The Lucky Onion

By Ellis Belle

Farmer Eli had a lucky onion. He kept it in his pocket during the day and under his pillow at night. When he would think, he would rub his chin and toss his onion in the air saying, “Hmm. Hmm.”

He lived in a little white house on an onion farm.  The house was surrounded by rows and rows of onion fields that filled the air with their sweet, pungent, oniony smell.

One day, a man came by with a crate full of Vidalia onions. He was selling the onions and offered the crate to Farmer Eli for half the regular price.

“Half off?” cackled Farmer Eli. “Where do I sign?”

He set his lucky onion on the kitchen table and signed for the crate of Vidalia onions.

While Farmer Eli was distracted, the onion rolled off the table and out the kitchen door. Outside, the breeze was warm, and the sun was shining. The onion sat on a mound of freshly turned dirt in the middle of an empty onion field and enjoyed the sun.

When Farmer Eli noticed his onion was gone, he panicked! He searched under the table and in the cupboards. He looked between the couch cushions and behind furniture. He turned his entire house upside-down to find his lucky onion.

“Oh dear! Oh my!” said Farmer Eli. “I’m sure to have the worst luck, now!”

In the days that followed, Farmer Eli did have terrible luck. The rain stopped falling and the sun continued to shine.  The onions fields grew thirsty, but no rain fell. All the onions shriveled up and withered.

“Oh dear! Oh my!” said Farmer Eli. “This is the worst luck! I am sure to lose my entire crop.”

Weeks passed and still, no rain fell. Farmer Eli grew thin with worry. The onions fields dried up. Every onion was lost.

Even the people in the town grew thin. Without rain, no crops grew. And without crops, the townspeople had no food.

Meanwhile, the little, lucky onion sat on his mound of dirt. He hadn’t withered or dried up. In fact, seeing the farmer in distress, he dug his roots down and began to grow.

That night, Farmer Eli opened his cupboards and looked at his last little onion.

“I shall make some onion soup tonight and eat. Tomorrow, I will have no more food,” said Farmer Eli, sadly.

He ate his soup and went to bed, certain that he had the worst luck.

Farmer Eli awoke with his stomach grumbling. He walked to the window and gazed out at his empty onion fields. And yelled in delight.

There in the middle of an empty onion field sat the largest onion he had ever seen!

Farmer Eli ran out of the house and gazed at the giant onion. It stood nearly twice as high as Farmer Eli and so big around that it nearly took up the entire field.

“I’m saved!” cried Farmer Eli. “It’s a miracle!” He looked closer. “It’s… lucky. Why, it’s my lucky onion!”

Farmer Eli called all the townspeople to his farm to help cut down the giant onion. They cut it down and made a huge pot of onion soup. Everyone ate their fill and was satisfied.

The next day, the rain fell. It was very lucky.

- Total nr. of readings: 2,850 Copyright © The author [2020] All Rights Reserved. This story may not be reproduced without the express written permission of the author except for personal use.