I told the sister and her three brothers that they would complete their temple to Beauty if they went up the mountain and brought back three things: a pitcher filled with the Water of Life, a branch from the Tree of Eternal Beauty, and a talking bird.
The eldest brother was anxious to go, but his sister asked, “What if some terrible thing happens to our brother? How will we know?”
I turned and walked away, reluctant to get further involved. The siblings followed me, hounding me with the question until I stopped and turned around. I took a knife out of my pocket, and I gave it to them. I told them to keep it carefully. “When it is bright, all is well, but if the blade is bloody, you will know that something evil has occurred on the mountain.”