The Prophetess

I really enjoyed "The Prophetess", so much so that I wrote my second essay on it! The young boy in this story is scared for his life when he approaches the mystical prophetesses house to retrieve holy water for his mother. All of his fears which have been fed by the rumors spread about town come to a culmination as he trembles outside of her door wondering if he should flee or continue on inside. It is finally when the young boy is inside the prophetesses house and he smells camphor oil, which his mother uses for her ailments, that the young boy realizes that the prophetess is human just like everyone else. His fear turns to slight comfort as he begins to see the prophetess in a motherly fashion. Finally when the young boy gets the holy water and begins his trek home I was filled with trepidation as he encountered obstacle after obstacle out on the streets. I knew before I read it that the bottle of holy water was going to be dropped and broken all over the street! But thank goodness it did because it helped the boy to understand that it is not necessarily the holy water which will heal his mother, but the love and devotion that mother and son have for each other. Good story!