Havel The Vodnik

Every morning just before the sun rose, Danicka's father would gather together his fishing pole, bait, tobacco and the lunch her mother tied together in an old kroj ~ a faded headscarf that her mother had handed down for her. Danicka would run to the door, stand on her tippy-tiptoes and kiss her beloved otec goodbye. She would stand in the doorway waving as he walked down the path through the woods whistling an old Czechoslovakian folk tune, ere he disappeared from sight.

Radoslav, Danicka's father, would walk swiftly with a bounce in his step until he reached Vrba Pond, where the languid willows drooped over the surface of the water to watch the fish dart and play. He had a favorite spot, nestled between the roots of an old, gnarled tree, where he could sit in comfort and look down into the shadowy depths to see where the fish were gathered for their early morning feed.

Radoslav loved being a fisherman. In the summer he lazed the day away, daydreaming and making up stories to tell Danicka when he returned home. In the winter, he would bore a hole through the ice near the middle of the pond and marvel at the magical, white world around him while he bobbed his line, hoping for enough fish to feed his little family and a few extra to sell at the market in town.

His family would never be rich, but somehow he always managed to make do and tuck a little away beneath the brick in the hearth he had pried loose for that very purpose.

Radislov was not always successful in his angling, but he did have one special trick up his sleeve. He had discovered, one drowsy evening, that in that very pond lived a Vodnik! This creature had not noticed him because Radislav had been dozing off and on for over an hour, and when the Vodnik splashed up to the edge of the shore he started awake and stared with wonder. He did not know that Vodniks still lived in that area; no one had ever spoken of seeing one before.

The water spirit stood before him, dripping water from his sodden coat, and pulled a rusty old pipe from his pocket before he caught sight of Radislav. He froze for a moment, and then with one slimy, greenish hand he lifted his hat in greeting, and introduced himself as Havel. Radislav was quite unnerved, and not a little frightened, but he managed to stutter his name back to Havel.

"You may be in luck this evening, my friend," rasped the Vodnik. "I have been out looking for a soul to steal all day, but at this moment I would spare yours for a pinch of tobacco if you have some." Radislav bobbed his head quickly up and down and said that he did, indeed have a pinch of tobacco in the kroj with the remainder of his meal. He dropped the last of his tobacco and a few crusts of bread and cheese into the creature's webbed hands, wishing him a good evening as he did so. Then he rushed back up the bank towards to woods and didn't stop running until he reached his cottage.

Three days passed before Radislav dared to go back to the pond. As he walked, he pondered whether Havel was a spirit to be afraid of, or just a harmless old soul who preferred to keep to himself. In the end, he realized that whether he was afraid or not, he had to bring some money back from the market today, or tomorrow they would have nothing left to eat.

Many weeks went by, and it seemed that the fish were growing scarcer. Danicka had cried the night before when her mother told her they would be having bread and milk for supper again that night. She was growing quickly, and her otec knew that something had to be done to bring in more food, and his heart ached when he noticed that her dress was becoming more thin and worn and would soon be too small for her. One night, Radislav had an idea.

The next morning he filled his pouch with a bit more tobacco than he usually brought for a day at the pond. He cast his line out at the usual spot, and, as had been the case lately, by noon he had not had even a nip at his bait. He took a deep breath, reached into his pouch and pulled out a pinch of tobacco. As he sprinkled it on the surface of the water, he called out, "I have here a bit of tobacco, Mr. Vodník, now bring me some fish." And then he waited.

In no more time than it takes to blink an eye, he noticed a disturbance in the water a few feet away. Suddenly Havel burst through the surface of the water, gazing at him curiously. "I see you wish to make a trade, do you?" he asked the fisherman. Bravely trying not to tremble, Radislav nodded his head, saying, "My family is hungry and I have caught no fish for days. I have brought you some tobacco for your pipe, and in return, would you give me some fish from the far side of the pond?"

The Vodnik proceeded to gather up the crumbs of tobacco that floated on the water, and then turned and dove back down to the bottom of the pond and away. Minutes later, he returned with five fish in his scaly hands and handed them to Radislav. "Thank you kindly for filling my pipe, but now I must get back to my game of cards." And once again he disappeared into the depths.

Slowly the fish returned to the shady edge of the pond. It was rare for Radislav's luck to go bad, but when it did, he would repeat his request to the Vodnik, drop bits in the water for the pipe and wait. Havel the Vodnik never disappointed him, he always appeared with an armful of fish.

One sunny afternoon on bread baking day, Danicka's matka (mother) was carrying a load of wood for the oven when she tripped over the cat near the door sill. The wood flew everywhere, and down fell matka as she lost her balance. Danicka ran over to her, frightened that she was hurt. "I'm fine, little one, but I twisted my ankle badly. I don't think I can walk." Danicka helped her matka into a comfy chair, and then asked what she could do to help. "Run down to Vrba Pond and ask your father to fetch the doctor." Obediently, Danicka scampered down the path through the woods and then out into the meadow leading to the pond.

In her rush, she caught her foot on a tree root as she headed down the hill towards her otec, and she tumbled headfirst down to the water, faster and faster until she bounced right into the deep part of the pond. Radislav jumped up and ran towards the splashing girl and prepared to jump into the pond after her. But as suddenly as she had plopped into the water, she disappeared from view and the sloshing tumult stopped, as the surface became still once more.

Radislav was frightened out of his wits! He didn't know what to do as he stood there searching the deeps for any sign of his beloved daughter. He called out her name over and over, wading out as far as he dared to go. After many minutes went by, he saw a dark form slowly rising to the surface, tranquil and silent. It was Danicka, her face as pale as the moon, her long, beautiful hair spreading around her like a dark halo.

Radislav wasted no time in reaching her and carried her gently but quickly up to the bank. Her eyes were closed, and she was not breathing. Her otec flipped her over his knee and began to pound on her back, attempting to force the water from her lungs. After a time, her body began to convulse, her mouth came open and a great gush of pond water poured fourth onto the ground at his feet. He turned the girl over again and saw that her eyes were open and she was breathing shallowly, but her gaze was distant and unfocused.

Radislav shook her and begged her to speak to him, but it was as if there was no life left in her apart from the rise and fall of her chest. Then he had an idea. Pulling a pinch of tobacco out of the kroj, he sprinkled it onto the water and called out to Havel the Vodnik. Within moments the water fell back to reveal Havel. Radislav cried out, "You must help me! I cannot bring my daughter back to life, surely you can do something!"

Havel uneasily shifted from one foot to the other. Then he said, "Your daughter has drowned. I cannot help her." Radislav objected, saying, "No! See? She is breathing!" But the Vodnik shook his head. "Your daughter drowned, and I have gathered up her soul. I have placed it in a beautiful porcelain teacup and it is now on the shelf with the rest of my collection."

Radislav cried out again, saying, "No! See? She lives, she breathes, but you must return her soul to her! Take pity on me, she is my only child, and I have brought you tobacco often for nearly one year." He frowned, trying to think of a way to convince the Vodnik. "I will make you a bargain. Every day I will bring you tobacco when I come down to Vrba Pond. I will not ask for fish in return unless we are in great need."

Havel closed his eyes and thought for what seemed an eternity. Finally he opened his eyes again, gazed at Danicka and her otec, and then nodded. "It will be as you say." In one motion he turned and dove, swimming back to his watery home. When he returned he carried a beautifully painted porcelain cup with the lid clasped on tight. Gently he lifted Danicka's head, removed the lid and brought the cup to her lips. There was a quick spark of light that seemed to slip between her teeth, and then she let out a faint cry and sat up in her father's arms.

As she stared in wonder at the Vodnik, he gathered up the specks of tobaco from the water and quickly disappeared once again. Danicka asked what had happened, but her otec just shook his head and would not answer. Straightaway she remembered the reason she had come down to get her father; together they went to get the doctor and brought him home to tend to matka's ankle. Within seven days, she could walk again without pain, and Danicka gradually forgot the strange experience at the pond.

But no so her otec. Every day after that, when Radislav reached his favorite fishing spot, he would generously sprinkle tobacco onto the water and then call out to let Havel know he was there. The incident seemed to have brought out a charitable streak in the Vodnik's heart, because at least once a week, whether Radislav asked or not, he would gather an armful of the best fish and leave them on the bank before the sun went down into the meadow pulling twilight in it's wake.

Thus Radislav the fisherman and Havel the Vodnik became fast friends to the ends of their lives.