The Straw

Quick Answer

Why This Story Works for Bedtime

It’s quirky and light, with playful logic and a quick resolution. Great when you want something whimsical but not intense.

Story Synopsis

A straw, a coal, and a bean escape from a kitchen and decide to travel together. They treat their odd little group seriously, making plans and promising to help one another. As they walk, they come to a stream with no bridge. The straw offers to lie across the water so the others can cross. The coal goes first, but halfway over, the straw begins to burn and snaps. The coal falls into the water with a hiss, and the bean, startled, laughs so hard it splits open. A kindly tailor passes by, stitches the bean back together, and the bean continues on—now with a seam that becomes the story’s little signature detail. The Straw is a short, absurd fairy tale that delights children with its surprising ‘inanimate’ heroes and a moral you can gently discuss: good intentions matter, but plans should fit the situation. Sometimes we learn through funny mistakes.

Story Excerpt

In a small village, a poor old woman stood in her cozy kitchen with a dish of dried beans in her hands. She meant to cook them into a warm, simple meal. She set a pot on the hearth and built a little fire beneath it. To help the fire catch quickly, she took a handful of straw and lit it. The straw crackled and brightened, and the flames began to dance. Then the old woman tipped the beans toward the pot. Most of them rattled in, but one little bean slipped away without her noticing. It bounced once, rolled twice, and came to rest on the floor. Not far from it lay a thin piece of straw that had fallen from the handful. And — pop! — a tiny burning coal jumped out of the fire and landed near them. For a moment, the three of them lay very still, listening to the soft sounds of the kitchen : the fire whispering, the pot waiting, the old woman moving about. The straw was the first to speak. “ Dear friends, ” it said in a small, trembling voice, “ from where have you come here? ” The coal gave a warm little glow, as if it were proud to be noticed. “ I sprang out of the fire, ” said the coal. “ It was a close escape. If I had stayed there, I would have been…

In One Glance