Arthur and the fox walked for a long time, up to the viper‘s lair and called to her in a loud voice. „Good morning Madam Viper,“ said the fox, nodding in a respectful bow „I brought a friend with me who needs your help.“ „A human being,” said the snake „I‘ve bitten many during my long life... But you‘ve been
polite so I‘ll give you a chance: I will formulate two riddles for you, if you answer wrong I‘ll bite your ankle and take your life, but if you answer correctly I will help you.
Are you willing to play, young man? „
„All right, thank you for this honour.“ „Let‘sss play then: it wears a ring for every year of its life, it can sing like no others of its kind, but only if it‘s killed in winter during the full moon. What is it?“ The answer came
like a flash from grandpa‘s old stories: „It‘s the resonance spruce. The rings of the trunk reveal how many years it has been standing.
It‘s cut down in winter during the growing period, when the tree transforms sugars into starches, so the wood won‘t go mouldy. It‘s called the spruce that sings because it propagates sound in an exceptional way.“
„I‘m ssstupified. Let‘s see if you know the next answer as well: they stay together but they aren‘t lovers. They‘re two and one at the same time. They help each other and one would die without the other. They only live where the air is uncontaminated.
Who are they?” Arthur didn‘t need to reflect, he‘d studied the answer at school: “Lichen! It’s composed of two organisms in symbiosis, an alga and a fungus: the fungus survives thanks to the compounds of organic products from the photosynthetic activity of the alga, while the alga receives protection, mineral salts and water from the fungus. Lichen absorbs the substances it needs from the atmosphere, for this reason, it only lives in unspoilt nature.“
“You‘ve sssucceeded young adventurer,” said the viper in an annoyed tone, „now I‘ll answer your question as I promised. I don‘t know where the demon of the forest hides, but I can tell you who knows for sure:
the king of the forest, the great royal deer. Find him and you‘ll find the answer you seek.”
“Wait, Madam Viper,“ cried the fox, „aren‘t you forgetting something? You also promised a gift.“ The viper, annoyed by her defeat, slithered into her lair and returned with a staff. „Does the name Moses mean anything
to you? Do you remember his staff? The one that separated the waters of the Red Sea... Here, this is a miniature version. It can divide the waves, certainly not a sea like the original, but it can manage a smaller body of water. It might be useful to you.“