Page:Fairy tales and stories (Andersen, Tegner).djvu/247

Rh poetry and fairy tales. I ought to hold my tongue about it, but this must be the work of Providence, or fate — something which has taken possession of me, something that sticks in my throat; it must come out. The will-o'-the-wisps are in town. They have been let loose. You mortals had better beware!" "I don't understand a word of it," said the man.

"Be good enough to sit down on the cupboard," she said; "but don't fall into it and break the bottles — you know what there is in them. I will tell you of the great event; it happened only yesterday, and it has happened before. This one has still three hundred and sixty-four days to run. You know, of course, how many days there are in the year?"

And the woman from the marsh began her story.

"There were grand doings out here in the marsh yesterday. There was a children's party. A little will-o'-the-wisp was born here — in fact, there were twelve of them born to the same family, and to them it is given to become mortals if they choose, and to appear, act, and command as if they were human beings. It is a great event in the marsh, and therefore all the will-o'-the-wisps, male and female, — for there are also females amongst them, but they are never mentioned, — were dancing like little lights all over the marshes and meadows. I sat on the cupboard there and had all the twelve new-born will-o'-the-wisps in my lap; they shone like glow-worms, and were already beginning to jump and increase in size every minute, so that before a quarter of an hour had passed they all began to look just as large as if they were fathers or uncles. Now it is an old established law and privilege that when the moon stands in the sky just as she did yesterday, and the same wind blows which blew yesterday, it is decreed and granted to all the will-o'-the-wisps who are born in that hour and in that minute to become mortals, and through the whole year to exercise their power everywhere, one and all of them. The will-o'-the-wisp may run at large all round the country and the whole world as well, if he is not afraid of falling into the sea or being blown out in a heavy gale. He can enter into a human being, talk to him, and make any movement he likes. The will-o'-the-wisp can assume any form whatever, man or woman, and can talk and act in their spirit, but according to his own notions of extremes, so that he arrives at any result he wishes. But in the course of the year he must know and understand how to lead three hundred and sixty-five mortals astray, — and that he must do in grand style, — to lead them astray from truth and righteousness; then he will rise to the highest position a will-o'-the-wisp can attain — that of becoming fore-runner to the devil's state chariot, with a fiery-yellow coat and the flames shooting out of his throat. That's enough to make the mouths of the common will-o'-the-wisps water!

"But there is some danger and a good deal of work to be done by an ambitious will-o'-the-wisp who intends to play such a role. If a mortal