Madame Ulvosha

prophecy

Friday, April 22

One night, the boy was sleeping on the island of Taokan Lake when he was suddenly awakened by the sound of paddlings.

As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw a strong beam of light shining over, causing his eyes to blink.

At first he couldn't figure out what it was, and could illuminate it so brightly on the lake.

But he soon saw a small flat boat moored beside the reeds, and a torch was burning on the sharp iron at the stern.

The blazing flames on the torch are clearly reflected on the lake at night.

The bright fire must be used to lure the fish, because you can see a group of small black spots on the water surface moving around and changing positions constantly.

There were two old men on the flatbed, one sitting by the oar and the other standing next to the horizontal board at the stern, holding a short harpoon with a thick barb in his hand.

The paddler was obviously a poor fisherman.

He is small, haggard and weathered.

He was wearing a thin shabby dress.

It was obvious that he had become accustomed to all kinds of weather and did not care about the cold.

Another one who was full and dressed heavily, seemed to be a wealthy and complacent farmer.

"Stop now!"

The farmer said that at this time they were directly opposite the island where the boy was.

At the same time, he inserted the harpoon into the water, and when he took it out of the water, there was already a long and plump eel forked on it.

“Look!”

He took the eel off the harpoon and said, "This fish is pretty good, huh?

I think we have caught a lot of fish and can go back."

Instead of picking up the paddle, their companions sat there and looked around.

“Tonight, the scenery on this lake is amazing.”

He said.

That's true.

The entire lake was calm and quiet. Except for the narrow and long ripples left behind when the boat was rowing forward, the entire lake was as flat as a mirror, and the rippling ripples were like a golden road, shining under the light of fire.

The sky is blue, clear and densely covered with stars.

The shore of the lake was obscured by reed-covered islands, and only to the west, Mount Om towered in the darkness, cutting a huge triangle in the sky.

The farmer turned his head, avoiding the shaky fire, and then looked at him.

"Yes, East Yetland is indeed beautiful," he said. "But the most commendable thing about the province is not its beauty."

"So, what is the most commendable thing?"

The old man rowing the paddling asked.

“That has always been the fame and reputation of this province.”

“That is indeed commendable.”

“And, people know that this reputation and reputation will last forever.”

"But how exactly can a person know?"

asked the man sitting by the paddle.

The farmer stood up straight and held his harpoon firmly.

"In my family, there is an ancient legendary story passed from father to son, through which one can learn what will happen in East Yetland in the future."

"So, you might as well tell me."

The paddler said.

"We generally don't tell this story to anyone, but you are my old partner and I won't keep it secret from you."

“In Ulvosha of East Yetland,” he continued.

From the tone of his speech, we can see that he told stories that he heard from others and remembered them well.

“Many, many years ago, there lived a lady who had the talent to foresee the future. She helped others predict what was going to happen, and she spoke with both affirmative and precise words, as if those things had already happened.

Because of this talent, she became famous everywhere.

This is easy to understand why people from far and near came to her and asked her to predict the good or bad luck for themselves.

“One day, Madame Ulvosha sat as usual in the hall spinning, and a poor farmer came to her house and sat on a stool near the door.

"'I'm thinking, what are you thinking about in your heart when you are sitting here, dear lady.

’The farmer sat for a while and said.

“‘I sit here, thinking about noble and sacred things.

’ She replied.

‘In this case, I have some things that have been on my mind for a long time. I wonder if it is appropriate?

’The farmer said.

"'The things that make you worry about are probably nothing but whether you can collect three or five dou more in the field.

And what I often have to answer is the king's question, such as how long his throne can last.

The question for the Pope is whether there will be any unexpected changes in his golden key.

’'Things like these are not easy to answer,' said the farmer, 'I have also heard that no one who came here, after hearing the prediction of his fate, was not satisfied.

’

"After the farmer said, he noticed that Madame Ulvosha had bit her lip and straightened her body on the bench.

‘That’s what you heard about me,’ she said, ‘Then, you might as well try your luck and ask me something you want to know and see if I can answer it to satisfy you.

’

"After she said this, the farmer explained his purpose without hesitation.

He said he wanted to ask what the future of East Yetland was.

Nothing more affectionate than his hometown, he felt that if he could get a satisfactory answer to this question, he would be happy until the day of death came.

“‘Oh! If that’s what you want to know,’ said the smart lady, ‘then I think you will be satisfied.

What I can tell you is that this is what East Yetland will be: There is always something to boast about in front of other provinces.

’

"'Indeed, it's a good answer, dear lady,' said the farmer, 'If I could know that things could be like this, I would be calm and satisfied.

’

“‘Why is it impossible?

’Madame Ulvosha said, ‘Don’t you know that East Yetland is already famous?

Do you think that in Sweden, can you find a place like this that is worthy of bragging, with two monasteries like Alvastella and Freta, and a beautiful church in Lincheping?

’

“‘Maybe it’s the case,’ said the farmer, ‘but I am an older person, and I know that people’s minds are changeable.

What I worry about is the arrival of that day, that is, they will not give us this honor because we have monasteries or even churches like Alvastella and Freta.

’

“‘You may be right at this point,’ said Madame Ulvosha, ‘but you do not need to doubt my prophecy because of this.

I am now preparing to build a new monastery in Wadeltanna, which will become the most famous monastery in the north.

Noble and lowly can come here to make pilgrimage, and all people will sing hymns because there is such a noble place in this province.

’

"The farmer replied, he was glad to know about it.

But of course he also knew that everything was easy to disappear, and there was no eternal thing, and he wanted to know what else could bring honor to the province if the Abbey of Wadeltanna was one day ruined.

"'It is not easy to satisfy you,' said Madame Ulvosha, 'but because I can really foresee what will happen a long time later, I can tell you that if the Abbey of Wadeltanna one day loses its glory, a castle that is most magnificent in the future will be built next to it.

The kings and princes and nobles would visit there, and the whole province was very glorious because of such a gorgeous building.

’

“‘I’m happy to hear you say this,’ said the farmer, ‘but I am an older person and I know what the reputation of the world will eventually become.

Once the castle becomes ruins, what else can this province attract people's attention?
To be continued...