When the children are nearly asleep, Ole Luk-Oie seats himself upon
the bed. He is neatly dressed; his coat is of silk, but it is
impossible to say of what color, for it shines green, red, and blue,
according to which side he turns. Under each arm he carries an
umbrella. One is lined with pictures, and this he spreads over the
good children, so that they dream the most beautiful stories the whole
night through; but on the other umbrella there are no pictures, and
this he holds over the naughty children, so that they sleep heavily,
and when they awake in the morning they have not dreamed at all.
We shall now hear how Ole Luk-Oie came to a little boy named Hjalmar,
and what he told him.
Over the chest of drawers in Hjalmar's room hung a large picture in a
gilt frame. It was a landscape. One could see tall trees, and flowers
in the grass. There was a great lake, and a river that flowed round
the forest, past castles, and out and out into the sea.
Ole Luk-Oie touched the painting with his magic squirt, and the birds
in it began to sing, the branches of the trees moved, and the clouds
floated along. Then Ole Luk-Oie lifted little Hjalmar up to the frame,
and Hjalmar put his feet into the picture, right into the high grass;
and there he stood, with the sun shining upon him.
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