Home How to The Willow’s Tale

How to

The Willow’s Tale

24 November, 2024

Fairy Tale Under the Willow Tree

The land around the town of Kgiôêgiê on the island of Xilen is very barren. This town is on the seaside. The ocean is always beautiful. But it can be said that Kgiôêgiê beach is even more beautiful than everywhere else. All around the town is a flat field, all fields, no trees, the main road runs to the nearest forest.

However, when people grow up in a place and are attached to that place, they often find something there that fascinates them, and later, even when they live in the most beautiful and interesting places, they still want to return to see the old place.

Indeed, at the beginning of Kgiôêgiê town, along the stream flowing into the sea, there are a few small gardens, where in the summer, people can imagine they are in heaven.

There were two neighboring children who also imagined so when they crawled through the blackberry bushes separating their parents’ two gardens to play with each other. There is a tree in this garden and a willow tree in that garden. The two children liked to play under this willow tree the most. Their parents had allowed them to play under the willow tree, even though it grew right next to the stream and they could fall into the water. But the sky was still watching, protecting them, otherwise there would have been many complaints.

Moreover, the two children also knew how to take care of themselves so as not to fall into the stream. Even the boy was so afraid of the water that, in the summer on the beach, no one could make him soak himself in the sea while the other children liked to wade. They teased, mocked, he also endured, did not complain. Gian, his little girlfriend, once dreamed that she was surfing on a boat and he (that is, Knut) was walking towards Gian, the water was up to his neck, then his head, and finally he disappeared.

Since Knut knew about this dream, he could no longer bear the ridicule of the other boys. He went into the water. Gian had dreamed of him like that. In fact, he had never dared to do such a thing, but he was very proud of his actions in his friend’s dream.

Illustration.

Their parents were poor. The two met each other. Knut and Gian often played together in the garden and on the road on both sides of the fence planted with rows of willows. Those trees were pruned, so they didn’t seem to be very big. People planted them not for decoration but for profit.

The old willow tree in that small garden looked better, with long branches that looked like a cradle. The two children liked to hide in it. There is a large square in the town used as a market place. On the day of the session, people set up long rows of tents and canopies, in which are displayed colored ribbons, toys, shoes… anything you want to buy. The place was crowded. Among those shops was a large bakery. A rare opportunity: the owner of the bakery would come to stay at Knut’s parents’ house every session. Occasionally he got a few pieces of cake, and of course Gian also had a share.

But there is something even more interesting, which is that the baker knows all kinds of things in the world, even about cakes. One night, he told a story about cakes that moved the two children so much that they never forgot it. He said:

– Among the cakes displayed in the shop, there are two human-shaped cakes, a boy with a hat and a girl with bare hair. They only have a human face in front, so look at their backs. Likewise, people only look good in front. On the left side of the boy is a bitter almond, which is his heart. The girl was kneaded with honey. They were displayed as samples in the shop’s cabinet. They were there for so long that they eventually fell in love. But they never confessed to each other. She should have spoken first, then their love would have been successful.

“She thought to herself, ‘He’s a boy, so he should speak first.’ She just wanted to know if he reciprocated her feelings. The boy, on the other hand, thought more broadly, as men often do. He dreamed that he was a street child, like so many children who passed in front of him. He dreamed that he had four shillings and would use it to buy her to eat.”

“They were still in the shop’s cabinet from week to week. Gradually they dried out. Her feelings became more and more emotional, just like a real woman.

She sighed and said, ‘It’s wonderful that I’ve been with you for so long.’

“Then she broke into two pieces with a snap and died.

“He thought to himself, ‘If she knew my love, she should have tried to live!’

The baker continued:

– The story is just that and these are the two characters. These are not ordinary cakes but special characters who have proven that a silent love never leads to any result. Here, take it, I’ll give it to you.

He gave Gian the cake in the shape of a boy, still intact. Knut got the two pieces that used to be the girl cake.

But the two children were so moved by the sad story that they couldn’t bear to eat the unfortunate couple.

The next day, they brought them to the cemetery. They sat down on the grass. Along the wall of the church, which was covered with ivy all year round, they placed the two cakes in a small tomb built into the wall among the flowers and leaves, full of sunlight, and told the story of the unsuccessful silent love to another group of children.

Each of them found the story very interesting. But when they wanted to see the unfortunate couple again, the girl was gone. A bigger boy had eaten her raw. Knut and Gian cried bitterly.

Then, probably not wanting to let the boy live alone in the world, they ate him too, but they never forgot the story.

They continued to play together under the magnolia tree and under the shade of the willow tree. The little girl sang the best songs in the world, with a voice as clear as a silver bell. Knut didn’t have a singing voice but he knew the words to the songs, which was good enough. The people of Kgiôêgiê, even the wife of the toy store owner who had lived in the capital, all stopped to listen to Gian sing.

She said:

Her singing voice is wonderful!

Those were happy days, but they didn’t last long. The two families had to part. Gian’s mother died and her father was going to remarry in the capital because he had been promised a job as a runner in a large shop, which was a profitable job, earning more money. When they parted, the two neighbors cried, and so did the two children. They promised to write to each other at least once a year.

Part II – Knut meets Gian againKnut was sent to apprentice at a shoemaker’s house. He was too old to be fed and allowed to play outside. It was the day of his first communion. On that day he wanted to go to Copenhagen to meet Gian. Alas! He did not leave the town of Kgiôêgiê. He had never seen the capital even though it was only five miles away. On sunny days, Knut looked across the bay and saw the tall towers of the city of Copenhagen. On the day of his first communion, he even saw the golden cross of the Church of Our Lady shining brightly in the sun. His soul flew to Gian.

Does she still think of him? Yes, on Christmas Eve, her father sent a letter to his house saying that they were living in Copenhagen very comfortably and especially that Gian, thanks to her beautiful singing voice, could have a brilliant future. She had gotten a job in the singing troupe at the theater. She earned a little money and it was she who sent her dear neighbor in Kgiôêgiê a gold coin as a Christmas present. She invited them to drink to her health. That was what she had written herself in the postscript of the letter and added, “With love to Knut.”

The whole family read the letter and cried. Anyway, it was good news, so they cried for joy. From that day on, the image of Gian invaded Knut’s soul. And now he sees that she also thinks of him. The closer it gets to the end of his apprenticeship, the more he thinks that of course she will become his wife. Here he smiled happily and sewed twice as fast. He pressed hard on the leather strap until he pierced his finger with a deep hole, but that didn’t hurt him at all. He told himself, “I definitely won’t play the role of a mute like the young couple made of cakes.” They had taught him a good lesson.

So he became a craftsman. Shouldering his bag, he left for Copenhagen for the first time to find a job at a new master’s house. Gian would be surprised and delighted! Now she was seventeen and he was nineteen. He wanted to buy her a ring in Kgiôêgiê, but he thought that in Copenhagen there might be more beautiful ones. Then one rainy autumn day he left his parents’ house and set off for the capital.

On the first Sunday, he hurried to visit Gian’s father. He wore a new suit and a new hat bought in Kgiôêgiê, which suited him very well. Knut had always worn a straw hat before. He found the house and climbed up to the attic until he was dizzy. He was afraid to see that in this terrible capital, people lived on top of each other like that. The room looked quite comfortable. Gian’s father welcomed him warmly. His stepmother, who did not know Knut, also shook his hand and offered him a cup of good coffee. His father said:

– If Gian were to see you, she would surely be very happy. Now you look really healthy and handsome. You can’t forget us now, can you? Can you let the whole winter pass without coming to see us again?

Hearing this, he thought that on Sunday he could definitely come back here. He made up his mind – who could stop him? – that every night after work, he would walk around the city. Wherever he went, he always passed by Gian’s place. He looked up at her window, seeing that it was almost always lit. Once he clearly saw her shadow on the curtain. For him, that evening was so beautiful! Every night he went like that, the landlady didn’t like it at all, she shook her head in worry. The landlord smiled and said:

– Boys have to let them enjoy their youth!

Knut thought to himself, “By next Sunday, I’ll tell her that she has taken over my whole soul and she will have to become my wife. I’m just a poor apprentice shoemaker, but I won’t be long. I’ll work, endure whatever it takes. Yes, I’ll just say it straight. A silent love never leads to any result. The story of those cakes has taught me a lot…”

On Sunday Knut came again, but alas! They had been invited to a party outside the city. Knut couldn’t get out. Gian held his hand to remind him:

– Have you been to the theater yet? Anyway, you have to go see one. On Wednesday I’ll be singing there, that day, if you’re free, I’ll give you a ticket. My father knows your boss.

How kind she was to him! By noon on Wednesday, he indeed received an envelope, sealed, with no words inside but a ticket. That evening, for the first time, Knut went to the theater. He saw Gian. How beautiful and lovely she was! It was true that she had been given to someone else, but that was just a fake play. Knut understood that, otherwise she wouldn’t have sent him a ticket to let him see that scene. Everyone clapped and shouted loudly, and Knut shouted even louder.

Even the king smiled at Gian, indicating that he liked to hear her sing very much. Knut felt insignificant. He told himself, “I love her so much! She also loves me, that’s enough to level everything. But men have to speak first, the girl made of cakes thought so. Her story has taught me a lot…”

On the next Sunday he came again. He was no less excited than the day of his first communion. The whole family was out, only Gian was there to welcome him, what a rare opportunity. She said:

– You’re really here at a good time, I was about to ask my father to look for you, but I had a premonition that tonight you would definitely come, because I want to tell you that by Friday I will be going to France. I have to go on such a trip to make it happen.

Knut felt as if the room was upside down. His heart seemed about to break into a thousand pieces. His eyes didn’t shed tears, but he looked sad. She said:

– You’re a brave and loyal boy.

That sentence prompted Knut to confess his love for her and that she would definitely become his wife. But as soon as he finished speaking, he saw Gian change her face and turn pale. She let go of his hand and replied in a serious and sad tone:

– Knut, don’t torment yourself and don’t torment me. I will always be your good and trustworthy little sister, but that’s all.

Then she gently placed her hand on Knut’s hot forehead and said:

– God gives us strength to do difficult things in life, as long as we have determination and courage.

At that moment, her stepmother came in. Gian said:

– Knut went crazy because I had to go far away. It’s too old for that!

Saying that, she put her hand on Knut’s shoulder, pretending that between the two of them there was only the matter of going far away, not anything else. She continued:

– You’re still young, now you have to be good and sensible like when we were little under the willow tree.

Knut felt as if the sky had fallen. His soul was like a thread blowing here and there with the wind. He was stunned, not knowing if he was invited to sit down or not. But Gian and her stepmother showed affection and concern. Gian invited him to tea and sang for him. Her voice rang out as always, she looked so beautiful. Hearing her sing, he felt relieved. Then they parted. Knut didn’t even bother to shake Gian’s hand. She understood and said:

– Anyway, you have to shake hands with your little sister before you leave, don’t you, my childhood friend?

Then she laughed through her tears and repeated the word childhood friend. Yes, that was a clever way to comfort him. They parted like that.

She got on the boat to France. Every day Knut wandered for a long time in the streets of the capital. The fellow apprentices in the workshop asked him why he always went out and brooded like that. They invited him to go out with them and said:

– When you’re young, you have to have fun!

He went with them to the dance hall, where there were many beautiful girls, but none were as beautiful as Gian. In the place where he thought he could forget her, on the contrary, her image always appeared before his eyes. Hadn’t she said, “God gives us strength as long as we have determination and courage…”? He remembered that sentence, and his soul was stirred.

At that moment, the sound of the violin rang out and the girls danced in a circle. He was startled. He felt as if he was in a place where he couldn’t bring Gian, yet she was always in his heart. He ran out, ran through the streets, past her now dark, empty, and lonely house. Everyone has their own path in this world. So did Knut.

Winter came, the scenery changed, it could be said that everything was in mourning. But when spring came again and the first boat set sail, Knut suddenly felt like traveling far, far away, farther than France. He shouldered his bag and set off, he went very far, far away, through all of Germany, from province to province, he never stopped or stopped. It wasn’t until he reached the ancient and strange city of Nuremberg that he regained his composure and stopped, then decided to stay there.

Nuremberg is an unusual city, like a picture book with illustrations. The streets are winding, the houses are not lined up in straight lines. Each house has a small tower at the end. Many statues protrude from the thickly carved walls. On the roofs of the low houses leaning against the city wall, there are dragon-shaped, wild rabbit-shaped, and greyhound-shaped water pipes.

With his luggage on his back, Knut stopped on the esplanade. He stood on an old fountain surrounded by beautiful bronze statues of fairies and historical figures. Just then a beautiful water carrier came to draw water. Having walked far, Knut was very thirsty, she invited Knut to drink and even gave him a rose from her bouquet. He took that as a good omen!

The sound of the organ rang out from a nearby church, making him homesick. He went into the