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My Lilly
Oh, my Lilly! Do you know, my dear, how difficult it is to write stories when there is no inspiration. But if there comes something to your mind, then the following can happen.
This had happened a long time ago, when the famous sir Lancelot went searching for saint Grail. There was a small boy with him, his shield-bearer. The poor boy was bending under the heavy shield and sword. During their long journey sir Lancelot was riding a horse and he didn’t care for the boy, who was following him on foot and who was carrying his master’s heavy equipment. Late one night, while it was raining cats and dogs, they arrived to a cottage. The knight knocked with his bossed hand at the door. After a time the door was opened and an old man, who was wearing a night cap and had a lamp in his hand, appeared on it.
“Who is knocking on my poor door in that terrible night?”- asked the man.
“Stop asking and open the door as quickly as you can,”- said the knight and the terrified old man opened the door which was nearly falling down.
The knight got down from his horse, gave the boy the reins and entered the poor cottage. The old man offered the knight a modest supper consisting of old bread and sour wine. During that time the poor small boy, tired, frozen and drenched with water, had to dry the horse in an old barn while it was raining into it through the roof. The knight went sleeping into the old man’s comfortable bed, but the boy had to spend the night sleeping on the ground, on which he put his worn out coat. He was very tired and quickly fell asleep. He dreamt a curious dream.
Close to him appeared a wonderful girl with long, blond hair and shiny blue eyes. She had a small stick in her hand. The top of the stick was moving and producing a glowing red light which was warming the boy.
The boy opened his eyes and asked the girl astonished:” Who are you?”
The girl said:” I am the forest fairy and the daughter of that old man. This here is my enchained cottage.”
The boy said:” What do you want from me?”
“Heba, the goddess of youth and Harite, the goddess of sweetness, have sent you to me. You are the only one, so young and inocent, who can help me. Save my forest and the elfs of the terrible curse of Hekata, the witch goddess. She wanted my father to be poor and therefore she cursed us.”
“Tell me everything about it,” said the boy.
“You see, a long time ago my father was a very rich and honorable squire. We owned a large castle and many servants. My father was very good to his people, no one was poor , they all had a good job and enough money for living. Once a year we organized a great celebration and assigned prizes to the best and most deserving people.
One day, mid of the celebration, the goddess Hekata appeared in the form of a terrible snake and asked my father to give her his best worker and the most beautiful woman for her meal. My noble father got angry and refused to fulfill her wishes. She cursed us and so we are all here, old and poor, without bread and having only a small amount of water. She left a large snake to be our guard. This snake can strangle everyone with her strong embrace and spill poison into the eye to everyone looking at it.
My poor father dreamt a dream in which appeared Dike, the goddess of justice, who told him that only a young and innocent person can conquer the snake and save us from the curse.”
“Good,” said the boy, “but how can I conquer the snake without a shield and armor? And besides, I have no courage to look the snake into the eyes.”
“There is no problem about that. Take the shield of sir Lancelot and I will smear your eyes wit Seka’s miraculous grease.”
“What kind of grease is that,” asked the boy.
“Oh, this grease is made by our healer Seka and there is no similar grease in the whole world. “You know, every summer Seka is walking with her brother Dragan through the mountain. They are collecting plants and herb. Then she closed herself into her kitchen and there she is cutting, cooking and adding secret components. At last, she is adding the tail of a cat, that’s all we know. We know that the grease is finished when we hear a detonation coming out of the kitchen. Then appears a thick yellow and red smoke. With this grease she cures all bites of various bugs and insects and all wounds, but she also removes curses. She even cured my father, when a bear had bit his bottom.”
The boy took the shield and sword, the girl smeared his eyes with Seka’s smear and he went into the forest. Suddenly a large snake appeared and went towards him. It threw a great amount of poison towards him, but the boy defended himself with the shield. The drops of poison falling on his eyes and face slid down on the grass and it immediately withered. After that the snake tried to strangle the boy, but he took his sword and cut the snake into pieces.
At the same moment, the poor cottage transformed into a wonderful castle, brooks were murmuring around it and the peasants were singing.
The knight Lancelot woke up and when he saw what his poor shield -bearer had done, he waned to take him into the castle of King Arthur and make him a knight. The boy said: “No, I don’t want to go there. I have got here everything I want and I will stay here. “
Sir Lancelot went on searching for saint Grail. The boy stayed and later on he married the fairy and they had children little fairies. I was there on their wedding and my mustaches are still wet. And you, children, have nice dreams.
Grandpa's Tales Page 8
