I would like to recommend the X-Men Supreme story currently being written by marvelmaster616, to any who are interested. It's an incredible piece of fiction, and very well thought-out and written.
A/N: My younger sister and I were helping my grandmother clean out one of the rooms in her house when we came across some old storybooks that she used to read to us. Even though we're both grown young ladies, we insisted she read to us from them for memory's sake. I felt as if I were five again. Also, we unexpectedly came across a collection of Jack tales, and I am currently going through them to see if I can fit them into these stories, so this collection may end up being a couple of stories longer.
One time there was a woman had two daughters named Emma and Selene, and they kept a hired girl. They treated this girl mean. She was bound out to 'em, had to do all the hard work, little as she was. They wouldn't buy her any pretty clothes or nothin', made her sleep right up against the fireplace and the ashes and cinders got all in her long red hair, so they called her Ashpet.
Well, one day they were all fixin' to go to church-meetin'. They never let Ashpet go anywhere. They knew she was prettier than the old woman's two girls, and if anybody came to the house they always shoved Ashpet under a washtub. That day, just when they were tryin' to get fixed up to go to meetin', their fire went out, so they had to borrow fire. Now there was an old witch-woman lived over the gap in the mountain. These rich folks, they wouldn't have nothin' to do with this old woman, but they had to have fire so they sent the oldest one of the girls over to borrow some fire. So Selene she went traipsin' on over the gap. She thought herself so good she didn't go in the house, just stuck her hand through a crack in the logs.
"I came after fire."
"Come in and comb my hair and I'll give you some."
"I'll not put my pretty clean hands on your old cat-comb!"
"You'll get no fire."
The old woman she sent the next oldest. Emma went a-swishin' up the hill and through the gap. She was so nice! She ran her hand through that crack.
"I want some fire."
"Come in and comb my hair."
"Me? Put my nice white hands on your old cat-comb?"
"Put off then. You'll get no fire."
Then the old woman hollered for Ashpet. And Ashpet she went on up through the gap, ran down the holler, and went right on in the house.
"Good evenin', Auntie Margali."
"Good evenin', Ashpet."
"I want to borry a coal of fire, please, ma'am."
"Comb my hair and you can have it."
Ashpet combed her hair for her, and then the old woman gave her some fire: put it in an old dried toadstool.
"You goin' to meetin', Ashpet?"
"Law, no! They never let me go anywhere at all. I got to wash the dishes and scour the pots. I'll not get done till meetin's plumb over."
"You want to go?"
"Why, yes, I'd like that the best in the world!"
"Then let me tell you a little spell I know that'll help you with your cleanin'." Then she leaned in close and whispered that spell into Ashpet's ear. "Now soon as your cleanin's done, I'll be up there to see you."
Ashpet she ran on back over the mountain and built up the fires, got in wood and water, and went to milkin' and feedin'. She had to hurry 'cause she had supper to cook, too. Then they eat supper, and Ashpet helped the two girls get fixed up. And fin'lly they all went off to meetin'. When they were all out of sight down the road, Ashpet ran back in the kitchen and set all the dishes on one end of the table and the dishpan on the other end and hit full of scaldin' water. Then she knocked on the table, says:
"All dirty dishes stay off the shelf!
Get in the water, shake yourself
Wash, dish! Wash!"
And all the plates and platters and cups and saucers and bowls and knives and forks and spoons ran over and slipped through the hot water and rose up and shook themselves and hopped up on the shelves just as clean and dry as anybody'd have to do in an hour's hard work. The Ashpet she opened the back door, says:
"Pots and skillets—handle and spout!
Get in the sand and scour out!
Scrub, pot! Scrub!"
And it was a sight in the world how every pot and pan and kettle and skillet went hoppin' and straddlin' out the door and rolled down to the creek and went to rubbin' and scrapin' in the sand and dippin' in the water, and then they all came bumpin' back in the house and settled down by the hearth-rock right where they belonged. Ashpet had an awful good time watchin' all that. She nearly laughed herself to death.
Well time Ashpet was done here come that old witch-woman a-hobblin' through the gap with her stick. She walked in the house, went on out to the kitchen, reached in her apron pocket, took out a mouse, and an old piece of leather and a rawhide string, two scraps of shoe-leather, and an old piece of rag. She put the mouse down before the door, laid that chunk of leather on it, dropped that rawhide string over its head, says:
"Co-up, little mare!
Whoa, now! Whoa!"
—and there stood the finest little pied-ed mare you ever saw: pretty new saddle and bridle on it, and it was just as gentle as a girl 'uld want. Then that old witch-woman she knocked that piece of rag around this way and that, laid it on the bed; took the two scraps of leather, knocked them up a time or two, set 'em under the bed, says, "Now, Ashpet, you shut your eyes and wish for the dress and slippers you want to wear to meetin'."
Ashpet shut her eyes and wished, and when she opened 'em there was a pretty red dress stretched out on the coverlet, and under the bed were the prettiest red slippers—the littlest 'uns you ever saw. Then Ashpet she washed herself and her hair till it shone and put on her red dress and slippers.
"Now," says the old woman, "quick as meetin' breaks, you get back here and hide your horse in the bresh, and hide your dress and slippers, and put on your old ashy clothes again."
Ashpet went ridin' on up to the church-house, and tied her horse and walked in the door. Everybody saw her, but nobody knew who she was. Now the King's son was there and he kept his eyes right on her. When meetin' started breakin' he followed Ashpet, and saw her get on her little mare and turn its head to go, so he jumped on his horse and took out after her. She paid no attention but he caught up with her directly, started talkin' to her.
They rode on a piece, and then she eased off one of her slippers and kicked it in the bresh; rode on a little piece farther, says, "I've lost one of my slippers, sure's the world! It must have dropped off in the road somewhere between here and the church-house."
"I'll get it for you," he told her. "You wait here now." And he turned his horse and went back. But time he was out of sight she galloped her little mare on in home, hid it in the woods, ran to the house and hid her dress and slipper, got her old ashy dress again and went to sweepin' and dustin'.
That boy had a time findin' her slipper but fin'lly he saw it there in the bresh, picked it up, and when he rode on back and found the girl gone he didn't know what in the world to do.
Well, he took her little red slipper and went all over the country lookin' for the one it would fit. Got down there where the old woman and the two girls lived at fin'lly; and when they saw him comin' they grabbed Ashpet and run with her and stuck her under that washtub.
The King's son came on in with the slipper, says, "This slipper came off the prettiest woman in the world, and the one it fits is the one I'll marry."
Selene she took the slipper and ran out behind the house; took a knife and trimmed her heel and toes till she made it fit. The boy looked at her other foot and he got suspicious; and just about that time a little bird flew to the door and started singin':
"Trim your heels, and trim your toes!
Under the tub the slipper goes!"
"What did you say, little bird?"
"Shoo!" says the old woman, and the bird flew off.
The King's son he jerked the slipper off that girl and he saw how she'd trimmed her heel and toes. So Emma she grabbed the slipper and ran out. She squeezed her foot in it, but she had to trim her heel and toes, too. Then that boy he looked at her foot and it was in the slipper all right but when he looked at her face he wasn't satisfied at all; so he pulled the slipper off again, and then he noticed where she had been trimmin' her heel and toes.
Then that little bird fluttered at the door again—
"Trim your heels, and trim your toes!
Under the tub the slipper goes!"
"Shoo!" hollered the old woman.
But the King's son he watched the bird and it flew out in the yard and lit on that tub –
"Trim your heels, and trim your toes!
Under the tub the slipper goes!"
So the boy went out and lifted the tub and looked in under it, and there was Ashpet.
"What you doin' under there?"
"They always put me under here."
"What's your name?"
"They call me Ashpet, but my name's Jean."
"That's a mighty pretty name. Mine's Scott. Why don't you come on out, Jean."
"I'm too ragged and dirty."
"You try this slipper on. Here!"
So Jean stuck out her foot and he put the slipper on it and it fitted perfect. Then she went and washed her face and hair and put on her red dress and her other slipper; ran out in the bresh and got her horse, and she and the Prince Scott rode on off and got married.
Well, the other two girls and the old woman they acted awful nice after the weddin', went up to the King's house several times and they always brought Jean somethin'. Then one day the girls told her about a fine place to go swimmin', says, "Let's go up there today and go in. Come on and go with us, Ashpet."
So they took Jean up to the swimmin' place and both the girls acted like they were goin' in the water but they let Jean go in first. They knew that a Short Hairy Man lived in that hole of water; and when Jean went in, he got her. The two girls laughed and went on home.
The Short Hairy Man kept Jean in a cave in the bank over that deep water, and she couldn't get away from him. There wasn't any boat, and the water was swift and it licked right up to the mouth of the cave. Well, after Jean was there a day or so the Short Hairy Man got to braggin' about how his hide was so thick there couldn't no ball nor bullet hurt him.
"Can't hurt ye nowhere?" Jean asked him.
"Nowhere," he told her, "—except a little mole back of my left shoulder. If I was to get hit there it 'uld lay me out, cold."
Now the King's son had done raised an army to hunt for his wife, and they fin'lly come by that cave. Jean ran out and stood over that deep hole and they saw her.
"Shoot him in the back of his left shoulder!" she hollered to 'em. Then she ran and hid behind a big rock.
The men they got some boats and rowed across and shot in the mouth of the cave. Here came Short Hairy Man a-scrapin' and a-gruntin', and he went to grabbin' the men out the boats and throwin' 'em back across the river as fast as they landed, but they got more boats and landed on both sides of that cave. They kept on shootin' but the bullets and balls just glanced off the Short Hairy Man's hide, and he kept right on fightin' and a-throwin' the men every which-a-way. But fin'lly the Prince Scott and some of his men got in behind him and they went to aimin' back of his left shoulder until one ball happened to hit that mole – and that fixed him – knocked him out, cold.
So they took Jean and ran for life, rowed across in a hurry. Short Hairy Man he came to about the time they landed on the other side, and he went to jumpin' up and down a-hollerin', "You got my woman!"
Well, as soon as the Prince Scott got Jean home safe, he went and arrested that old woman and her two girls, carried 'em down to that deep hole of water and threw 'em in. Says, "Here's ye three women!"
And Short Hairy Man he came out and grabbed 'em and hauled 'em in his cave – and they're down there yet, I reckon.
Sweet-n-sassy928: Yes, there is most definitely a shortage of Kiotr on , and everywhere for that matter. Oh, btw, I'm gonna PM you a preview of my latest work soon. I haven't finished writing it yet, but it's gonna be good ;) And it's definitely a Kiotr.