Lilac Fairy Book

Chapter 24 The "Fairy" of Luke Island (1)
In the old days, when the wonders of Brittany abounded, in the village of Lanilles lived a boy named Heon Pogan and Bella?Perstick girl.They are cousins, and their mothers have a very good relationship, so they often visit each other's families.The grown-ups put them in the same cradle, and they played the same games, competing with each other.

"When they grow up, let them get married." Their mother promised, but just when everyone started thinking about the ringing of wedding bells, both mothers died, and the cousins ​​had no money, so they had to go to the same household. People do employ people.Of course, this is better than Lao Yan's separation, but it's not as good as having a small house of your own and doing whatever you want.They may soon be heard crying, bemoaning the misfortune of their lot.

"If we can find a way to buy a cow and raise a pig," grumbled Hearn, "I'll rent a piece of land from the master, and we'll get married."

"That's right." Bella replied, sighing deeply, "But the world is so difficult now, and the price of pigs went up again at the market last time."

"We'll be waiting a long time, that's obvious," replied Hearn, turning to work.

Every time they met, they kept complaining like this, until Huon finally lost his patience.He came to Bella one morning and said he was going out to make a living.

After hearing this, the girl was very unhappy, and also very sad that she was not able to go with the flow.She begged Heon not to leave her, but he didn't listen at all.

"The birds keep flying," he said, "until they find the cornfields; the bees work till they find the flowers for honey. Why should men be inferior to them? I will be like them, and keep looking until I find what I want Stuff, that is, money for cows and pigs. If you love me, Bella, don't try to hinder the plan that will get us married sooner."

The girl realized that it was useless to say any more, so she replied sadly, "Well, since you have to go, then you can go. But first I will share with you what my parents left me." She went back to her room , opened a small cabinet, took out a bell, a knife, and a stick.

"This bell can be heard no matter how far away," she said, "but it is only used to warn our friends that they are in great danger. This knife will break all spells, if only Touch and you will free the enchanted. This stick will take you where you want to go. I will give you the knife to prevent you from being enchanted by the wizard. I will give you the bell so that I I know you're in danger. I'll keep this stick so I can fly to you when you need it."

They put their arms around each other's necks and cried for a while, then Huon set off for the mountains.

At that time, as now, there were beggars everywhere. Every time Heon went to a village, groups of beggars followed him.The beggar thought Heon was a rich man because he didn't have holes in his clothes.

"This is not a place to get rich," he thought to himself, "this is a place to spend money instead of earning it. I have to keep going." So he went on and came to Pang, a pretty town by a river. Te Awen.

He was sitting on a bench in front of a small hotel when he heard two donkey drivers talking of Groach of Luke Island.

"What's Groch?" he asked, "I've never seen one." They both answered that it was the name of the Fairy of the Lake, who was very rich--oh!Richer than all the kings of the world put together.Many people had gone to the island, trying to get her treasure, but never looked back.

After hearing this, Huon made up his mind.

"I'm going and I'm coming back," he said to the donkey driver.They stared at him in astonishment and begged him not to go mad and die in such a stupid way.He just smiled, and replied that if they could tell him there was some other way of getting him afforded cows and hogs, he would not think about it any more.The donkey driver had no choice but to shake his head at his stubbornness, turn around and leave, leaving him to his fate.

So Huon came to the sea and found a fisherman to take him to Luke Island.

The island is very large, and there is a big lake on the island, almost as big as the island, and the big lake has a very narrow mouth to the sea.Hearn paid the money, sent the fisherman away, and walked along the lake.At one end of the lake, under a clump of gorse, he saw a blue boat shaped like a swan.Looking from a distance, I saw the swan's head hidden under its wings.Hearn had never seen such a boat before, so he walked quickly towards the boat and climbed on it, wanting to take a closer look.As soon as he got into the boat, the swans woke up, raised their heads from under their wings, and paddled their claws in the water, and in a blink of an eye they were in the middle of the lake.

After recovering from the shock, the lad prepared to jump into the lake and swim to the shore.The bird, guessing what he was about, dived into the water, and brought Huon to Groach's palace.

Heck, unless you've been underwater and experienced the magic of the ocean floor, you can't even imagine what Groach's palace would be like.The palace is built entirely of shells of various colors, blue, green, pink, lavender, and white, so cleverly matched with each other that you can't tell where, a color End, another color begins.The stairs are crystal, stepping on each step, the steps will sing like birds in the forest.The gardens around the palace are filled with various aquatic plants, with diamonds as flowers.

In one hall, Groach was lying on a golden couch.Her rosy face is reminiscent of shells on palace walls, her long black hair is strewn with strands of coral, and her green silk dress seems to be cut from sea water.Seeing the fairy, Hearn stopped, fascinated by her beauty.

"Come in," said Groach, standing up. "Strangers and handsome boys are always welcome here. Don't be shy. Tell me how you found this place and what you want."

"My name is Hearn," he replied, "I live in the village of Lanilis, and I want to earn some money to buy a calf and a pig."

"Really? You'll do it easily," she replied. "There's nothing to worry about. Come in and do as you please." She motioned for Heon to follow her into a second hall, where the floor and walls were Pearls, surrounded by tables with various fruits and fine wines.As he ate and drank, Groach told him that all the treasures he had seen came from the sunken ship, and that the magical currents had brought them to her palace.

"I'm not surprised at all," Hearn sighed, having relaxed now, "I'm not surprised at all that people on the ground like to talk about you so much."

"Wealth is always envied."

"As for me," he added with a smile, "I only want half of your wealth."

"Take it if you like, Hearn," replied the Fairy.

"What do you mean?" he cried.

"My husband Clanton is dead," she answered, "and I can marry you if you like."

The boy stared at her in surprise.Would such a rich and beautiful person want to be his wife?He looked at her again, and presently forgetting Bella, replied, "A man must be mad to refuse such an advantage. I will gladly accept it."

"Then the sooner you get married, the better." Groach said, and then gave the order to the servant.When it was over, she asked Hoon to accompany her to the fish pond in the garden.

"Come, lawyer, come, miller, come, tailor, come, singer!" she cried, holding out her net.Every time she calls, a fish appears and jumps into the wire net.When the net was full she went into a large kitchen and threw the fish into the golden pan, but it seemed to Hearn that he heard murmurs in the churning water.

"Who's whispering in the cauldron, Groach?" he asked at last.

"It's nothing, it's just the crackling of firewood," she replied, but Hearn didn't think it sounded like it.

"Here we go again," he said after a while.

"The water is hot and the fish are jumping," she replied.After a while, the sound became louder, like crying.

"What's that sound?" Hearn asked, beginning to feel uncomfortable.

"That's just the sound of crickets on the hearth," she said, and began to sing, which drowned out the cries from the pot.

(End of this chapter)