Once there was a soldier who served his country faithfully. He was weary from fighting in a recent battle, and he trudged slowly down the road. On his journey he met an old, old witch.
"You there, soldier. Can you spare a moment to help an old woman? It won't take long and you shall be paid well."
"What is it you desire of me?" asked the soldier.
"I need someone to climb down into this hollow tree. You will find yourself in a vast cavern below the ground. It won't be dark, but will be filled with lanterns giving off brilliant light. Inside you will see three doors. As you open each door, there will be a chest filled with money, but on each chest will be a dog with enormous eyes. Do not be afraid, just take this blue checkered apron of mine and lay it on the ground in front of the dog. Look into the dog's eyes and take hold of him. Place him squarely in the center of the apron and he will not hurt you. You will then be free to take what you like from the chest. Just be sure to return the dog to the chest before you leave."
"And why are you telling me this. What benefit will it be to you if I go down and get the money?"
"You are welcome to all the riches you can carry out. All I desire is that you to bring me the small tinderbox from the center of the cavern. You can see that I am too old and feeble to make the trip myself."
The soldier agreed to retrieve the tinderbox and climbed inside the hollow tree, letting himself down on a rope. He dropped to the floor of the cavern and looked around. The cavern loomed huge around him and was far brighter than he had imagined. He observed each door just as the old witch had described.
The soldier walked up to the first door and opened it. He was startled by the dog that stared back at him. His eyes were the size of saucers. The dog growled and the soldier jumped back. He then remembered the witch's apron and placed it on the ground in front of the dog. The growling ceased, so the soldier stared into the dog's eyes and picked him up, and placed him on the apron.
"Oh my, look at all the copper coins. There are thousands of them."
He stuffed his pockets full until there was no room for anything else. He put the dog back on the chest and left the room.
He opened into the second door and saw a dog with eyes as large as wheels. The soldier was no longer afraid and picked up the dog and placed him on the checkered apron. When he opened the second chest, he found it full of silver coins. He quickly emptied his pockets of copper coins and filled them with the silver coins instead.
After replacing the dog, the soldier walked on and opened the third door. He was astonished to see a dog with eyes as large as round towers. The eyes spun in circles.
"Whoa there chap. You look strange indeed," he said to the dog as he placed him on the apron. The chest in this room overflowed with golden coins. The soldier once again removed all the coins from his pocket and replaced them with the gold coins. He even scooped coins onto the apron and folded it up like a knapsack. He was heading for the hollow tree when he remembered the tinderbox.
He found it sitting on a stump in the cavern. It wasn't much to look at, very old and worn out. Still it was the only thing the witch had asked him to bring. There wasn't room in his pockets, so he shoved it into his shirt. He strode off to find the hollow tree entrance to return to the earth's surface. He climbed back up the rope and as he neared the top, he spied the witch waiting impatiently.
"Where's the tinderbox?" demanded the witch.
"It's here in my shirt. Why do you want it?"
"It's mine and is no business of yours. Hand it to me."
"Help me out first," said the soldier.
"No!" shrieked the witch. "Give it to me now!!" She grabbed for the box with such fury that she lost her footing and fell into the cavern, where she lay crumpled on the floor.
The soldier felt sorry for the old hag, but knew he could be of no help to her. He climbed out and continued on his journey.
With all the gold in his pockets, the soldier rented a beautiful house in a nearby village. He hired a servant and bought the finest clothes. He truly looked like a gentleman. He glanced out his bedroom window. His eyes caught sight of a beautiful copper castle on the hill. He admired the structure that shone so brightly in the sun.
"Who lives in that castle?" he asked his servant.
"Alas, it is the princess. She is kept locked in the castle, for her parents fear for her future. It was foretold when she was born that she would marry a common soldier. The king and queen would not hear of that, so they locked her away where no one can see her beauty."
When the soldier heard this, he longed to see her. Every morning he gazed up at the castle, wondering how to fulfill his dream of meeting the beautiful princess.
The soldier lived quite well for a time, gaining many new friends. But as his supply of gold ran out, he found his friends had run out also. He was evicted from his luxurious house and forced to sell his fine clothes in order to find a small, cramped room in which to sleep.
He had nothing left. When night came, the darkness seemed more than he could bear. It was then he remembered the tinderbox, and the small candle inside. He pulled the flint from inside the box and struck it once in hopes of lighting the candle. To his surprise, the dog with eyes as big as saucers appeared by his side.
"What is your desire, master," he asked.
"Why, money enough to get out of this place, of course."
The dog vanished, then quickly returned with bags of copper coins. The soldier paid his debts and moved into a nicer room.
He examined the tinderbox and soon discovered that if he struck the flint twice, the dog with eyes as large as wheels came, and if he struck thrice, the dog with eyes as big as towers came. Each dog was eager to serve and grant the soldier's desires.
One night, feeling bold, he summoned the dog with eyes like wheels and said, "Bring the princess to me that I may see her beauty."
The dog vanished, but soon returned with the princess riding on its back. She was indeed beautiful and the soldier fell in love with her.
Just before dawn, the dog returned the sleeping princess to the castle and placed her back on her bed.
"Mother," said the princess when she awoke. "I had the strangest dream. I dreamed that I was whisked away from the castle on the back of a dog and taken to see a soldier in the village."
Of course the queen was startled to hear this and feared the prediction was coming to pass. She vowed she would stop that soldier.
The next night the soldier asked the dog with eyes like round towers to bring the princess to him. The dog obeyed, but was followed by a maid servant. When the servant saw which gate they entered, she quickly marked it with an X and returned to the castle. Fortunately, the dog noticed the X on the gate and placed an X on every gate in the village.
When the sun rose, the king's guards rode into the village to seize the unsuspecting soldier. They were confused by all the X's on all the gates and returned to the king unsuccessfully.
The next night, the queen had a bag of grain sewn onto the nightgown of the princess. A tiny hole was cut in the bag, allowing the grain to drop out slowly. When the dog came to take the princess to the soldier, a tiny trail of grain trickled from the sleeping princess, leading to the soldier's door.
Early the next morning, guards followed the trail, bound the soldier and carried him away to prison. He was tried that very day and sentenced to be hanged.
The poor soldier looked out from his prison cell onto the gloomy streets. A small curious boy walked by and looked into the prison window.
"You, boy! Please go to my old room and fetch me my tinderbox. I shall give you a gold coin if you do."
Without so much as a word, the boy ran to the room and retrieved the tinderbox. His face beamed as he exchanged the old box for that shiny gold coin.
The soldier hid the tinderbox inside his shirt. It was dusk when the guards came to drag him to the gallows. He stumbled out the door clinging tightly to the box.
"Oh King," said the soldier standing at the foot of the gallows. "Might I be granted one last request? I desire to light a lantern that I may not stumble on the steps."
"Your request is granted. Bring him a lantern."
With that the soldier reached into his shirt and withdrew the tinderbox. He struck the flint once…… then twice ….. then thrice. All three dogs appeared and stared out into the crowd.
"Free me! Bring me the princess! Take us away from here!" The soldier commanded.
The dogs immediately jumped into action, each one helping make the wishes come true. Two dogs fought against the guards allowing the soldier to escape. One dog freed the princess from being forever locked inside the copper castle. The soldier and the princess rode away from the village on the backs of the dogs.
They never returned. Instead they married and settled in a beautiful far away land. Legend says that the wedding was like no other. The princess bride, the common soldier and the dogs with the enormous eyes all sat together at the wedding feast. And, as you may guess, they all lived happily ever after.
