Could this be a human creature? No,
impossible! No living man could be as enormous as that. With measured
steps the apparition walked silently towards the pine trees. Here the
three singers stood horror-stricken, not uttering a sound.
Lux, like one crazed, suddenly rushed headlong away between the trees and
down the hill. Clevi once more looked at the approaching figure with
wide-open eyes. Before following her brother she wanted to see exactly
what the knight looked like.
Kurt was left quite alone, and still the fearful creature stalked nearer.
With a desperate leap he sprang to one side and left the woods abruptly.
Hurrying towards the meadow, he ran down the mountain, leaped over first
one hedge and then a second. Then he flew on till he stood in the little
garden at home where a peaceful light from the living-room seemed to
greet him.
Breathing deeply, he ran in and his mother met him at the door.
"Oh, is it you, Kurt?" she said kindly. "But you are a little late after
all. Was it so hard to leave the beautiful moonlight? Or was it such fun
rushing about? But, Kurt, you are entirely out of breath. Come sit down
a moment with me. After that you have to go to bed; all the others have
gone already."
Usually Kurt would have adored being able to sit alone with his mother
and have all her attention directed towards him. This he could not enjoy
now. Might not his mother ask him further details about his walk? So he
said that he preferred to go to bed right away, and his mother understood
that he was glad to get to rest after running about so ceaselessly.
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