Short & Shivery by Robert D. San Souci

Author:Robert D. San Souci [San Souci, Robert D.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 978-0-307-54596-1
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 1987-10-17T04:00:00+00:00

(a folktale from Iceland)

Many years ago, in Iceland, a deacon served in the parish of a small town, nestled in the side of a beautiful little valley. He was very much in love with a girl named Gudrun, who lived in a farm on the opposite side of the valley, across the river from his own tidy little house near his church. They were engaged to be married in the spring.

He had a handsome horse with a gray mane. He called the horse Shadow and rode him every day.

A short time before Christmas, the young man rode to Gudrun’s home and invited her to join in the Christmas Eve celebration at the church. He promised to come for her on Shadow, so they could ride back together. She was delighted and said she would watch for him in the evening, so they could leave without delay. Then she brought him tea and cakes, and they passed a long afternoon planning for their future life together.

Earlier in the day he had ridden safely across the frozen river because the ice was so thick. But even while the deacon and his betrothed were talking, an unseasonable thaw had set in. The river became a flood; much of the ice broke up and was whirled downstream in huge drifts.

When the young man left the farm late in the day, he was so full of happy dreams that he did not immediately notice how much the river had changed. As soon as it became clear to him what the situation was, he searched rapidly for a means of crossing the treacherous stream. Spotting a bridge of ice that still spanned the river, he urged Shadow onto this. But when they reached the middle, the bridge crumbled beneath them and tumbled the horse and rider into the stream.

The next morning a search party was sent out when it was found that the deacon had not returned home. Later in the day Shadow was discovered running free across a frosty meadow. Shortly after that, the searchers found the corpse of the deacon, which had drifted to the bank after the man had drowned. All the flesh had been torn off the back of his head, so the skull shone through.

Sadly they brought the body back to the town, and the deacon was buried a week before Christmas.

As it happened, the river continued to flood so dangerously that no one from one side of the valley could cross to the other. No one had been able to bring word to Gudrun of the deacon’s death. Having no idea of the tragedy that had befallen, she happily looked forward to Christmas Eve when her lover would come for her and take her across the river to the celebration at his church.

On Christmas Eve, while she was still dressing in her finest clothes, Gudrun heard a knock at the door. A moment later one of the maids opened the door but saw no one there. Since the moon was quite hidden by clouds, the girl went to fetch a light.

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