The Unwelcome Gift by Maud Van Buren
In “The Unwelcome Gift,” Bebelle, a lame, neglected child allowed to live in the royal kitchen, secretly carves a Christmas scepter for the king from an ordinary stick of wood. A mysterious beautiful hand had once left him the stick and a message containing the words “Justice, Mercy, Verity, Lowliness, Devotion, Patience, Courage, and, above all, Love.” Bebelle believes he must carve these virtues into the scepter, though the words appear fully only when he acts according to them. Mother Jorgan has seen this happen, as when Bebelle releases a starving squirrel and finds “Mercy” completed. Bebelle’s friend is Shreve of the Fields, a radiant, strange youth devoted to feeding and caring for animals. Shreve brings Bebelle a net to mend and gives him fairy moss, promising that it will make him brave enough to face the king. Bebelle shares half of the moss with little Sana when she wishes for courage, then delays finishing his own carving to mend her fire. Yet “Love” is found complete on the scepter. On Christmas Eve, the palace is filled with costly gifts, celebration, and courtly happiness. Shreve presents the king with a beautiful raven but fails to announce Bebelle’s gift as expected. Bebelle nevertheless enters the hall alone and offers his rough wooden scepter. Surrounded by gold, jewels, and splendor, the child’s gift seems grotesque and unwelcome. Though not cruel, the king dismisses him, and Bebelle returns heartbroken to the kitchen. Mother Jorgan, the servants, and Shreve try to comfort him, but he remains silent; even Shreve’s invitation to sleep in his cave cannot overcome his feeling that it cannot be so that night. After everyone has left, a sweet voice calls Bebelle to the door. There he sees a brilliant, snow-white vision that invites him to become a great ruler. Bebelle refuses, declaring himself ugly, poor, and unfit. The vision takes his scepter, transforming its rough wood into gold and its carved words into jeweled letters. It tells him that the virtues he has carved are the true attributes of a king, and that only one who has made such a scepter for himself is worthy to wield it. Bebelle then follows the vision into the white night.
By Maud Van Buren · First published 1927 · Genre: Fairy Tale, Fantasy, Children's Literature · 5,523 words
First lines
_Julia Burket_
Snyge, the woodsman, walked briskly through the gates of the park which / surrounded the royal palace. On his arm hung a small basket covered / with a white cloth. In the basket were some cranberry tarts which / his wife was sending to her aunt, an old woman who stirred the royal / soup-kettle.[26]
What this Textopian page supports
The Unwelcome Gift is listed on Textopian as a short story by Maud Van Buren, dated 1927 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: Maud Van Buren
- Date: 1927 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Fairy Tale, Fantasy, Children's Literature, Moral Tale, Christmas Fiction
- Length: 5,523 words
- Structure: 1 section, 106 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for The Unwelcome Gift by Maud Van Buren
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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Genres
- Fairy Tale — The story uses an enchanted kingdom, a mysterious supernatural visitor, magical writing that appears on a carved scepter, transformation of wood into gold, and the elevation of a humble child to rulership.
- Fantasy — Its plot depends on overtly magical elements, including fairy moss, prophetic or miraculous inscriptions, a luminous vision, and a final supernatural summons.
- Children's Literature — The accessible moral structure, archetypal characters, Christmas setting, imaginative magic, and emphasis on virtues suit a young readership.
- Moral Tale — Bebelle's acts of mercy, patience, courage, humility, devotion, and love literally form the qualifications for just leadership, making ethical instruction central to the narrative.
Tags
fiction · classic literature · historical fiction · romance · drama · family relationships · social expectations · secrets · inheritance · unexpected events · moral conflict · domestic life