Sweet Porridge

There was a poor but kind little girl who lived alone with her mother, and they had nothing left to eat. So the girl went into the forest. There she met an old woman who knew about her troubles and gave her a little pot. "When you say, 'Cook, little pot, cook,'" the old woman said, "it will make sweet porridge. And when you say, 'Stop, little pot,' it will stop." The girl took the pot home to her mother. Now they were free from hunger and ate sweet porridge whenever they wanted.

One day, when the girl was out, her mother said, "Cook, little pot, cook." And the pot cooked. She ate until she was full. Then she wanted the pot to stop, but she didn't know the right words. So the pot kept cooking. The porridge rose over the edge and filled the kitchen. Then it filled the whole house. Then it filled the next house and the whole street. It was as if the pot wanted to feed the whole world. There was great trouble, but no one knew how to stop it.

At last, when only one house was left, the girl came home. She said, "Stop, little pot," and it stopped. Everyone who wanted to go back to town had to eat their way through the porridge.