Only a Fool Scoffs at Destiny

****O******nly a Fool Scoffs at Destiny** was a story told by Mrs. Hereward, passed down to her by her father. It told of Julian Roamer, the first of the roamers.

## Information

### *Greenglass House*

When asked to tell a story, Mrs. Hereward volunteered. She told a story passed down from her ancestors which her father had called "Only a Fool Scoffs at Destiny". She began, as Georgie said all stories began in folklore traditions, with "Listen".

In her story, she told of a boy, Julian Roamer, who walked from his home to his work six miles across a road by the bay which was badly paved the whole way. Little stones would escape the road into Julian's shoes and torture him. One night, so bright with stars that Julian had doused his lamp, he got a particularly painful stone in his shoe and wished aloud that the stones would leave him alone, and that he would be mayor of the town so that he could fix the road. He hadn't realized that there was a shooting star in the sky, but there had been. A man appeared, soaking wet, and wearing a silver tailcoat with black patches of burned fabric at its elbows and collar, and wearing pewter-colored trousers burned at the knees. He asked Julian to repeat his wish, which he'd had trouble hearing because of the airflow and because he hadn't been listening very well, he admitted, as almost no one managed to finish wishing in time. The man offered to grant the wish, as he was not only honor bound but Julian had saved his life. He then introduced himself as Baetylus, a shooting star.

Julian repeated warily his wish, wanting to be mayor in order to fix the road. Baetylus frowned, asking if Julian wanted to be mayor and if he knew anything about fixing roads. Julian suggested that if he were mayor, someone whose job it was would be working for him. Baetylus, however, thought that the road was the type you'd get if you had a mayor who had wished his way into his job. Baetylus offered to give Julian the job of mayor, but warned Julian that he couldn't make him a good mayor, because that would be the sort of thing he'd have to be destined for, and he shouldn't make a wish that went against destiny. Julian thought only a fool relied on destiny, wondering how it could decide what he was going to do before he did. The shooting star apologized for his criticism, but Julian thought him right. Baetylus suggested he grant Julian stone-proof shoes, and insisted that it would not be a waste of a wish, and that it was such a perfect wish he would give it to Julian for free and give him his real one when they crossed paths again. Baetylus handed Julian the stone that had been in his shoe, as a reminder of the wish he'd almost made. He shook Julian's hand and then disappeared up the road.

Julian threw the stone over his shoulder, suggesting that he wish for money to pave the road himself. The pebble, unknown to Julian, fell in a wishing well. Dark water bubbled out of the well, and Julian didn't notice until it splashed the back of his shoes. A woman's voice called from some shrubs, asking him to repeat his wish. The woman was wearing a slate-colored dress and her hair was silver, but her skin was the color of the water, depending on the angle. She asked him to repeat his wish, because it's very rare that anyone wished in her well and she hadn't really been listening. She handed him back his pebble and introduced herself as Wielle. Julian had wished for money for paving the road, but Wielle did not think this a good wish. Even though Julian was a nice fellow, wishes for money would cause trouble, and he shouldn't try to outwit destiny. Julian told her that he wasn't sure whether he believed in destiny, but had been only thinking out loud and didn't really want that. Wielle refused to return to the well without granting his wish, as if she did she would be allowed to stay out of the well for ten years. Julian, who didn't really have a real wish but wanted to let Wielle out of the well, asked for her to get rid of the broken paving stones. Wielle agreed, suggesting that he give her his real wish the next time they saw each other. Julian wondered why the wishing creatures wanted to give away wishes and why they thought they were going to cross paths again. Wielle took Julian's hand and put the pebble into it, then kissed Julian's lips. The broken pavement disappeared, and she called a goodbye before disappearing to the north. Julian watched her go with his fingers to his lips.

Julian cut himself a walking stick to make the walking easier. As he went, he wondered what sort of wishes Baetylus and Wielle would approve of, and mused that knowing whether he had a destiny and if he did, what it was, would be a useful wish. He heard a voice nearby asking him to say it properly, and Julian, startled, looked around but could not find anyone. He then saw that his walking stick had sprouted arms and legs. Julian asked what he was and the man said woundedly that he was a wishing stick, and Julian had given him life when he'd cut him off the blackthorn and made a wish. Julian introduced himself, and so did the thin man, as Sloe. Julian then, at Sloe's request, put his wish in proper wish form and prepared for a lecture about destiny. However, Sloe did not, telling him instead to pick one wish, if he actually wanted to know, as in Sloe's opinion only fools relied on destiny. Julian agreed, but told Sloe that he'd been told twice not to try crossing destiny. Sloe said that if destiny exists, it wouldn't really work if it could be thwarted by a wish, and then asked Julian to tell about his previous wishes. Julian did, and at the end Sloe suggested that Baetylus and Wielle had mentioned destiny because they thought it might make Julian more likely to reconsider, as he himself didn't actually want the things he'd wished for. According to Sloe, wishing creatures weren't supposed to argue but could not help having opinions.

Julian asked if Sloe had an opinion, and Sloe explained how the problem with asking about destiny is that knowing it would not help Julian much. He asked Julian what Julian actually wanted, and after some thought Julian asked Sloe to fix the road all the way. Sloe instead made Julian's shoes so that good roads would follow them, and sure enough, when Julian took a step, cobblestones extended the length of the road. Sloe instructed Julian to choose his paths carefully, and take the shoes off when he wanted to feel the ground under his feet. Sloe scratched the same symbol he'd put on the shoes onto Julian's knife and lamp, and suggested that the pebble would work well as a flint. Sloe said his goodbye and disappeared down the newly paved road.

Julian went on to become the first of the roamers, and the roads paved with his shoes became the most sacred of the roaming world. Julian always kept the shoes, knife, lantern, and flint pebble.

### *Ghosts of Greenglass House*

Milo recalled the tale of Julian Roamer, which had been a clue to some of the mysterious happenings at Greenglass House the year before.