The Straw Knot That Kept a PromiseLong ago in Staffordshire, there lived a young farm girl named Elsie. Elsie loved harvest time. She loved the busy wagons, the songs of the reapers, and the smell of warm bread coming from the farmhouse kitchen. Most of all, she loved listening to her nan , who always had a story to tell.One autumn evening, when only a small patch of wheat remained standing in the field, Elsie noticed nan looking thoughtfully at the last stalks."Why do we always leave those until the end?" Elsie asked.Nan smiled. "Because every harvest deserves a proper goodbye."Elsie didn't really understand what nan meant.When the final sheaf was cut, the villagers carried it carefully to the barn for safe keeping That night, Elsie could not sleep.She wandered to the barn and found the last sheaf shining silver in the moonlight.As she watched, three tiny field sprites appeared from the straw.One glowed gold.One glowed green.One glowed blue."We are the Spirits of Harvest, Growth, and Rain," they said."We have worked together all year to help the crops."Elsie rubbed her eyes."How will you remember to work together again next year?" she asked.The three sprites looked at one another.Then they joined hands.Round one loop.Round another loop.Round a third loop.Their arms crossed and twisted until they formed a beautiful knot."A knot!" gasped Elsie."A promise," said the golden sprite."A promise that Spring will return" said the green sprite."A promise that we help the seeds to grow" said the blue sprite. By morning, the sprites had vanished.But Elsie remembered what she had seen.Using the last wheat stalks, she carefully wove three loops just as the sprites had done with their hands and armsTwist.Fold.Loop.Tie.When she finished, she had a beautiful straw knot.The villagers gathered around."It looks like our Staffordshire knot!" one farmer exclaimed."It looks like three friends holding on to one another," said another. "It's a promise', said Elsie, 'a promise that Spring will return and next years crops will grow tall and plentiful'The villagers hung the straw knot in the farmhouse throughout the winter.Whenever fierce winds rattled the windows and snow covered the fields, the knot reminded everyone that spring would come again.When Spring finally appeared the villagers carried the knot outdoors.Green shoots appeared. A warm breeze danced through the fields.And as Elsie admired the land, for just a moment she thought she saw three tiny sprites twirling among the young wheat.The harvest grew well that year, and every year after.And from then on, the people of Staffordshire wove straw into the shape of the Stafford Knot, remembering a promise.And if you ever see a Staffordshire corn dolly hanging in a cottage or at a harvest festival, look closely.You might just imagine three tiny sprites holding hands, keeping their promise until the wheat grows golden once more.