Garthe was about finished with his apprenticeship. He was ready to be a White Knight, a full member of the White Knight Society. He would then be Sir Garthe. He would be entitled to do battle with the Black Knights. The White Knights were confident he could do the job.

“In a battle with a Black Knight I’d give him a 50-50 chance, if the Black Knight isn’t too good”, one of the White Knights remarked.

One morning, close to his Knighthood, Garthe was told by a knight to exercise his horse. Garthe hated this. It meant walking the horse down the road, through the meadows and back. It was a bore. As he was crossing one of the meadows he glanced back and didn’t see the camp. Well, if he couldn’t see the camp, then the camp couldn’t see him and why was he walking?

He jumped up on the horse’s back and kicked the horse in the ribs to get him moving. The horse turned his head and looked at Garthe. Then he bit Garthe’s leg and threw him.

Garthe got up and glared at the horse. The horse glared back. Garthe thought about his 150 pounds and the horse’s 700 pounds and thought about the apple he’d brought along as a snack. He fed the apple to the horse while rubbing his ears. Garthe had that horse purring like a newborn kitten. Garthe jumped back on the horse. The horse turned and looked at Garthe.

“No, no. Whenever you’re ready just go where you want. No kicking, I promise”.

That horse went into a full gallop. It was all Garthe could do to hang on. The horse came out of the meadow like a tornado and was galloping down the road. Dust was really flying. Then, the horse pushed it’s forelegs out to come to a halt. There was a nun in the road. The horse stopped a bout two feet short of the nun. Garthe stopped a bit further on.

Garthe got up and greeted the nun.

“Good morning, Sister”, he said.

“Hmph. Yes, well. See that?”, she replied and pointed behind Garthe.

Garthe turned to look. Didn’t see anything and told the good sister that.

“You don’t see that toad? Are you blind?”, she replied disgustingly.

Garthe turned back. Yes, there was a toad there. he thought it was a rock when he looked the first time. It was the biggest toad he’d ever seen. He looked at the toad and the toad looked at Garthe. Garthe then turned back and told the nun that he did see the toad. He was thinking , so what?

“That’s not a toad. that’s the Fairy Princess. The Wicked Witch turned her into a toad. She has to stay that way until a handsome, young prince comes along and kisses her. Then she turns back into the Fairy Princess and they live happily ever after.

Garthe thought, so? Then he told the nun that.

The nun told Garthe that he was not a handsome, young prince but he’d have to do. She told him to go kiss the toad. Garthe thought that over for about a second and said no. The nun then reached into her wide sleeve and brought out not a ruler but a yardstick.

Whoa! thought Garthe. Whoa! thought the horse.

“Don’t make me use this”, the good sister told Garthe.

Garthe went over and bent down to the toad. He looked at the toad for a while. The toad looked at Garthe. Then Garthe quickly kissed the toad and jumped up and back. The toad jumped back too. Then Garthe waited for the toad to turn back into the Fairy princess. Don’t know what the toad was waiting for.

Garthe then heard cackling behind him. He turned to see the nun’s habit laying in the road. He looked to see that the nun was actually the Wicked Witch.

“You idiot. I don’t turn the Fairy Princess into a toad. I turn her into a frog. You just kissed a toad and became one”, she laughed as she flew off on her broom.