The Jolly Miller

Quick Answer

Why This Story Works for Bedtime

It’s warm and reassuring: the story moves from loneliness to belonging. The sounds of the river and wheel create a gentle bedtime atmosphere, and the ending feels safe and steady.

Story Synopsis

Beside the River Dee, a mill wheel turns all day, creaking and singing as it grinds corn into flour. The miller works from morning until night, and he sings too—but his song is a sad one: he believes nobody cares for him. The sound travels across the fields to a great house nearby, where a young lady named Nathalie hears the miller’s lonely words. She feels a tug in her heart. Instead of ignoring him, she chooses a small, brave kindness: she goes down to the mill to speak with him. At first, the miller is surprised. He’s used to being treated like part of the landscape—useful, but unseen. Nathalie listens, asks questions, and returns again, turning the mill into a place where someone truly notices him. Slowly, the miller’s story changes. His work is the same, the wheel still sings, but his heart begins to lift. By the end, Nathalie helps him understand a simple truth: being cared for can arrive quietly, through consistent presence and gentle words. The miller promises to learn a new song—one that matches the life he now feels around him.

Story Excerpt

There once was a miller who lived in a mill beside the river Dee. All day long, the big wheel turned round and round, grinding corn into flour. The wheel was very old, and it creaked and groaned as it worked. " Cree - e - eekety - cruck - crick! " it sang. The sound traveled far across the fields, and when the farmers heard it, they smiled and said, " The jolly miller is grinding his corn today. " The miller worked hard from morning until night, and he sang while he worked. But the song he sang was a lonely one : " I care for nobody, no, not I, Since nobody cares for me. " The miller lived all by himself in the mill house. He cooked his own meals and made his own bed. When people walked past the mill, they would wave, but the miller would not wave back. He was not a mean man or an angry man. He simply wanted to be alone. So the people left him alone, and the miller had no friends at all. Sometimes, in the evening, the miller would sit in his doorway and watch the moon rise over the river. On those quiet nights, he felt a little lonely. He wished he had someone to love and care for. But then he would shake his head and begin to sing his song again, pushing the lonely feeling away. One evening, as the miller stood by the river watching the moonlight dance on the water, he saw something floating downstream. At first, he could not tell what it…

In One Glance