The old Grandfather Allknow came to his palace in the evening. He sniffed around a little suspiciously. “Why do I smell human flesh here?”
The old mother shook her head. “You must be flying all over Earth and your nose is filled with a scent of human flesh. That is why you smelt it here.”
The old man shrugged and sat down to eat his supper.
After his meal he laid down on the old woman's lap and went to sleep.
As he was sound asleep the old woman pulled out a golden hair and threw it to the ground. That made a sound like a harp string.
The old man woke up sharply. “What do you want, mother?”
The old woman studied the man on her lap. “Nothing son! I just had a dream.”
“What dream did you have?”
“I dreamt of a city where there was a well of water and if anybody drank from the well, they would become healthy and well. I also dreamt that the water in the well no longer flowed for the last twenty years. Is there any reason why that is so?”
Grandfather Allknow shrugged. “Of course! There is a toad in the water which does not let the water flow. If the people there kill the toad and clean the well, the water would start flowing as before.”
After this the old man fell asleep again when the woman pulled out a second gold hair and threw it on the ground.
The old man woke up again. “Did you wake me up, mother?”
The old woman again pretended to have a dream and in this dream she dreamt that a city had an apple tree which no longer bore any fruits.
This time the old man replied that there was a snake at the based of the tree and that if the people of the kingdom killed the snake and transplant the apple tree, things would go back to normal.
The old man fell asleep again when the woman pulled out the third golden hair.
“Why don't you let me sleep?” The old man asked in an exasperated voice.
“Don't be angry,” the old woman said, “I didn't want to wake you but this time I had another dream where I dreamt of a ferryman on a black sea. He has been ferrying across people on the black sea for twenty years and he wants to be free. How will he be free?” The old man sighed. “All that the very man needs to do is give the oar to another person and jump ashore. Then the other man will be the ferryman instead of him.”
The old man studied the old woman. “Now please let me sleep.”
The next morning, instead of the old man there was a young child with beautiful golden hair. The child bid farewell to his mother and flew out of the window.
At that time the old woman turned to Floatling. “These are the three golden hairs and now you also know the answers. Go and fulfill your destiny.”
Floatling told the kings of the two kingdoms the answers that they were looking for.
They were delighted and both the kings gave gifts to Floatling. The first king presented Floatling with twelve horses that were white as snow, with as much riches as they could carry. The second king presented Floatling with twelve horses black as ravens with many riches on it.
Floatling travelled on and he came to the black sea. He saw the ferryman and remembered Grandfather Allknow’s answer.
The ferryman looked anxiously at Floatling. “Do you have an answer to my question?”
Floatling nodded. “Yes. But you will have to ferry me over to the other side. It is only then that I will tell you the answer.”
The ferryman wanted to object to this. But then he realized that Floatling would not listen to him.
So he ferried Floatling to the other side along with the horses and riches too.
Floatling told him what Grandfather Allknow had said. “The next time you ferry someone just put the oar in the hands of the person and jump ashore. Then he will be the ferryman instead of you.”
Now that he was back the king could not believe that Floatling had come back with three golden hairs and also so much wealth and beautiful horses.
Then when he learned about the apples and the water the king got greedy.
He realized if he could eat the Apple or drink the water he could become a very powerful man.
So the charcoal burner's son became the king's son-in-law as the Fates had decreed.
It is believed that the king will never return because he is still ferrying people across the black sea.
Adapted from Bohemian folk tales
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