Once upon a time there was a stepfather. Now, some storytellers might go so far as to call him an "evil stepfather," but I am not one who is quick to judge, so I'll just call him "the stepfather." So one day the stepfather was walking down the road from the farm where he worked hard all day, every day, even on Saturdays and Sundays. On the way home the heel of his boot became stuck in a small pothole . . .