THE THIRD WISH: SOME THOUGHTS ON USING MAGIC AGAINST MAGIC

A good fairy promised a poor married couple to grant them the fulfillment of their first three wishes. They were delighted, and made up their minds to choose their three wishes carefully. But the smell of sausages being fried in the cottage next door tempted the woman to wish for a couple of them. They were there in a flash; and this was the first wish-fulfillment. But the man was furious, and in his rage wished that the sausages were hanging on his wife's nose. This happened too; and the sausages were not to be dislodged from their new position. This was the second wish-fulfillment; but the wish was the man's and its fulfillment was most disagreeable for his wife. You know the rest of the story. Since after all they were in fact one-man and wife-the third wish was bound to be that the sausages should come away from the woman's nose.