Interactive Reading

130
140
Ola raced home. He tuned his fiddle and sawed away.
“Listen to me now!” he cried to everyone. “I can play in
tune.” And he did, for the first time!
However, there is more to fiddling than playing in
tune. Ola still squeaked and scraped. His timing was off;
his fingering incorrect. Every song he attempted became
a hopeless muddle.
“Keep practicing, Ola. You’re getting better,” his
mother said.
But Ola knew that wasn’t true. He could not hope to
get anywhere on his own, no matter how hard he practiced.
It was time to visit the grim.
Ola packed his knapsack and fiddle. He followed the
stream up into the mountains. When he reached the
waterfall, he called out, “Grim, come up from the pool!
I need you!”
The waters rippled. The fosse-grim appeared, cradling
his harp. “What do you want, boy?”
“I want to play the fiddle in the worst way. Help me,
please!”
The grim laughed. “You don’t need me. You already
play in the worst way. You’re the worst fiddler I ever heard.
You couldn’t get any worse if you tried.”
“Don’t mock me, Grim!” Ola pleaded. “You know what
I mean. Playing in tune is not enough. I need to know so
much more.”
Pause at line 130. What further
problems does Ola have
in his quest to learn to play
the fiddle? Underline them.
• • • • • • Notes • • • • • •
Ola and the Grim 323