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three or four hundred years ago there was a little town in Germany where the people weren't as clever as people are nowadays, and something happened in that very town that filled the townsfolk with such terror that they talked of it for years afterwards. This was how it all began.
One night, not long before dawn, a large owl—one of the sort with two tufts of feathers that look rather like horns—happened to fly softly on her silent wings into a certain barn that belonged to one of the townspeople. Soon the owl, as she hunted about for mice, noticed that, outside, it was beginning to get quite light. She didn't like daylight so she thought she had better stay where she was in the nice dark barn and spend the day hiding. It wasn't so much the light that she minded but—as you know—when owls come out in daylight, sparrows and all the other little birds like to come and mob them. They can't hurt them really but they fly round them chirruping and abusing them, till even a big owl feels quite flustered. So this owl, who was rather easily put out, decided to perch on a comfortable beam, and to stay in the twilight barn, till—once again—it got nice and dark and safe for her outside.
Soon the sun rose and the townspeople began to wake up, and a manservant came whistling out to the barn to fetch some straw. What should he see when he opened the barn door, but Mrs. Owl's two great gleaming eyes in the light that came through the open door. He was so terrified at the sight that he rushed out again in a fright, shutting the door behind him.
 "Master, master!" cried he. "There's a huge monster in the barn the like of which I never saw before! It stared at me with its great eyes! It must be huge for its eyes were right up above my head!"
"Don't be such a coward," said his master. "I know you! You are hardly brave enough to chase a blackbird! You're the sort that has to get a stick before you dare go near a dead hen! I'm sure there can't be a monster in our barn."
So the master, angrily pushing the servant aside, went to his barn to see for himself. But no sooner had he opened the door than he saw Mrs. Owl's eyes gleaming in the light. He was just as much frightened at the sight as his servant had been and, shutting the door behind him, he ran as fast as he could to fetch the neighbours.
"Help! Help! Come quickly, neighbours!" cried he. "There's a terrible beast in my barn. I've shut it up, but the whole town would be in danger if it were to break loose! Come and help!"
So a whole crowd of his neighbours came, all armed with hay-forks, scythes and axes.
The mayor soon heard the commotion, and he told the town council that something terrible must be going on. So putting on their robes, he and the aldermen and councillors all joined in, and it wasn't long before the mayor had got all the townsfolk drawn up in the square just as if they had been a regular army. Then he gave his orders and marched them all down to the barn.
"Left, Right! Left, Right!" "Right Turn! Left Turn! Halt!" And so, like that, they got the barn properly surrounded.
But now someone had to be found who would dare to open one of the big barn doors.
At last the bravest of the aldermen, one who had got a real spear, opened one door and waving farewell to the rest of the town council he took a step inside the barn. But he rushed out again in a moment, pale as death, and so frightened that he could not utter a word to tell the others what he had seen. Two others tried it, but they fared no better.
So a council of war of all the townsfolk was held. At last a big strong man spoke up. He had always told splendid tales of his warlike deeds, so, when he spoke, everyone in the crowd listened.
"The mayor and the councillors can't manage a job like this!" said he. "They can't drive away the monster by just looking. I will see what I can do! Get me some armour, a spear and a sword!"
At that the crowd began to cheer and everyone praised the strong man's courage. But the women said it was a shame that such a gallant fellow, a man in the prime of life too, should take such a terrible risk! At last, however, the brave champion was dressed in armour from head to foot, and then not one, but both the great doors of the barn were flung open.
In the meantime Mrs. Owl, disturbed by so much coming and going, had perched herself on what she thought was a safer beam, so that now her big glowing eyes shone down from even higher. The champion could not reach her.
"Bring me a ladder!" cried he. "For in the name of St. George who slew the dragon, I will surely rid the town of this terrible monster!"
Up the ladder he went clanking, and when she saw him coming closer, Mrs. Owl, worried by so much light and all the shouting—and now by all this clatter of armour— began to flap her wings and roll her eyes and even to snap at him with her beak.
"Strike home! Strike home!" cried the crowd.
"Tu whit tu whoo!" cried Mrs. Owl.
But, at that dreadful sound of "Tu whit tu whoo", with a clang of armour, the valiant champion fell fainting off the ladder; it took four brave men to carry him out.
"Shut the doors! Shut the doors!" shouted the crowd when he was safe outside. Those who had been able to see, told terrible tales of what had happened. The monster was as big as a house! It had poisoned and mortally wounded the strongest and bravest man in the town!
"Just by snapping at him! Just by breathing on him!"
"Fancy that!"
"As tall as a church tower, they say the monster is!"
"With a loud and terrible voice! Like nothing you ever heard!"
"How shall we save the town?"
"Barn doors won't long keep in such a terrible creature!"
At last the mayor stood up on the steps of the fountain in the middle of the square.
"Listen, fellow citizens!" said he. "There's only one thing to do! We must pay the owner the price of this barn and of the hay and straw in it —we must pay for them out of the town funds. Then we must burn down the barn and the terrible beast in it."
And this is exactly what they did, except for one thing. Luckily for her, the noise and racket frightened Mrs. Owl so much that she bravely decided that she would face sparrows and daylight and all, rather than stay in such a noisy place where an honest bird couldn't get a wink of sleep.
So, while they were busy fetching torches to burn the barn, and without anybody seeing her, Mrs. Owl flew softly out of a window high up in the barn roof. Then on her silent wings she soon reached her own hollow tree again, without being noticed by a single sparrow, and at last settled herself down comfortably to sleep for the rest of the day.
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