Fork, Knife, and Spoon

Fork, Knife, and Spoon went for a walk in the woods.

The air was crisp and clean, and the ground crunched and bounced under them as they went. It was a perfect day for a walk.

“Look,” called Spoon, pointing off to the east. “It’s a field of daisies!” The daisies were swaying and dancing gently in the breeze. “It would be so lovely to bring a bunch of these beautiful flowers back to Cook, to decorate the kitchen.”

Spoon ran out into the field of daisies to pick some. Spoon pulled at one, and tugged at another, but couldn’t cut them free from their roots. Spoon tried and tried. It was no use. The daisies continued to sway and dance in the breeze.

“Here, I can help,” said Knife. Knife trotted over to the field, and easily cut off several flowers to make a lovely bouquet. Knife handed the bouquet to Spoon with a smile.

Spoon took the bouquet of flowers, and the three headed back into the woods to continue their walk. The air was still crisp and clean, and the ground still crunched and bounced under them. But Spoon hardly noticed. Spoon thought about how weak it felt to have rounded edges, and daydreamed about being as sharp and powerful as Knife.

A little while later, Spoon called out again. “Look,” Spoon said, pointing to the west. “There’s a bunch of twigs lying on the ground by an old tree.” The twigs lay on the ground very straight and dry, perfect for making a fire. “It would be so lovely to bring a bundle of these twigs back to Cook, to keep the kitchen fire warm.”

Spoon ran over to the tree and tried to pick up the twigs, but Spoon couldn’t manage to do much more than shift them around in the dirt. Spoon tried and tried. It was no use. The twigs remained on the ground under the tree.

“Here, I can help,” said Fork. Fork trotted over to the tree, and easily gathered up several fine straight twigs to make a bundle. Fork handed the bundle of twigs to Spoon with a smile.

Spoon took the bundle of twigs, and the three headed back into the woods again. The air was still crisp and clean, and the ground still crunched and bounced under them. But Spoon hardly noticed. Spoon thought about how useless it was to have a solid bowl-shaped head, and daydreamed about being as nimble and versatile as Fork.

In the distance, the three heard the sound of rushing water. “Listen,” said Spoon, “we must be near the valley where the river runs.” Without another word, Spoon ran off toward the river.

“Wait for us!” Knife called out. But Spoon just ran faster and faster, over a little hill, and down into the valley.

“Don’t run so fast!” Fork called out. But Spoon kept running farther and farther.

Spoon ran so fast and so far that Knife and Fork couldn’t even see him anymore. They looked at each other once, and then followed after Spoon, heading toward the sound of the rushing river.

Knife and Fork went up over the little hill, and down, down, down into the valley. The air became colder, and the sound of the water became louder. Still they couldn’t see Spoon.

They searched and searched, as the air grew colder and colder, and the sky grew darker and darker.

Suddenly, Knife and Fork felt themselves falling into a deep, dark hole in the ground. They landed with a clatter and a bump.

“Where are we?” Knife asked Fork.

“What happened?” Fork asked Knife.

The two looked at the high walls of the hole. On every side of them all they saw was the dark, cold dirt.

Fork immediately tried to scrape at the dirt walls, but they just crumbled away. Then Knife tried to cut into them, but they collapsed back into place almost instantly. After a few minutes, Knife and Fork both gave up, and peered up together at the opening of the hole high above them.

At the edge of the hole they saw Spoon, all dented and bent and covered with dirt, looking down at the two of them.

“We’re trapped in this hole, Spoon!” called Fork.

“Please help us, Spoon!” called Knife.

But Spoon just laughed. “You two think you’re so much better than me, cutting daisies and gathering twigs so easily! But you can’t cut and gather your way out of this hole I dug for you to fall into.”

“We never thought we were better than you,” cried Knife.

“Please dig us out,” cried Fork.

But Spoon wasn’t listening. Spoon picked up the bouquet of flowers and the bundle of twigs, and ran back to the kitchen, leaving Knife and Fork trapped in the hole.

The next day Cook came into the kitchen, and immediately saw the flowers Spoon had brought. “My, what beautiful flowers,” Cook said, “And they were so cleanly cut. I’m sure Knife left them for me.”

Then Cook noticed the bundle of twigs Spoon had brought. “My, what a nice bundle of twigs,” Cook said. “And they’re so neatly gathered together. I’m sure Fork left them for me.”

Cook looked around for Knife and Fork, to thank them for their gifts. But all Cook found was Spoon, all dented and bent and covered with dirt from digging that hole.

“My, what a dented, bent, and dirty little spoon,” Cook said. “And so useless without a knife and a fork. I guess it’s time to get rid of it.”

So Cook tossed Spoon into the garbage pail, and that was the last anyone ever heard about any of them, until today.