The Legend of the Silver Fir

According to one Beskydy Mountains legend, if you do a good deed you will see silver trees. Little Ondra knows trees like that. In his family's cottage hangs a picture showing silver firs, a person falling from a height and a watch. In art lessons Ondra paints trees of the same kind. - One day Lojzek Hojgr, a man who climbes fir trees to gather the seeds, comes to see Ondra's parents. Long-ago Ondra's father has had such a job and Lojzek is his long-time friend. Hojgr moves into a half-ruined wood cabin. Ondra's father takes him on a visit to Lojzek and both demonstrate the beautiful but dangerous work of seed-gathering to the boy. Ondra becomes Hojgr's assistent and they are getting on well with their job. Before climbing a tree Hojgr always takes out an old pocket watch. Ondra would like to try climbing, and despite having promised Ondra's father not to, Hojgr teaches him to climb trees. The old gamekeeper recalls Hojgr's father, who was killed by a fall from a tree. The picture that Ondra knows hangs on the tree in his honour. The frosty trees look like silver trees to Ondra, and he tries to climb up one. A branch of the fir breaks and the boy falls. Lojzek catches him in his arms. Ondrej is unscathed but Lojzek is seriously hurt and the old watch is broken. Lojzek's work has ended for the year and he has to leave. He does not say goodbye to Ondra, but nor does he tell anyone that Ondra was responsible for his injury. Perhaps next year he will return.