Molly Whuppie
A brave girl, a giant, three challenges, and a happy ending for three sisters
Page 1
Once upon a time, there was a poor man and woman who had three daughters named Molly, and her two older sisters. They were so poor they could not feed their children, so they led them deep into a vast, ancient forest, far from their humble home. There, the parents told the girls to wait patiently by a mossy stone while they went to search for some food. The sun began to dip lower in the sky, casting long, eerie shadows between the enormous, gnarled trees, but their parents did not return. Molly, though the youngest, understood with a sinking feeling that they had been abandoned. The sisters huddled together, listening to the unfamiliar forest sounds grow louder and more unsettling as evening fell, their stomachs rumbling painfully with hunger and their hearts heavy with worry. Molly knew they could not stay there as darkness truly settled.
Page 2
The three sisters walked for a long, long time through the winding, unfamiliar paths of the dense forest. Their legs ached and their spirits began to droop, for they had eaten nothing since morning. Just when they thought they could go no further, utterly exhausted and despairing, they stumbled upon an unexpected clearing in the trees. Before them stood a sight unlike anything they had ever seen or even imagined: a huge, imposing house, almost like a castle, but built in a strange, crooked way that seemed to defy ordinary logic. It was surrounded by a wildly overgrown garden with plants of immense, unnatural size. A giant, heavy gate, rusted and half-hidden by thick, dark ivy, stood before the house, guarding its secrets. The girls stared up at it, their mouths open in awe and a deep-seated fear, wondering who could possibly live in such a place.
Page 3
Molly, with her brave heart pushing her forward, pushed open the great gate and led her sisters through the wildly overgrown garden to the immense house. She gathered her courage and knocked on the enormous wooden door, which was so tall she could barely reach the knocker. After a moment, it creaked slowly open to reveal a woman of immense size, the Giant's Wife, who filled the doorway. Her face was kind, though marked with a deep weariness. When Molly, in her small voice, bravely explained their plight and their hunger, the Giant's Wife, despite her own fears, took pity on them. She ushered them into a vast kitchen, where a huge fire roared in a fireplace large enough for a small cottage. On a table that seemed like a vast plain, she set a giant bowl of fresh milk and a loaf of coarse, warm bread – a true feast for the famished girls.
Page 4
They had barely finished eating their humble supper when the very ground outside began to shake with heavy, thundering footsteps. A terrifying noise grew louder and louder, echoing through the huge house. The Giant's Wife's eyes grew wide with sudden, desperate fear. "It's my husband! Quick, hide yourselves!" she whispered urgently, her voice trembling. She rushed the girls behind a huge, heavy, brocaded curtain at the side of the cavernous dining hall. The enormous wooden door burst open with a crash, and in strode the Giant himself, a truly terrifying figure with a shaggy brown beard and rough, patched clothes. He stopped just inside, his massive head tilted, and sniffed the air, his eyes narrowed with suspicion. "Fee, fi, fo, fum, I smell the blood of an Englishman!" he boomed, his voice like thunder, looking around the vast room suspiciously for any sign of intruders.
Page 5
The Giant's Wife, with clever words and swift actions, managed to convince her grumbling husband that he smelled only the leftover supper and the scent of wild game. When the Giant finally settled down, still muttering darkly, she quickly led Molly and her sisters away from the danger. They tiptoed as quietly as they could up a long, winding staircase, its steps so wide and tall they had to climb them almost on all fours, their small hands gripping the banister. As they ascended into the shadowed upper floors, the Giant's Wife leaned close and whispered a dire warning. "My husband has three daughters just like you. Tonight, he means to put you all in one bed, and in the morning, he will harm you instead of his own children. I will put a gold necklace around each of your necks, and string a simple straw one around my daughters' necks, so he knows which are which." Molly listened carefully, her mind already working on a plan, her heart pounding with both fear and a spark of determination.
Page 6
The Giant's Wife led the girls to a vast bedroom where her three giant daughters were already sleeping soundly in enormous beds, their snores rumbling softly. She put Molly and her sisters into one bed, and her own daughters into another. As promised, she placed shining gold necklaces on Molly and her sisters, and simple straw necklaces on her own children. But Molly was far too clever to simply wait for morning. As soon as the Giant's Wife left the room, Molly quietly, carefully slipped out of bed. She moved like a shadow in the dim light, carefully swapping the necklaces, putting the gold ones on the Giant's daughters and the straw ones on herself and her sisters. Then she crept back into bed with her sisters, holding her breath and listening. Late that night, the Giant's heavy footsteps rumbled down the hallway. He crept into the room, and in the deep dark, he felt for the straw necklaces, convinced he had found the small intruders. He quickly and firmly tied the three figures with straw necklaces securely to their enormous bedposts, believing he had captured Molly and her sisters, preventing their escape.
Page 7
As soon as the Giant's heavy footsteps faded down the hallway, Molly knew this was their only chance to escape. She quickly untied her sisters from their bed, and they slipped out of the bedroom, running as fast and as quietly as they could through the dark and unfamiliar passages of the giant's house. Their hearts hammered in their chests, but Molly kept her wits about her. As they passed one particularly grand and cluttered chamber, Molly's sharp eyes spotted something gleaming brightly on a high display. It was a magnificent, jewel-studded belt, sparkling even in the dim light. Knowing that the Giant's power was often tied to his magical possessions, she quickly snatched it from its display. "Run, sisters, run!" she urged, clutching the precious belt tightly in her hand. They fled out of the giant's house, across the overgrown garden, and back into the vast, dark forest, not daring to look back at the monstrous home they had just escaped.
Page 8
Molly and her sisters ran through the dark forest all night long, guided only by the distant stars and the rising sun. They ran until they could run no more, their clothes torn and their feet sore and aching. At long last, as the morning light grew strong, they came to a truly grand and magnificent sight: a magnificent castle, its proud stone towers reaching to the sky, surrounded by a wide, gleaming moat. A heavy wooden drawbridge was lowered across the water, and stern guards in shining armor stood at the formidable gatehouse. Molly, gathering all her remaining courage, led her sisters across the drawbridge. She approached the King, who stood surveying his lands from the gate, and bravely told him their entire astonishing story, from being abandoned in the woods to their clever escape from the fearsome giant. The King was astonished by her bravery and cleverness, listening intently to every word.
Page 9
The King, deeply impressed by Molly's bravery and quick thinking, promised to help them, but first, he set her a challenging task. He asked her to return to the Giant's house and, if she dared, steal a magical ring from the Giant's very finger. Molly, ever brave and unwilling to refuse, agreed to the daunting challenge. With a determined heart, she crept all the way back to the fearsome giant's house, moving silently through the shadows and dark passages until she found the Giant's private chamber. There, by a massive, roaring hearth that warmed the cavernous room, the enormous Giant was fast asleep in his colossal chair, snoring loudly enough to shake the very foundations of the house. The magical ring, shimmering with an inner light, sparkled on his huge, outstretched finger. Molly carefully, ever so slowly, crept closer, her heart pounding like a drum in her chest, reaching out her tiny, trembling hand towards the sleeping monster's hand, hoping he would not stir.
Page 10
Molly successfully stole the magical ring and triumphantly brought it back to the King, who marveled at her daring. Yet, he gave her one final, daring challenge: to return once more to the Giant's house and steal his precious purse, a task even more perilous. Again, Molly, with her exceptional cleverness and unwavering courage, succeeded in her mission. She brought the purse back to the King, who, delighted beyond measure by her daring spirit and quick wits, declared that Molly and her sisters would be richly rewarded for their trials. He married Molly to his youngest son, the kind and handsome Prince, and her two sisters were likewise married to the King's other two sons. They all lived happily ever after in the magnificent castle, never again hungry or afraid, safe from any giant's reach, thanks to Molly Whuppie's brave and clever deeds that saved them all.
About this story
- Audience: kids (ages 6–12)
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