Relate something to us like the rest. She replied, then I will relate a dream. I was walking alone through a wood, and at last I came to a house, in which no living soul was, but on the wall there was a bird in a cage which cried, turn back, turn back, young maiden dear, 'tis a murderer's house you enter here.
And this it cried once more. My darling, I only dreamt this.
Then I went through all the rooms, and they were all empty, and there was something so horrible about them. At last I went down into the cellar, and there sat a very very old woman, whose head shook. I asked her, does my bridegroom live in this house. She answered, alas poor child, you have got into a murderer's den, your bridegroom does live here, but he will hew you in pieces, and kill you, and then he will cook you, and eat you. My darling I only dreamt this. But the old woman hid me behind a great hogshead, and scarcely was I hidden, when the robbers came home, dragging a maiden with them, to whom they gave three kinds of wine to drink, white, red, and yellow, with which her heart broke in twain. My darling, I only dreamt this. Thereupon they pulled off her pretty clothes, and hewed her fair body in pieces on a table, and sprinkled them with salt. My darling, I only dreamt this. And one of the robbers saw that there was still a ring on her little finger, and as it was hard to draw off, he took an axe and cut it off, but the finger sprang up in the air, and sprang behind the great hogshead, and fell in my bosom. And there is the finger with the ring. And with these words she drew it forth, and showed it to those present.
The robber, who had during this story become as pale as ashes, leapt up and wanted to escape, but the guests held him fast, and delivered him over to justice. Then he and his whole troop were executed for their infamous deeds.
A poor man had so many children that he had already asked everyone 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 he met 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 you can heal the sick, only you 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 had 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, the strangest things were going on within. 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 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 house-hold 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 Isaw 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 not true. The man became alarmed, and ran out, and if he had not, who knows what the godfather would have done to him.