- Yes, she said I love stories.
- Michi, the story I'll tell you is a very very old story, and it is more like an old saying, or a myth or a legend. I'm not quite sure what to call it, perhaps something in between these three.
- What is a myth and a legend? she asked.
- They are stories, told over and over again, and there are not anyone who knows what really happened any more. But still they are told, over and over again.
- But why do you know the story? she asked me.
- Well, my father told it to me when I was a little girl, just like you, and now I'm telling you.
- Are you going to tell now? she could not wait to hear the story.
- Sit down then, and I will tell.
- Where my home was, when I grew up, we had a very big stone in our garden.
- How big was it then, she asked.
- It's still there, and I don't know exactly how big it is, but if one man stood on top of another mans shoulders, he still couldn't reach the top.
- WOW, thats big! she said.
- Yes, it's quite big, and that stone has a very special name too.
- Why, what's it called then? she asked.
- It's called "The Bridalstone" I said, and knew her next question before it was asked. I could see on her face that she imagined a stone full of brides.
- Why, - are there so many brides there?
She imagined a stone full of brides.- No, there's not, but in very very old times people had faith in trolls and such things, have you heard of trolls? I asked her.
- Do you mean the trolls in the fairytales, she asked?
- Yes, that's what I meant.
- Didn't they know that trolls are only in fairytales, she asked.
- No, it was not a fairytale to them, they had faith in these things and behaved thereafter.
- What does that mean? she asked.
- Well, they took some precautions to avoid trolls and such things.
- I'll continue the story and I hope you'll understand then.
- When a bridal procession was on their way to church, they used to stop and take a rest next to this stone.
- Why did they do that? she asked.
- Because their way to church could be rather long and they had to pause, you know, there were no cars to run them in those days.
- Why wouldn't anyone like to drive them to church? she asked.
- It was not that nobody didn't want to drive them, but there were no cars. The car was not invented yet. People didn't know what a car was, I said.
- Oh....??? she said and looked like she couldn't quite understand this.
- Usually, it was not dangerous to pause there, because every bridal procession had two men with guns in front of the procession, and the same at the end. The gunmen fired their guns every now and then to scare off any trolls.
- Oh, she said a little bit scared.
- But on this particular day, that this story is about, the gunmen forgot firing their guns, and the trolls, one or several I don't know, caught the bride and disappeared. Nobody has ever seen that bride again.
- And that's why that stone is called "The Bridalstone" - because a bride disappeared right there.
- What about her boyfriend then? she asked.
- Well, this story does not tell anything about him. The story explains how that particular stone got its name.
- Oh ... she seemed a bit scared, and I could see she was thinking.
- This was back in really old times, you know, and nowadays people don't believe in such things.
- When I was little, we used to climb the stone and play around it. There's nothing scary about that stone.
- We can go have a look if you like, I said.
- Yes, do you know where it is?
- Yes, of course - it's my sister who owns the place now, and she is not allowed to remove the stone.
- Why not, Michi asked.
- It's because of that old story, and as long as anyone remembers it she will not be allowed to remove the stone.
- And, my dad gave the landowner his promise to never remove it. Besides, that stone is quite nice where it lies in the garden, just below the mountain.
- Can we go now? she asked.
- Don't you think we should wait until my sister is back from work, so we could pay her a visit too?
- YES, she almost shouted, cause her chocolate cake tastes sooo good!
- Well, thats for sure, "I said.
Later on we drove to my sisters place and Michi had a look at the stone. Before I knew she was sitting on top of it.
What I do know though, is that it's quite easy to climb the top, but far more difficult to come back down again. So I was preparing to help her down when my sister called out from a window,
- Anyone who want some chocolate cake?
- YES, " Michi answered back, Laila, will you please help me back down again?!
And finally she got some chocolate cake.
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