he had just finished feeding the chickens , closely followed by three-year-old yofana who was eager to shoulder her womanly duties but still too clumsy to do so without instruction , when suddenly a brightness burst before his eyes like a lightning , dazzling him so profoundly he collapsed to his knees , scaring poor yofana out of her wits ; but while she ran off to the house shrieking for help , yodren , the movements of his body not entirely of his own will , grabbed a stick that was lying to hand and began carving big , trembling letters on the dried mud , and by the time yern and yenka came rushing to his aid , he had written four words , the names of all four of them , though of course to his parents and yofanas startled eyes they were just a bunch of incomprehensible symbols that seemed to slither about like long , invisible worms , leaving an ever-changing trace for yodren , despite his youth and the humility of his roots , had been further blessed by being an adept in the divine language .