Niels’ travels by riding a goose, the goddess in white lives in Birk Point Bay Garden.
Beautiful Garden
Sunday, April 24th
The next day, the wild geese flew north over Semland Province. The boy sat on the back of the goose and looked down at the scenery below. When he thought about it, he felt that the scenery here was different from the places he had seen earlier. This province does not have flat fields like the provinces of Sk?ne and ?sterg?tland, nor does it have continuous forest areas like the province of Sm?land. Instead, it is patchwork and disorganized. "This place seems to have chopped a big lake, a big river, a big forest and a big mountain into pieces, then mixed them together and spread them on the ground in such a mess." The boy thought this way, because what others saw was It's all little canyons, little lakes, little hills and little jungles. Nothing was laid out in a decent manner. Wherever a plain is slightly more open, there will be a hill blocking its way. If any of the hills were to meander into a mountain range, it would be cut off and flattened by the plains. As soon as a lake spreads out a little, it is immediately blocked into a narrow river, and as soon as the river flows not too far, it opens up again and becomes a small lake. The geese flew very close to the coast, and the boy could see the sea at a glance. He saw that even the sea could not spread out the vast sea surface, but was divided into many islands, and those islands were surrounded by the ocean without growing in size. The scenery on the ground is confusing and unpredictable, sometimes coniferous forest, sometimes broadleaf forest; marshland next to cultivated land; noble manor next to farmer's farmhouse.
There was no one in front of the house, and no one was working in the fields, but there was a constant stream of pedestrians on the roads and paths. They emerged from the farmhouse in the Coal Morton bushland, wearing black clothes and holding books and handkerchiefs. "Well, today is probably Sunday." The boy thought, and sat on the back of the goose, watching the churchgoers with interest. In two or three places, he saw newlyweds driving to the church to get married, with a large group of people shouting around them; in another place, he saw a funeral procession, silently and sadly walking slowly on the road. walk. He saw the luxurious cars of nobles, the four-wheeled carts of farmers, and the boats sailing slowly on the lake, all heading towards the church.
The boy rode on the back of a goose and flew over the Birkfjord Church, then over Beitnai Church, Blakstower Church and Wadesbrücke Church, and then flew to Scherdinge Church and Florda Church. Church bells were ringing all the way along the way. The bells resounded through the sky, loud and sweet, and the lingering sound lingered in the ears. The whole clear sky seemed to be filled with sonorous and melodious bells.
"Well, it seems that there is one thing that I can rest assured of," the boy thought, "that is, in this land, no matter where I go, I can hear this loud bell. ." He felt refreshed when he thought of this, and felt more at ease, because even though he was living a life in another world, as long as the church bells called him back with its sonorous voice, he would not Will be disoriented.
After they flew a long way into Semland, the boy suddenly saw a black spot on the ground chasing the shadow they cast. At first he thought it was a dog, and if the black dot had not been following them so closely, he would not have paid any attention to him. The speck sprinted across open fields, through forests, over ditches, and over farm walls, determined to let nothing stand in his way.
"It looks like Smirx the Fox is catching up again." The boy said, "But no matter what, we are flying fast and will soon leave him behind."
p>After hearing these words, the geese used all their strength to fly at the highest speed, and did not slow down as long as the fox was still within sight. When the fox could no longer see them, the wild geese suddenly turned around and took a big turn to fly southwest, almost as if they were planning to fly back to the province of Ostjetland. "Anyway, that surprise must be Smir the Fox," the boy thought, "because even Akka changed directions and took another route."
That day was approaching evening. At that time, wild geese flew over an ancient manor called Dayure Island in Semlan Province.
This majestic and tall house is surrounded by lush trees and beautiful gardens. In front of the house is Great Yule Island Lake, with many headlands and undulating hills on the shore. The appearance of this manor is simple and solemn, which is fascinating. As the boy flew over the manor, he could not help but sigh, and wondered what it would be like to spend the night in such a place after a tiring day of flying, instead of perching on a wet swamp or an ice floe.
But this is just an elusive idea. The geese did not land at the manor, but on a forest meadow to the north of the manor. The ground there was filled with stagnant water, and only a few grass mounds were exposed above the water. It was just about the worst place the boy had ever encountered on this long trip to spend the night.
He sat on the gander's back for another long time, wondering what he should do. Later, he jumped from one turf to another until he reached solid ground, and ran towards the old manor.
That evening, a few people happened to be sitting around the fire in a tenant farmer's farmhouse on the Great Yule Island Estate, chatting. They talked about everything from all over the world, including the sermons in the church, the work in the fields at the beginning of spring, the quality of the weather, etc. Later, when they couldn't find any more topics to talk about and fell silent, the old tenant farmer's mother told ghost stories.
As we all know, there is no other place in this country with so many large estates and ghost stories as in Semlan Province. When the old woman was young, she had worked as a maid in many wealthy families and had seen many strange and strange things, so she could talk endlessly from night to dawn. She spoke so vividly and vividly that everyone listened with rapt attention, almost thinking that she was telling real people. As she was talking, she suddenly stopped talking and asked everyone if they heard the rustling sound, so everyone shuddered in fear. "Did you really not hear any noise? There was something swinging around in the room." She said slyly. However, no one heard anything.
The old woman told stories about Eriksberg, Vibiholm, Jureta, Lagemann Island and many other places in one breath. Someone asked if they had ever heard of such strange things happening on Dayuer Island. "Oh, yes, not at all." said the old lady. Everyone immediately wanted to hear what strange things had happened on their own estates.
So the old lady spoke. She said that once upon a time there stood a mansion on a hillside north of Great Yule Island. The hillside is covered with towering old trees, and in front of the house is a beautiful garden. At that time, there was a man named Mr. Carr who was in charge of the province of Semland. He passed by once and stayed in that mansion. After he had eaten and drank enough, he went into the garden and stood there for a long time, admiring the scenery of Great Yule Island Lake and its beautiful shores. He felt relaxed and happy, thinking how could such a beautiful scenery be seen anywhere else except Semulan. At this moment, he heard someone behind him sigh deeply. He turned around and saw an elderly day laborer standing with his hands leaning on a shovel. "Are you sighing here?" Mr. Karl asked, "Why are you sighing?"
"How can I not sigh when I work hard here day and night like this?" the hired worker replied. explain.
Mr. Carr has a bad temper and does not like to hear complaints from his subordinates. "Hey, if I can come to Semlan Province and continue to dig the land for the rest of my life, I will be satisfied."
"Then I hope you can get your wish, my lord." The hired worker replied explain.
However, people later said that Mr. Carr had no peace even after he died and was buried because he made this wish. He would appear as a ghost every night and go to Big Yule Island. in the garden. Yes, the mansion is long gone now, and the garden is gone too. What had once been the mansion's garden was now a forested hillside, often just like anywhere else. But if someone walks through the forest in the dark night, he happens to be able to see the garden.
When the old lady said this, she stopped talking and glanced at a dark corner of the room. "Isn't there something moving over there?" she asked in a fuss.
“Oh, that’s not true, mom, just go ahead and tell the story!” said the daughter-in-law, “I saw yesterday that the mouse made a big hole in that corner.
I had so much on my plate that I forgot to block it. Tell me if anyone has seen that garden. "
"Okay, let me tell you," the old lady said, "My own father once witnessed it with his own eyes. One summer night, he was walking through the forest and suddenly saw a very high garden wall beside him. From the wall, he could vaguely see many of the most precious trees. The branches of the trees were covered with flowers and fruits. It has to hang outside the wall. My father slowed down and walked over, wanting to see where this garden came from. At this time, a gate suddenly opened on the wall, and a gardener came out and asked him if he wanted to see his garden. The man was just like other gardeners, wearing a big apron and holding a big shovel in his hand. Just as his father was about to follow him in, he glanced at the gardener's face. My father immediately recognized the curls and goatee that spread over his forehead. That was none other than Mr. Carr, because my father once saw his portrait hanging in every house in the large estates where he was employed..."
He stopped talking again. That's because there was a crackling sound in the fire, the flames shot up high, and sparks splashed onto the floor. For a moment, all the corners of the room were illuminated. The old woman seemed to see a mouse. There was a shadow of a little man next to the hole. He was sitting there, listening to the story in a trance. At this moment, he ducked away in a panic.
The daughter-in-law picked up the broom and shovel and broke the charcoal on the ground. Clean up and sit down again. "Go on, Mom. "She begged. But the old lady was unwilling. "That's it for tonight. "She said, her voice changed a bit. Others wanted to continue listening, but the daughter-in-law could see that the old woman's face turned pale and her hands were trembling. "Forget it, mom is tired and must go to bed. " she said to the rescue.
After a while, the boy walked back into the forest to look for the wild geese. As he walked, he gnawed on a carrot he found outside the cellar. He felt like he had eaten a lot. I had a delicious dinner, and I felt satisfied to be able to sit in the warm cabin for a few hours. "It would be great to have a nice place to spend the night!" "He thought more and more.
He suddenly had an idea and thought that the leafy spruce tree on the roadside would be a very good place to sleep. So he climbed up and used small branches to make a bed.
He lay there for a long time, thinking about the story he had heard in the cabin, and especially about the ghosts that roamed the forests of Big Yule Island. Mr. Carr, but he soon fell asleep. He could have slept until dawn, if there was not a big iron door creaking and opening under him.
The boy woke up immediately. He rubbed his eyes to make the sleep disappear, and then looked around. Next to him, there was a wall as high as one person, which was vaguely bent by the weight of fruits.
At first he was surprised and unbelievable that there were no fruit trees here before he went to sleep. But after a while, he remembered and understood what kind of garden it was. .
Perhaps the strangest thing was that he didn't feel scared at all, but had an indescribable strong interest in going to the garden where he was lying on the cedar tree. It was dark and cold here, but the garden was bright. He saw that the fruits on the trees and the roses on the ground were as red as flames under the scorching sun. He had been wandering in the cold and thunderstorms for so long. It would be nice to enjoy a little bit of summer warmth.
It didn't look difficult at all to enter the garden next to the cedar tree where the boy slept. There is a gate on the high wall. An old gardener has just opened the two iron gates and is standing at the door looking towards the forest, as if waiting for someone to come.
Yi Gulu climbed down from the tree. He took the small pointed hat in his hand, walked forward to the gardener, bowed, and asked if he could go to the garden.
" Okay, you can go in," the gardener said in a rough tone, "Just go in! "
He closed the iron gate tightly, locked the door with a heavy key, and then hung the key on his belt.
All this time the boy stood looking at him carefully. His face is dull and expressionless, with thick mustache, a pointed goatee under his chin, and a pointed nose. If he were not wearing a big blue apron and holding a shovel in his hand, the boy would definitely Think of him as an older guard.
The gardener strode toward the garden, and the boy had to run to keep up with him. They walked onto a very narrow path, and the boy was squeezed and stepped on the edge of the grass. The gardener immediately scolded him and told him not to step on the grass, and then the boy had to run behind the gardener.
The boy noticed that the gardener seemed to be thinking that leading a little guy like him to see the garden would be too condescending and disrespectful, so he didn't even dare to ask a question, but just asked. Running after the gardener with great energy. Sometimes the gardener said a word or two to him without looking back. When they first entered, there was a row of dense hedgerows not far from the wall. As they walked past, the gardener said that he called this row of hedgerows the Great Forest of Cormorton. "Yes, this bush is so big, it lives up to its name." The boy replied, but the gardener paid no attention to what he was saying.
After they walked through the bushes, the boy could see most of the garden. He immediately saw that the garden was not very large, only a few acres. It was surrounded by high walls to the south and west, and faced water and a lake to the north and east, so there was no need for walls.
The gardener stopped to tie up a stem, and the boy had time to look around. He has not seen many gardens since he was a child, but he feels that this garden is unique and different. Its layout is conservative, because in such a small and stretched place, there are always many low mounds, small and exquisite flower beds, short shrubs and hedges, narrow lawns and small pavilions piled up. It is something rarely seen in gardens today. In addition, the small ponds and winding ditches that he can see everywhere here cannot be seen elsewhere.
There are lush famous trees and beautiful flowers everywhere. The green water in the small ditch is full of sparkling water. The boy felt as if he had entered a paradise. He couldn't help but clapped his hands and shouted loudly: "I have never seen such a beautiful place! What kind of garden is this!"
He shouted so loudly that the gardener immediately turned around Shen Lai said in a frosty tone: "This garden is called Semland Garden. What's wrong with you, that you are so ignorant? This garden has always been called the most beautiful garden in the country."
The boy thought for a moment after hearing the answer, but he had so many things to look at that he had no time to figure out the meaning of this sentence. A variety of famous flowers and thousands of clear streams make this place extremely beautiful. However, there are many other things that make boys more interested. That is, the garden is dotted with many small and exquisite pavilions and toy houses. They are everywhere, especially near small ponds and ditches. They are not really houses for people to rest in, but they are so small that they seem to be specially built for people of similar size to him. However, they are unimaginably exquisite and beautiful, and the architectural styles are also unique and magnificent. Some have towering spires and side houses on both sides, just like palaces, some look like churches, and some are mills and farmhouses.
Those small houses are all beautiful. The boy really wanted to stop and take a closer look, but he did not have the courage to do so, so he had to follow the gardener closely without stopping. . After walking for a short time, they came to a mansion. The mansion was majestic and magnificent, far superior to any other house they had just seen. The mansion is three stories high. There is a gable screen in front of the house and it is surrounded by side houses on both sides. It is condescending, located in the center of a mound, surrounded by lush grassland with flowers and trees. On the road leading to the house, the stream winds around seven times, and beautiful bridges span the water, creating a beautiful contrast.
The boy didn't dare to do anything else, so he had to follow the gardener's footsteps. He passed by so many beautiful places and couldn't stop to browse, so he couldn't help but sigh heavily. . The stern gardener stopped when he heard this. "I've named this house Ericsson House," he said. "If you want to go in, you may as well. But be careful not to offend Mrs. Pintoba!"
Voice As soon as he landed, the boy ran straight in that direction like a runaway horse.
He walked through the passage lined with trees, walked over those cute little bridges, stepped on the grass covered with flowers, and walked into the door of the house. Everything there was perfect for a man of his size. The steps are neither too high nor too short. The door locks are also of a moderate height, and he can reach and open every door lock. If he hadn't witnessed it with his own eyes, he would never have believed that he could see so many magnificent and dazzling valuable things. The waxed oak floor is shiny and striped. The whitewashed plaster ceiling is carved with various patterns. The four walls are covered with paintings. The tables, chairs and furniture in the room all have gold-painted legs and silk linings. He saw some rooms full of shelves and cabinets full of books, and another room full of gleaming jewelry on the table and in the cabinets.
No matter how hard he ran, he still didn't even have time to see half of the house. When he came out, the gardener was chewing the tip of his beard impatiently.
"Hey, how are you?" the gardener asked, "Have you seen Mrs. Pintoba?" But the boy didn't even see the shadow of a living person. When he answered like this, the gardener's face became distorted with anger. "Oh, even Mrs. Pintoba can rest, but I can't!" he shouted. The boy had never thought that a man's voice could make such a trembling cry of despair.
Then the gardener strode forward again, and the boy ran behind him, trying to see as many strange sights as possible. They walked along a pond that was slightly larger than the others. White pavilions like the villas of aristocratic manors can be seen everywhere among the bushes and flowers. The gardener did not stop, but occasionally said a few words to the boy without looking back. "I call this pond Loch Inalen, and over there is Denbyholm Hall, over there Hagby Bay Hall, over there Hoover Towers Hall, and over there Ogle Island Hall."
The gardener then took a few big steps and came to a small pond, which he called Bowen Lake. The boy couldn't help but let out a cry of admiration, and the gardener stopped. The boy stood blankly in front of a small bridge that led to a mansion on an island in the middle of the pond.
"If you are interested, you can go sightseeing at the Vibeholm mansion," he said, "but be careful of the goddess in white!"
< p>The boy immediately followed the instructions and walked in. There were many portraits hanging on the walls, and he felt that the room was like a big picture book. He lingered there so much that he wanted to spend the whole evening looking at the pictures. But not long after, he heard the gardener calling him."Come out! Come out!" He shouted loudly, "I can't just wait for you here, I have other things to do! You little wretch."
As soon as the boy ran to the bridge, the gardener shouted to him, "Hey, how are you, have you seen the goddess in white?"
But the boy did not see even a living shadow. , so he told the truth. Unexpectedly, the old gardener thrust his shovel into a stone, and the stone was split in half. He shouted in a deep voice filled with despair: "Even the goddess in white can rest, but I can't." No!"
Until now, they had been roaming the south side of the garden, and the gardener was now heading west. The layout here is unique. The land was neatly manicured, with large lawns interspersed with strawberry and cabbage fields and gooseberry bushes. There was also a small pavilion and a dollhouse, but it was painted ochre-red to look more like a farmhouse, and hops and cherry trees were planted in front of and behind the house.
The gardener stood here for a moment and said to the boy: "I call this place the grape field."
Then he pointed to a house that was larger than the others. Much simpler, much like a blacksmith's house. "This is a big workshop for making farm tools," he said. "I call it Esgstona. If you are interested, you might as well go in and have a look."
The boy walked in and Look, you can see many wheels rolling, many hammers hammering and forging, and many lathes cutting rapidly. There are many things worth seeing. He could have stayed there all night, had the gardener not kept urging him.
Then they walked along a lake towards the north of the garden.
The shore of the lake is winding and intertwined with headlands and beaches. The entire lakeshore on this side of the garden is full of headlands and beaches. Outside the headlands are many very small islands, separated from the land by a narrow body of water. Those small islands also belong to gardens, and many exotic flowers and plants are carefully planted on the islands like other places.
The boy walked through various scenic spots, but he could not stop to take a closer look. He did not stop until he reached the door of a majestic ocher-red church. The church is located on a promontory, surrounded by shade and fruit. The gardener still wanted to go forward, but the boy boldly begged to go in and have a look. "Well, yes, go in," he replied, "but be careful about Bishop Roger! He is still wandering around Strennes."
The boy ran into the church and watched There are ancient tombstones and exquisite altars and shrines. He was especially impressed by the statue of a gilded knight in armor in the side room of the front hall. There was so much to see here that he could have stayed all night, but he had to go quickly to avoid waiting too long for the gardener.
When he came out, he saw the gardener watching an owl in the sky. The owl chases a redstart. The old gardener whistled several times at the redstart. The redstart perched obediently on his shoulder. When the owl came after him, the gardener waved the shovel and chased it away. "He is not as dangerous as he looks," thought the boy, as he saw the gardener lovingly protecting the poor singing bird.
As soon as the gardener saw the boy, he immediately asked him if he had seen Bishop Roger. The boy replied no, and the gardener roared sadly: "Even Bishop Roger has rested, but I can't." Soon afterwards, they came to the most attractive of the toy houses. A building that attracts attention. It was a brick castle with three dignified round towers towering over the castle, connected by a row of long houses.
"If you are interested, you might as well go in and have a look!" the gardener ordered, "This is Gripsholm Palace ⑤. You must be careful about meeting King Eric ⑥ ."
The boy walked through the deep arched doorway and came to a triangular courtyard surrounded by bungalows. Those bungalows didn't look very luxurious, so the boy didn't care to take a closer look. He just jumped over several long cannons placed there like a pommel horse and then ran forward. He then walked through a deep arched doorway and came to an inner courtyard in the castle. The courtyard was surrounded by exquisite and gorgeous houses, and he walked in. He came to a large, antique room with criss-cross carved beams on the ceiling. The four walls were covered with tall and large oil paintings with dark colors. The noble men and women in the paintings all looked solemn and wore handsome dresses. .
On the second floor, he saw a room with brighter light and brighter colors. Only then did he see clearly that he had indeed entered a royal palace, because as far as he could see, the walls were covered with portraits of the king and queen. One floor further up is a spacious top-floor room, surrounded by rooms of various uses. Some rooms are light in color and decorated with fine white furniture. There is also a very small theater, and right next to it is a real cell: there is nothing outside the bare cell walls. The door of the cell is a thick iron grille, and the floor is dented by the heavy footsteps of the prisoners. Unfair.
There were so many treasures worth seeing that it would take several days and nights to see them all, but the gardener was already urging him, so the boy had no choice but to walk out in dismay.
"Have you ever seen King Eric?" When the boy came out, the gardener asked in front of him. The boy saw no one, and the old gardener roared in despair just like before: "Even King Eric has gone to rest, but I can't."
They reached the eastern part of the garden again, They passed a bathing place, which the gardener called Sederrieu, and an ancient royal palace which he named Horningholm. There is not much worth sightseeing there. There are stubborn rocks, strange rocks and coral islands everywhere, and the more remote the place, the more desolate it becomes.
They turned around and walked south again. The boy recognized the row of hedgerows called Cormorton Forest and knew that they were almost at the door.
He was delighted with what he saw. As he approached the gate, he wanted to thank the gardener. But the old gardener didn't listen to him at all, and just walked towards the door. At the door, he turned and handed the shovel to the boy.
"Hey," he ordered, "take it, I'll open the iron lock on the door."
But the boy felt that he had brought so much trouble to this stern old man, and he felt really sorry, so he I don't want to make him put any more effort into it.
"There's no need to open this heavy iron door for me." He said and slipped through the crack of the iron gate on one side of his body. For a little man like him, It's effortless.
He did this out of the best of intentions, but to his surprise, the gardener roared furiously behind him, kicked the ground with his feet, and shook the iron gate violently with both hands.
"What's the matter, what's the matter?" The boy asked inexplicably, "I just want you to spend less effort, Mr. Gardener, why are you so angry?"
" Of course I'm going to be annoyed," said the old man. "You don't have to do anything else but take my shovel, and then you'll have to stay here and tend the garden, and I'll be free, I don't know. How long do you want to stay here?"
He stood there shaking the iron gate desperately, looking extremely furious. The boy couldn't help but feel sympathy and wanted to comfort him.
"You don't have to feel bad about this, Mr. Karl of Semland," said the boy, "no one can take better care of this garden than you!"
After the boy said this, the old gardener suddenly calmed down and became silent. The boy suddenly became enlightened when he saw his livid and dull face. But the boy couldn't see clearly, because the gardener's entire figure suddenly became blurred, and gradually turned into a puff of smoke and dispersed. Not only that, the entire garden also faded and disappeared into smoke. Flowers, vegetation, fruits and sunlight have all disappeared, leaving only a desolate and barren forest land.
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①Sweden In folklore, a noble lady who was punished to hell for being too harsh on her servants refers here to a ghost.
② The ghosts that appear from the ancestors of the tribe often appear before someone unfortunately dies and are a harbinger of death.
③A place name in Sweden, one of the centers of steel and steel manufacturing.
④Conrad Roggi (?-1501), who has been the Bishop of Str?nn?s since 1479, is in charge of religious affairs in Sweden, and also serves as the Privy Councilor of the Kingdom.
⑤Swedish place name, near Stockholm, is the location of Sweden’s former royal palace. It is also the oldest and largest palace garden. Before the 19th century, the Swedish royal family lived here.
⑥ Eric XIV (1533-1577) was imprisoned in Gripsholm Castle after being deposed by the nobles in 1568.
⑦ Swedish place name, a bathing and rest resort.