A long time ago, when magic was as abundant as the rain, two lettuce farmers and their little boy lived on Goblin Island. They were the only human family on the island, and it was a harsh place to live: the sky was always dark, the earth was black and hard, and the trees were crooked.
One year, there was a great famine, and come harvest time, only a third of their lettuce heads grew. The mother put their crop in a wheelbarrow and told the boy to bring it to the market, so they might get some bread. The boy went as he was told, but he soon encountered a witch on the road, who greeted him.
She asked him where he was going, and he told her. She replied that he needn’t go all the way to the market, because she would make a trade with him right there. Then, the witch pulled out a big, golden egg. She told the boy that there lived a baby bird inside and that when it hatched, it would fly to a land filled with endless candy where no one ever went hungry. If the boy and his family just rode the bird, it would take them with it.
The boy thought this sounded wonderful, so he gave the witch his lettuce and took the egg back home. When he came back, his mother was furious, believing the boy a fool. How could he trade away the last of their crop for a silly egg? Now they were surely going to starve. She said the best they could do now was cook up the egg, but the boy believed in the witch’s promise and wouldn’t let her. He ran off and buried the egg to hide it.
A few days passed, and the family grew hungrier. One day, when they could hardly bear it anymore, they heard a low rumbling coming from their field. They went outside and saw the ground shaking, and then a giant, colorful bird burst out, just where the boy had buried the egg. The witch was right! The boy told his family to quickly hop on the bird’s back for it would take them to Candy Country. In total shock, the parents did as the boy asked.
The bird took off, and after a long flight, arrived in Candy Country. Candy Country was the opposite of Goblin Island: it was always day and always sunny, delicious candy grew everywhere, and it was entirely inhabited by humans! The family took to immediately gorging themselves on the candy, filling their bellies. They soon settled in, building a little house on a chocolate hill. The bird, seeing them as friends, built a nest in their backyard.
Soon, the boy discovered that life in Candy Country was not as wonderful as he once imagined. He was unused to the diet of only candy, so he would often vomit and get stomachaches. And because it was always sunny, he found it hard to sleep, as the sun would stream through his window when he tried to go to bed.
He still aimed, however, to put on a smile. After all, living in Candy Country was much better than living on Goblin Island. On Goblin Island, his family starved—at least they had plenty to eat now. He should be grateful for even getting the chance to live here!
But one can only put on a smile for so long. Soon, the human kids started to make fun of the boy, because though he was human, he grew up around goblins, and acted like them in many ways. The way he talked, the way he walked, even the way he thought was goblin-like. The boy became more and more frustrated with his stomachaches, poor sleep, and the teasing until one day, he snapped. He took it out on the giant bird, cursing it for bringing him to a place that he hated so much. In his anger, he started throwing stones at it. The bird, afraid, flew off.
The bird flew and flew, until it arrived at its birthplace, the farmers’ old field. It roosted among the lettuce seedlings, finding comfort in the familiar land. But soon, it missed the young boy, so it embarked on the long journey back.
The boy, who also missed the bird, was glad to see his friend return. He noticed that there were clumps of dirt stuck on the bird’s feathers, and when he looked closer, he saw that there were lettuce seedlings too.
Seeing these relics of his old home caused a rush of emotion. He gingerly took the seedlings and planted them in the ground. All of a sudden, he realized he missed Goblin Island. He missed the juicy crunch of lettuce. He missed the dark night sky and the stars that came with it. He missed the crooked beauty of the scraggly trees. And he missed the goblin kids he used to play with.
Thinking of Goblin Island overwhelmed him, and rivers of tears sprung from his eyes. They watered the lettuce seedlings, and continued to run, pooling all around his house and creating a big lake. Drinking up his tears, the seedlings began to grow rapidly. Soon, the whole hill was covered with fully-grown heads of lettuce! He ran inside and told his parents, who were also overjoyed when they saw their old crop.
They plucked some lettuce heads out of the ground and prepared a wonderful dinner of both lettuce and candy. The juiciness of the lettuce combined with the sweetness of the candy was so delicious and satisfying! Soon, their neighbors heard about this new crop and came over, wanting to try some. The word spread, and more and more humans from all over Candy Country came to join the fun. The crop was well-adored, and the family became very popular. Their neighbors realized that Goblin Island couldn’t have been as strange and scary as they once thought, for such a wonderful food came from there!
Once bedtime came, the lake of tears had evaporated into the sky, creating thick clouds. The clouds blocked out the sun, casting a comforting darkness over Candy Country. With his room dark and his belly satisfied, the boy slept soundly and happily.