«The right person, making the right decisions at the right time, for the right reasons.»
From Lamb et al., 2015
A beautiful fairy tale that exists in different variants, even the Grimm’s did different versions. I did a slight adaptation.
There was once a miller who had a beautiful daughter. When she was grown, he wished that she might be provided for and well married.
He thought, «If any good suitor comes and asks for her, I will give her to him.»
Not long afterward, a suitor came who was very rich, well-spoken, and comely, and no man in the village had brought a charge against him. And as the miller had no fault to find with him, he promised his daughter to him.
The daughter saw his charms as well, and at first liked his company well enough. But while he was courteous in every word, there was something in his courtesy that chilled her after a while. And when he took her hand, he held it as one holds a thing already bought.
The bridegroom asked her many times to visit him in his house, which stood in a dark forest. Yet he never did ask whether she wished to come. He asked only what still kept her away.
She tried for some time to put off the visit. But whatever reason she gave, he came next time with that reason answered. Thus he came again and again, and each time he took away one excuse from her, until at last she had none left but that she might lose her way in the dark forest.
«If that is your concern,» said the bridegroom, «I can easily help you. I shall tie a ribbon to every tree, so that you cannot possibly stray from the path.»
So she finally set out to visit him. But as she still feared she might lose her way, she filled both her pockets full of peas and lentils. While she followed the ribbons through the forest, she threw a few peas and lentils on the ground at every crossing of the paths.
She walked almost the whole day until she reached the middle of the forest, where there stood a solitary house. She did not like it, for it looked so dark and dismal. Cautiously, she went inside, but no one was within, and a heavy stillness lay over the place.
Then the young bride went from room to room and through the whole house, but it was entirely empty, and not one human being was to be found. At last she came to the cellar, and there sat an old woman on the floor. Her foot was fastened to the wall with an iron chain.
When the old woman looked at her, the bride recognized her as her grandmother.
«Grandmother,» she cried, «whatever are you doing here?»
«Alas, poor child,» replied the grandmother, «I knew your bridegroom came rich and comely, but no one could tell me by what honest trade. So I went to see what manner of house stood waiting for you. And what did I find? A den of robbers and murderers. When they saw that I had found them out, they kept me here. You think you are a bride soon to be married, but you will keep your wedding with death. Look, they have put a great kettle on there, with water in it, and when they have you in their power, they will cut you to pieces without mercy, cook you, and eat you — for they are eaters of human flesh.»
«Oh, grandmother,» cried the young bride, and looked for a key but found none. She pulled at the chain, but the chain was strong and rooted deep in the wall.
Just then the bridegroom returned from a robbery with his band of villains. The grandmother caught her wrist and whispered:
«Quick, hide behind the barrels. Whatever happens, do not speak. Do not come out for me or you die with me. See all. Remember all. Wait for the right moment. Then take it.» She kissed her granddaughter, then pushed her away. «Now hide.»
The bride had barely slipped behind the barrels when the robbers came down into the cellar. They were in a bad mood, for their robbery had brought them no loot. From her hiding place, the bride could see everything that happened without being noticed by a single soul.
«Get the old crone — at least we shall eat,» shouted her bridegroom.
«Some meat,» laughed another robber.
Then the villains seized the grandmother, stripped her, laid her on a table, cut her body in pieces, and strewed salt over the pieces.
Behind the barrels the poor bride trembled and shook, for she saw right well what fate the robbers had destined for her. She pressed one hand over her mouth and bit into her fingers, lest the scream break out of her. Tears ran over her hand, but she did not shut her eyes or look away — for the last words of her grandmother rang in her ears: ‹See all. Remember all. Wait for the right moment. Then take it.›
One of the robbers noticed a gold ring on the grandmother’s finger. As it would not come off at once, he took an axe and cut the finger off. But the finger sprang up in the air, away over the barrel and straight toward the bride. Because she had not looked away, she saw it spring toward her. So when it struck her, no cry escaped her. Instead she caught it silently and slipped it into her pocket.
The robber took up a candle and began to look for it, but he could not find it. After searching a long while in vain, one of them finally said:
«Have you looked behind the great barrels?»
«Let the searching wait until daylight,» said another. «It’s a finger, not a foot; it won’t run away. Tomorrow morning we shall look, and then we shall soon find the ring.»
So they left off searching, and ate and drank until they were heavy. Then the villains lay down to sleep in that very cellar. Soon they were all asleep and snoring.
The bride sat hidden behind the barrels. One fear whispered to her, ‹Stay hidden. Wait. Before morning, someone will come.› But another fear answered and drove it away: ‹No one is coming before morning, and with morning they will come.›
So she carefully wiped her eyes dry, lest a single tear might fall where it might spell disaster. Then she lifted her skirt and bound it tightly, so it could neither rustle nor touch a robber’s skin. Then, slowly and very carefully, she stepped out from behind the barrels.
They lay in rows across the floor, and she had to step over every one of them to reach the door. Carefully she placed her feet in the spaces between the sleepers, the weapons, the bones, the spilled wine, grease and salt. She was afraid of breath and tear, of rustle and creaking board, of shadow and scent — afraid that suddenly the whole floor might wake up around her.
Once, a sleeper turned, and his knife slid from his belt and struck the stones. She stood with one foot lifted until his breath grew heavy again. A few steps later, she could find no other place to set her foot, and had to lower it slowly upon a bone, hoping it would not crack.
By good fortune, she did not wake them. When at last she reached the cellar door, she could not open it at once, for her hand shook upon the latch. She held it there until the shaking ceased. Then she lifted the latch without sound and slipped out, moving silently until she had left the house behind her.
When she found herself back in the forest, the trees stood black and bare. The robbers had torn down every ribbon. But the peas and lentils had split in the night-dew, and from each little seed a pale thread had come forth; and by those small living signs she found the way home. And now that it was safe to run, run she did.
It was early in the morning when she arrived at her father’s mill, and she told him everything exactly as it had happened. The miller shut the door, listened to the end, and sent word to his kin and friends to come early on the wedding day.
When the wedding day came, the bridegroom appeared, and the miller’s kin and friends were already present.
As they sat at the table before the marriage ceremony, the guests were each called upon to tell a tale. The bride alone remained silent.
At last the bridegroom turned to her. «Come, my darling. Will you tell us nothing?»
«I will tell you a dream,» she replied. «I dreamed that I walked alone through a dark forest, and at last came to a solitary house in which no living soul was to be seen. I passed through all the rooms, and they were empty. Yet something dreadful seemed to wait in every one. At last I went down into the cellar, and there sat my grandmother, chained by the foot to the wall.»
She looked at the bridegroom and said, «My darling, I only dreamed this.»
Then she went on.
«My grandmother told me that my bridegroom had come rich and comely, though no one knew by what honest trade, and that she had gone to see what manner of house stood waiting for me. There she had found a den of robbers and murderers, and because she had found them out, they had chained her in the cellar. She said that I thought myself a bride soon to be married, but that I should keep my wedding with death.»
Again she said, «My darling, I only dreamed this.»
The bridegroom smiled, but not as he had smiled before.
Then she went on.
«The robbers came home, with my bridegroom at their head. My grandmother said, ‹Quick, hide behind the barrels. Whatever happens, do not speak. Do not come out for me or you die with me. See all. Remember all. Wait for the right moment. Then take it.› Then she pushed me away to hide myself.»
She said again, «My darling, I only dreamed this.»
The bridegroom’s hand lay still beside his cup.
Then the bride continued.
«The robbers seized her, stripped her, laid her upon the table, and hewed her body in pieces. Then they strewed salt over the pieces, and made their meal.»
Again she said, «My darling, I only dreamed this.»
Now the blood had gone from the bridegroom’s face, but because she had called it a dream, and because all eyes were upon her, he sat still and did not interrupt her.
So she went on.
«One of them saw a gold ring upon her finger. As the ring would not come off, he took an axe and struck the finger away. The finger sprang over the barrels and flew toward me. And here is my grandmother’s finger with her ring.»
With these words, she drew forth the finger and the ring and laid them upon the table.
The bridegroom sprang from his seat and made for the door. But the miller’s kin had risen already. They barred the way and held him fast.
The finger was examined, and the ring was known. Then they cut the robber bridegroom to pieces, as he had cut the grandmother. And before sunset his whole band was taken and put to the sword for their wicked deeds.