TOMMY PRITCHARD
by Unknown · from Welsh Fairy-Tales and Other Stories
Adapted Version
One sunny morning, Tommy walked to school.
Tommy saw a tall stone wall. He looked over the wall. He saw a shiny coin. It was very shiny. It was under a stone. The coin was bright. Tommy took the coin. He put it in his pocket. He felt very happy.
Tommy went to the sweet shop. He bought many sweets. The sweets were yummy. He ate them all. He loved the taste. He enjoyed them. He felt very full.
Next day, Tommy went back. He looked under the stone. Another shiny coin was there. It was a new coin. He took it. This happened every morning. He found a coin each time. It was like magic. It was a surprise.
Tommy bought more sweets. He liked sweet things very much. He was very happy. He had many coins now. He spent them fast. He loved his sweets. He ate them quickly.
Father saw Tommy often. Tommy always had sweets. Father wondered, 'Where is this money?' He felt worried. He did not know. He watched Tommy closely. This was a puzzle.
One day, Father asked Tommy. He asked, 'Tommy, where is your money?' Father looked at Tommy. Tommy did not answer. He looked at his shoes. He felt small. He was quiet.
Tommy did not want to tell. He kept his secret. Father looked very sad. 'Please tell me, Tommy,' Father said. 'It is important.' Tommy felt bad. He told Father about the coins. He told him about the stone. He told the truth.
Next morning, Tommy went to the wall. He looked under the stone. No shiny coin was there. He saw a small shell. Only a shell. The shell was empty. He felt sad.
Tommy looked every day. He found no more coins. Only the small shell was there. The magic coins were gone. They did not come back. Tommy was sad. He missed the coins.
Tommy learned a lesson that day. It is always best to tell the truth. He never forgot it.
Original Story
TOMMY PRITCHARD.
Tommy Pritchard was going to school one day, and on his way he thought he heard somebody singing on the other side of a stone wall by the road, so he climbed up and looked over, and there underneath a stone he saw a sixpence, so he took it.
Every morning after that, when he went to school, he used to look in the same place, and he always found a sixpence.
His father noticed he was always spending money in the sweet-shop, so he began to think Tommy was stealing from somebody, and one day he asked him where he got the money. Tommy wouldn’t tell at first, but his father threatened to beat him, so he told him where he got his sixpences.
Next morning he went to look in the same place for his sixpence, and he found nothing but a cockle-shell. And he never saw anything but a cockle-shell there afterwards.
Story DNA
Moral
Dishonesty, even in small matters, can lead to the loss of good fortune.
Plot Summary
Tommy Pritchard discovers a sixpence under a stone and, to his delight, finds another one there every morning. He spends the money on sweets, which his father notices, leading him to suspect Tommy of stealing. When confronted and threatened, Tommy reveals his secret source of money. The next day, the sixpences are gone, replaced by a mere cockle-shell, and Tommy never finds money there again, having lost his good fortune due to his dishonesty.
Themes
Emotional Arc
curiosity to greed to loss
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
The sixpence was a common coin in Britain until decimalisation in 1971. The story reflects a time when children might find small sums of money and the social norms around honesty and parental authority.
Plot Beats (9)
- Tommy Pritchard, on his way to school, hears singing and finds a sixpence under a stone.
- He takes the sixpence and spends it.
- Every morning thereafter, he checks the spot and consistently finds another sixpence.
- Tommy regularly spends his money at the sweet-shop.
- His father notices Tommy's frequent spending and suspects he is stealing.
- The father confronts Tommy, demanding to know where he gets his money.
- Tommy initially refuses to tell but confesses after his father threatens to beat him.
- The next morning, Tommy goes to the spot and finds only a cockle-shell.
- He never finds another sixpence there again.
Characters
Tommy Pritchard
A small, slender boy, likely of average height for his age, with the typical build of a child who spends time outdoors. His complexion would be fair, possibly with rosy cheeks from activity.
Attire: Simple, practical clothing suitable for a schoolboy in a rural British setting of the late 19th or early 20th century. He would wear sturdy, dark knickerbockers (short trousers that gather at or below the knee), a plain white or light-colored cotton shirt, a dark wool waistcoat, and a tweed cap. His shoes would be scuffed, lace-up leather boots.
Wants: To acquire money for sweets and other small pleasures. He is driven by simple childhood desires.
Flaw: His secretiveness and fear of punishment, which leads him to conceal the source of his money until threatened. His naivety about the source of the money is also a weakness.
He learns a lesson about the ephemeral nature of easy money and the consequences of keeping secrets from his parents. He starts with a magical discovery and ends with its disappearance, implying a loss of innocence or a lesson learned.
Curious, secretive, somewhat naive, and fond of sweets. He is initially honest about his discovery under duress.
Tommy's Father
A man of average build, likely showing signs of manual labor or a practical life. His height would be typical for a man of his era, perhaps a bit stern in his bearing.
Attire: Practical, sturdy working-class attire common in rural Britain during the late 19th or early 20th century. He would wear dark, durable wool trousers, a plain, collared shirt, a waistcoat, and a dark, functional jacket. His shoes would be heavy, well-worn work boots.
Wants: To ensure his son is honest and not stealing, and to instill good moral values. He is driven by parental responsibility.
Flaw: His readiness to resort to threats of physical punishment, indicating a potentially harsh parenting style.
He acts as an agent of consequence for Tommy, bringing the magical period to an end by forcing a confession. He remains a figure of authority and moral guidance.
Observant, concerned, stern, and pragmatic. He is quick to suspect wrongdoing but also seeks the truth.
Locations
Stone Wall by the Road
A low, dry-stone wall, likely made of local fieldstones, bordering a rural road. On one side, a path or road, and on the other, a grassy area where a sixpence is found under a stone.
Mood: Initially mysterious and promising, later becomes mundane and then disappointing.
Tommy discovers the first sixpence and continues to find them daily, then later finds only a cockle-shell.
Tommy's Home
A modest, perhaps rural, British home where Tommy lives with his father. The interior would be simple, likely with a hearth and basic furnishings.
Mood: Initially normal family life, then tense and confrontational when the father questions Tommy.
Tommy's father confronts him about the money, leading to Tommy revealing the source of the sixpences.
Sweet-shop
A small, local sweet-shop, likely in a village or town, where Tommy spends his daily sixpence. It would be filled with jars of candies and treats.
Mood: Joyful and tempting for a child, representing Tommy's daily indulgence.
Tommy regularly spends his found money here, which eventually alerts his father to his unexplained wealth.