, serving as a witness to Kaddy's misfortune and sharing in her sorrow.
Observant, perhaps a bit curious, and supportive of his wife. He seems to believe her story about the fairies.
The Original Baby
A 'fine big child,' implying a healthy, robust infant, likely with soft, smooth skin and plump limbs, typical of a well-fed baby.
Attire: Swaddled in simple, soft linen or cotton cloths, perhaps with a knitted cap, typical for an infant in a rural setting.
Wants: Basic infant needs: comfort, food, sleep.
Flaw: Vulnerable due to infancy, unable to protect itself from the fairies.
Taken by the fairies, its fate is unknown, serving as a catalyst for Kaddy's sorrow.
Innocent, joyful (as implied by 'fine big child').
The Changeling Baby
A 'very little baby,' implying it is smaller and perhaps frailer than a normal infant, and crucially, it 'never grew big.' This suggests a perpetually small, perhaps somewhat wizened or sickly appearance, even as time passes.
Attire: Likely dressed in the same simple swaddling clothes as the original baby, highlighting its unnatural smallness within them.
Wants: To exist, perhaps to cause sorrow or simply to replace the human child as a fairy act of spite.
Flaw: Its inability to grow or thrive like a human child, making its true nature evident.
Remains perpetually a 'very little baby,' serving as a constant reminder of the fairies' cruelty.
Unspecified, but its nature as a changeling implies a lack of typical human infant warmth or development.
The Fairies
Small, ethereal beings, capable of passing through keyholes. They are likely delicate and perhaps translucent, with an otherworldly grace. Their forms might shimmer or be indistinct, suggesting their magical nature.
Attire: Flowing, natural garments made of leaves, petals, or gossamer, in colors that blend with nature or shimmer with magic. They would not wear human clothing.
Wants: To interact with humans on their own terms, to play tricks, and to punish perceived slights (like Kaddy revealing their secret).
Flaw: Perhaps their own pride or a need for secrecy, which is violated by Kaddy's revelation.
They remain unchanged, serving as a force of nature and magic that impacts human lives.
Mischievous, capricious, spiteful, and powerful. They are not bound by human morality and act on whims.
Locations
Kaddy's Bedroom
A simple, private room where Kaddy slept, featuring a keyhole through which fairies would enter and exit.
Mood: magical, mysterious, quiet
Fairies would visit Kaddy here, leaving money. Later, her child was swapped in the cradle by fairies.
The Fairground
A lively outdoor gathering place, bustling with people and activities, where Kaddy and her husband went to hear the fairies.
Mood: lively, expectant, slightly mysterious
Kaddy and her husband attended the fair, waiting to hear the fairies and Kaddy confided about her past fairy encounters.