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As the old lady stirred the vegetable and herb broth in the large copper pan - which was hanging on a hook above the open fire – she looked down at her grandson with affection. He was only eight years old, and he was her favourite one of all. His older siblings had less and less time for their old granny as they got older but ‘Little Karlin’, as she called him, loved to hear her tales of yore. Tonight though, she was going to tell him something special that would stay in his memory for all time, but he had been told that he must eat his good and nourishing meal first.
‘Sit yourself down Little Karlin,’ she began, as she picked up an old clay bowl from the fire hearth and blew out the ash that had fallen into it. ‘Would you like some of that bread I made with your soup?’
He nodded shyly and helped himself to a slice that she had cut into thick doorsteps earlier. He sat down on his very own three-legged stool by the fire, and she handed him his bowl which he managed to balance on his little knees before breaking his bread into small chunks and tucking in without slurping.
‘Thank you very much, Granny,’ he politely said after swallowing the first spoonful. She smiled at him and patted him gently on the top of his head. He had such a pleasant and clear way of speaking. He was nothing like his brothers at all. They were rather rough in their ways, and they often chased girls at every opportunity.
‘You are very welcome, my boy,’ she answered as she gently eased herself into her rocking chair which was placed opposite him. She intently stared at him, and he looked up at her and felt his face go red.
‘Am I doing something wrong, Granny?’ he asked as he put his spoon down. He loved his Granny with all his heart and did not ever want to upset her. He frowned and bit his lip as he tried to think if he had done something he shouldn’t.
‘No, Little Karlin,’ she replied while she watched him pick up his spoon once more before she glanced out of the window. The day had soon become night, and the moon was casting a glow over the small village near Whitby where they lived and into her small cottage window. The moon was special, but she knew that very soon she would be moving to a life far beyond it for all eternity, going to her dear husband who had died of the cholera so long ago. He was up there waiting for her, but first she had to prepare her grandson for life without her.
‘Do you remember your Grandfather?’ she asked him, and he looked at her with surprise etched on his little face. His fringe had fallen over his eyes and he slowly brushed it away and wondered why she had mentioned him. He remembered a kindly old man with a white beard and long hair sitting where his granny was sitting now.
‘Yes Granny,’ he whispered as he finished off his soup and waited patiently to see what she would say next.
‘I will be going away very soon to be with him,’ she said and then she held out her arms as Karlin dropped his bowl onto the floor and went to kneel next to her chair. She held him close to her, as tears ran down his face.
‘Please don’t leave me, Granny,’ he sobbed. ‘I want to come with you.’
‘Hush child.’ She petted him once more. ‘You will see us both again when you fall in love.’
‘I don’t want to fall in love,’ he cried and tried to wipe away his tears, but he failed. ‘I want to be with you and Grandfather forever and ever.’
‘When you reach half a century, Little Karlin, you will be as free as a bird and a lady will come to you needing your help. ‘
He stared at her with bewilderment, but he said no more for a long while. Neither did she until the darkness was complete.
There was a rumbling from outside, and the small cottage and the ground beneath it began to shake. He rushed to the window and looked at the moon. It was very large and coming closer and closer to the earth. As he blinked in wonder and stared at the moon, he noticed that it was breaking apart. From inside it he saw someone familiar appear with enormous white wings and fly towards him. His grandfather landed gracefully and without a sound in the garden, where his Granny grew her herbs and vegetables. Karlin turned to his Granny to see if she had seen him too. She hadn’t but she was sitting smiling serenely with her eyes closed. He looked out of the window again and saw a beautiful lady wearing a white dress take the man’s hand and they smiled at each other. The lady turned to face little Karlin at the window, and waved as she blew him a kiss.
‘Remember what I told you little Karlin,’ she whispered but her voice entered his mind very clearly. ‘Everything will turn out fine and you will both join us one day.’
Karlin watched his grandfather take his lady in his arms, and together they flew away towards the moon, and then far beyond it. Tears came to his eyes as he realised that his granny was gone. He turned towards the rocking chair which was creaking and noticed that it was empty. He felt very much alone, but he never forgot her words to him.
As soon as he felt old enough, he left his parents and siblings to their own devices and wandered around North Yorkshire, picking up casual work on farms whenever he could. With a shilling for his wages, sleeping in barns and having meals on the farms. He was content enough living the quiet life and minding his own business until he reached the age of 49. Then his granny’s words from so long ago entered his thoughts.
The winter had been hard and he could not get rid of his cough and cold. He lay in a barn on a bed of straw with a thick blanket over him. But as the dawn was breaking he closed his eyes for what he thought would be the last time and realised that he would never fall in love as his beloved Granny had promised.
There was a rumble of what sounded like thunder, and very slowly he opened his eyes again and crawled to the window to look outside. The moon was breaking apart and his granny appeared next to him. But she pushed him away as he tried to reach out to her.
‘Your time has nearly come Karlin, but you can’t come to beyond the moon yet.’
‘But why not Granny?’ he asked as he stared at her wings. They were beautiful and glowing and he wondered if he would get some too. She held out her hand and reached for him but she did not hold him close. Instead she turned him around and lightly touched his back with her fingers . He got a strange but not unpleasant sensation. A cold chill enveloped him and he turned around. Tears rolled down his face as he watched his granny fly slowly back to beyond the moon without turning back. Her words came back to haunt him. ‘You will fall in love.’