Mommeh-Sheh-Mommeh

FOLK TALE
Witch - Blacksmith - Giant

The Coach House, University of Leeds
22 November 2017

This is the story of a witch, aged about 22 to 30, called Medicor. She's a witch that doubts herself like Gollum; she doubts whether she has a good or bad character. She has two voices - a good voice and a bad voice.

The story begins one Sunday afternoon in Autumn at three in the afternoon, as Medicor is making potions in her cottage, a small, one-room cottage in the middle of a forest-jungle.

The weather is gloomy, rainy and stormy.

Medicor is making love potions, using the incantation 'Mommeh-Sheh-Mommeh'. She is making them out of jealousy and greed, and because she hasn't found love yet. She is jealous because someone took her centuries-old book of magic, and she is greedy for love.

As the story begins, there is a big flash from the cauldron she has been making the potions in, using frogs. Medicor gives an evil cackle, as something grim, spooky and ugly appears from the cauldron. It is grim and spooky because it is looming from the cauldron - a small creature that could be her spy. It is the shape of a round frog, green in colour with pink spots.

Medicor feels relieved and joyous, as she lifts up the frog creature from the cauldron. The magic frog says 'Mommeh-Sheh-Mommeh', and the witch replies, 'Mommeh-Sheh-Mommeh. My love, you will do my bidding.'

*Meanwhile, our blacksmith is a 17-year-old teenager called Jack, who is learning about being a blacksmith from his father. He is walking down the street called Brookland Avenue in a town called Old Birmingham, a dusty place just outside the forest-jungle in which Medicor lives.

Someone left a book on his doorstep a week ago, unaware that it is the magic book that was stolen from Medicor.

The magic frog creature uses its swivelling eyes to see everything in and around the forest-jungle, and sees that Jack has the magic book in his bag. Medicor can see what the frog creature sees through her cauldron.

When Medicor sees the book, she screams and she wants to know where he is going. He is on the way to work at the family smithy. Medicor gets the frog to summon up the book: they chant 'Mommeh-Sheh-Mommeh' together and the book starts shaking. Jack realises that something is following him - it is the frog creature, which was transported from the cottage - and begins to run towards the family smithy.

The book jumps out of the bag and Jack catches it. The frog creature then jumps on Jack, who then smacks it off his shoulder while trying to hide the book under his cap. The frog creature is injured, all of its legs are broken, so it says 'Mommeh-Sheh-Mommeh' and is returned to the cottage.

The weather is brightening a little.

**At the same time, in another city near the forest called Duklon City, is a giant called Mommeh. He was conceived 400 years ago, born 300 years ago, and became an adult six years ago. He is quite big for a giant, 10 metres tall.

Mommeh is in a swimming pool, sunbathing, when he hears the 'Mommeh-Sheh-Mommeh' chanting from the cottage and thinks that his name is being called. He is very clever and can turn himself into the shape of the witch and make himself invisible.

It was the giant who stole Medicor's book of magic because he was in love with the witch and wanted to get her attention. He left it on Jack's doorstep because he was shy.

When he hears his name, Mommeh's heart is pumping, and he jumps straight out of the swimming pool. He travels the distance to the cottage in one twinkle-toe step. The witch is confused when she sees Mommeh as she can only see his knees, but then she looks up at his face and thinks it is beautiful. She has never seen him before, but he knows her from saying 'Hiya' to her in the forest and then from the book of magic.

Mommeh tells her that he can help her find the book of magic. Medicor replies, 'I will marry you on the condition that I don't have to give birth to any giant babies'. Mommeh says that he will make a potion and agrees to marry her.

The sun shines at the end of the story.