The Journey to Paradise
Many years ago, a tinkerer lived in Schattenhalb who struggled to support his family with his trade. Once, he had peddled through all villages along the shadow side until he found no further work there. Tired and sad he traveled along the Rhone river to the sun side at the village of Guttet. He received no answer from the houses at which he knocked, and only met the old village priest at his home. When he pleaded with him for work, the latter told him that the great plague had caused the death of everyone, and that he was the only survivor. He owned plenty of crockery in both good and bad condition, and he did not have any further needs, but he would show him a path to a place where he would find work aplenty. The tinkerer was content with this, and climbed a rock formation together with the priest. From the pinnacle of the same, there was a narrow path not unlike a railroad track leading high up in the air to the summit of the Glishorn mountain on the other side. There, a bright light was shining. The cleric told him to follow the path and directly head towards the light. When night would fall, the evil spirits would build large, wide bridges in order to trick him, but he must not let the light get out of his sight, for else he would fall to his death. Beneath the bridge there is the ocean, whose water would at first be green and calm, then red and wavy, and then sulfur yellow, stinking and raging.
The tinkerer gave his thanks, shook the old priest’s hand, leaned on his tinkerer’s stick for support, and started his hike through the air. As long as the ocean was shimmering green, he traveled with sure steps. But as soon as it changed into purplish red, he became unsure and swayed, but he always managed to regain his balance with his stick, and he did not heed the beautiful bridges but always looked into the light in the Glishorn which shined ever larger and brighter. The whole path was cast in deepest black, but, deathly tired, the tinkerer arrived on the summit of the mountain after long struggles and much swaying back and forth.
He stood in front of a mighty church with twelve gates, and over the entrance portal these words were clearly visible: “Dome of Eternal Bliss”. On both sides of the portal, there was a guard with a white shirt and a white collar, upon which the letters S Z (“Stadt Zion”/”City of Zion”) were written. One of them carried a pick on his shoulder, the other one a shovel. The tinkerer was about to put down his heavy tools so that he would step into the dome like a decent person, but they indicated to him that he should take everything with him. Thus, he stepped with his heavy load through the portal into a brightly lit dome which was filled with souls. A wide nave was in its center, which terminated at an exit at the front and back. On the right side of the front cloister, he noticed a bier. He put his toolbox on it, knelt down in a stall utterly exhausted and covered in sweat, and listed to the beautiful celestial music which seemed to emanate from the choir. The souls in the cloister where shrouded by white robes, had their backs towards the portal, and held their hands before their faces. The souls in the cloister in front of the choir supported their arms on the stalls. The tinkerer looked around in amazement. Everyone was silent and still, and only in the choir there was great jubilation and song as if there were a multitude of angels raising their voices. “It must be beautiful there” the tinkerer thought, and thus he wanted to go there, but two altar boys clad in white stopped him and told him that he was not clean and thus had to wait for a little while. He remained patient for some time, and when the boys vanished, he attempted to go to the front once again. Then two splendidly-dressed men in red clothes appeared. “Wait”, they said, “you are dirty. We first want to wash you, and then you may go to those who sing and praise.”
They took hold of his arm, and stepped with him through the gate of the cloister, climbed the stairs of a high tower, and entered a beautiful room. There he saw firmly twisted scourges, two large brass faucets, and washing utensils. The men filled the tubs with water, undressed him, poured first lukewarm and then hot water over him and whipped him with the scourges so that the skin fell off him in tatters. Then they splashed the poor man with cold water, and immediately his body was covered with a young, soft skin and the horrible pains dissolved into wonderful bliss. Then they dressed him into a fine muslin shirt and told him that he was now allowed to go into the choir.[topic]choir They accompanied him there themselves, had him kneel in a beautiful stall, and plead the Heavenly Father for a splendid, eternal house just like he imagined it. He knelt down and uttered the Lord’s Prayer. As soon as he had finished, the altar boys reappeared and waved him to follow them to make room for someone else. Once they arrived outside, they wandered on a beautifully paved road for nearly half an hour until they reached a vineyard filled with ripe fruits. “Eat as much as you like”, they said. He obeyed, but every time he picked a single berry, he was already satiated.
Once he had tasted all varieties, they presented a key tied to a green ribbon to him, which was the key to the house in which he should live from now on. They led him there and opened the door. He said that he would hardly be able to open all doors with one key, but the boys replied that this one key would open everywhere. The tinkerer gave his thanks, and the boys said during their farewell that they would soon return to see how he liked it there.
After several days they reappeared again and inquired after his well-being. He said that he was very content, but it was a bit boring from time to time as he had not seen anyone else until now. Wouldn’t it be possible to fetch his family and perhaps his relatives? The boys replied that he should have a little patience, for they would come eventually — not all, but most of them. Then they pointed towards the dome: “Do you see the bishop in front of the portal, with his mitre and his crosier? He can wait as long as he wants, for he shall not get inside.”
He thanked them profusely, and the boys vanished.