Back to: CBSE Class 8 English Summary and Notes
Table of Contents
Introduction
Ernest had become old and wise but still searching for the man to fulfil the prophecy. Will someone ever show up?
Wise Ernest
Ernest became old. He was very wise and famous now. People from distant places came to see him, and he would receive them with utmost sincerity. A great poet was also a resident of the valley but had lived away in distant places. He wrote poems about the Great Stone Face. Ernest used to read his poems.
The Poet
This poet had also heard about Ernest. One summer day, he knocked at Ernest’s door and asked for shelter. Ernest was very kind and humble to the poet. While talking, Ernest asked the stranger as to who he was. He replied that he wrote all the poems that Ernest had been reading lately.
Ernest examined his face with the utmost care, and to him, he did not resemble the Great Stone Face. The stranger inquired about his sadness. Ernest replied that he had been waiting for the fulfilment of a prophecy for all his life.
The Great Ernest
The poet told him that he was not worthy enough to be like the great mountain. As usual, Ernest went to talk to his village people at sunset. The people agreed with his thoughts, and he seemed very wise to them.
At a distance, the Great Stone Face appeared. The white mist around it was like the white hairs of Ernest. In the middle of the lecture, Ernest’s face took such an expression that the poet cried, that Ernest himself resembled the Great Stone Face.
Everyone was shocked, but Ernest held the poet’s hand and hoped for a wiser man to fulfil the prophecy.
