The Blind Wizard Written by Antonio Godinho Illustrated by Anne Christie
Lying on the grass under some trees, a little girl enjoyed a nap on a hot summer afternoon. It was almost time to go help Granny make a pie.
She dreamed of flying on the back of an eagle, high enough to touch the clouds. But the eagle spotted a mole burrowing out of the ground and swooped down to catch it faster than falling. As they reached the ground, the girl woke up with a start. Silly eagle. – she said – Flying is much nicer than falling. It certainly is. And it keeps you out of trouble. – said a voice. Who said that? – asked the girl, for there was no one around. Up here.
One of the branches started to bob up and down. There was a sparrow there, perched on the tip of the branch, flapping her wings up and down. Oh, I see you now! What a beautiful bird you are! Won’t you come down? I don’t know that it’s safe. Is that eagle still about? The little girl laughed at the thought and reached out her hand. That was just a dream I had, come down, won’t you? The swallow flew up in the air and flew in a circle, then landed on the girl’s hand.
It must be nice to fly. – she said. It is nice, why don’t we fly off together? Silly bird, people can’t fly. Oh yes they can. I know a man who flies. Who? Won’t you come with me and I’ll show you? I can’t, - said the little girl though she wanted to go – I must go meet my grandmother. It won’t take long and you can always fly the way back. Flying is much faster than walking. Very well then. And off they went along a trail and into a forest, talking merrily as if dreaming still.
At her house, the little girl’s grandmother was sick with worry. She waited outside the door for the girl to arrive but there was no sign of her. She must be napping somewhere – she thought – but what if she had taken a fall or gotten lost in the woods? Little girls can be so careless. Oh, please let her be safe. – she said. But after some time, as the sun got lower, the old woman began to cry. She knew something must have happened yet she could not go out and search. It would not do to leave the house empty lest the little girl arrived in the meantime.
A rider happened by, who took pity on her. What’s the matter? – he said. It’s my granddaughter. – she said - She was meant to come here but there’s no sign of her. And I can’t go and look for her, someone must stay home in case she arrives. I’ll go look, which way does she take? She always comes from that road there but she sometimes naps near the forest. Very well, I must go while there’s still light. Oh, thank you, kind sir! Please make haste!
And the rider went on to look for the girl. As an able hunter, he soon found the girl’s tracks. He saw where she had taken a nap and where she’d taken off to. He followed but found it strange that there were no tracks besides hers as she seemed to go in a straight line, as if she was being led. Finally he came to the forest she’d gone into and dared go no further. He had heard about a powerful wizard who lived in those parts and knew the girl must be in terrible danger.
The little girl followed the bird until they reached a little house in the middle of the woods. It was all made of logs and the ceiling was just moss and tree branches, it had no windows and an animal pelt hung above the threshold of the doorway but there was no door. It’s here. – said the swallow. But now the girl was scared because the house looked ominous and uninviting. I don’t want to go in there. I want to go home. – said the girl. You can fly home if you just go inside. No, please take me back home. I’m scared. Go inside and then we can fly together. – said the bird and it flew away chirping.
The girl was very unhappy and cross with the bird. I won’t fly with him even if he wants me to – she thought. She didn’t like the look of the house but she was too deep in the woods to find the way back. She hesitated there for a moment. Finally, an owl hooted and it became too scary to stay outside. She went in the house.
It was dark inside. Through gaps in the thatched roof came just enough light to see. There was a bed of straw at one corner, pots and pans near another and a table in the middle of the room. Against the wall opposite the entrance, an old man sat on stool. His skin was dark and his wide-open eyes were grey. Come in. – he said, though the little girl had been quiet as a whisper – Don’t be afraid. I just want to go home. – said the little girl – Is it true you can fly like the birds? The old man laughed, it was a deep and joyless laugh. Even birds can’t fly if they’re blind. Won’t you help an old blind man? Will you teach me to fly? – asked the little girl as she went in. She didn’t even imagine what kind of danger she had got herself into.
The horse rider sped along the road, hoping to make it in time. He went as quickly as he could without endangering his horse and very soon arrived at the field he had been seeking. In the distance were a herd of long horned cows and a cloaked man walking alongside them. He looked wretched and miserable from a distance but a closer look would reveal a fine cloak, purple with a golden rim, a solid countenance and a proud walk. The rider steered his horse toward them but all the cows turned away from him as one, the cloaked man climbed onto the back of one and they started to run.
The horse quickly caught up but it was a perilous ordeal, dodging the pointy horns and powerful bodies of the animals.
Riding alongside the cow that carried the cloaked man, the rider made his plea: I think the blind wizard has taken a little girl. – he shouted over the sound of the stampeding hooves. The cloaked man turned his head towards him, his face betraying great concern.
We must hurry. – said the cloaked man, his voice echoing somewhat as if it came from the end of a long tunnel. His mount separated from the group and both he and the rider went away, hoping to make it in time.
Out of time, out of space, out of favour, out of grace. – the little girl read an inscription that had been burned onto the wood on the wall of the house. The old man wanted proof that she could read. He had lit a lantern for her to read by. Very good. We can begin then.
Are you really going to teach me to fly? Oh, yes. I need you to read from the book. What book? The book on the table. The girl looked at the table. Where she could have sworn was nothing a moment earlier now was a book. What is it? It’s a magical book. It teaches many things. You must read me a page. And it’ll teach me to fly? Yes, and many things more. Now, read to me, child. The little girl hesitated. She didn’t trust the old man or the way that book had just appeared out of nowhere. Well? Are you going to read? She sighed. There was nothing to be done. She began to read out loud.
She mustn’t read from the book. – said the cloaked man, his mount keeping up with the horse easily. What book is it? – asked the rider, taking care to not bite his tongue when he talked as the horse galloped. It holds the secrets of life and death, of light and darkness, of heaven and hell. If she reads from it, she will become as blind as he is. But if he learns what is written on those pages, I dread to think what will happen to all of us.
Soon after, they reached the forest at the place the girl had gone in. The cloaked man was a powerful mage himself. Out of the forest came a tall stag with magnificent antlers. He knows where they went. – said the cloaked man – We must follow him. Into the forest they went and were soon joined by more deer, moving not far to the left and right of them. They kept going deeper into the forest and towards the house but would they make it in time?
A flutter of wings startled the little girl and she stopped reading. Out of a whole in the thatched roof came a crow, black as night and she noticed it was dark outside as well. How long had she been there? It could not have been longer than a few minutes. The crow landed on the old man’s shoulder and seemed to whisper in his ear.
Keep reading, my dear. – he said. The little girl was getting more and more frightened and tired. Even reading was proving hard for her tired eyes and she could not understand any of what was written on the book. Will you explain it to me after I read it? – she asked. Of course I will, my dear. – said the old man - Keep reading. Would you make the light brighter, please? It’s getting awfully dark in here. Certainly. As if by itself, the light became brighter in the room. Then it was the old man’s turn to whisper something in the crow’s ear, who jumped off of his shoulder and flew away. The little girl was more frightened than ever but she decided to get the reading over and done with so she could go home.
From the treetops came the sounds of birds but they were not singing. In a fury, they started shooting from above and hitting the riders and their mounts and their deer companions with their sharp beaks. It’s just ahead. – said the cloaked man – I can go no further. What’s going on? – asked the rider. These are his birds. You must go on ahead, we’ll fight them here. The deer started swinging their antlers and trying to hit the birds as they descended or bite them if they were in reach. Each bird that attacked cause a nasty cut to the side or stabbed deep into the skin. You must go now! He has cursed me so that I can’t enter his house! The forest had turned into a battlefield of beasts. The rider had a cut on his cheek and his own horse moved restlessly to avoid the birds. How do I stop him? Burn the book. Burn the house down if you have to.
The rider went further into the forest, hoping he’d be able to save the girl. But the birds were all around, coming down upon him and his horse. He got cut on both arms and both legs and all along his back. One bird made for the horse’s head and hit it square in the ear. Out of balance, the horse stumbled and the rider fell off. As more birds came down and hit him, he lost hope and slapped the horse strongly on the back so that it would speed away and save itself.
The little girl was very tired and hungry but she kept reading. She had to read slowly, one word at a time. She decided to take a break and ask for food but when she lifted her eyes from the book, she noticed the room was very dark and she could only see what was right in front of her eyes, everything else was blurry. She looked at the lantern and it was brighter than ever, yet the light didn’t seem enough. Why did you stop? – asked the old man. I’m tired. And hungry. And I can’t read anymore. Just a little longer now. You’re almost done. – it was true, she noticed there were only a few paragraphs left – You can eat when you’re done reading. But none of this makes any sense. It doesn’t teach you how to fly, it’s just nonsense. I want to go home.
But you can’t go home until you’ve finished reading. Just a little longer, I promise. She looked at the book and thought about it but decided not to read anymore. She also knew the old man wasn’t going to let her go. Looking around, all she could still see was the lantern. She took it in her hands. I want to go home! Let go of that! – the old man moved from his seat. His hearing was good enough that he knew what she was doing and where she was but he couldn’t see her at all. With clumsy hands he reached for her and touched the hot glass of the lantern. She dropped it as he screamed in pain and the lantern broke, setting fire to the wood of the house.
The rider lay alone on the floor of the forest, most birds gone to join the battle. His flank was bleeding and it was painful to breathe. He could see the house, not far off now but could go no further. The sound of wings came to him and a big black crow landed next to his head. He tried to hit it with his hand but the bird was too fast, it started pecking at his eyes. He covered up as well as he could but the pecking was painful and his strength was almost all gone. He had failed. Hooves were coming, strong and fast. It was his horse, coming back for its master. With a swift kick, the crow was disposed of. The rider’s spirits rose upon seeing his loyal companion and he managed to climb upon its back.
As they made for the house, he realised it was burning.
The smoke took over the whole room and now it was impossible for the girl to see. Tears ran down her cheeks as she coughed and groped for the door. She felt sleepy and weak. The last thing she felt before losing her consciousness was the pelt that covered the doorway.
The rider came up to the house and felt the overwhelming heat of the flames. He took a few steps forward, barely able to stand. He held the animal pelt and looked inside. The old man lay in a corner, his body burnt and his arms clutching the book tightly. His unseeing eyes seemed to be looking at something on the floor. It was the girl. The rider reached inside and pulled her out, just before the burning thatch fell on the floor.
She woke up to blackness. Her eyesight was completely gone but she was alive. Her grandmother nursed her back to health and they were both forever distrustful of birds thenceforth, particularly of swallows and crows. The rider became a friend and visited often, the cloaked man was never seen again.
As time passed and the little girl became a woman, what had been written on the book became clearer. She never told anyone that she had managed to read the whole page, just not out loud. And the secrets on those pages were forever kept by her, the secrets of life and death, of light and darkness, of heaven and hell.