Feelings
and Spirits!
Margaret
Felder
The
feelings we have for places and people are often due to events of
long, long ago. And, every time Margaret Felder goes back to the
mountains of her childhood she takes extra care. For, lying in wait
could be Ribezahl. And Ribezahl is special. He is the spirit
of the mountains.
It
was many years ago. Margaret Felder's
grandfather Franz was carrying a huge bail of wool down
the mountain to sell in the village. And, being unusually hot, Franz
was tired. And so, this still very young man decided to stop for a
rest and sat down on a tree trunk. But, his rest didn't last long!
Out of the blue came a very strong wind and carried away the bail of
wool. There was nothing Franz could do. Gone was the wool and with it
the cash for the basics of life. And there, with his face in his
hands he was desperate.
Then
something made him look up. Sitting by his side was Ribezahl. He
had come out of nowhere. And then, after listening to Franz's
story, Ribezahl told him not to worry and gave him an envelope.
And, in it was the cash he would have got if the wool had been sold.
But,
paying it back? Again Ribezahl smiled. He told Franz to come back
again in a year with the money. And so, Franz went home with a
smile. And, he and his family worked hard and saved. And, sure
enough, Franz returned with the money.
And,
he couldn't thank Ribezahl enough. And, smiling, Ribezahl took the
money and left! But, that wasn't the end of the story.
Turning
to go home, Franz saw something on the tree trunk. It was the
envelope he had given Ribezahl. And the money was still in it, and
with it a note. It said that Franzi's
honesty and thanks had been more than enough, and he should keep the
money for the good of his family! Again, Franz went home with a
smile. A wonderful end to a wonderful story.
But,
Ribezahl had his dark sides as well. One day, he fell in love with a
beautiful young girl and wanted to marry her. Of course, the young
girl refused. But, Ribezahl wouldn't take no for an answer. He
kidnapped the girl and held her prisoner in his castle
until she tricked him into letting her go.
And,
where is Ribezahl now? No one has seen him for a very long time, and
people believe he has gone. But, Margaret Felder knows better. She
knows he's still there. And, every time she goes back to her village
she finds a loaf of brown bread, a jar of honey, and a bottle of wine
on her door step. And, it's the same kind of bread, honey and wine
that she got long ago while still young. She was Ribezahl's
prisoner – and that she will never forget!
Vocabulary
bail
of wool – Webball
desperate
– verzweifelt
envelope
– Umschlag
huge
– riesig
kidnapped
(to kidnap/kidnapped/kidnapped) – entfuhrt
prisoner
– Gefangener
spirit
- Geist
trunk
– Baumstamm
