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bone and casting her into the river during the night.
This news was exactly what the treacherous brother had been waiting for.
After bidding Jonek farewell, he waited until nightfall and then ran down to the river as fast
as his legs would carry him. Once there, he jumped into the river and dived down into the
murky waters in search of the bone. Eventually his hands landed upon the bone which had
settled among the tall weeds in the riverbed.
Antek swam to the surface and climbed out onto the riverbank and hastily pulled the twig
from the hole in the end of the bone.
There was a whooshing sound and a very bright light which made Antek drop the bone in
fright. Poverty appeared before him and swept him up into her arms, singing at the top of
her voice: ‘Oh, my savior, you have freed me! Now it is you who I will faithfully accompany
until the day that you die!’
Antek grew uneasy. ‘Not me,’ he cried. ‘It is my brother whom you must haunt.’
‘No, my friend,’ hissed Poverty, ‘you have set me free, so it is you who will now have
Poverty until the end of your days.’
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