Iron John(Part 3)

He sat still when suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his finger, and without thinking, he dipped it into the water. Then he quickly pulled it out and saw that his finger was coated in gold. He tried to wipe the gold off, but he couldn’t succeed. Iron John returned at sunset, saw the boy sitting there, and asked him, "What has happened to the spring?" The boy, hiding his finger behind his back so the giant wouldn't see it, replied, "Nothing, nothing." But the giant insisted, “You dipped your finger in the water. This time, I will overlook it, but be careful that nothing else falls in.”

The next day, early in the morning, the boy was sitting by the spring, keeping watch. Once again, his finger began to hurt intensely. He placed his finger on his head to relieve the pain. Unfortunately, a single strand of his hair fell into the water. He quickly pulled it out, but both his hair and hand were completely covered in gold. Iron John returned and, knowing what had happened, said, “You allowed a strand of your hair to fall into the spring. I will overlook it this time as well, but if it happens again, the spring will become polluted, and then I will no longer be able to keep you with me.”

On the third day, the boy sat beside the spring once more. His finger ached uselessly, but he tried not to move it. Nevertheless, time seemed to stretch endlessly for him. He leaned forward to catch a glimpse of his reflection in the clear water of the spring, and as he leaned closer, his long hair fell over his shoulder and into the water. He quickly pulled back, but his hair had turned golden and shimmered like sunlight. You can imagine how frightened the boy was. He grabbed his handkerchief and wrapped it around his head to hide what had happened.

However, when Iron John returned, he knew everything and said, "Take off your handkerchief." With that, the golden hair spilled out, and the boy tried in vain to apologize, but it was of no use. The giant said, “You have failed the test, and you can no longer stay here. Go forth into the wide world and learn the meaning of poverty and hardship. However, you are not a bad-hearted boy, and I wish you well. Therefore, I grant you this right: whenever you find yourself in danger, you can enter the forest and shout, 'Iron John!' In that case, I will come to your aid. My strength and power are greater than you can imagine. Additionally, I possess great treasures of gold, silver, and jewels.”