Atondido Stories
After supper he laid his head on the old woman’s lap and fell
sound asleep. The old woman pulled out a golden hair and
threw it on the floor. It twanged like the string of a violin.
“What is it, mother?” the old man said. “What is it?”
“Nothing, my boy, nothing. I was asleep and had a wonder-
ful dream.”
“What did you dream about, mother?”
“I dreamt about a city where they had a well of living water.
If any one drank of it, no matter how sick he was, he would get
well. Nay, if he were already dead, this water, sprinkled on him,
would bring him back to life. For the last twenty years the well
has gone dry. Is there anything to be done to make it flow
again?”
“Yes. There’s a frog sitting on the spring that feeds the well.
Let them kill the frog and clean out the well and the water will
flow as before.”
When he fell asleep again the old woman pulled out another
golden hair and threw it on the floor.
“What is it, mother?”
“Nothing, my boy, nothing. I was asleep again and I had a
wonderful dream. I dreamt of a city where they had an apple-
tree that bore apples of youth. If any one ate one of those apples,
no matter how aged he was, he’d become young again. But for
twenty years the tree has borne no fruit. Can anything be done
about it?”
“Yes. In the roots of the tree there is a snake that takes its
strength. Let them kill the snake and transplant the tree. Then it
will bear fruit as before.”
He fell asleep again and the old woman pulled out a third
golden hair.
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