agic Tea Cup

ome time ago Baron Von Lodge was the head of a small country near Switzerland known as Lilliland.

Lady Angela, the Baron’s fiancée, lived alone in Alpine Castle. She had many friends so she was never really alone.

But for several weeks she had been receiving bad news. A dear friend was very ill, some of her staff were quitting, the well that provided water for the castle was going dry, the castle roof leaked, and the foundation of the castle looked like it was crumbling. All of this bad news, day after day, made Lady Angela very sad.

Then a traveling gypsy told her that she would give Lady Angela a magic tea cup that would turn bad news into good news if she drank from it before going to bed each night. In return, the gypsy asked Lady Angela to take care of her old horse, and “could you let my horse stay your stable as long as possible.”

They gypsy looked sad and the horse looked sad so Lady Angela said, “Why not? Come in and get warm by the fireplace and I’ll have the horse taken to the stable for food and comfort.” The gypsy was very pleased.

The gypsy asked if she could spend the night “just to sleep by the warm fire.” The next morning she was gone. A note was left behind thanking Lady Angela for her warmth and kindness. “I hope to see you again in a year or two. Thank you for taking care of my horse who is named ‘Fortune.’”

The next night before going to bed, Lady Angela followed the gypsy’s direction and had a drink from the tea up. The cup was very old and very tarnished as though it had traveled all over the world.

The next morning her sick friend appeared at her doorstep and announced that she was completely better. The castle’s well filled up with fresh spring water, the roof stopped leaking, and the foundation was declared safe and solid by a building inspector.

The staff that said they were leaving all decided to stay and everything was normal again.

Lady Angela could not believer her good fortune. But what about Fortune, the horse? The vet who examined Fortune said that she was not as old as she looked. Without proper care and the weather made her look old. She was also expecting a foal in a few weeks.

Lady Angela said that all of this was just impossible, but “I shall still keep the magic tea cup close to my bedside.”