Shadows on Water
"Who are you? What are your names?"
Suddenly, with great force one of the crones grabs you by the hair and forces your head down into the water. You struggle desperately but her frame is like iron, clamping you against the cauldron. After a few seconds she pulls your head back a little so that you are looking at the surface of the water.
"Look now!" shouts the crone's twin, and in truth you can do nothing other than look and quake in terror. When the surface of the water has calmed you see your own reflection, but strangely it holds no look of terror, instead it has an expression as calm as the water itself, almost smiling. The reflection of your head has no hand holding its hair. The crone releases you and steps back.
"Do you see now?" she asks, gently.
"I saw, but what does it mean?" you ask, feeling calmer now that it seems you aren't being physically threatened.
"If you had chosen to look in the water, what you saw would have been different. But the meaning would have been the same."
"But what does it mean?"
"Look again...."
Suddenly, with great force one of the crones grabs you by the hair and forces your head down into the water. You struggle desperately but her frame is like iron, clamping you against the cauldron. After a few seconds she pulls your head back a little so that you are looking at the surface of the water.
"Look now!" shouts the crone's twin, and in truth you can do nothing other than look and quake in terror. When the surface of the water has calmed you see your own reflection, but strangely it holds no look of terror, instead it has an expression as calm as the water itself, almost smiling. The reflection of your head has no hand holding its hair. The crone releases you and steps back.
"Do you see now?" she asks, gently.
"I saw, but what does it mean?" you ask, feeling calmer now that it seems you aren't being physically threatened.
"If you had chosen to look in the water, what you saw would have been different. But the meaning would have been the same."
"But what does it mean?"
"Look again...."