The Witch's Lullaby

Witch Gertrude aggravates her two sisters by refusing to search for charms which would sink a ship. She's tired of being a witch but the sisters hoot with laughter. It would take an ordinary mortal to do Gertrude many favors before she'd lose her hump, yellow teeth, patches of hair and bulging eyes. Just looking at her would scare a mortal. But one day, young Malcolm falls asleep on a rock ledge beside a cave and awakes to find Gertrude sitting beside him, guarding his bagpipes. He politely offers to share his sandwich, and a patch of hair falls from her face. She screams with joy! Hearing that Malcolm must be a shepherd because there is no money for school, Gertrude offers a bag of gold from the cave. It is stolen gold and Malcolm refuses it. The two sisters, who have been listening, plot to get back at Gertrude. Comedy accelerates as tricks counteract tricks and lead to encounters with citizens of a small town. There, Gertrude is accused of stealing a baby's curls. She's arrested and held for immediate trial. Malcolm's brilliant defense brings cheers from every audience!