There once were two sisters who lived in a small village outside of Yorkshire. A day of festival was coming up, and the village was a buzz with preparation. Excitement filled the air and no one was more excited than the children, for it was widely whispered that if ever there was magic to happen, it would happen at festival. And everyone knows children are far more prone to see magic than adults. Now, these two particular sisters were the same in many ways, but were also quite different in some ways. The younger of the two sisters, Jane, was exceptionally good and was never bad. Jill, the elder, was sometimes good and was sometimes bad. Were you to speak to Jill's mother, you would think Jill was always bad, but that was not the case. See, Jill liked to have fun and everyone knows that sometimes, in order to have a little fun, you have to be a little bad.

Well, the sun rose on festival day, and rise high it did, high and bright. As the girls were bounding down the lane towards the activities, there was suddenly a sound as of tiny bells ringing and POOF, a puff of smoke appeared before them. Out of the ground, amidst the smoke there rose a man and everything about him was gold. His trousers, his shirt, his waistcoat, all woven of gold. His shoes, his socks, his hat, the feather in the hat, all gold. Every braclet round his wrists, every necklace round his neck, every ring upon his fingers, toes, ears, lips, and tongue were gold. And how it shined!! How he shined! Even his skin, as if all that gold had seeped into him, shined. In each hand he held and tossed, tossed and held, a golden ball. He reached out with his hands to given the golden balls to the sisters, but held back at the last moment as he said, "Are you sure you want them?" "Oh, yes," they replied, "we surely do!"

Jane and Jill both indeed did want the golden balls, but for very different reasons, you see. Jane, the younger sister, loved to play and loved shiny things, so the golden ball was a perfect gift for her to show off to her playmates. Jill, the older sister, had almost outgrown playthings. No, she wanted the golden ball for quite a different reason.

Jill's sweetheart, Jack, loved football. He loved watching football, talking football, playing football with his mates. Were you to ask Jill, Jill would say she figured Jack loved football even more than Jack loved Jill. But were you to ask Jack or Jack's mates, he and they would tell you he surely did love Jill, loved her even more than he loved football. For everyone knows, when it comes right down to it though it may seem contrarywise, the fellas loves their sweethearts more than they love football. How great the difference may be is never told, but it is the truth.

Jack was in the pub that day watching his favorite football team with his mates and though he did love her, had no intention of playing games at festival with Jill and her sister. But Jill wanted Jack's attention, because she would rather spend the day with him than playing games. And she thought the golden ball just the ticket to tear him away from the match and his mates and bring him to her.

"Oh, yes," they replied to the golden man, "we surely do!" "Then I must tell you the rule," said the gold man, "the rule of the ball and the rule of life. If I give you this gold ball you must promise to protect it, to keep it safe, to keep it secure, for it is valuable. In three days time, I will return and ask you for the ball and if you can produce the gold it'll be proof you're a good girl and worthy of all the rewards of life. But if you cannot produce the gold, it'll be proof you're a wicked girl and worthy of punishment. If you cannot produce the gold, I will take you by your hair and drag you to Yorkminster where you'll be hung for all to see how wicked you are!" (The people of Yorkminster are an unsavory type, and they like to turn out for nothing more than a good hangin'.) "Now," said he, "do you want the golden balls?"

"Oh, yes," they replied to the gold man, "we surely do." He reached out and handed each of them their golden ball. Even as he disappeared in another POOF of smoke they could hear him whispering, as if right in their ears, "Three days time..."

No longer that interested in playing with her golden ball, Jane became more interested in keeping her promise, for she was exceptionally good and never did anything bad. So, she ran home immediately and put her golden ball in a safe place, where she would admire it over the next three days, but where it was in no danger of wandering off and becoming lost.

Jill took her ball to the front of the pub where she began parading around trying to catch Jack's eye. She bounced the ball upon the ground and caught it again. She tossed the ball into the air and caught it again. This she did back and forth, but Jack would not look up. She bounced the ball upon the ground and caught it again. She tossed the ball into the air and caught it again. Back and forth again, but Jack would not look up. She bounced the ball upon the ground and caught it again. She tossed the ball into the air a third time, but a wind grabbed it and carried it. The wind carried it high and over a stone wall, a wall higher than anyone could see over and no one had found the way up or around or under it. No one, ever. But there the ball had gone.

Jill yelled for Jack to come, and when he heard her a cryin', came he did. She told him the story of the gold man and how she had been wicked and lost the gold ball and that in three days time, she would be dragged off to Yorkminster and hanged, hanged for all to see how wicked she was.

They did not know what to do for there was no way in, up, around, or under the wall. Three days passed. POOF! A puff of smoke appeared and out of the ground came the gold man, grinning mischievously. "Have you got the golden ball," he asked to Jane. "Yes," Jane said in return, handing it over to him, "here it is." "You are a good girl and worthy of all the rewards of life, " said the golden man, tapping her upon the head with his golden hand. "Have you got the golden ball," he asked to Jill. "No, I have not got the golden ball," said Jill. "You are a wicked girl," said the golden man. He grabbed her by the hair and dragged her off, yelling across his shoulder as he dragged her away to be hanged, "In three days times we'll come to Yorkminster, and then she'll be hanged if the gold ball be not produced, hanged for all to see how wicked she is." And they were gone.

Jack did not know what to do. He surely did not want to see Jill hanged for Jill was his sweetheart and he loved her much. When he walked past the stone wall that night, under the light of the moon, he saw a door he had not seen before. He knocked on the door and an ageless woman answered. Quickly, but politely, he asked her, "Have you got the golden ball?" "Yes," she said, "and no. Come in and see." So Jack walked through that door and by the light of the moon he saw a strange thing. A football game was going on in the yard inside the stone wall and the strangest football game it was that he ever did see. For the players for one side were pixies and fairies and elves, and on the other side were ghosts and ghouls and goblins. And there, on the field, being used as the football, was the golden ball. Now this was the strangest football game he ever did see for each time a ghoul kicked the golden ball his leg fell off in rot, and each time a ghost kicked the football his leg passed right through it and each time a pixie or fairy, being small, went to stop the ball from being kicked it squashed them flat. The woman turned to Jack and said, "Are you clever and are you brave?" "Yes," said Jack, "I am clever and I am brave." For all young men think this of themselves, but truthfully Jack did not feel so clever nor so brave. The woman said, "Sit down, and if you are clever and if you are brave, you'll save your sweetheart yet." So sit Jack did, and, at midnight, through the gate came a giant. An ugly giant was he, with one head and one ugly eye square in the middle of the head. Jack got an idea. He snuck behind the giant's back and drew the giant's sword. Now, Jack was clever and Jack was brave and whack, he chopped off the giant's head. Taking it by the hair he brought it to the game and said to the players, "If I give you this giant's head, with one eye, to use for a ball, will you give me the gold?" They all paused, and replied at once, "No!"

Jack despaired but he came back the next night to see what he could do. And when he came in, the woman said to Jack, "Sit down, and if you are clever and if you are brave, you'll save your sweetheart yet." So sit Jack did, and, at midnight, through the gate came a giant. An even uglier giant was this one, with two heads. In the middle of the one head sat one ugly eye and in the middle of the second head sat two ugly eyes. When the giant sat for the game, Jack snuck behind the giant's back and drew the giant's sword. Now, Jack was clever and Jack was brave and whackity-whack, he chopped off both the heads. Taking them by the hair he brought them to the game. He said to the players again, "If I give you this giant's head, with one eye, to use for a ball, will you give me the gold?" They all paused, and replied at once, "No!" Jack held up the second head, "If I give you this giant's head, with two eyes, to use for a ball, will you give me the gold?" They all paused, and replied at once, "No!"

Jack despaired but he came back the next night to see what he could do. And when he came in, the woman said to Jack, "Sit down, and if you are clever and if you are brave, you'll save your sweetheart yet." So sit Jack did, and, at midnight, through the gate came a giant. An even uglier giant was this one, with three heads. In the middle of the one head sat one ugly eye and in the middle of the second head sat two ugly eyes and in the middle of the third head sat three ugly eyes. When the giant sat for the game, Jack snuck behind the giant's back and drew the giant's sword. Now, Jack was clever and Jack was brave and whackity-whack whack, he chopped off all three of the heads. Taking them by the hair he brought them to the game. He said to the players again, "If I give you this giant's head, with one eye, to use for a ball, will you give me the gold?" They all paused, and replied at once, "No!" Jack held up the second head, "If I give you this giant's head, with two eyes, to use for a ball, will you give me the gold?" They all paused, and replied at once, "No!" Jack held up the third head, "If I give you this giant's head, with three eyes, to use for a ball, will you give me the gold?" They all paused, and replied at once, "Yes!" So, the exchange was made and the game went on, but Jack did not stick around to notice. For it was the eve of the third day and he had to get to Yorkminster by dawn. He tore off, making his way to Yorkminster.

As the sun rose in Yorkminster, the gold man drug the girl by the hair to the main square, where there had been erected a gibbet. Tied to the gibbet was a lone noose for her to be hanged, hanged for all to see how wicked she was. As she was marched up to the gallows, she looked out over the crowd and saw her father. She cried out him, for when a girl is in trouble, who can she count on but her father? "Father, have ya got the ball, the gold to set me free? Or have ya come to see me hanged, hanged on the gallows tree?" "No," he said, "I haven't got the ball, the gold to set ya free. I've come to see ya hanged, hanged on the gallows tree."

As she was stood upon the stool, she looked out over the crowd and saw her mother. She cried out to her, for when a girl is in trouble, who can she count on but her mother? "Mother, have ya got the ball, the gold to set me free? Or have ya come to see me hanged, hanged on the gallows tree?" "No," she said, "I haven't got the ball, the gold to set ya free. I've come to see ya hanged, hanged on the gallows tree."

As the noose was tightened around her neck, she looked out over the crowd and saw Jack runnin' up and over the hill. She cried out to him, for when a girl is in trouble, who can she count on but her sweetheart? "Jack, have ya got the ball, the gold to set me free? Or have ya come to see me hanged, hanged on the gallows tree?" "Yes," he cried, "I've got the ball, the gold to set you free. I'll never see you hanged, hanged on the gallows tree!" And with that, he held the gold ball aloft and tossed it to the gold man. The gold man caught it in surprise and POOF, in a puff of smoke, he was gone back into the ground and was never seen again. Jill was taken down from the gallows tree and was not hung, hung for all to see.

-R