Then once again he heard those footsteps, and just behind him, near his head, a soft sigh.
“Who is it?” he said.
No one answered, but quite distinctly came the sound of three taps on the table. Ulenspiegel was afraid, and began to tremble. “Who is it?” he said again. No one answered, but once more there came the three taps upon the table, and after that he felt two arms hugging him round, and over him there leant a man’s body with skin all wrinkled and a great hole in its breast that gave forth a smell of burning.
“Father,” said Ulenspiegel, “is it you, and is this your poor body that weighs thus upon me?”
He received no answer to his question, and although the shadow seemed still quite close, it was from outside the cottage that he heard a voice crying out to him by name, “Tyl! Tyl!”
Suddenly Soetkin got out of bed and came over to where Ulenspiegel was lying.
“Do you hear something?” she said.
“Yes,” he answered, “it is father calling to me.”
“I too,” said Soetkin, “I have felt a cold body beside me in my bed, and the mattress has moved, and the curtains. And I heard a voice that spoke my name: ‘Soetkin!’ it said, a voice soft as a whisper. And I heard a step near by, light as the sound of a gnat’s wings.” Then she addressed herself to the spirit of Claes: “If there is aught that you desire in that heaven where God guards you in his glory, you must tell me, my man, that we may know what you would have us do.”
All of a sudden a mighty gust of wind came blowing upon the door, and it burst wide open and straightway the room was filled with dust; and from afar, Soetkin and Ulenspiegel could hear the sound of the cawing of many ravens.