The Golden Heart & Other Fairy Stories

Synopsis

The night lay clear upon the North Sea, but now and then a soft wind came floating by; it whistled through the rigging of a fishing smack in which a little boy lay under a tarpaulin, peeping over the side of the boat down into the water below. His father had told him to be still and to go to sleep, so he lay looking up at the spangled sky above, and the masts rocking to and fro against the stars as the boat swayed about. Sometimes he thought the tall, dark forms looked like black arms trying to reach the bright lamps and put them out. He did not feel sleepy as he lay by himself and he began to wonder, as he gazed into the water, how deep it was down there, and whether the little fishes among the shells and seaweeds were ever told by their fish-fathers to go to sleep, and, if so, whether they found it as hard to do as he did. Presently he saw the eyes of a great shining fish staring up at him. It opened its mouth as if it wished to be friendly, but hardly knew how to begin, so the little boy plucked up courage, though he had never met a fish before and was not quite sure how to address one. ÒIs it very cold in the sea?Ó he inquired shyly. ÒThat depends on what you are accustomed to,Ó replied the fish. ÒFor my part, I should say it was a particularly warm night for the time of year. What in the world do you find to do in that monstrous boat? Is there anything worth eating up there?Ó ÒItÕs very dull,Ó said the little boy. ÒMy father said I was to go to sleep, but I canÕt. IÕm not sleepy.Ó ÒWhy donÕt you come down here?Ó suggested the fish. ÒIt stands to reason that it must be much more amusing in the water.Ó ÒI should be drowned; I canÕt swim like you.Ó ÒHow dreadfully ignorant,Ó remarked the fish. The little boy was rather hurt at this, and made no reply. ÒWell,Ó continued the hoarse voice from below, Òif you like to come with me, I can show you some of the most wonderful things in the world; you can hold by my tail and IÕll pull you along. You canÕt drown so long as you donÕt let go.Ó The little boy was much tempted. ÒBut are you sure you wonÕt leave me?Ó he asked anxiously. ÒGoodness, no,Ó replied the fish, ÒIÕll see that no harm comes to you. You are evidently a shockingly ignorant child, and it would be real charity to show you something of the world. Come along and donÕt be silly.Ó The little boy looked round to see that there was no one near, then he slipped over the side and, in another minute, was in the sea and holding firmly to the tail of his new acquaintance. Away they shot through the clear water; it was not nearly so cold as it had looked, and the rapid motion was very exciting. On they flew, smoothly and easily; they passed tall ships and curiously-shaped masses of rock sticking up out of the sea. Great twisted pieces of sea-weed floated by them, and the flashing lights of OrionÕs Belt seemed suspended from the dark blue arch overhead, while, up in the north, the Northern Lights shot their trembling streamers far into the centre of the sky. By the time day was dawning they had reached a tract of ocean where there was neither sail nor coast, and where the rolling line of water stretched for miles around. ÒNow,Ó said the fish, ÒI will show you one of the strangest things in the world. Can you see anything between us and the horizon?Ó ÒI see a dark spot a long way off.Ó The light was growing brighter every moment, and pale streaks in the sky began to kindle the sea when the fish and his companion drew near the object of which they had been speaking. In the midst of the heaving water there rose a steep rock; on its grim sides grew neither sea-weed nor anything to give sign of life. There was an oppressive silence hanging over everything, and the water lay dark and still; no little wave played against the relentless stone. On the top of this rock a beautiful woman sat with her hands clasped together. She wore a black robe against which her arms shone like ivory, and her hair flowed in a shower over her shoulders. Now and then she raised her eyes and looked out to sea; they wandered over the horizon and rested with a look of sad expectation upon it, then she sighed and glanced down at something which she held in her hand. Beside her stood the only living creature excepting herself visible on that desolate placeÑa gigantic grey cormorant of terrible aspect and size. A gleam of light from the rising sun shot over the waters, and, as it touched the womanÕs hair with its first rays, the cormorant flew up into the air. From some hidden place in the rock another bird appeared, and, joining its mate, rose with him far above their bleak abode; then the two sailed away and were soon lost in the distance. ÒWhat does it all mean? Oh, do tell me!Ó begged the little boy. ÒI thought I could show you something surprising,Ó chuckled the fish; Òthis is the history of it. I am one of thevery few who know anything about it. Inside that rock, in a cavern which is reached by a passage to which no one knows the entrance, sits an old witch; she is very wicked, and is sometimes able to cast dreadful spells upon her enemies. That Princess who sits there is the daughter of a King, whose country is an immense way off, and who once had the ill-luck to offend the old woman. So, when the Princess was a child, she went to the KingÕs palace and stole her away; here she has kept her sitting, year after year, upon this lonely rock with no one to speak to but the old cormorant. Every day he keeps guard in case someone should come to take her away, and every morning he flies off to fish with his mate, who has a nest just now and young ones in a cave of the rock. Once in two days the hag comes out to bring the Princess food and to ask her whether she sees anyone coming, and when she gets no reply, she laughs and leaves her again.Ó