52 lines
3.2 KiB
Text
52 lines
3.2 KiB
Text
The Godfather
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A poor man had so many children that he had already asked every one in
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the world to be godfather, and when still another child was born, no
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one else was left whom he could invite. He knew not what to do, and, in
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his perplexity, he lay down and fell asleep. Then he dreamt that he was
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to go outside the gate, and ask the first person who met him to be
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godfather. When he awoke, he determined to obey his dream, and went
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outside the gate, and asked the first person who came up to him to be
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godfather. The stranger presented him with a little glass of water, and
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said, "This is a wonderful water, with it thou canst heal the sick,
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only thou must see where Death is standing. If he is standing by the
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patient's head, give the patient some of the water and he will be
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healed, but if Death is standing by his feet, all trouble will be in
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vain, for the sick man must die." From this time forth, the man could
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always say whether a patient could be saved or not, and became famous
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for his skill, and earned a great deal of money. Once he was called in
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to the child of the King, and when he entered, he saw death standing by
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the child's head and cured it with the water, and he did the same a
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second time, but the third time Death was standing by its feet, and
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then he knew the child was forced to die.
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Once the man thought he would visit the godfather, and tell him how he
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had succeeded with the water. But when he entered the house, it was
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such a strange establishment! On the first flight of stairs, the broom
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and shovel were disputing, and knocking each other about violently. He
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asked them, "Where does the godfather live?" The broom replied, "One
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flight of stairs higher up." When he came to the second flight, he saw
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a heap of dead fingers lying. He asked, "Where does the godfather
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live?" One of the fingers replied, "One flight of stairs higher." On
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the third flight lay a heap of dead heads, which again directed him to
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the flight beyond. On the fourth flight, he saw fishes on the fire,
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which frizzled in the pans and baked themselves. They, too, said, "One
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flight of stairs higher." And when he had ascended the fifth, he came
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to the door of a room and peeped through the keyhole, and there he saw
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the godfather who had a pair of long horns. When he opened the door and
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went in, the godfather got into bed in a great hurry and covered
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himself up. Then said the man, "Sir godfather, what a strange household
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you have! When I came to your first flight of stairs, the shovel and
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broom were quarreling, and beating each other violently."
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"How stupid you are!" said the godfather. "That was the boy and the
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maid talking to each other." "But on the second flight I saw dead
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fingers lying." "Oh, how silly you are! Those were some roots of
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scorzonera." "On the third flight lay a heap of dead men's heads."
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"Foolish man, those were cabbages." "On the fourth flight, I saw fishes
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in a pan, which were hissing and baking themselves." When he had said
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that, the fishes came and served themselves up. "And when I got to the
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fifth flight, I peeped through the keyhole of a door, and there,
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godfather, I saw you, and you had long, long horns." "Oh, that is a
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lie!" The man became alarmed, and ran out, and if he had not, who knows
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what the godfather would have done to him.
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