Section 1
In a certain village, there resided a faggot-maker and his wife, who were blessed with seven sons, all boys, with the oldest being just ten years old, and the youngest only seven. It was certainly strange that they had so many children in a brief period, but the reality was that the wife consistently gave birth to two or even three children at once. As a result of having so many children who were all too young to support themselves, the man became extremely impoverished, to make matters worse, the youngest child was weak and sickly, and hardly ever uttered a word. Although the child's quiet behavior was a sign of his intelligence, his parents believed that he was foolish and would likely grow up to be a complete idiot. The boy was incredibly tiny; in fact, he was so small at birth that he was no larger than the size of a man's thumb and this resulted in him being named Hop-o'-my-thumb. The unfortunate child was forced to do all the menial work in the household and was constantly held responsible for any misdeeds that occurred. Despite his mistreatment, Hop-o'-my-thumb was actually much more intelligent than any of his siblings and although he didn't speak much, he was very observant and knowledgeable, far beyond what people gave him credit for. Coincidentally, around the same time, there was a severe drought in the area, causing the fields to yield only half as much corn and potatoes as they used to, and as a result, the faggot-maker and his wife found it challenging to provide their sons with their usual meals of either bread or potatoes.
After some time had passed, the parents came to the realization that they had no other means of survival and decided that they needed to find a way to eliminate their children. The faggot-maker was shocked at first, but as he thought over the matter, he saw that his wife was right. So they made ready to carry out her plan. "My dear, as much as it pains me to say this, we simply cannot continue to support our children. I cannot bear the thought of watching them starve to death before my very eyes." I am planning to take my seven sons to the forest tomorrow and abandon them there in the thickest part so that they won't be able to find their way back. This plan is easy to execute as the boys will be busy playing and tying up their father, and we can slip away unnoticed when they are distracted.
"Oh dear husband," cried the distraught wife, "you cannot, and I refuse to believe that you would ever agree to be the cause of our own children's demise."
Despite her pleas, the husband insisted that they were simply too impoverished to continue caring for their children.
"The fact is true, my dear," the wife answered, "but even if we are poor, I am still their mother." Her voice choked with emotion as she wept as though her heart were about to shatter into pieces. Eventually, the wife began to contemplate the horror of watching their children slowly perish from starvation before their very eyes, so, despite her initial objections, she reluctantly consented to her husband's plan and went to bed weeping inconsolably.
Hop-o'-my-thumb had been awake the whole time and overheard his father's serious conversation, he slipped away from his brothers' side and quietly made his way under his father's bed, where he could listen to the conversation without being detected.
After his parents had stopped talking, Hop-o'-my-thumb returned to his own spot and spent the night contemplating what he should do the following morning.
The next morning, he woke up early and hurried to the river's edge, where he collected small white pebbles and filled his pockets with them. He then returned home, and when the time came, the family set out on their journey as their parents had planned, throughout the journey, Hop-o'-my-thumb kept quiet and did not mention anything about what he had overheard to his brothers. As they traveled, they arrived at a forest that was incredibly dense, to the point where they could not see each other even if they were only a few yards apart. The faggot-maker set to work cutting down wood; and the children began to gather the twigs, to make faggots of them.
As the children were all occupied with various tasks, the parents took the opportunity to slip away unnoticed. Once the children realized they were alone, they started to cry loudly, trying to call for their parents. Hop-o'-my-thumb allowed his brothers to cry as much as they wanted because he knew how to lead them back home safely. He had already taken care to drop the white pebbles he collected earlier all along the way they had come, so he was confident they would be able to find their way back. He simply told them, "Never mind, my brothers," Hop-o'-my-thumb reassured them. "Our parents left us here by ourselves, but don't worry. Just follow me, and I will lead us back home safely."
