Nowhere in the world the meadows were as green... nowhere dandelions bloomed as yellow...
as here in Lusatia.
The soil smelled like fresh bread
and sometimes the Elector of Saxony's flag was flapping above it.
Always some part of the world was at war.
One regiment after another marched past; it made the ground drone.
I was as free as a bird... a bird that fell out of the nest.
I was all by my lonesome... homeless and parentless I was roaming about Lusatia.
Sometimes in a hurry because the Elector had prohibited beggary and vagrancy.
But only the dogs seemed to observe it.
By the way... my name is Krabat.
All I own are my clothes and my freedom.
I love the country I'm living in.
And if I have my way... I will stay here forever.
I liked that fancy-free life... but also in Lusatia, summer must come to an end.
And then the good times are over for the likes of us.
I slept like a log.
But I wasn't alone. Another two beggar boys stuck in the hay.
So now it was the three of us.
Since Epiphany was just around the corner...
...we made a plan to fill our empty stomachs.
The famous Three Kings we are...
Kings from the Orient...
One is black and two are white...
for Bethlehem we are heading...
Bethlehem we bear in mind...
Beneath the star we make our way...
The hunger -oh- is plaguing us...
The hunger -oh- causes great distress. Dear people, please give us a little slice of bread.
Give us a piece of sausage... give us a sip to quench our thirst...
What you may give will please us... in the name of the Lord Jesus.
In the evenings we took seat at the royal table
And after dinner we retired into our royal bed-chamber.
There was enough space and a good ventilation was also supplied.
Kra-Kra-Krabat!
Who was calling me? How did he know my name?
Krabat! Follow me to the Black Water Mill!
It will not be to your disadvantage, Krabat!
Krabat, listen to the voice of the master. Obey him!
On the outskirts of the village I met an old man.
When I asked him about the Black Water Mill he conjured me to return.
He warned me... It was a creepy place out there, at the Devil's Mill.
Don't let yourself be cajoled!
Obey me!
"Come in!"
"There you are at last!"
The voice of the raven that called me over here!
I am the master of this mill.
You can learn the trade of a miller here... but also anything else! Agree?
The mill! Now it is grinding again!
During the first night in the mill I wasn't able to get a wink of sleep.
To whom might these eleven empty beds belong?
Who else was dwelling here?
Apparently they were apprentices like me.
But where had they got to?
Except for me and the master there seemed to be no human soul.
On the next morning I finally got to know my fellow apprentices.
The eldest was called Tonda.
The next was Michal.
There was Yuro who cooked for us. A good boy though a little stupid.
Lyshko was a snoop. He was ordered to spy on us.
Honsa was the strongest.
The reticent Kubo...
the derisive Andrush...
and at last Stashko and Merten.
They were eleven... and I was the twelfth and the youngest.
Thus I became an apprentice at the Black Water Mill.
The work was no picnic...
but I had a roof above my head and enough to eat every day.
That was more than a beggar boy could wish for.
Time flew past while I was working.
And soon it was spring again.
None of the mill dwellers I detested as much as the ugly tomcat.
It didn't give me a minute's rest. It was lurking everywhere.
Once I got so annoyed that I flew off the handle.
I instantly felt that the master was angry about it.
After this bad experience I decided to run away.
Somehow I would manage to get along in this world.
All night long I ran and ran.
Only when the Black Water Mill was miles behind I took a short rest.
Get on with it! Work!
What I had only suspected...
now it proved true. I got caught in a Magic Mill.
Soon I would learn more about it.
Krabat, you have been here now for a quarter of a year.
You passed the probation.
Hitherto you have been an apprentice...
from now on you will be my scholar.
Come closer now, Krabat.
At first I didn't know what to do. The metamorphosis curdled my blood.
How do birds fly? I was completely at loss.
But soon I got the knack of it. Not half bad!
I didn't know then that from now on I was in the bondage of the Master...
with body and soul... A matter of life and death.
Sit down!
You must realise, Krabat, that this is a Black Magic School.
Here you won't learn to read, write or calculate...
here you will learn the art of the arts.
This grimoire here on this table is called 'The Koraktor', the 'Force of Hell'.
It contains the spells of the entire world, but only I am allowed to read them.
Because I am the master... You scholars are forbidden to read it.
Verboten! Mark my words, Krabat!
Now... Pay attention!
I will teach you another hex. One that may be of particular use to you.
Thus I grew from a miller's boy to a sorcerer's apprentice.
Who could have told by the outside of our mill that in reality it was a Black Magic School?
The master kept us under tight discipline.
We were not allowed to leave the mill without permission.
Yet sometimes he sent us out to test our progress in conjuring.
Once he sent me and Tonda to the next village.
I wasn't particularly enthusiastic about it, because Tonda had to turn me into an ox to sell me on the market.
That was not quite to my taste. But as an apprentice you had to put up with it.
On the cattle market I instantly caused a stir.
What a beauty of an ox I must have been!
The cattle dealers appraised me from horn to hoof and outbid each other.
But Tonda kept shaking his head.
No matter how much they bid, it wasn't enough.
I tried hard to put up a good show.
At last 'Ox-Blaschke' from Kamenz offered a bag full of Silver Thalers.
Tonda shook on it.
That's how I got sold to Ox-Blaschke from Kamenz.
Finally Ox-Blaschke spotted an inn.
Already from afar he announced his order:
Roast pork, dumplings and cabbage for me! And beer!
And for the ox a bundle of hay!
No, I'd also like a roast and a beer, please!
When they heard an ox speaking with a human voice, they were thunderstruck.
I think we passed the test well.
The master can be satisfied with us.
On Holy Saturday the master sent us out again.
However, by this time, all of us.
Two at a time had to spend the Easter Night together.
Each at a place where in the past someone died a violent death.
Tonda and me had to search for a long time.
Here and there the places were already occupied. So, further out!
I didn't particularly like this place either.
But at least it had a wonderful view on the village.
How long hadn't I heard the ringing of bells?!
The Easter Bells of my hometown had quite the same sound. In my childhood...
And once again I longed for the company of people.
Fountain, oh my fountain,
neath the Easter Dawn,
show me, my dear, what usually is hidden to me.
Today on Easter Morning I will walk to you
He who is meant for me, let me see him.
Since that Easter morning I couldn't get her out of my mind. I didn't even know her name.
To me she was the Kantorka: The girl that had sung.
Time flew by. Soon the first year was over.
When Christmas was getting closer, I couldn't help thinking of the Kantorka.
Hence with it! That's completely out of place here!
It was a strange Christmas.
One morning I discovered a coffin in the shed.
As if someone had died.
Then I saw Tonda.
He didn't go out to dig a grave, did he?
I called him. But my best friend Tonda...
walked on as if he hadn't heard me.
I tried to find out what was going on, but in vain.
There was nothing but angst, the apprentices seemed to have lost their tongue.
"The moment of truth has come...
There can only be one Master. Either me or you.
The coffin is waiting for the loser."
When Tonda died, the mill stopped.
It would not grind until Tonda was replaced...
...and we were complete again.
The master didn't have to wait too long.
There were enough beggar boys in Lusatia.
Soon one of them would turn up to take shelter ...
from hunger and the cold.
The web was spun...
and the prey got trapped in it.
The mill! Now it is grinding again!
The next day there was another apprentice.
Nobody knew where he had come from and we didn't ask about it.
The new guy was called Witko.
He started his first day in the same manner as anybody else before.
He also had a ravenous appetite.
After Witko's arrival matters ran their course again.
Soon he would find out where he really had got to.
Some things appeared strange to him but they didn't frighten him.
Before he even had a clue what was going on, he already was the youngest scholar.
"Attention!
I will teach you today a well proven spell.
This is how you turn a common pine cone
into precious jewelry.
But beware! Before one hour is up...
the spell will expire and the cone will be as it was before."
What would be the use of it? But I didn't know the master!
DRESDEN Electoral residence of Saxony
After the solemn audience in front of His Elelector's Highness throne,
the master offered his jewelry to the illustrous court society.
The ladies were cheering. They couldn't see enough of it.
Each of them wanted to try on one of that precious pieces...
...and keep it.
Many a cavalier felt impelled to pay through his nose.
A good deal for the master.
But what would happen when the hour was up?
Only 5 minutes left...
...and they will wear pine cones on their illustrous necks.
And we will be given short shrift.
But the master simply stopped time.
The court society freezed in a blink.
And we made a bolt for it.
How much gold one can win from a couple of duff cones!
If you know the proper hex!
Another spring came, and Easter was getting closer.
As usual, the master sent us out on Holy Saturday.
Again we had to spend the night at a place where once a man died a violent death.
This time I was sent out with Yuro, but I didn't feel like following the instruction.
My heart was in my mouth...
as if I'd known that on this Easter Night my life was fated.
"I repeat it again, because these two were late."
"He who commits himself to Black Magic...
is addicted to it with body and soul."
"His heart no longer belongs to himself."
"He who nevertheless wants to give it away, may as well dig his grave right away."
"Who of you two has defied me?"
"Answer me, Krabat!"
"Answer me, Yuro!"
"Very well then! You will live to rue it!"
The master conceived of a dreadful punishment.
He turned Yuro into a horse.
And I was to sell the nag for 50 Gulden.
Poor Yuro! Now he was supposed to eat oats for the rest of his life...
because he was much too stupid to retransform himself.
I had to give him a hand.
Spontaneously, we changed our roles.
I made Yuro become a human again... and I turned into a horse.
Yuro might as well sell me, I would find a way!
To me, it's a walk in the park!
The master wouldn't find out about it.
We stopped at the town hall square.
But the market place was abandoned.
Suddenly a buyer showed up and offered 50 gulden at first go.
Oh Yuro! If you had only taken a closer look!
"Never try to deceive me again!
This was my last warning!"
"See that you become human again! Got it?"
Once the master had to go on a journey for a few days.
Though the hard work continued...
life at the mill was suddenly much easier and funnier.
I felt like I was in a dream.
The Kantorka was always on my mind.
And if I tried to meet her again?
I knew how to fly, didn't I?
Only Yuro watched me leaving the mill.
This day was our lucky day.
Though we had never talked to each other, she knew me at once.
We didn't need words now either.
Only our eyes were talking.
Suddenly I heard Yuro's voice.
He warned me that the master was back.
Back to the mill quickly! I mustn't put the Kantorka in danger!
We flew back low in the shelter of woods and shrubbery.
The master awaited us disguised as a bird of prey.
While he whetted his claws we sneaked into the mill unseen.
"There's no secret you can hide from me, Krabat!
Who is that girl? If I find her...
...she will be lost.
To me you committed yourself with body and soul...
To ME you belong, once and for all!"
That night I took the decision to turn my back to the mill for good.
Even here, there must be a way to freedom.
There was only one solution: I had to beat the master in a showdown.
It would not be easy. Maybe Yuro would help me?
In fact, Yuro was savvier than all of us.
He had only pretended his ignorance.
This was the Koraktor, the grimoire.
From now on we used any opportunity to learn from it secretly.
To defeat the master, I had to be prepared.
This year, winter set in early.
The entire Lusatia was deeply snowed and people were looking forward to Christmas.
Only we, here at the mill, lapsed into worry and uncertainty.
As always at the end of the year, an inescapable fate awaited one of us.
This time, it was Michal's turn.
"Take the shovel. There is a grave to dig.
For whom, that will soon prove."
Michal, turn back!
Let it be, Krabat.
You cannot turn that trial away from me. The bell tolls for everyone.
"Michal, are you ready?"
Michal was dead.
And once again the mill had stopped.
But not for long.
Another apprentice trudged along through the deep snow.
The other morning we took a look at the new guy.
I used to know him, didn't I?
Wasn't he Lobosh, the funny little blackamoor king?
So far away, those times... And I had yet another reason to defeat the master.
Another year was over. In March it it began to thaw.
I took advantage of the bad weather and left the mill.
I longed for the Kantorka. Thinking of her gave me strength.
Outside the storm was raging.
She was sleeping tight.
Some day we will not have to hide any longer.
That will be fine.
I had forgotten about time.
It was like a dream.
Already the dawn was breaking and I had to return to the mill.
Again the master was waiting for me.
He was keen to finally catch me red-handed.
In such cases, one could rely on him.
Not one night passed without the master spying on us.
While he was couching, we sneaked into the forbidden chamber.
On the last page of the grimoire we found a puzzling phrase:
Love is stronger than any spell.
That was beyond us.
And we didn't have the time to think about it.
I couldn't let go of that phrase...
Was a girl able to defeat the master with love?
How could I ever ask for something like that?
The fight with the master is my funeral! End of story!
Anything I wanted to tell her was well-considered...
But now I was not able to say a word.
The master wasn't lucky. I had read the Koraktor often enough now.
"Who dares to enter the forbidden chamber?
Well, I'll find out! Yuro stays here!
I won't need the others!"
"Yuro, you come along. I will assign a task to you. It's a matter of life and death."
No sooner had the master left the mill, I didn't stay a second longer either.
It was a beautiful moonlit night... I couldn't wish for any better.
But as usual, we had to look out for the master.
What a luck that I was able to conjure!
There was a proper hex for this situation as well.
The master searched around but couldn't find us.
Only the moon could have told... but it remained silent.
But the master wouldn't abandon the field yet.
The other morning he ordered me to the Black Chamber.
"You forge ahead, Krabat! You know more about magic than I imagined.
I will assign you a task that is worthy of you.
Woe betide you, if you fail."
I got the order to fly to Hungary.
Once again, the Imperial Army made war on the Turks there.
At the headquarters further orders would be issued.
After a long flight I finally arrived at what they call "The Field Of Honour."
At the camp, I immediately repaired to the commandant.
"What? A sorcerer that wants to help us against the Turks?"
At first, the general didn't believe me and his officers roared with laughter.
Well, it wasn't difficult to convince them.
I was right on time anyway.
The Turks had captured the Marshal of Saxony.
If I were able to free him and bring him back to the camp?
Sure I was!
The Turkish tents were pitched as dense as mushrooms after a summer rain.
Where might they keep the marshal?
Presumably in this huge tent...
But it was the tent of the sultan.
I'd like to apologise, but wasn't given a chance.
This sentinel looked fishy.
Only a marshal was guarded so strictly, wasn't he?
There had to be a way to tackle the guy.
I turned him into a a harmless little mouse.
Now he might feel free to continue his watch.
Finally I detected the captive Marshal of Saxony.
The guards were bristled with weapons. It would not be easy...
to get him out alive ...unless one knew about magic.
Well, I knew.
Now it had to show what I had learned.
I already regarded the game as won...
but I rejoiced too early.
The sultan had put his own wizard onto us to recapture the marshal.
Wasn't that Yuro?
My blood curdled. At him had I shot...
...at my best friend.
Now I realised what a vicious game the master had played on us.
Yuro and me, we were to wipe out each other.
But there was no time to get outraged about it.
Poor Yuro was seriously injured. I had to save him.
After I turned him into a raven, we flew home.
I completely forgot about the marshal.
May he eat grass for the rest of his life!
That's none of my business.
At least better than fighting wars.
It took many days and nights to fly back to Lusatia.
When we arrived it was winter again.
The master was already waiting... with the shovel in his hand.
"You lost, Krabat! You failed the test.
The poor marshal is still galloping about Hungary.
Take the shovel and dig your grave.
That will be your last work.
Do you know now who is master here?
I am the master!"
The fight was over and I had lost it.
The fate of Tonda and Michal was awaiting me.
Only Yuro was still hoping for help.
He flew away.
What was the Koraktor saying?
Love is stronger than any kind of magic.
"What do you want from me?"
"Release my miller boy!"
"I don't know him."
"It's Krabat, the one I love."
"Do you even know him?"
"Then you will be able to detect him among the others!
Ok! If you make it, he is free!
But if not, you will both die this very night.
Off to the chamber with you! Line up properly!"
"Stay where you are! Don't you dare to make a sound...
...or she will be finished!"
I wasn't expecting that.
Now there was no hope left.
Slowly she walked past me.
I felt as if my heart was breaking...
...from fear for her life.
"It is this one."
"Are you sure?"
"I sensed that he was worried... worried about me."
"That's how I recognised him."
Then we all stepped out into the bright daylight.
Now our freedom was regained.
The magic mill burned to ashes.
The master was overcome for ever and ever.
Love is stronger than than any magical power.
This was the end of all evil force.
The moment the Koraktor went up in flames...
...all magic came to an end.
What the master had taught us, was now gone, once and for all.
As common miller boys we walked our way now...
...and that's a good thing.