The Golden Arrow

Late at night, a young girl sat in a peasant's house at dawn by and purred. The hostess and her daughter -- the host was already three who died a year ago -- were already sleeping, for they were very comfortable loving, they liked to play "fine women" and make fun all the household chores on the maid's neck, so this was enough from dawn to midnight to move his hands, achieving neither the favor of his breadwinner. When he was pretty good at his job delivered, it was simply said: "Well, that will work; but it has to be you managed to finish everything!" But even the slightest mistake came into barking and punching.

What to do? Ilse, as the girl was called, was an orphan and poor; because for better or worse he had to stay where he was. -- And it wasn't by no means easy. Neighbor's son, handsome, decent young man, would have taken her so gladly to wife if her parents wouldn't have been against it. In their opinion, it was not agreed that the house the heiress married a poor servant girl. He would have to bring a maid to his home and this was already known. It was none other than the landlady's daughter. Three days ago everything was decided and agreed upon, that the wedding would be held on Easter.

Ilse loved good Ansi [Hans aka Hannu] with all her heart, but had to close his feelings in front of the world carefully in his heart. He is was but a poor, orphan servant girl; who would ask his fortune or pain! Thus he sat in dark thoughts by his rye, while the freezing bottom wind howled and roared around the house and the snow was falling in wild flakes in the yard. Many a bitter tear fell to the linen, many a heavy sigh rose from the low, smoke-blackened ceiling towards -- that is, until the sighs and tears drowned out the longing song to choose:

"The day's gold flowed into my heart,
I remained in the dark shadows;
Oh, I'm gone mother
every day would take me.

Flow, fleeting day,
hear what I dictate --:
A thousand good evenings
take me to my mother's house!

The day is so low,
mother is so far away!
I can't reach Konsa in a day
and not as a golden mother."

Then the hoarse voice of the landlady rang out in the next room: "Go to the heat." your tires! Your outburst can wake the dead from their graves." But the daughter growled: "If you want to complain, go to the field and howl compete with the bottom wind!" Ilse fell silent and tried to purr again, but the eyes and hands refused to obey. He leaned back tiredly she rested her golden head against the hard wall and closed her eyes. The burnt-out wick went out and it became dark in the room. But outside the downwind roared and howled...

It might have been six in the morning when the maid woke up a little refreshed from his sleep, for there was a knock at the small window. He went out, but couldn't see anyone in the darkness of the winter morning. Distressing a voice, like that of an old beggar, rang in his ears: "Be gracious, dear girl, to one lost and hungry, with a bad cold to the old man!"

Ilse thought for a moment. He knew that he was no one's mistress gave nothing to the beggar, but drove everyone away mocking and insulting them to the yard. But she and her daughter were still sleeping and got up only up during seven. "Come with me to the barn, old man," said pitiful girl, “there you can warm up for a while, but I will milk and bread for you."

He took the beggar to the barn, told him to sit upside down on the overturned pot, milked the milk into a container and fetched from the house a piece of bread, which in the evening, in his great sadness, he could not eat. The beggar refreshed and warmed himself, so well as was possible and then said, but no longer in silence, but in a full, sonorous voice to Ilse: "I thank you for your pity and good work! I'm not who you thought I was... you don't need to know who I am. Anyway, that's what I want to say: I know you and all that you think and feel in your heart -- and I will that you would be happy. So hear what I'm saying. Have you never heard anything about Lauskis and his golden arrow?" Ilse answered in the negative. "Well, the other side of it is this: Lauskis is a cold spirit, which tends to block the ground during the worst frost. If now young an innocent girl at midnight, just as the clock strikes twelve, runs three times around the house, it happens that the cold spirit disappears his arrows. But this arrow is made of the heaviest gold, and whoever finds it can get several thousand rubles for it. Only innocence, courage and dexterity are called for in it!" Thus spoke senior citizen. Ilse looked at him in astonishment -- but where was he then had to? The pot he had been sitting on a while ago was empty and the dim dawning morning light showed no trace of him. Young the maid was creepy; definitely he prayed a short prayer -- and went thoughtfully back to the house. There was the hostess already on her feet and the daily misery began again. Thus passed a week.

A stormy January was followed by a bitterly cold but bright February. At night it was often so cold that the ice in the pond cracked. As one day, mother and daughter went to town to get something else as dowry and were not going to return until late in the afternoon. Ilse remained now alone in the whole house. While purring in the evening, he suddenly remembered I remember the half-forgotten story of a strange old man and what the longer he thought about it, the more irresistible the desire he felt growing in his heart to take an exam with Lauskis. Hours to midnight until passed by him as if in a dream. When the hostess's old wall clock in the bedroom, the door of which was now open, hit for the first time -- attacked the girl went out the door and ran like the wind three times around the house. Then there was a terrible explosion, the house, barn and storage shed started tremble and squeal. Ilse bravely held the door shut.

But it was all over soon. The glaringly bright moonlight that is unique only to the Nordic countries, illuminated a handsome, golden arrow, which was just lying at the girl's feet...

At Easter, the wedding of the neighbor Ans was celebrated, but not of the landlady's daughter with, but her, the servant girl so long despised, the poor orphan, now with the richest girl in the area. -- In happiness and peace the years of those thus united roll by -- and if they are not dead, they live they still do today.