The Sprite of Chokier

The Sprite of Chokier seemed to target only well-to-do families. At baker Mathieu’s, a fresh loaf of bread disappeared each day. At dairymaid Agnès’s, entire pots of butter vanished mysteriously. Even the livestock suffered from its pranks – chickens were found stacked in attics in the morning, goats had elaborate knots woven into their hair.

At first, the villagers were exasperated. But slowly they noticed something curious: the thefts were always carried out in such a way as to diminish excess. The Sprite never stole what a family truly needed. And once, when baker Mathieu lay ill and his stock exhausted, he found four perfect loaves at his door in the morning – a gift from the Sprite who had taken pity on him.

One autumn, merchants from the Grand Market of Liège arrived, bringing with them a court officer bent on seizing the possessions of needy widows. The man was merciless, demanding impossible taxes and confiscating livestock from poor farmers. That night, the Sprite became something other than a mere prankster.

The court officer, asleep at the village inn, awoke at dawn in a stable filled with manure, his official papers torn into a thousand pieces around him. People reported hearing a small, shrill laugh echoing through the alleyways all night long. The officer departed hastily and never returned. Then the farmers knew that the Sprite was far more than a nuisance: it was a protector.

From that day on, the inhabitants of Chokier treated the Sprite with reverence. Every Thursday evening, housewives left a bowl of hot milk and a piece of cake on the doorstep. Stables received sweet treats. In return, the Sprite ensured that harvests were abundant, that births proceeded without difficulty, and that misfortune fell especially upon those who sought to oppress the village.

Even today, the people of Chokier claim that the Sprite still dwells there. Those who honor it will find a small gift at their door – a coin, a flower, an inexplicable favor. But woe to those who forget Thursday’s offering, for the Sprite is vengeful, and its revenge is as mischievous as it is inevitable.