As the October sun sets, a beautiful young woman and a withered old crone meet at an appointed time in a darkened hollow between three hills. The old crone asks that the young woman state her business quickly, as they can only remain here for one hour. The young woman states that she is a stranger to this land, but that it does not matter where she comes from. She is here because she has abandoned her loved ones, and she’s now cut off from them forever. Unable to rid herself of the guilt, she has come to the hollow to ask about their welfare. The old crone promises that the young woman will receive the information she seeks before the sun sets, and the young woman agrees to do the old crone’s bidding, even though doing so will certainly kill her.
With their agreement made, the young woman lies with her head on the old crone’s knees. The crone draws a cloak over the young woman’s face and begins to mutter a dark incantation. Soon, the young woman begins to hear sounds. Though initially indistinct, they become clearer and clearer, until eventually she can make out an entire scene: a ticking clock, the roar of a fire, and the despondent voices of a man and a woman. The man and woman speak sorrowfully of their missing daughter, who has brought a shame upon their family that will follow them until the day they die. They also speak of a second, more recent misfortune, but their voices fade in the wind.
The young woman finds the vision humiliating, but there is more to come. Once again, the crone draws her cloak over the young woman’s face and begins her prayer. Soon, the young woman hears a second scene, in which chains rattle and a cacophony of voices shriek, laugh, and sob in unison. Eventually, the young woman can make out the voice of a man who speaks desperately to anyone who will listen about his wife, who betrayed her wedding vows and abandoned her home. However, his voice is quickly drowned out by the screams and shouts of the people around him, and their collective voices once more fade into the wind. The old crone asks if the young woman ever expected that there would be so much joy in a madhouse. The young woman responds that there is joy but also misery.
The old crone states that there is one last vision remaining. For a third and final time, she covers the young woman’s face and begins her incantation. The young woman now hears the mournful ringing of a church bell, which grows increasingly loud until she can distinguish the sounds of a funeral procession, led by a priest reading burial rites. Though the gathered mourners do not speak aloud, there are whisperings of a daughter who abandoned her parents, a wife who betrayed her husband, and a mother who left her child to die. With this final vision done, the old crone attempts to awaken the young woman, but she is no longer moving. The old crone chuckles to herself.
