Atondido Stories
“I earned them,” said Plavachek proudly. Then he related
how he helped one king who had a tree of the apples of youth
and another king who had a well of the water of life.
“Apples of youth! Water of life!” the king kept repeating soft-
ly to himself. “If I ate one of those apples I should become young
again! If I were dead the water of life would restore me!”
He lost no time in starting out in quest of the apples of youth
and the water of life. And do you know, he hasn’t come back yet!
So Plavachek, the charcoal-burner’s son, became the king’s son-
in-law as the old Fate foretold.
As for the king, well, I fear he’s still ferrying that boat across
the black sea!
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