The Sweet Potato King and Some Other Short Stories

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I'm in a coach (drawn by horses?) with an old man. We're going to a castle. He may be the king of sweet potatoes.

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We're attending a wedding deep in very green forest. We know and love the groom, but are horrified by the witch he's marrying. We try our best not to cry. She demands huge gifts and tells us how to make the bed. Her bed is forty leagues across and we cover it with all the beautiful quilts our grandmothers made. Secretly we hatch a plan.

I take a shovel and begin to dig into the soft earth of the forest. It's rich. We're going to plant a Midnight Moon tree next to the bed. It will make the witch sweeter, or it will make her leave. I go to get some ash to put in with the tree, but when I come back with a golden burned log the hole has grown. I walk down steps into the earth and find myself in a cavern. I hand bits of the burned wood I'm holding to the others and we start drawing beautiful nice ladies on the walls.

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A secret door opens at the far end of the gallery (the same room we are decorating for the witch), "it's time for snack, kids" calls a voice, and all the little kids funnel into the secret tunnel. I hold the door open and seem to notice very fine white teacups balanced precariously around the top.

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Someone standing still and in the shadows says something amazing about money and potatoes. She says it like she knows what she means. I dream I'm remembering what it is all night.

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