Not far from the gloomy Albeuve valley, in the mountains that rise above the ancient castle of the Counts of Gruyères, lies Lake Montgeron, reflecting the dark tops of pine trees in its waters. It's very beautiful. Look at it from the mountainside on a clear sunny day! It will seem to you that a huge emerald fell in the middle of forests and flowering alpine meadows. Lake Montgeron is small: you can walk around it in fifteen to twenty minutes. But its depth, according to residents of the surrounding villages, is extraordinary.
Wonderful flowers grow around the lake, and all summer dragonflies with colorful wings chase each other over the quiet mirror surface. Herds of cows, goats, sheep and lambs come to Montgeron to drink. Tired travelers love to relax on the shore of the lake. Here, far from the hustle and bustle of the city, on the edge of a dense forest surrounded by high mountains, they admire the beautiful view of the valley below.
The ancient capital of the county of Gruyères seems so elegant and festive from here! Its fortress walls, towers, bell towers and colorful roofs of houses are clearly visible. Many artists came to this place to capture the picturesque city in the middle of the green plains, which together with the crown of mountain peaks form a grandiose landscape.
Dear travelers, on a wonderful sunny day you will have a great time on the shores of Lake Montgeron. But God forbid you end up there on a dark night, for a terrible sight will appear before your eyes!
When the bells of the village chapels signal the end of the day, and the night allows evil spirits and various mysterious creatures to roam the earth unhindered, the waters of the small lake suddenly begin to darken and soon become black as ink, and then begin to rise high. After some time, the lake already looks like a huge cauldron with boiling boiling water, and from the bottom of it come the moans, screams and howls of unknown creatures, sometimes drowned out by the monstrous roar of some angry beast.
Suddenly, a powerful wave rises on the agitated surface of the lake. She throws a strange creature glowing in the darkness ashore. Emitting desperate screams, the ugly ghost rushes along the shore, as if trying to hide from someone. But before he has time to disappear from sight, the next wave, even more formidable than the previous one, brings another monster to land - a huge bull. Mooing terribly and spewing sparks and flames from his nostrils, eyes, ears and mouth, he sets off in pursuit of his predecessor, who runs away from him around the lake in horror. Another moment passes, and now the third wave is rushing - the largest, the strongest. She falls to the ground and runs away, leaving a third monster on the shore - either an animal or a human. An ax with a long handle is stuck into his head, covered with the skin of a cow, which sticks out above his forehead and looks like a formidable horn from a distance. His arms are hung with ringing bells, jingling pieces of iron and heavy chains. In his fists he holds two flaming torches. The pitiful howl of this ghost will make anyone tremble! Once on land, he immediately tries to hide somewhere, but an unknown force keeps him on the dull shore. Seeing two monsters rushing towards him, the ghost in cow skin becomes indescribably horrified. He wants to escape from them, he runs, he flies... Thus begins a wild race of three fantastic creatures, disgusting and creepy. All night they rush howling around Lake Montgeron. And from the tops of old fir trees, closed in a tight ring around the seething abyss, the ominous cries of owls are heard.
A long time ago, when the people who inhabited the Gruyere region were already good Christians, devout and pious Catholics, there were still idolaters in the mountains who were in no hurry to accept the Law of God. They were distinguished by a violent disposition, they started fights for any reason, and even on Sundays they made noise, screamed and blasphemed like real pagans. These non-Christians were very rich, which is not surprising, for by the will of Providence, many evil people, before going to hell after death, enjoy earthly blessings during life. Some of them owned extensive pastures, and the wealthiest was a man named Geron. In ancient chronicles you can easily find mention of the area Montgeron, which means the Geron Mountains.
Geron was an arrogant, rude and greedy rich man, he did not believe in God or the devil, he never prayed and mocked devout Catholics. This infidel worshiped only money! Geron worked for three people and sometimes even tended the herds himself in order to increase his wealth. The Gospel was never read in Gerona's chalet. His farmhands never went down to Gruyères to hold Sunday services in God's church. Moreover, they reserved the most noisy works for the holiday to spite their pious neighbors.
The day of St. James, the good patron of shepherds, fell one Sunday, which doubled the solemnity of the holiday. The chalets of the devout shepherds were empty, because their inhabitants, every single one, said prayers in the churches, offering praise to their patron.
It was on this holiday that the infidel Geron decided to transfer his herds from one pasture to another. At the hour when the mass began in Gruyères, Geron was already driving hundreds of head of cattle along the mountain roads. His cows mooed loudly, the bells on their necks jingled in every possible way, the shepherds cracked their whips and called to each other merrily. While the fat herds were leisurely leaving Montgeron, their owner returned to the chalet to, following custom, tidy up the home and prepare cheese.
Quite late in the evening, Geron, having finished with all his business, left the chalet, carrying a huge cauldron for cooking cheese on his shoulders. He had to climb a narrow path that wound along a steep slope overhanging the lake. Zheron climbed up with considerable difficulty, and just as he decided to rest, he heard the frequent clatter of hooves. A few moments later, a huge black bull jumped out from around the nearest bend, rushing at full speed, which, obviously, was dissatisfied with being driven to foreign lands, and was now returning to Montgeron, to its native pasture.
The enraged animal turned all its anger on the first person it met. Geron wanted to dodge the beast that rushed at him, but the heavy burden prevented him. The bull pushed Geron with such force that he fell onto his back. The large cauldron instantly swallowed him up and rolled towards the lake. Having hit the stone and described an arc in the air, the cauldron with Geron inside flopped straight into the water. And a terrible beast, which seemed to be possessed by the devil himself, jumped after him.
Witnesses to this terrible drama were the residents of the surrounding chalets and Gerona's servants, who ran after the bull that had strayed from the herd. People, using poles, hooks and ropes, tried all night at the risk of their lives to pull out the body of the poor man, but their efforts were in vain, because the waters of the lake were extremely deep.
The family of the deceased promised a generous reward to anyone who could retrieve Geron's body from the bottom of the lake, and the search continued on the second day, and on the third, but, alas, without success.
It was the third night since the death of Gerona. Even the hardiest of those who searched for the drowned man were exhausted by hard work. Having interrupted their work, the tired people fell asleep on the shore of the lake.
Around midnight everyone was awakened by wild screams. Without having yet woken their eyes from sleep and not realizing anything from excitement, people at first saw only two sparkling spots that moved around the lake so quickly that it seemed as if the water surface was surrounded by a circle of fire. But after a few moments it was already possible to clearly distinguish two figures. It was... Geron, who was running with a huge cauldron on his shoulders, and an angry bull chasing him. Both of them were engulfed in flames! A terrible punishment befell Gerona for his anger and blasphemy...
People who became unwitting witnesses to the hellish torment of Geron would have happily fled from the shore of the lake, but some mysterious force kept them in place. With their eyes wide open in horror, they watched as the screaming Geron and the roaring bull rushed around the lake until the first roosters crowed and the bell rang for matins in Gruyères. At the sound of the bell, the ghosts returned to the bottom of the reservoir, and the frightened spectators of the eerie performance rushed as fast as they could to the nearest village and told its inhabitants about Gerona’s terrible return to earth. And then everyone understood why his body could not be found.
People abandoned new searches. They addressed the sons of Geron with these words:
“Now your father and his bull are the property of a very powerful master.” But we don’t want to contradict the devil and try to get what rightfully belongs only to him.
Centuries have passed... We are transported to the era of Napoleonic victories. The glory of the great commander thundered throughout the world.
By that time, several generations of shepherds had already replaced Montgeron’s chalet. But the story about the atheist and the terrible punishment that befell him was not erased from people’s memory, for flaming ghosts did not stop appearing from time to time on the shore of the small lake. Most often, they emerged from the depths of the water on fasting days, as well as on the feast of the patron saint of shepherds, St. James.
An old cheese maker named Cornico temporarily settled in one of the chalets located on the slopes of Montgeron. Cornico was a good worker and had a cheerful, but not at all kind, disposition. He spent his whole life in foreign lands, wandering around the world, and now in his declining years his favorite pastime was to talk about his adventures and dubious exploits, as well as to make fun of simpletons and young shepherdesses. This time the victim of the cheerful fat man was an orphan boy of fifteen years old, whose name was Joseph Gourdet. Joseph was extremely illiterate and very superstitious. But people willingly forgave him these shortcomings for his honesty, kindness and generosity.
One day, on the feast of St. James, a terrible thunderstorm broke out in the mountains. Bright lightning streaked across the black dome of the sky in ominous cracks. The villagers listened with fear to the howl of the wind. It seemed to them that a whole swarm of sinful souls hovered in the chimneys and outside the windows of houses, piteously complaining about their bitter lot. The rain poured down like buckets, and the echo of thunder rumbled through the mountains like crazy. It seemed that better weather could not be imagined for the appearance of ghosts and other people from the other world.
Sitting around the fire, the shepherds smoked pipes and took turns telling each other what they knew about devils, witches and other evil spirits. When Cornico's turn came, the old cheese maker remembered the legend about the ghosts of Lake Montgeron and told it to the shepherds. And then he looked at the thoughtful Joseph and said:
“Young man, I see you’re pretty scared!” I bet you will never agree to go to the shore of the lake tomorrow night and scoop up water in the place where three old spruce trees grow.
“Why not,” answered Joseph, touched to the quick, “don’t think that I’m a coward.”
“No way in your life will you go down to the lake,” Cornico continued, “I bet you two crowns!”
Joseph, excited, immediately accepted the old man's challenge. In the presence of all the shepherds, the bet was made. After a while, Cornico yawned, stretched and, wishing the young man to successfully go for water, went to bed.
The mocker decided to play a cruel joke on Joseph. The next day, getting up early, he made the necessary preparations. The day before, a black cow had been slaughtered, and Cornico was tasked with skinning it. The old man took off the skin, leaving the horns on it, and hid it in the barn. Then he prepared two tarred torches, a bunch of bells and pieces of old chains. In the evening, Cornico told the shepherds about his idea to scare Joseph and went to the lake, taking with him all the things prepared for the masquerade. On the shore, under the old fir trees, he put on a skin with antlers, hung himself with chains and bells, lit torches and began to wait for the young man.
As dusk deepened, the shepherds in the chalet said to Joseph:
— The hour is already late, it’s time to go to bed. Let ghosts wander through the dark forest, we don’t care about them. And you, well done, if you want to win the bet, go to the lake for water, or even better, go to bed, otherwise, at an uneven hour, you will shit your pants from fear.
“I’ll go to the shore of Montgeron right now,” Joseph answered proudly, “and you will see that I’m not afraid of any monsters.”
Joseph took his water bottle and left the chalet. On the street he saw a large ax leaning against a woodpile. Without hesitation, the young man took it with him, just in case, and began to go down the path to the lake. After walking a few steps, he heard a strange noise. Screams, ringing, and stomping were heard from the side of the lake - it was Cornico, noticing Joseph, who began his performance. Soon the young man saw some strange creature rushing along the shore. It shook its horns, screamed, rattled its chains and seemed to be on fire. The young man stopped in amazement, and the shepherds died with laughter, looking at him from the window.
After hesitating for a moment, Joseph began to move forward, trying not to lose sight of the monster. Soon he was already under the old fir trees. The young man leaned towards the water to fill the bottle, but then an ugly ghost suddenly jumped out from behind a tree and rushed at him. Joseph was ready to attack. Undeterred, he jumped to the side. The monster rushed past him, then turned and, bowing its horned head, ran back. When it approached, the young man swung and hit it on the forehead with all his might with an ax. The monster fell to the ground with a wild howl and rolled towards the water, and Joseph, without wasting time, filled a bottle with water and ran upstairs to the chalet.
Throwing open the door, he, choking with joy and excitement, shouted to the dumbfounded shepherds:
- I killed the ghost! I'm not such a coward and a fool as you thought! It rushed at me, but I hit its head with an ax. It howled, crashed to the ground and rolled into the water. It will remember me! Now he won’t want to measure his strength with me on the banks of Montgeron!
- But it was a joke! Cornico pretended to be a ghost! - the shepherds shouted in horror and, grabbing lanterns, rushed to the lake.
On the shore they saw a pool of blood. The water in one place was red, air bubbles rising from the bottom burst on the surface, and small waves ran onto the shore. One abandoned torch was burning out in the grass, the other was slowly floating towards the middle of the lake.
Realizing what had happened, people broke the stakes from the nearby fence and tried to pull Cornico out of the water, hoping that he was still alive. But all their efforts were in vain. Then they went for a net, poles and hooks, and all night until sunrise they tried to get the dead body from the bottom. In vain! The waters of the small lake did not give up to Cornico, and people had no choice but to return to their daily affairs.
But not only the body of the old cheese maker was missing. Young Joseph also disappeared without a trace. All his belongings were untouched in the chalet. Where could he go without his favorite pipe and without his shoes? The shepherds decided that while the others were trying to pull Cornico out, the guy drowned in the lake out of grief.
For several days after the tragedy that took place on the banks of Montgeron, people, not losing hope of finding the drowned bodies, scurried around the lake. They built a raft and cast nets from it, but, alas! - even with the help of ropes tied to each other, they were unable to reach the bottom, and the search was fruitless. The poor shepherds now only thought that, apparently, evil spirits had moved Joseph to kill Cornico and that they should no longer laugh at sinful souls and people from the other world.
The following year, on the night before the feast of St. James, the shepherds of Montgeron were awakened by a terrible howl, from which even the walls of the chalet shook. Everyone ran out into the street. A howl came from the direction of the lake. Plucking up courage, the shepherds began to carefully descend to the water. And then a terrible sight met their eyes. The small lake looked like a seething cauldron, and around it rushed a couple of the same flaming monsters that from time to time emerge from the underworld onto the shores of Montgeron. But now a third has joined them - and it was the terrible ghost of Cornico! He was wrapped in the skin of a black cow in such a way that the horns rested just on his head. An ax handle stuck out between the horns, and black blood flowed from a deep wound in the forehead. The ghost was hung with bells and rattling pieces of chains. Lighted torches blazed in his hands. He ran along the shore, screaming desperately.
Almost thirty years have passed since then. Many of the shepherds who knew the old cheese maker Cornico and the young Gourdet have already found eternal peace in the cold earth. Emperor Napoleon led his army across Europe, winning one victory after another... And then everything changed. The great commander, who once plunged powerful states into dust, died alone and forgotten by everyone on a small rocky island lost in the ocean. The soldiers of Napoleonic army returned home to take a break from military campaigns in their old age and tell their relatives about their military exploits.
One fine day, a soldier came to Gruyères with a camp bag on his back. He limped badly, his face was covered with scars, his left arm did not bend and hung lifelessly. On the chest of the old warrior, insignia glittered - evidence of his courage and valor.
The soldier went into the tavern and ordered a glass of beer. The owner and regulars of the establishment began to ask the stranger where he came from and where he was going. The soldier said that he was from Gruyères, but no one believed him. Then, angry, he slammed his fist on the table and shouted:
“Yes, I am the same Joseph Gourdet, the shepherd from the Montgeron chalet, who killed old Cornico, mistaking him for a ghost!”
Yes, it was Joseph Gourdet, whom everyone believed drowned in the waters of Lake Montgeron. The old men of Gruyères recognized him immediately.
When the shepherds ran to the lake in the hope of saving Cornico, poor Joseph, realizing that he had inadvertently committed murder, decided to leave his native land. He went wherever he could, cursing human stupidity and malice. Joseph walked for a long time through the mountains and finally reached Vevey. The first person the young man met in Vevey was a recruiter who was recruiting soldiers for Napoleon’s army. The recruiter invited Joseph to enter the service of the emperor. The shepherd boy had heard a lot about Napoleon's first victories and happily agreed to become a soldier of the great commander. That same evening he boarded a ship sailing to France. Thus began Joseph's military service, which brought him many wounds and much glory.
Nowadays, few people remember the story of Joseph Gourdet. But know that to this day the monsters of Lake Montgeron come ashore from the mysterious watery depths. On a moonless night, when the fog rises above the ground and the flowers smell stronger, the forest around the lake becomes quiet. The motionless surface shimmers like a wonderful mirror. And suddenly the water begins to darken...
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru