The Straw in the Old Woman's Hair

 Once upon a time there was a little old woman with straw in her hair. She lived in the forest, and because she looked so old and bedraggled, everyone said she was a witch. 

    When a little girl came upon the old woman one day, it would have been only natural had she shrieked in horror. That was the kind of thing little girls were supposed to do when they saw a witch. But this particular little girl did not shriek, or shrink in fear, or run away. 

    Instead, she went over, patted the little old woman on the arm, and gently pulled the straw out of her hair.

    The old woman smiled, and thanked the little girl, for it happened that she had no mirror in her small cottage with which to tidy her hair.

    And as the little girl left the old woman with a warm feeling in her heart, the straw that was clasped in her hands turned into flowers.

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