“Is it true that if you stand on the top of Mt. Crumpet of the fifth of Po and make a wish on the rising sun, it will come true?” Oddi asked his aunt.
“What nonsense are you going on about? You’re talking like your mother. She always believed in fairytales, and look what it got her. An early grave at the bottom of the fjord,” said his aunt.
Oddi’s parents had died when an ice flow broke loose and fell on top of their boat. They were returning from a trading mission overseas.
Before her death, Oddi’s mother told him fantastic tales of adventure every night. His father, a skilled craftsman, often made him figurines from the stories his mother told him.
After their deaths, Oddi lived with his spinster aunt, who burned all his toys and told him. “T’was time you grew up and stopped believing in foolishness.”
This year, his birthday fell on the fifth of Po, and he wanted to make the journey to Mt. Crumpet’s summit and make a wish.
“I have to go to town in the morning to help Father Hafthórr fix the church’s roof,” Oddi told his aunt.
“We need the extra money. Don’t spend it on sweets even if it’s your birthday, or I’ll have your hide on the wall,” growled the woman.
Well, before sunrise, Oddi dressed, grabbed his hat, and went to the barn to fetch his repus. “I have a surprise for you, Halla. Today, we will climb to the top of Mt. Crumpet and make a wish for my parents to come back and take us from this horrible place,” Oddi told his pet.
The boy mounted Halla, and the two were off in a flash. The repus followed the path, and soon they were approaching the summit.
“I’ll lead you the rest of the way, girl. We don’t want to stumble and fall,” Oddi said.
Oddi stood beside the wish tree and waited for dawn’s approach. “It won’t be long now, Halla,” the boy said.
Oddi stared into the rising sun when the time came and made his wish. “Please bring back my parents so I can leave that horrible woman and be happy again.”
The two stayed until the sun was high, enjoying the view from the top of the mountain. “Time to go. I have a whipping waiting for me since I have no money to give her,” said Oddi.
Oddi guided Halla down the path until they reached the bottom, then mounted the repus. “Before we return, I want to see if my wish came true. Let’s go to the fjord,” said the boy.
Standing at the water’s edge, Oddi closed his eyes and prayed for a miracle. “Please let me see my parents again,” said Oddi.
After a while, he mounted his repus and turned it toward his home. The animal, sensing his sadness, ambled along the fjord’s edge.
“Hey, what’s that in the water? It looks like a sea chest,” Oddi cried.
The boy hopped off the repus and ran into the freezing water. “It’s too heavy. Give me your reins, Halla,” Oddi said.
Oddi fastened the straps to the chest and guided Halla backward, pulling the object onto dry land. “Where did this come from? ” the boy asked.
After examining the chest, Oddi realized it was sealed and must be broken open. “I’ll hit the lock with this granite rock,” said Oddi.
The impact shattered the frigid metal, allowing the clasp to be removed. “I hope there is something wonderful inside,” said Oddi.
Lifting the lid, the boy saw many parcels wrapped in whale oil paper to keep them dry. He opened each box, and to his delight, each contained gold coins or precious stones.
Finally, he reached the bottom, where a rectangular package lay. “This looks like it might be a picture,” said the boy.
Oddi removed the oiled paper and found the object wrapped in a cotton sheet. “Whoever packed this must have thought it was precious. Look how it’s double-wrapped,” said Oddi.
Lifting the final cloth cover, Oddi gazed at an image of himself. On either side of the boy stood his parents, smiling broadly.
“Halla, my wish has come true,” cried Oddi.
Oddi placed the coins and stones in the repus’s saddle bag and rewrapped the picture.
“We’ll go see Father Hafthórr. He’ll know what to do,” said the boy.
After explaining what happened, the priest secured the valuables in the church’s safe. Father Hafthórr took the boy to his aunt’s home.
“God has spoken this day, madam. This child will no longer be under your care. His parents have seen fit to reach out from beyond the grave and provide for him,” said the father.
The woman was all too happy to be rid of the boy. “Take the worthless brat. He’s been nothing but trouble,” said the spinster.
Father Hafthórr allowed Oddi to live with him until he was sixteen. Then, with the money his parents left him, Father Hafthórr sent him to school in Oslo.
Halla spent the rest of her days on a farm in the foothills, enjoying the sun and plenty of grass.
There was one item in the chest that Oddi kept secret. His father had made a small wooden figurine of a repus.
“I must name you Halla, and you will be with me wherever I travel until the end of my days,” Oddi said.
And as they say, he lived happily ever after.
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