grey fairy tale book

Chapter 43 Three Musicians
Once upon a time, there were three musicians who studied music under the same master. After they finished their studies, they decided to travel together and try their luck in a foreign country.They traveled around happily, lived a decent life, and people appreciated their performances.One evening, they came to a village, and the villagers here liked the wonderful music they played.After the performance, they found a place to eat and drink while listening to the chats of the surrounding villagers.The villagers talked about many trivial things about their parents, and also talked about some strange stories in this area.In the end, the topic focused on a nearby old castle, and the villagers talked about the strange things that happened in the old castle.Someone said that there must be gold and silver treasures hidden there; another said that the old castle had been abandoned for many years and no one lived there, but it often smelled of food; another said that the old castle was a haunted house , the inside is haunted so badly that if someone breaks in, it's likely to be close to death.

The three musicians went back to their bedroom to discuss for a while, and agreed that they should explore the mysterious castle, maybe they could find treasure there!After making up their minds, they decided to go in one by one to try their luck according to their age. Each of them could only stay in the castle for one day.

The violinist was the first to embark on the journey with confidence.When he came to the castle, he found that the outer gate of the castle was open, as if the owner of the castle had long been looking forward to his arrival.But as soon as he stepped into the door, the heavy door closed automatically with a bang, and a huge iron latch was inserted, as if a sentinel was doing all this, but the violinist didn't see it at all around any humans.The violinist was terrified, but it was too late to turn around and go back, standing here was not an option.Thinking of the gold and silver treasures that might be hidden in the castle, the violinist regained his courage and strength. He boldly walked into the castle, carefully searched every room upstairs and downstairs, and walked through the tall buildings. The drawing-rooms, the pretty rooms and the girls' boudoirs, all furnished with taste and everything in perfect order.

It's just that he didn't find anything alive, not even a fly, and a deathly silence enveloped the entire castle.He was very nervous, and he didn't let go of his hanging heart until he came to the basement - there were many hot delicacies in the kitchen, exuding a tempting aroma; There was good wine; the pantry was full of jars of jam, of every taste.There was a raging fire in the kitchen, and a piece of tender beef was roasting on the stove, and a pair of invisible hands were smearing various seasonings on the beef.At the same time, all kinds of vegetables, dishes and seasonings are flying around in the air, as if there are many invisible chefs cooking these delicacies.The violinist was taken aback. Before he could think about it, he was led into a small room by a pair of invisible hands.After a while, the table in front of him was filled with the delicacies he saw in the kitchen.

The violinist took out his violin and played a tune, and the sound of the violin echoed melodiously in the empty hall.After playing, he grabbed his knife and fork and ate.After a while, the door of the room opened, and a dwarf waddled in.He looked no more than three feet tall, in a nightgown, with a wrinkled face and a gray beard that hung down to the silver buckles of his shoes.The little old man sat down beside the violinist and began to eat.When it was time for the game, the fiddler handed the dwarf a knife and fork, and asked him to eat as he pleased, and then handed him the dishes.The little man nodded, but he ate so clumsily that he dropped a piece of meat he had just cut to the floor.

The kind violinist bent down to pick up the meat for him.In the blink of an eye, the little old man jumped on his back and beat the violinist until his nose was bruised and his face was bruised and he was dying with a rain of fists and kicks.Seeing that the violinist was half dead, the evil little old man jumped to the ground and dragged the violinist out of the big iron gate of the old castle. People were dragged out like a dead dog.The fresh air brought the violinist back to consciousness, he rested for a while, and staggered back to the inn with his aching body.It was late at night when he returned to the bedroom, and his two companions were already fast asleep.When they saw the violinist sleeping next to them the next morning, they were so shocked that they kept asking him what happened.But the violinist covered his face, and simply replied, "Go and see for yourselves. But I assure you, it's a tricky business."

The second musician was a trumpet player, and he also set off for the castle, but his experience was exactly the same as that of the violinist, first he was warmly recruited by the invisible hand, and then he was beaten half to death by the dwarf.The next morning, he also lay on the bed covered in bruises and swore to his two companions that it would definitely not be easy to enter this haunted castle.Nevertheless, a third musician, a flute player, decides to try his luck in the castle, as he may be the only one who can find the hidden treasure.So he set off without hesitation.

He bravely searched the castle, turning all the beautiful empty rooms.He thought to himself, it would be great if he could live here all the time, especially if there is a wine cellar and a warehouse for food, this life is really like a living god.Presently a rich meal was set before him too, and he walked a little while about the room, singing and playing—as fiddlers and trumpeters do, and when the song was over he Sit down, ready to enjoy the table food in front of you.Then the bearded dwarf came in again and sat down beside the flute player.The flutist was taken aback by his strange appearance, but he still chatted with him enthusiastically, as if they were friends who had known each other for many years.But he found that the dwarf didn't seem to be very talkative.When the game was served, the dwarf repeated his old trick, pretending to accidentally drop a piece of meat on the ground.The kind flute player was just about to stoop to pick it up, when he saw the little man jumping on his back.He quickly turned around and grabbed the little man's beard, and with a sharp tug, he pulled out his beard by the roots. The little man groaned in pain, and suddenly disappeared into the ground.

After grabbing the dwarf's beard, the flute player suddenly felt full of strength all over his body, as if there was nothing he couldn't do now, any subtleties in the castle and places he hadn't noticed before, now became in his eyes. Be clear.But the dwarf was in a bad situation. He seemed to have lost all his strength, so he could only cry in the ground and said, "Give me back my beard! I will tell you about all the magic mechanisms in the castle. It will also let you take away the hidden gold and silver treasures, which will make you happy and rich for a lifetime."

The shrewd flute player replied: "I can give you back the beard, but first you have to do what you just promised me. Otherwise, I will never let go!"

Although the dwarf was reluctant at all, he had to fulfill his promise in order to get his beard back.He led the flute player through the secret passage and basement, and turned around a gray stone forest. Suddenly, a wide field appeared in front of him. The scenery is beautiful and pleasant, just like a fairyland in Taoyuan.When they came to a rushing river, the dwarf drew out a magic wand and touched the waves in the river. The river in front of him immediately receded to both sides, revealing a road across the river at the bottom of the river.The walls of water on either side rolled in waves, but they crossed dryly.

The scenery on the other side of the river is even more beautiful.The green path passes through the fields and woods full of flowers, the birds with golden and silver feathers are singing on the branches, the beautiful butterflies are dancing, the shiny scarabs are crawling slowly on the grass leaves, many lovely The little beast was poking around in the woods.The sky was not blue but almost the color of pure gold, and the stars were twice their usual size and far brighter than we could see anywhere on Earth.

The dwarf led him into a castle that was bigger and more magnificent than the one just now.The flute player was amazed.But the castle was also shrouded in dead silence.They went through the hall and at last came to a room in the middle of the castle.There was a large bed in the room, surrounded by thick curtains on all sides.There was a birdcage hanging above the bed, and a bird in the cage was singing a melodious tune, which was the only sound in this completely silent place.The little man raised the curtain over the bed and beckoned the flute player to come forward.On a silk mattress embroidered with gold threads lay a sleeping girl, she was as beautiful and serene as an angel, with curvy blond hair hanging on her shoulders as smooth as marble, and a shiny cloak on her head Diamond crown.But she seemed to be dead asleep, and it seemed that no sound could wake her up.

The dwarf turned and said to the bewildered flute player, "Behold, this is Sleeping Beauty. She is the princess of a mighty empire. This magnificent castle and this wonderful land are hers, but because of the Magic, she has been asleep for hundreds of years. During this time, I have guarded her, so no mortals have ever been here. I eat every day in my own castle, if a greedy treasure hunter breaks into me I'll beat them up. But all my mana is attached to my beard, since you took my beard, now I'm a useless old man, and I can't watch the sleeping Therefore, I can only tell you this big secret. Now do as I say! See the bird on the bedside, there is magic in its song that makes people sleep, it is it that makes the princess into a long sleep, and it has sung ever since, and has never ceased. You catch the bird, kill it, take its heart, burn it to powder, and feed it into the princess's mouth, and she Will wake up at once. She will fall in love with you at first sight, and marry herself to you, so that her kingdom, castle, and all her possessions will be yours."

After speaking, the dwarf sat on the ground exhausted.The flute player immediately and carefully did what the little man said.He took out the bird's heart and burned it into powder, and as soon as he poured the powder into the princess's mouth, the princess opened her beautiful eyes.She gazed at the face of the happy young man before her, then kissed him tenderly, thanked him for delivering her from the spell of sleep, and promised to marry the flutist.At the same time, there was a thunderous sound inside and outside the castle, and every step and every room in the castle re-issued the sound.Many entourages and servants crowded into the princess' room, congratulated and blessed the princess and her bridegroom, and then returned to their respective posts to perform their duties.

At this time the dwarf asked the flute player for his beard.But in fact, the dwarf is full of bad water.The happiness of the flute player and the princess drove him mad with rage.He decided that as soon as he got his beard back and his powers back, he would destroy their happiness and put them at his mercy.But the clever flute player was no less shrewd and cunning than the little man, and he said, "Well, don't worry, I will give you back the beard before we part. But you must let me and My bride will give you a ride."

The dwarf could not refuse the request, and together they walked through grassy paths and fields of flowers, and at last came to the bank of the swift river.The river was many miles wide, and it encircled the princess's domain, which was the boundary of her kingdom.With neither bridges nor ferries across the river, there was hardly any way to get to the other side.Even the best swimmers dare not swim for fear of being buried in the roaring rapids and eddies.The flute player said to the dwarf, "Give me your wand, that I may part the river."

The dwarf had to draw his wand, and handed it to the flutist—for his beard was still in the flutist's hand.But the wicked little man was sniggering in his heart, thinking: "When we cross the river, this stupid fellow will surely give me back the beard, and when I get my powers back, I'll grab the wand so they can't do it forever." Back to that beautiful country."

But the dwarf's trick came to naught.As soon as the flute player touched the water with his wand, the water parted in two directions, revealing a channel at the bottom of the river. The little man stepped across the river, and no sooner had he stepped on the other side than the walls of water on both sides of the channel collapsed, and the river flowed swiftly again. - and the flute player and the princess, they didn't follow the dwarf across the river at all.They threw the dwarf's beard across the river, but they kept their wands, so that the wicked dwarf could never set foot in their country.The flute player and the princess happily returned to their castle and lived happily ever after.

The two companions of the flute player waited for a long time but did not see the flute player coming back. At last they despaired, thinking that the flute player must have died in the old castle.So they said sadly: "Ah! Now he must be playing the flute in heaven." Later, this sentence spread and became an idiom.Since then, "playing the flute in heaven" has been used to describe people who set off on missions and never returned.

(End of this chapter)