crow(Part 2)

The next day, the young man wanted nothing. The old woman wouldn't let him rest and insisted so much that he finally took a sip from her cup. Around two in the afternoon, he went to the garden to wait on the pile of tree bark for the crow. However, he suddenly felt so tired that his body could no longer endure it. Reluctantly, he lay down and fell asleep. When the crow arrived with a four-horse brown carriage, he sadly thought to himself, "I know he is asleep." He approached the young man and tried to wake him, but it was of no use.

The next morning, the old woman asked him what was wrong since he neither ate nor drank anything. Did he want to die? He replied, "I have no desire to eat or drink." Nevertheless, she placed a tray of food and a glass of drink beside him. As soon as he caught the aroma of the food, he lost his resistance and drank the entire contents of the glass. When the appointed time came, he went to the garden and waited on the pile of bark. This time, however, he felt even more fatigue than before, lay down, and fell asleep again. The crow, still feeling sorrowful, thought to himself, "I know he is asleep and cannot save me." When he approached the young man, he saw that he was sleeping soundly and carefree. No matter how much he shook him or called out, he wouldn’t awaken. 

Then the crow left a piece of bread, a slice of cooked meat, and a jug full of drink beside him. He took off a ring with his name inscribed on it from his finger and slipped it onto the young man's finger. He wrote a letter and placed it beside him. In the letter, he wrote that whatever he ate from the bread, meat, and drink would never diminish, and he added: "As it seems, you will never be able to save me here, but if you still wish to free me, go to the castle of 'Stromberg.' I know you will succeed." He then mounted his carriage and headed toward that castle.

The young man woke up, saddened that he had fallen asleep and thought to himself, "Surely he has gone, and I have not been able to save him." He looked around and saw the food, drink, and the letter. He read it and set out towards the castle of Stromberg, although he didn’t know where it was. He walked through that vast world for a long time until he finally reached a dense and dark forest, walking there for fifteen days without reaching the end. He was so exhausted that he lay down under a bush and fell asleep. The next morning, he continued on his way, and that evening, as he was about to sleep under another bush, he heard howls and moans that prevented him from resting. As the air was turning dark, he noticed a distant bright light. He got up and made his way toward it, discovering a small house with a giant standing in front of it. He thought to himself, "If I go forward and the giant sees me, it will be the end of me." Nevertheless, he decided to take the risk and moved closer. When the giant saw him, he said, “How fortunate you came! I haven’t eaten anything for a while now, and I will eat you for dinner.”