The Three Dancing Fires

This is a story from my father’s aunt about her own great-grandfather. One night, while he was walking home, he saw something unbelievable: three distinct fires dancing wildly upon the branches of a tree. He didn't know what they were, but he took a stone and threw it, knocking one of the fires down from the tree.

He always carried a knife with him for protection. That night, when he went to bed, he couldn't sleep. He tossed and turned all night, plagued by an unexplainable restlessness.

The next morning, he set off on horseback toward Ljubuški for work. Along the way, he encountered an old, hunched woman carrying a heavy jar of water. She stopped him and spoke: "Who did you hit with that stone last night? You will not have a good time now."

Terrified, the great-grandfather continued his journey. Suddenly, his horse began to speed up unnaturally, as if it were flying. It ran so fast that he barely made it to work, exhausted and shaken by the old woman's curse.