He raced back to the forest to tell the hermit what had happened. "And now my aunt is staying in bed, but do you know what my aunt said? She told him she hurt her foot while sleepwalking!"

　　"Either she will fear you now," said the old man. "Or she will try to get rid of you. Listen carefully. If you think you are in danger, you must search her bedroom for her snakeskin, and when you find it, burn it."

　　The young man thanked the hermit, but he was concerned. What would happen if he burned the snakeskin? He decided to give his aunt one last chance.

　　While she was recovering, she caused no trouble, but as soon as her wound healed, she resumed her nightly slithering about the house.

　　Sometimes, when the young man was lying in bed, he saw the snake slip in and out of his empty boots or up the sleeve of a coat he had worn. One dreadful night, he felt the snake wiggling under his pillow, and he jumped out of bed in a cold sweat.

　　His dreams grew worse. He had a terrifying nightmare in which his aunt was trying to choke him. He awoke gasping for breath and realized that something was coiled tightly around his neck.

　　It was the snake.

　　He pulled it off and threw it across the room. And after he caught his breath, he knew he had to follow the hermit's advice.

　　他赶忙跑回森林与老隐士讲了事情的经过，“婶婶正在床上休息，但是您知道她是怎么和我叔叔说的吗？她说自己是在梦游的时候把脚弄伤的。”

　　“要么她会怕了你，”老人说道，“要么她就会想办法彻底除掉你。仔细听着，如果你觉得自己有危险了，那就必须去她的房间找到蛇皮然后烧掉。”

　　年轻人谢过了老隐士，但是他也在琢磨着，烧了蛇皮以后会怎么样呢？他决定还是再给婶婶最后一个机会。

　　婶婶养伤期间什么异常情况都没有了，但是伤口刚刚痊愈以后她就继续和以前一样每晚在房子里面到处游走。

　　有的时候，年轻人正躺在床上，就看见蛇爬进他的靴子里面然后又爬出来，或者爬到他的大衣袖子上。在一个可怕的夜晚, 他感觉到蛇在枕头下面蠕动着，吓得他出了一身冷汗，马上跳下床。

　　他的噩梦越来越吓人。有一天晚上，他甚至梦见婶婶想要勒死他，真是太可怕了。他马上就惊醒了，大口喘着气，这时意识到有东西紧紧地绕在脖子上。

　　正是那条蛇。

　　他把蛇拽下来扔到了对面的墙上。喘过气来以后，他知道自己必须要按照老隐士的建议做了。