The Stolen Farthings
by Brothers Grimm · from Household Tales
Adapted Version
One day, Uncle Tom came to visit. Mama made warm soup and bread. Papa cut the bread into big pieces. They all sat down to eat. The house was warm and nice.
The clock rang. The door opened quietly. A little girl walked in. She wore a white dress. She was very quiet. She did not look at them. She did not speak. She walked into the next room. Then she came back. She walked out the door again. Only Uncle Tom saw her.
The next day, the little girl came again. She walked in quietly. She went to the next room. Then she was gone. Only Uncle Tom saw her again.
Uncle Tom looked at Papa. "Who is that little girl?" Papa looked surprised. "I did not see her," he said.
The next day, Uncle Tom pointed at the door. "Look! There she is!" he said. But Mama did not see her. Papa did not see her. Uncle Tom was very surprised. He did not understand.
Uncle Tom walked to the door. He opened it a little. He peeked in. The little girl sat on the floor. She looked under a wooden board. Then Uncle Tom looked again. She was gone.
Uncle Tom told Mama about the girl. "She wore a white dress," he said. "She was very quiet." Mama's eyes went wide. She smiled a small, soft smile. "That sounds like our Anna," she said. "Anna went to live with the angels."
Papa went to the next room. He got down on the floor. He lifted the wooden board.
Papa found two small pennies. Mama looked at them. "I remember now," she said. "I gave Anna these pennies. I asked her to give them away. But Anna forgot."
"Anna could not rest happy," Mama said. "She forgot to share the pennies."
Papa took the two pennies. He walked to the old man's house. He knocked on the door. He gave him the pennies. The old man smiled. "Thank you!" he said. Papa smiled too.
The next day came. The little girl did not come back. She did not come the day after. But Mama was not sad. She smiled quietly. She knew Anna was happy now. And little Anna rested happy at last.
Original Story
The stolen farthings
A fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm
A father was one day sitting at dinner with his wife and his children, and a good friend who had come on a visit was with them. And as they thus sat, and it was striking twelve o'clock, the stranger saw the door open, and a very pale child dressed in snow-white clothes came in. It did not look around, and it did not speak; but went straight into the next room. Soon afterwards it came back, and went out at the door again in the same quiet manner. On the second and on the third day, it came also exactly in the same way. At last the stranger asked the father to whom the beautiful child that went into the next room every day at noon belonged? "I have never seen it," said he, neither did he know to whom it could belong. The next day when it again came, the stranger pointed it out to the father, who however did not see it, and the mother and the children also all saw nothing. On this the stranger got up, went to the room door, opened it a little, and peeped in. Then he saw the child sitting on the ground, and digging and seeking about industriously amongst the crevices between the boards of the floor, but when it saw the stranger, it disappeared. He now told what he had seen and described the child exactly, and the mother recognized it, and said, "Ah, it is my dear child who died a month ago." They took up the boards and found two farthings which the child had once received from its mother that it might give them to a poor man; it, however, had thought, "Thou canst buy thyself a biscuit for that," and had kept the farthings, and hidden them in the openings between the boards; and therefore it had had no rest in its grave, and had come every day at noon to seek for these farthings. The parents gave the money at once to a poor man, and after that the child was never seen again.
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Story DNA
Moral
Even small acts of selfishness can disturb one's peace, and restitution is necessary for true rest.
Plot Summary
A family is visited by a friend who repeatedly sees a pale, silent child entering and leaving a room, though the family cannot. The friend investigates, discovering the child digging in the floorboards. The mother recognizes the description as her deceased child, who had secretly kept two farthings meant for a poor man. The parents find the coins, give them to a poor man, and the child's spirit is never seen again, finally at peace.
Themes
Emotional Arc
mystery to understanding to resolution
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
Farthings were small British coins, but the concept of small currency is universal. The story reflects common European folk beliefs about the dead and the spiritual weight of earthly actions.
Plot Beats (12)
- A family and a visiting friend are at dinner.
- A pale child in white clothes silently enters and exits the next room at noon for three consecutive days.
- The stranger asks the father about the child, but the father claims to have never seen it.
- The stranger points out the child to the family, but only the stranger can see it.
- The stranger secretly observes the child digging in the floorboards of the next room before it vanishes.
- The stranger describes the child, and the mother recognizes it as her deceased child.
- The mother explains that the child died a month ago.
- The family uncovers the floorboards where the child was digging.
- They find two farthings the child had kept instead of giving to a poor man, as instructed by its mother.
- The child's spirit was restless due to this unfulfilled act of charity.
- The parents give the farthings to a poor man.
- The child is never seen again, having found peace.
Characters
The Stranger ★ protagonist
Not explicitly described, but implied to be an observant and perceptive man.
Attire: Period-appropriate clothing for a visitor/friend, likely simple and practical.
Observant, curious, helpful
Image Prompt & Upload
A young adult traveler with a determined yet weary expression, wearing a weathered leather jerkin over a faded linen shirt, sturdy trousers, and scuffed boots. A heavy woolen cloak is draped over their shoulders, its hood pulled back to reveal windswept, dark hair. They stand tall, one hand resting on the hilt of a simple sword at their belt, the other holding a worn leather satchel. They are positioned on a misty forest path at dawn, with ancient trees and soft morning light filtering through the leaves. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
The Child's Ghost ◆ supporting
Very pale, dressed in snow-white clothes.
Attire: Snow-white clothes, implying a burial shroud or ethereal attire.
Restless, persistent, focused
Image Prompt & Upload
A young girl around eight years old, translucent and pale with a soft, internal glow. She has long, flowing dark hair and wears a simple, slightly tattered white nightgown. Her expression is wistful with a faint, sad smile, her posture light and floating just above the ground. One hand is extended slightly forward as if reaching out. A gentle, ethereal light surrounds her form. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
The Father ○ minor
Not explicitly described.
Attire: Period-appropriate clothing for a head of household.
Unobservant, initially dismissive, concerned
Image Prompt & Upload
A middle-aged man with kind eyes and a gentle smile, his graying hair slightly tousled. He wears a simple, well-worn tunic of undyed wool, belted at the waist, over dark trousers and sturdy leather boots. His posture is relaxed and approachable, one hand resting on his hip. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
The Mother ○ minor
Not explicitly described.
Attire: Period-appropriate clothing for a mother/housewife.
Mournful, understanding, responsible
Image Prompt & Upload
A middle-aged woman with kind, crinkled eyes and a gentle smile, her hair pulled back in a soft bun. She wears a simple, long-sleeved dress in muted blue with a white apron, and sturdy brown shoes. She stands in a cozy, rustic kitchen, one hand resting on a wooden table where a loaf of fresh bread sits. Warm light filters through a small window. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
Locations
Dining Room
A room where a family and their guest are having dinner. It is connected to another room by a door.
Mood: Initially warm and familial, then becomes mysterious and unsettling due to the child's appearance.
The family and guest are eating when the ghostly child first appears, and the guest points out the child to the father.
Image Prompt & Upload
A grand fairy tale dining room bathed in warm golden candlelight, a long ornate wooden table set with glistening silverware, crystal goblets, and porcelain plates, tall candelabras casting dancing shadows across rich burgundy velvet curtains, a stone fireplace crackling softly in the corner, ancient tapestries depicting forest scenes adorning the stone walls, a carved oak door slightly ajar revealing a dimly lit hallway beyond, stained glass windows casting colorful patterns across the flagstone floor, ivy creeping through window cracks, dried herbs hanging from wooden ceiling beams, pewter serving platters and vintage glass bottles on a sideboard, flickering firelight mixing with soft moonlight streaming through arched windows, enchanted atmosphere of warmth and mystery, muted earth tones with pops of deep red and forest green, rustic medieval castle interior aesthetic, highly detailed, painterly illustration style no border, no frame, no watermark, no text, no signature, edge-to-edge illustration
Adjacent Room (Child's Room)
A room next to the dining room, with wooden floorboards that have crevices. It is where the ghostly child goes and sits on the ground.
Mood: Mysterious, slightly eerie, as it's the destination of the silent, pale child.
The ghostly child is seen sitting on the ground, digging and searching among the floorboard crevices. The farthings are later found here.
Image Prompt & Upload
Late afternoon light filters through a dusty window, casting long shadows across worn, uneven wooden floorboards with deep, dark crevices. The air is still and quiet, carrying a faint chill. Muted colors of faded blue-gray plaster walls and a simple, empty wooden chair in the corner. A slightly ajar door reveals a glimpse of a warmly lit dining room beyond, contrasting with the cool, somber tones of the child's room. Dust motes drift in the slanted sunbeams. The atmosphere is hauntingly serene and melancholic. no border, no frame, no watermark, no text, no signature, edge-to-edge illustration.
