The Godfather

A poor man had so many children that he had already asked every one in
the world to be godfather, and when still another child was born, no
one else was left whom he could invite. He knew not what to do, and, in
his perplexity, he lay down and fell asleep. Then he dreamt that he was
to go outside the gate, and ask the first person who met him to be
godfather. When he awoke, he determined to obey his dream, and went
outside the gate, and asked the first person who came up to him to be
godfather. The stranger presented him with a little glass of water, and
said, "This is a wonderful water, with it thou canst heal the sick,
only thou must see where Death is standing. If he is standing by the
patient's head, give the patient some of the water and he will be
healed, but if Death is standing by his feet, all trouble will be in
vain, for the sick man must die." From this time forth, the man could
always say whether a patient could be saved or not, and became famous
for his skill, and earned a great deal of money. Once he was called in
to the child of the King, and when he entered, he saw death standing by
the child's head and cured it with the water, and he did the same a
second time, but the third time Death was standing by its feet, and
then he knew the child was forced to die.

Once the man thought he would visit the godfather, and tell him how he
had succeeded with the water. But when he entered the house, it was
such a strange establishment! On the first flight of stairs, the broom
and shovel were disputing, and knocking each other about violently. He
asked them, "Where does the godfather live?" The broom replied, "One
flight of stairs higher up." When he came to the second flight, he saw
a heap of dead fingers lying. He asked, "Where does the godfather
live?" One of the fingers replied, "One flight of stairs higher." On
the third flight lay a heap of dead heads, which again directed him to
the flight beyond. On the fourth flight, he saw fishes on the fire,
which frizzled in the pans and baked themselves. They, too, said, "One
flight of stairs higher." And when he had ascended the fifth, he came
to the door of a room and peeped through the keyhole, and there he saw
the godfather who had a pair of long horns. When he opened the door and
went in, the godfather got into bed in a great hurry and covered
himself up. Then said the man, "Sir godfather, what a strange household
you have! When I came to your first flight of stairs, the shovel and
broom were quarreling, and beating each other violently."

"How stupid you are!" said the godfather. "That was the boy and the
maid talking to each other." "But on the second flight I saw dead
fingers lying." "Oh, how silly you are! Those were some roots of
scorzonera." "On the third flight lay a heap of dead men's heads."
"Foolish man, those were cabbages." "On the fourth flight, I saw fishes
in a pan, which were hissing and baking themselves." When he had said
that, the fishes came and served themselves up. "And when I got to the
fifth flight, I peeped through the keyhole of a door, and there,
godfather, I saw you, and you had long, long horns." "Oh, that is a
lie!" The man became alarmed, and ran out, and if he had not, who knows
what the godfather would have done to him.
