Long ago when we were wee children, we believed in the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus and other such imaginary creatures. As we grew older, we came to believe they were fictional figures meant to comfort children and instill proper behavior. Here’s the story of a similar figure, but this story is true.
Long ago in the little place known to its locals as K-Town, the children were forced by their indulgent parents to eat cookies, cake, ice cream, candy, and Lucky Charms cereal in copious quantities. At first, the children loved it and stuffed their little gullets with as much as possible. But they grew fat, lazy, hyperactive, nasty, spoiled, ill-behaved, and had teeth full of decay. Their parents didn’t know what to do.
As luck would have it, a curious little fellow moved into K-Town. He was known for his odd behavior, short stature, and uncanny resemblance to garden gnomes. No one paid him any mind until they noticed a strong smell of brine and vinegar coming from his kitchen. One day, some curious children snuck up to his window and peeked in. They saw that he was chopping up vegetables and fruit, throwing them into a pot on the stove, and then putting the fruits and vegetables into sterilized jars and storing them in his cellar.
The little fellow turned around and noticed the children. At first, they were frightened and thought he would be angry, but he smiled and waved and motioned for them to stay where they were. He came out with a jar of pickled cherries and offered them to the children. Cautiously, the children tried them. They were unused to any foods not sickly sweet but realized that the pickled cherries were delicious, a perfect blend of sweet and savory.
The children ran to their homes to tell their parents how delightfully delicious the pickles were. The children realized that pickles were much tastier and healthier than all that sickly sweet stuff their parents foisted on them and the children demanded healthier food from their parents with pickles as a regular complement to their meals. K-Town became a happy, healthy place.
The little fellow became known as the Pickle Gnome. Every year on the children’s birthdays he would come over to their homes at night and leave a jar of pickles for them.
While the Pickle Gnome is gone now, we at the K-Town Pickle Works endeavor to carry on his work and tradition.