Three Gnome Brothers

Once upon a time, three gnome brothers lived together beneath an old cedar tree. One day, the oldest brother told the youngest brother, “Torin, we need to find a new home. The one we live in is getting too small.” Torin agreed. “That is true, Durin, but we must get Sarin to agree.”

Sarin was the middle brother, and he did not like change. Durin and Torin tried to convince him ten years ago that it was time to move. Sarin had refused. "This tree is as good as any,” he declared patting the tree trunk. “It’s fine now and will continue to be fine tomorrow.

While the two brothers contemplated Sarin’s ways, Durin shared, “I heard an adage many moons ago. There are two ways to create change: love and heartbreak.” Both brothers decided they would rather try love to change Sarin’s mind. They did not want to hurt their brother to get what they wanted from him. They met and devised their plan.

Torin remembered a nearby grove of younger trees, full of maple and oak trees. Among them lived two sets of sisters. Surely, among them, they could find a love match for Sarin.

The brothers came to the first set of sisters, the Scones Sisters. Neema and Menna Scones lived under a beautiful maple tree, which supplied them with sweet sap for jam. Neema favored pigtails with a gingham apron, while Menna favored a crown braid and striped dresses. Although both gnome sisters were quite pretty, they could be unkind.

“Good day, ladies, “ said Durin as he tipped his hat in greeting.

“Good day, Durin.” Menna giggled and winked at him. She saw Torin and added, “And to you, Torking, is it?”

“My name is Torin.”

“Of course, it is,” replied Neema taking his arm. “What brings you two to our tree?”

Fidgeting with his hat, Durin asked, “Would either of you be interested in falling in love with our brother, Sarin?”

The Scones Sisters looked at each other with big eyes and then roared in laughter. “Of course not! Your brother is as much fun as mud,” replied Neema in between chuckles.

“Now run along you two. But whenever you, Durin, are ready for love, come find me.” Menna blew him a kiss.

Durin blushed. “Well, that did not go quite as planned.”

Torin laughed. “No, it did not. Let’s try the Thistle Twins.”

Lia and Mia Thistle lived among a mushroom-clad trunk of an oak tree. Although they were not as pretty as the Scones Sisters, the Thistles were kind and generous. They cared deeply for the flowers and the animals living around them. When Durin and Torin arrived the sisters were helping a squirrel store its food for winter near their tree.

“Good day, ladies,” said Durin as he tipped his hat in greeting. Torin gave a friendly wave.

“Good day, Durin, and T-Tor-in,” stumbled Lia blushing as she fidgeted with her harvesting apron.

Torin shot her a huge grin. “Hello, Lia, my dear.” Durin cleared his throat.

“How can we help you today,” asked Mia with a kind smile.

“We are looking for love for our brother, Sarin. Would either of you be willing to fall in love with him?” Durin looked hopefully at Lia and Mia. The twins stared at him in shock at the question. Then, the sisters looked at each other and grimaced.

Mia answered, “Unfortunately, we are not interested in Sarin. He is not kind nor handsome.”

“But if you are ever interested, Torin,” added Lia shyly, “I would love to see you again.” Lia smiled as her face turned redder than the mushrooms around her. Mia patted her shoulder with an encouraging nod.

Torin turned to Durin grinning. “What now, brother? We have found love for ourselves, but not for Sarin.”

“Maybe we should try heartbreak,” offered Durin. “What does Sarin love the most?”

They answered in unison, “The tree!”

The brothers devised a plan to burn the tree down. They noticed a storm was brewing. With the help of some squirrels and birds, the brothers added some metal rods onto the tree to attract electricity. As they scampered away from the tree, they spotted Sarin talking to a female gnome named Julia Treeny.

“Julia, my sweet angel, I long for the day when we can be together. I have built my home just for you.”

“Sarin, darling,” said Julia as she patted Sarin’s cheek, “I want nothing more, but I don’t understand why I can’t marry you now and live with you?”

“It’s because of my brothers,” sighed Sarin. “I don’t want to kick them out, but I had hoped they would have moved into another tree by now.”

Torin and Durin looked at each other. Now they knew why their brother did not want to move. They felt ashamed. They rushed back to the tree hoping they had time to save the tree from their electric trap. As they neared the tree, the storm broke. Lightning shot from the sky and found the metal rods. Torin and Durin were knocked back in the process. When they sat up, the tree was blazing with fire.

At that moment, Sarin and Julia came to the tree looking for refuge from the storm. Sarin held Julia as she cried. Sarin, too, had tears in his eyes. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart. I wanted to give you the best home.”

Torin and Durin approached with their heads bowed low. “It is us who are sorry, brother. We thought we could force you to move. We did not know how much this house truly meant to you.”

Sarin was furious. He was mad at his brothers, but also at himself. “I should have told you both a long time ago that I was in love with Julia and built this house for us to live together in. I love you, brothers, but I think it is time for things to change.”

The three brothers embraced. Durin and Torin vowed to help their brother rebuild his home. They found a lovely new cedar grove. There were three beautiful trees grouped in the center. One became a home for Sarin and Julia. Another one housed Durin and Meena. The last one was for Torin and Lia. The seasons changed. Babies were born and grew up in that grove. All had adventures and everyone lived happily ever after.