For his whole life, a farmer fought with severe illness; nonetheless, he managed to do his work to feed himself and his family. He was of such a quiet nature that people almost termed him dumb. After a long, lingering illness he died, and following his death such a dreadful storm arose that many people said that he must have been such a villain that he was not worthy of being buried at the church. So his grave was dug near to his farm.
The farmer’s wife on the other hand had exceptionally good health. She was cheerful and eloquent as though every part of her could speak, and she was so given to talking that hardly one of her neighbors could escape her pursuit.
Her death came to her unexpectedly, after which the weather turned clear and pleasant so that ignorant people thought that heaven had taken on a friendly appearance to honor her.
The couple left a grown daughter who began to consider whether she should follow a life of her father or her mother. When she compared her father’s misfortune with her mother’s happiness it seemed more attractive to follow in the latter’s footsteps. With these thoughts, she fell asleep.
Then, in a dream, a man of fiery countenance appeared to her and asked, “What are you thinking of?” She was so frightened that she forgot what she was thinking, and so answered that she was not thinking of anything. The man grasped her by the hand and said, “I will show you your father and your mother. Then, follow the path that pleases you best.” With that, he led her to a beautiful plateau filled with scented flowers on which were many thousands of souls. Among them, she also saw her father who beamed with a marvelous gleam and met her in friendly greeting. Happily, he offered for her to remain in his company. But her companion countered, “Presently you cannot remain here. However, if you follow your father you will someday share the same happiness. Come now, and visit your mother.”
They moved on to a deep, frightening valley in which an oven poured out dark flames. Here, her mother stood up to her shoulders in bubbling pitch and fiery snakes tore at her heart. Around her stood black spirits who pushed her into the mass with glowing forks. As soon as the mother saw her daughter, she called, crying pitifully, “Loving daughter, help your unhappy mother! Think on the pain with which I bore you and that I never caused you pain! Because of my indecent life style, I must endure these unspeakable tortures. Pity the tears of your mother and release me from this anguish!”
Shaken and crying, she awoke in her bed. Since she could not help her mother, she herself lived so righteously that without a doubt she went to her father after her death.