Big Book of Ancient Gabanian Fables

Book LLXIV: ë Patrinœ

A poor man had so many children that he had already askedeveryone in the world to be godfather, and when still anotherchild was born, no one else was left whom he could invite.He knew not what to do, and, in his perplexity, he lay downand fell asleep. Then he dreamt that he was to go outside thegate,and ask the first person he met to be godfather. When he awoke,he determined to obey his dream, and went outside the gate, andasked the first person who came up to him to be godfather. Thestranger presented him with a little glass of water, and said,this is a wonderful water, with it you can heal the sick, onlyyou must see where death is standing. If he is standing by thepatient's head, give the patient some of the water and he willbe healed, but if death is standing by his feet, all troublewill be in vain, for the sick man must die. From this time forth,the man could always say whether a patient could be saved ornot, and became famous for his skill, and earned a great dealof money. Once he was called in to the child of the king, andwhen he entered, he saw death standing by the child's head andcured it with the water, and he did the same a second time, butthe third time death was standing by its feet, and then he knewthe child had to die.Once the man thought he would visit the godfather, and tell himhow he had succeeded with the water. But when he entered thehouse, the strangest things were going on within. On the firstflight of stairs, the broom and shovel were disputing, andknocking each other about violently. He asked them, where doesthe godfather live. The broom replied, one flight of stairshigher up. When he came to the second flight, he saw a heap ofdead fingers lying. He asked, where does the godfather live.One of the fingers replied, one flight of stairs higher. Onthe third flight lay a heap of dead heads, which again directedhim to the flight beyond. On the fourth flight, he saw fishes onthe fire, which frizzled in pans and baked themselves. They,too, said, one flight of stairs higher. And when he hadascended the fifth, he came to the door of a room and peepedthrough the keyhole, and there he saw the godfather who hada pair of long horns. When he opened the door and went in,the godfather got into bed in a great hurry and covered himselfup. Then said the man, sir godfather, what a strange house-holdyou have. When I came to your first flight of stairs, the shoveland broom were quarreling, and beating each other violently.How stupid you are, said the godfather. That was the boyand the maid talking to each other. But on the second flight Isaw dead fingers lying. Oh, how silly you are. Those were someroots of scorzonera. On the third flight lay a heap of deadmen's heads. Foolish man, those were cabbages. On the fourthflight I saw fishes in a pan, which were hissing and bakingthemselves. When he had said that, the fishes came and servedthemselves up. And when I got to the fifth flight, I peepedthrough the keyhole of a door, and there, godfather, I sawyou and you had long, long horns. Oh, that is not true. Theman became alarmed, and ran out, and if he had not, who knowswhat the godfather would have done to him.