The Beast In The Woods
Oct. 17th, 2018 03:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
yami0204Title: The Beast In The Woods
Genre: Fairy tale
Rating: G
In the deep forest, a boy journeyed to find fairies and fortunes. The woods were dark, but the sun was high and filled the path with light enough to see. As he walked, he came upon a figure along his path who was taller than he.
The boy thought to yell to the other, but the figure had already noticed him and turned to look. The boy could now see that the figure was an older lad, perhaps fifteen years aged, and he felt relief at this knowledge.
“Hail, young man,” called the older lad to the boy. “What brings you to this wood today?”
The boy explained that he sought fairies and fortunes. You see, the boy had found a book in his family’s home that told of the fantastic wonders within the wilds. The boy wanted to seek these things out on his own and have fantastic tales of his own to share.
The older lad laughed at this and waved the boy near. “Come and I will show you wonders, if you wish to see them.”
The boy followed after in excitement, hoping to boast to his family that he had seen the fairies and fortunes that were hidden deep in the woods.
“What stories do you know?” The older lad asked as they walked off the main path.
“I have heard there is a beast that lives in these woods. I wish to find it this day,” replied the boy, keeping pace with the older lad.
“Ah yes, the beast in the woods. I know that one.” The older lad looked to the boy and asked, “You don’t look much younger than myself. How old are you?”
“I just turned thirteen,” said the boy with pride.
“I am fifteen summers this year,” said the older lad, and the boy felt proud of himself for having guessed the older lad’s age correctly. "It’s nice to meet someone near to my age,” spoke the older lad.
“It’s nice to meet you, too,” said the boy with a smile. “You seem to know these woods well. Do you live near here?”
“You could say as such,” was the older lad's reply.
The older lad took the boy to see wondrous things in the forest. The fairies played and swirled around them. A mermaid sang her song for them from the river. Gnomes and elves poked their heads out from behind foliage to gawk at the pair as they walked.
They walked and walked until the forest grew denser and the sun sank lower in the sky. The birch trees around them wore eyes that watched as they walked deeper into the darker parts of the forest. The boy fixed his hat upon his head as he looked at his book, frowning at their new location. “There’s nothing here.”
“There’s plenty here,” said the older lad, stopping before a tree. Its gnarled body looked as a face in pain, shrieking at something unseen, its limbs unnaturally lifting towards every direction. The older lad took his bag from his shoulder and pulled from it a black lantern. He placed the lantern at the base of the tree, its human features in permanent agony.
The boy came closer to the older lad. “What are you doing?” asked the boy as he watched his guide kneel before the great and terrible tree.
“You wanted to see the beast,” said the older lad as he lit the lantern. “Today, you will see the beast.”
The boy was confused for only a moment as the last of the sun slept under the horizon. The older lad's limbs elongated and his eyes glowed blue and yellow and gold. From the older lad’s head grew grand tree branches and his body turned wooden and hollow like an ancient drying tree. “To light the lantern, I need oil from these wicked trees," said the older lad who was now the beast. "To grow these wicked trees, I need a human soul that is lost in the woods.”
The boy cried out and ran as fast as he could from the older lad. He thought, perhaps, that he and the older lad could have been friends, but now he knew better than to trust anyone he found in the woods. The boy ran, uncertain if the beast was following him. He ran past the gnomes and elves in the bushes. He ran fast along the river where the mermaids sang. He ran through the glen where the fairies danced and played. He ran and ran until he found his home. He ran to his bed, his family asleep, and hid himself under his blankets. The boy found both fairies and fortune, but he had also found fear.
The next morn the boy arose and decided on a new task for himself. He prepared a rucksack with provisions for a hike in the woods, his precious book nestled in the sack as well, and set back out towards the wilderness. His sister called to him as he headed out the door, asking where he was going.
"A hike," said he without betraying his true intent. His sister nodded, satisfied with the answer, and returned to her knitting. The boy rushed through the door and outside. The morning sun greeted him as he made his way towards the edge of his family’s property. On his way, he grabbed a hatchet for chopping wood. The beast seemed like a tree, and all trees fell easily to the blade of a hatchet.
Deep into the woods he walked, remembering the path he took the previous day. The fairies danced in a ring as he walked by. The mermaid sang a merry tune for the boy as he stepped near the river. The gnomes and elves mumbled and whispered as they watched the boy as he journeyed.
Soon the forest grew darker and thicker and the familiar shape of the wicked tree rose to his sight. From it, he could hear a sad song. The boy quietly came closer, raising his hatchet high.
The tree looked still horrid in the daylight, but with one small difference. Today it had in its trunk a spile that leaked black sap into a silver tea kettle. The boy could see a shoulder peeking from behind the scarred trunk and knew it to be the beast.
The boy stepped lightly towards the figure behind the tree, hatchet readied, when the singing stopped. The boy froze.
"I wasn't expecting to see you again," said the older lad. He turned to look at the boy, shaking his head, "That hatchet shall not cleave me, if that is your intention."
The hatchet lowered and was placed on the forest floor. The boy rounded the tree to face the older lad. The beast looked human again, and the boy didn't like the idea of killing a beast that looked so ordinary.
"The woods are no place for children," said the older lad as he rested against the tree. "Someone told me that long ago."
The boy seated himself near the older lad and said, "Are you not a child, too?"
The older lad laughed at this. "I suppose to you I look a child, but I feel more ancient than that. I hoped to scare you away last night, yet here you return. Were you really to kill me?"
The boy looked to the older lad and thought many things. He responded with care, "I thought I could save everyone if I killed you, yes."
The older lad laughed again, "You don't need to save anyone from me. I don’t hurt anyone intentionally."
The boy gestured to the tree and said, "You said that you need human souls to light that lantern. Is this tree not proof of that?"
"That it is," said the older lad. "It is the curse that compels me to make these wicked trees. I was human once, but now am not. The curse of the beast moved to me when I tried to slay him. Now I take on the burden of the lantern, to reap the souls of those lost in the woods to temper the flame of my own soul."
The boy listened to this and nodded. From his rucksack he pulled free his book and turned to the page that had information on the beast in the woods. He took out a writing tool and scribbled notes into the margins of the page. "A curse, you say? Go on."
"Aye, that is the truth," said the older lad. "I can tell my story, if you wish it."
"I would like to hear it, yes, but I want to know one thing first," said the boy.
"What do you wish to know?" asked the older lad.
The boy spoke his question quietly, "Why did you let me flee?"
"I do not like to collect the souls of children," said the older lad. He gestured to the tea kettle and wore a sad smile. "I obtained this curse when I tried to save my younger brother from being turned into one of these trees. That tea kettle was his. We had come to this wood to find trees to tap with our spile. He was so innocent and young and wanted to collect all the sap into a tea kettle. I told him it was silly and we should use a larger vessel, but he insisted and so we brought it. We became lost and our hope of finding home left us as we wandered. At some point, I slept and when I awoke, my brother was gone. I searched and searched to find him being turned to a tree, the beast looming close to him. I attacked the beast to save my brother, and in the end I became what I killed."
The boy looked concerned and his scribbling had stopped. "And what of your brother?"
The older lad frowned. "My brother was saved, I think. It's hard to remember. I have been in this forest too long. The more I lose my memories, the more I feel myself becoming like the beast I killed."
"I'm sorry," said the boy as he put his book down.
"If I continue to mourn for those lost to the forest and cling to what memories I have, then I feel like I can keep my humanity a little longer," said the older lad.
It was hard to know if this forest demon was speaking the truth, but it sounded like truth to the boy's ears and he felt sad to know the older lad's tale. The boy looked to the older lad and said, "I can look for your family, if you wish. I may not find them, but I can try."
The older lad shook his head and said, "I don't want them seeing me like this. Perhaps if the curse was lifted from me, then maybe I could see them again."
The boy put his book back into his rucksack and sat quietly, unsure of what to do now. He had come to kill a beast, but instead he found the beast to simply be a cursed youth. He toiled to find something to say when an idea struck him. "What if I break the curse?"
The older lad looked in shock at the boy. "That is a difficult mission and I cannot help you with it."
That answer made the boy curious. "You know how to break the curse?"
The older lad nodded, "Aye. To break the curse, three tasks must be completed, but the tasks cannot be performed by me because the curse makes it impossible."
There was an entry in the boy's book that said the beast in the woods was a liar and the boy wondered if what the older lad was speaking was the truth. "How is it impossible for you to break your own curse?"
The older lad shook his head, "I cannot touch what is not mine."
The boy was skeptical, reaching out a hand to touch the older lad's arm. "I can touch you."
The older lad shrugged the hand away. "You don't understand." It was the older lad’s turn to reach his hand out to touch the boy, but the hand never touched. It slipped by like a shadow through a window. "I can touch this wicked tree because all these wicked trees are mine." The older lad pressed his hand against the trunk of the wicked tree he rested against. "That lantern is mine, the spile is mine, the bag and everything in it is mine, the tea kettle is mine because my brother gifted it to me. That yonder tree is not mine." He rose from his spot on the ground and the boy noticed that the older lad had not actually been seated on the ground but merely hovering, and now the older lad glided across the forest floor towards a nearby oak tree. The cursed lad reached to touch the tree and it seemed as though he was a ghost passing through it. "I cannot perform the tasks needed to lift the curse if I can't touch what isn't mine."
The boy no longer believed this beast to be a liar. "What are the tasks? I will do them for you. I can make you human again and you can return to your brother."
The older lad smiled and rejoined the boy, seating himself against the tree. "The rules are simple – When one task is completed, then I can tell you what the next task is. I cannot help you directly with the tasks, but I can give you one hint for each task. All tasks must be performed within this forest. If you complete a task outside of the forest, then you must start from the beginning."
"And what is the first task?" asked the boy.
"The first task," said the older lad, "is to obtain a golden comb."
The boy stood to his feet and cried out, "A golden comb! I am not poor, most certainly not, but I am not rich enough to gain a golden comb! This task seems impossible already!"
The older lad smiled and said, "Anything is possible if you set your mind to it. I know that you are intelligent. Intelligent people like to solve riddles. Seek out a golden comb within this forest and bring it to me."
"But how will I find you in this thick wood?" asked the boy.
The older lad pulled from his bag a silver bell and gave it to the boy. "Go to the river where the mermaid sings and ring this bell three times. I will come to you. Take as much time as you need and you may ask for help from others."
"You know the answer to this riddle, don't you?" said the boy.
"I've had many decades to ponder it," said the older lad. "That is why I am giving you unlimited time and allowing one hint for each task."
The boy frowned and asked, "What is the hint for this task?"
The older lad smiled and sang –
Green waves on a grassy shoreline
Swirl gentle colors to the breeze.
A door floats above em'rald waves
Where the summer queen waits for thee.
The boy listened to the older lad’s song, humming its tune as he memorized the words. "Will all the hints be songs?"
"Yes," the older lad said as he kept his smile on. "I wrote these as poems and now I can sing them to you. Most are too afraid to help me, but you are the first to want to try. I wish I could provide more aid beyond vague poetry and simple songs, but I cannot."
The boy sighed, "This should be enough. I will do my best to complete this task for you."
"Thank you," said the older lad and it was very sincere.
The boy picked up his rucksack and gathered his hatchet. "I will ring the bell when I find the golden comb. Good-bye until then."
The pair gave their farewells and the boy thought hard on what to do. He thought to ask his sister for help, but he wanted not to do so. Though he adored her insight on much, this was a task he wanted to complete without anyone else’s help.
Into the forest he walked, determined to find the grassy shoreline mentioned in the song. It seemed like he was to find a meadow, but he knew not where one was. The day was growing late and the sun had nearly disappeared completely before he headed towards home. As he had done the day before, he arrived home in the darkness and found all to be asleep. He threw his tired body onto his bed and tried to sleep, yet the song ate at his mind. He would ask his sister for help come morning. Until then, he would try to rest.
The boy arose the next morning and to his sister he went. Every day she sat at her knitting, making clothes for their family. He sat beside her after breakfast and watched her work before he asked her to help him with the riddle he was given. She smiled and was excited to help. He told her it all and waited for her response.
Sister laughed loudly at her brother, "A golden comb in the forest? Gold doesn't grow in the forest!"
The boy frowned at her and said, "I told you what I seek and sang for you the song, yet here you laugh at me!"
She laughed and laughed then she hummed the song to herself. "You are right to think that it must be near a meadow, but there are no doors or queens there."
"Oh, sister!" the boy cried out. "This confounds me so!"
"The only queens in forests are bees," said sister as she thought aloud.
The boy made a noise so loud it startled his sister much. "That's it, my sister, that's it! It means that near a meadow, a beehive must hang from a tree. The golden comb must be a honeycomb!"
His sister laughed with glee, "Oh, my brother, that must be the answer! It sounds so smart! I must be very good a riddles to help so well with this one!"
The boy laughed with his sister and said, "If the next riddle tests me so much, I shall ask you again for help."
She smiled at this and nodded, "I would like that, but I daren't help you with the task of taking a honeycomb from a beehive. You be careful or filled with stingers you'll be!"
The boy nodded and spent time to think on how best to obtain a honeycomb from a beehive without being stung by the bees. "I have a plan, dear sister. I shall not be stung by bees this day!"
Sister shook her head and laughed, "That silly book keeps giving you silly ideas! Just be home in time for dinner. We worry when you are out so late. Farewell and safe travels, dear brother!"
The boy nodded at her words and raced out the door and towards the forest again. He needed to find a meadow, and for this he needed to ask for help. He came upon where the fairies danced and played and thought to ask for their help.
"Pardon my rudeness," said the boy to the circle of fairies, "but I wish to ask directions."
The fairies fluttered in their circle and sang to him,
A question asked, an answer gained!
Sing your question, sing for us now!
The boy was not good at singing, but if he had to sing to learn where to go, then he would sing for the fairies. The boy would sing for the fairies, and this was what he sang –
Oh trees, oh sky, oh warm sunlight,
I seek to find with all my might
A sea of grass and flowers bright.
Please guide me there before it’s night.
The fairies giggled and fluttered around him, whispering songs into his ear. The words were light as butterfly wings and he knew which direction to go. He thanked the fairies for their aid and headed eastward.
Soon he came to a vast expanse of green, the summer wind lifting colorful wildflower petals into the air. This was it, the grassy shoreline where colors swirled in the breeze. The boy now had to find a tree that housed a beehive. He walked along the meeting point of meadow and forest for many minutes before finding a tree with a hole in its trunk that looked like a door. The sound of buzzing came from it and the boy circled the tree with care to find a large hive dangling from one of the branches. Now he needed to see the summer queen.
He approached the hive and spoke as he had to the fairies, "Pardon my rudeness, but I seek audience with the queen."
The bees buzzed and continued their work, ignoring the boy's words.
The boy spoke louder this time, "Excuse me, but I need to speak to the summer queen!"
Suddenly, the buzzing stopped and all the bees turned to stare at him. From their ranks, a single bee ventured closer to the boy and spoke, "The queen does not speak to man."
"I am not a man," said the boy. "I'm a boy aged thirteen, and so not yet a man. Please, allow me to speak to her."
The bee buzzed up and down and circled around the boy before speaking again, "Why do you wish to speak to her?"
"I am on a quest and I need her help," said the boy.
The bee circled the boy again. "I will ask her. If she agrees to speak to you, then you may ask her for help. If she denies your request, then you will leave before we sting you dead."
The boy agreed to this. The bee left into the hive as the other bees hovered and stared at the boy to make sure he did nothing wrong. The boy had no want to do anything wrong because he wanted to not be stung by thousands of bees.
It was only a few moments before the bee returned and said to him, "She will see you. Wait at the other side of the tree and she will meet with you." The bee flew back to the hive and returned to her work, the other bees moving to do the same.
The boy did as instructed and soon a lone bee that was larger and more beautiful than the other bees flew up to him and said, "I am the summer queen. What business have you with me?"
The boy bowed deeply to her and said, "Your majesty, I am on a quest and I need something of yours."
"What have I that a human would want?" asked the queen.
The boy bowed again and said, "I need a bit of honeycomb."
The queen buzzed and came closer to him. "You want part of my home for a quest? It is not something I can give so freely. I want something in return for it."
The boy lifted his head and asked, "What is it that you need, my queen?"
"I desire a flower from the river," said the queen. "The mermaid will know what I ask for. Give me a flower from the river and I will give you a bit of my home."
The boy agreed and thanked the queen many times before heading to find the river flower.
The river was not so far away, but the mermaid lived further downstream than the beehive and meadow. He trekked for an hour or so before finding his way to the mermaid’s rock where she sang her bright song. She waved to him and he waved back as he rounded close to the water's edge. She smiled at the boy as he drew closer and spoke to him, "Have you come to see me properly today?"
The boy laughed and said, "I have seen you every day this week and haven't properly greeted you. How are you this fine afternoon?"
The mermaid joined the boy's laughter, "I am doing well this day! The summer sun has warmed the water perfectly! Have you another adventure today, young man?"
"I am questing today," said the boy proudly. "The summer queen sent me here to ask a favor of you."
"Goodness, the summer queen sent you!" the mermaid cried out. "She always has tasks for others to do! What did she want from me today?"
"She asks for a flower from the river," said the boy.
The mermaid smile and said, "That is such an easy thing! Wait here, young man, and I will give it to you!" The mermaid pushed off from her rock and into the water of the river. A few minutes passed and soon the mermaid emerged with a large flower in her hand. It was a strange flower he had never seen before. The mermaid handed the flower to the boy and said, "Here you are, young man! Go quickly to the summer queen and give this to her before sunset. If not, then you will wait until morning."
"I will go now, then," said the boy. "Thank you for your help!" With those words, he rushed back towards the meadow and the beehive, the beautiful river flower shining in his hand.
The sun was beginning to set when the boy returned to the beehive. Again he shouted for the bees to call the queen to him and again he was asked to wait at the other side of the tree and there again he greeted the queen with a deep bow. He presented the flower to her and she gasped at the beauty of it.
"You have brought the river flower to me," said the queen, "and now I will give you what was promised."
A small swarm of bees came to lift the flower from the boy's hands and replaced the empty spot with a chunk of sticky honeycomb. The boy looked at it in awe and bowed twice more to the summer queen.
"Thank you for aiding me, great queen!" he cried.
"Continue your quest in the morning," said the queen. "The day is soon over and the beast will lurk the woods in the darkness. Farewell."
The queen and her swarm returned to their hive, leaving the boy with his piece of honeycomb. It shined like gold in the shrinking light of the sun and he knew that he needed to hurry. He ran to the river and from his rucksack he pulled the silver bell and rang it three times. Only seconds passed as the last note sang out before the older lad emerged from the trees.
"You figured it out quickly!" The older lad was surprised and happy.
The boy presented the honeycomb to the older lad and said, "I had a little help."
"Help is fine!" the older lad laughed. "I'm glad you have intelligent friends!"
The boy pulled the older lad's hand up and placed the honeycomb in it. "Here, this gift is now yours. You can touch it as you can touch your trees."
"Thank you," said the older lad with a smile. "Now, you must go before the sun disappears. Go to your family and be safe tonight. Tomorrow, I will tell you what the next task is. We shall meet at the spot where we first met days ago and I will tell you the task. Now, go!"
The older lad motioned for the boy to leave, glancing towards the fading sunlight as he did so. The boy uttered a swift good-bye and ran off towards his home. This evening, he would be able to eat dinner with his family, but he was sad to not be able to tell them of his adventure. He stole a quick look at the older lad to find that he was already gone to the shadows of the forest. The boy ran home and entered the front door just as the last sliver of sunlight dipped under the horizon.
The next morning was gloomy and sun was nowhere to be found in the sky as rain wet the ground. The boy wanted to keep his promise, but the rain made him want to stay inside where it was dry. The rain poured and the boy watched it from the window as he pondered if he should still meet with the older lad this day.
In the gloom of the tree line as the boy watched the rain, he saw a shadow like a person move. The shape reminded him of the older lad and he thought to go out and see if it was truly him. Without explanation to anyone, the boy left and ran into the rain toward where he had seen the shadow.
At the edge of his family's property he could see more clearly the older lad in the rain. He waved to the boy and the boy waved back.
"Are you not cold in this rain?" asked the boy to the older lad.
The older lad shook his head. "I do not feel cold or hunger or tiredness. I wish you not to be in this rain too long, but I wanted to give you the next task and song so you can ponder it warm in your home."
The boy nodded. "Tell it to me and I'll finish the task when the sun shines again."
The older lad smiled and said, "Your next task is to find a spool of silver thread."
The boy smiled back and replied, "I am still not poor yet not rich, but I think I can do this task still."
"Good," said the older lad before he opened his mouth again to sing,
The mountain strong, the mountain tall,
Is where to find one who sees all.
She weaves a tapestry of lies
To capture sinners just like flies.
The older lad looked to the boy when his song ended and spoke, "This one should be much easier."
The meaning of the song was already being pondered as the boy hummed the tune to himself. "I think I know what I must do, but I cannot do it today. It is far too gloomy today."
The older lad nodded and said, "Go home and be safe. You will catch cold if you stay here longer, and then you cannot do the tasks to end my curse. Please, go back inside and stay warm and dry. I will see you again soon."
The boy turned to walk back to his home. He gave the older lad a glance, and the older lad motioned for the boy to keep going. Without another word or glance, the boy walked back into his house and embraced the warmth of it.
He lied as to why he rushed out without a word, telling them he thought he had seen a bear and wished to scare it off. His sister looked to know that was a lie but she did not press him on it. The boy took a warm bath and put on dry clothes and rested for the day as he pondered the new riddle he was given.
"You have another riddle," said sister as she watched her brother.
"I have, but I think I know its trick," said the boy.
"Oh, dear brother, please let me hear it!" cried sister to her brother. "I wish to know it and try to find its answer, too!"
The boy sighed and did as before, telling her the task and singing her the rhyme. His sister hummed the melody and pondered it just as he, both of them looking with seriousness to the ceiling.
"I thought it must mean a cave in the mountain that I must search," said the boy. "A witch it must be, weaving dark fates in a dark cave."
"Or a spider," said sister with disgust. "I hope she is not a spider."
"A spider she also could be," said the boy deep in his thoughts. "Yes, a spider weaves a tapestry and catches flies."
Sister gasped, "You think she is a giant spider and gobbles up children whole?"
The boy laughed, "Perhaps she is! And she will gobble you up, too!"
Sister laughed as well and said, "She will gobble you up first!"
They laughed and laughed and soon talked about other things, the day growing to night and the rain letting up as they both went to sleep.
When morning came, the sun was seen in the sky again and the boy headed off towards the mountain. He walked and walked for a very long time until he found what looked to be a cave. He took with him this time a lantern and searched for the seer in the song, but found nothing but cobwebs and darkness.
"Hello," he called out. "I am looking for a seer who weaves tapestries."
In the dark he heard movement before seeing the many eyes and many legs of a large spider. She stepped into the lantern light and said, "Who seeks me out this day? Speak now."
"I do," said the boy. "I am on a quest and I need something of yours."
The spider looked at him with all her eyes and asked, "What is it you need of mine? I can catch you now and gobble you up so you take nothing of mine."
The boy was frightened but stayed strong. "I need a spool of your spider thread. I'll do whatever task you need done if I can get this one thing in return."
The spider laughed and said, "Oh, you are a brave little boy, to ask a spider for her thread! I will take your offer. Find for me a fern flower and I will give you my thread."
The boy agreed to this and went out into the forest. He knew this task would be hard as ferns did not grow flowers, but he hoped to find something. As he walked through the forest, he heard a gnome and an elf bickering. The boy found them and thought to ask for their help.
"Pardon my rudeness," he said to the gnome and elf, "but do you know where to find a fern flower?"
The gnome and the elf ended their bickering and looked at the boy.
The gnome was the first to speak, "A fern flower is a rare flower, and they only bloom on solstice night."
The elf took this moment to speak, "They say it only blooms at the solstice, but that is untrue. They bloom all summer if you know where they are."
The gnome looked at the elf and scoffed, "You are a liar! All gnomes and dwarves know elves to be liars!"
"I am no liar," said the elf crossly. "I can show you that I am not a liar! I will take you both to the fern flowers and prove that elves are not liars!"
With this, the elf started towards the north and the gnome and the boy followed after. They walked and walked for a very long time until they came upon a part of the forest that the boy had never seen before. The gnome did not know it either and the elf said smugly, "Only elves know this part of the forest and only elves can enter it. You are my guests and so you can enter, too."
The boy and the gnome followed the elf into this new part of the forest until they came upon a clearing filled with ferns. Upon each fern were bright purple flowers that glowed like starlight.
"You both may take only one flower," said the elf. "Take it as your proof that I am not a liar and then leave this part of the forest."
The gnome was the first to take a flower, inspecting it carefully. "You are not a liar, elf. This is a real fern flower!"
The boy was next to pick a flower and it felt warm in his hands. "Thank you, elf! This is exactly what I needed!"
The elf smiled at being called not a liar and soon led the way out of that part of the forest. However, the gnome became greedy and stole another flower for himself. The elf, spotting this, cast a curse on the gnome and turned him to stone on the spot. The boy saw this and knew to not disobey the words of an elf.
After leaving that strange part of the forest, the boy thanked the elf again and journeyed back towards the cave in the mountain. When inside, he presented the fern flower to the spider and she was overjoyed by its beauty. She got for him a spool of her spider thread and sent him on his way, thanking him for his quick work.
The boy then ran towards the river, noticing that the sun was starting to set. At the river bank he rang the silver bell thrice and the older lad appeared as he had the last time.
"You work so quickly!" said the older lad with glee.
The boy took the older lad’s hand in his own and gave the spool of silver thread. "Here, this gift is now yours. You can touch it as you can your trees."
The older lad smiled down at the spool of thread and said, "That leaves one last task for you." The older lad pulled from his bag a silver cup. "Your final task is to draw a bath for the sun using only this cup."
The boy laughed, "The sun cannot take a bath in a cup!"
"Anything is possible if you set your mind to it, remember?" said the older lad with a smile. "You'll figure it out. You are very intelligent."
"And is there a song for this task, as well?" asked the boy.
The older lad kept his smile and sang,
Blessings upon the sun's daughters,
While the sun was sad and weeping,
While the sun was drained and tired,
They drew the sun a silver bath.
The boy hummed the song as he did the others, but this one gave no more answers to him. As he thought, he looked to the river and got an idea. He took the silver cup from the older lad, filled it with the rive'’s water, and set it on the mermaid's rock. He looked at the older lad and said with joy, "The sun will set directly into this cup! That is how she will take a silver bath!"
The older lad walked on the water of the river and placed the honeycomb and the spider thread into the cup. "You really are very intelligent!"
"Now what must I do?" asked the boy.
"You must wait until the sun has fully slept in the bath," said the older lad. "She will be reborn in the morning. When that happens, the curse should be lifted, but you must stay awake for it to work. Can you do this?"
The boy agreed without hesitation and the older lad smiled at this. They bid each other good-bye and soon the boy was alone with his task. He watched the sun lower herself slowly into the silver cup, the items in the water of the cup glowing as this happened. Now he needed to wait until sunrise. The boy moved to face east on the rock as the water lapped at his feet. His shoes and legs were wet and he felt himself becoming drowsy, but he stayed awake despite this.
Through the night he could hear all manner of sounds from the woods, and many times thought he saw the beast's glowing lantern and eyes through the trees. At midnight, the mermaid visited him and they talked and sang as the silver cup and its contents glowed. The mermaid stayed for many hours and left just before sunrise so the boy could watch the sun reborn in the silver cup.
Soon, the sun curved over the top of the silver cup and light shined around it. It glowed and sang a shrill tone until the sun rose above the rim of the cup and into the sky. The boy picked up the cup and its contents and ran towards the river bed, hoping to see the older lad emerge from the trees.
He waited for a very long time until the figure of the older lad slowly came into view. The older lad looked tired and hurt and approached the boy, begging for water. The boy offered the water from the silver cup and the older lad drank it heartily. As the older lad drank, he filled with vigor and life that the boy had not seen from him before.
The boy soon asked, "Is the curse lifted?"
The older lad nodded and spoke, "It feels like it is. I am cold and hungry and tired. I forgot how much those sensations hurt."
The boy smiled and said, "Then come with me to my house and we will eat a fine meal together! You can meet my family and we can tell them of what happened this week."
The older lad smile back and laughed, "I would like that greatly. Thank you for all your help these days. You are a true friend."
The boy held the older lad's hand in his own and guided the older lad to the edge of the forest. The older lad hesitated before placing his foot on the boy's family property, and when he did so without feeling the curse on him, he wept as they walked towards the house. Inside the boy’s home, they told the story of what happened over the last many days and enjoyed a meal together.
In days after, they found the older lad's brother and family and he could finally have a home again. The boy and the older lad remained friends from then on and no one ever talked of the beast in the woods again.
The End
Genre: Fairy tale
Rating: G
In the deep forest, a boy journeyed to find fairies and fortunes. The woods were dark, but the sun was high and filled the path with light enough to see. As he walked, he came upon a figure along his path who was taller than he.
The boy thought to yell to the other, but the figure had already noticed him and turned to look. The boy could now see that the figure was an older lad, perhaps fifteen years aged, and he felt relief at this knowledge.
“Hail, young man,” called the older lad to the boy. “What brings you to this wood today?”
The boy explained that he sought fairies and fortunes. You see, the boy had found a book in his family’s home that told of the fantastic wonders within the wilds. The boy wanted to seek these things out on his own and have fantastic tales of his own to share.
The older lad laughed at this and waved the boy near. “Come and I will show you wonders, if you wish to see them.”
The boy followed after in excitement, hoping to boast to his family that he had seen the fairies and fortunes that were hidden deep in the woods.
“What stories do you know?” The older lad asked as they walked off the main path.
“I have heard there is a beast that lives in these woods. I wish to find it this day,” replied the boy, keeping pace with the older lad.
“Ah yes, the beast in the woods. I know that one.” The older lad looked to the boy and asked, “You don’t look much younger than myself. How old are you?”
“I just turned thirteen,” said the boy with pride.
“I am fifteen summers this year,” said the older lad, and the boy felt proud of himself for having guessed the older lad’s age correctly. "It’s nice to meet someone near to my age,” spoke the older lad.
“It’s nice to meet you, too,” said the boy with a smile. “You seem to know these woods well. Do you live near here?”
“You could say as such,” was the older lad's reply.
The older lad took the boy to see wondrous things in the forest. The fairies played and swirled around them. A mermaid sang her song for them from the river. Gnomes and elves poked their heads out from behind foliage to gawk at the pair as they walked.
They walked and walked until the forest grew denser and the sun sank lower in the sky. The birch trees around them wore eyes that watched as they walked deeper into the darker parts of the forest. The boy fixed his hat upon his head as he looked at his book, frowning at their new location. “There’s nothing here.”
“There’s plenty here,” said the older lad, stopping before a tree. Its gnarled body looked as a face in pain, shrieking at something unseen, its limbs unnaturally lifting towards every direction. The older lad took his bag from his shoulder and pulled from it a black lantern. He placed the lantern at the base of the tree, its human features in permanent agony.
The boy came closer to the older lad. “What are you doing?” asked the boy as he watched his guide kneel before the great and terrible tree.
“You wanted to see the beast,” said the older lad as he lit the lantern. “Today, you will see the beast.”
The boy was confused for only a moment as the last of the sun slept under the horizon. The older lad's limbs elongated and his eyes glowed blue and yellow and gold. From the older lad’s head grew grand tree branches and his body turned wooden and hollow like an ancient drying tree. “To light the lantern, I need oil from these wicked trees," said the older lad who was now the beast. "To grow these wicked trees, I need a human soul that is lost in the woods.”
The boy cried out and ran as fast as he could from the older lad. He thought, perhaps, that he and the older lad could have been friends, but now he knew better than to trust anyone he found in the woods. The boy ran, uncertain if the beast was following him. He ran past the gnomes and elves in the bushes. He ran fast along the river where the mermaids sang. He ran through the glen where the fairies danced and played. He ran and ran until he found his home. He ran to his bed, his family asleep, and hid himself under his blankets. The boy found both fairies and fortune, but he had also found fear.
The next morn the boy arose and decided on a new task for himself. He prepared a rucksack with provisions for a hike in the woods, his precious book nestled in the sack as well, and set back out towards the wilderness. His sister called to him as he headed out the door, asking where he was going.
"A hike," said he without betraying his true intent. His sister nodded, satisfied with the answer, and returned to her knitting. The boy rushed through the door and outside. The morning sun greeted him as he made his way towards the edge of his family’s property. On his way, he grabbed a hatchet for chopping wood. The beast seemed like a tree, and all trees fell easily to the blade of a hatchet.
Deep into the woods he walked, remembering the path he took the previous day. The fairies danced in a ring as he walked by. The mermaid sang a merry tune for the boy as he stepped near the river. The gnomes and elves mumbled and whispered as they watched the boy as he journeyed.
Soon the forest grew darker and thicker and the familiar shape of the wicked tree rose to his sight. From it, he could hear a sad song. The boy quietly came closer, raising his hatchet high.
The tree looked still horrid in the daylight, but with one small difference. Today it had in its trunk a spile that leaked black sap into a silver tea kettle. The boy could see a shoulder peeking from behind the scarred trunk and knew it to be the beast.
The boy stepped lightly towards the figure behind the tree, hatchet readied, when the singing stopped. The boy froze.
"I wasn't expecting to see you again," said the older lad. He turned to look at the boy, shaking his head, "That hatchet shall not cleave me, if that is your intention."
The hatchet lowered and was placed on the forest floor. The boy rounded the tree to face the older lad. The beast looked human again, and the boy didn't like the idea of killing a beast that looked so ordinary.
"The woods are no place for children," said the older lad as he rested against the tree. "Someone told me that long ago."
The boy seated himself near the older lad and said, "Are you not a child, too?"
The older lad laughed at this. "I suppose to you I look a child, but I feel more ancient than that. I hoped to scare you away last night, yet here you return. Were you really to kill me?"
The boy looked to the older lad and thought many things. He responded with care, "I thought I could save everyone if I killed you, yes."
The older lad laughed again, "You don't need to save anyone from me. I don’t hurt anyone intentionally."
The boy gestured to the tree and said, "You said that you need human souls to light that lantern. Is this tree not proof of that?"
"That it is," said the older lad. "It is the curse that compels me to make these wicked trees. I was human once, but now am not. The curse of the beast moved to me when I tried to slay him. Now I take on the burden of the lantern, to reap the souls of those lost in the woods to temper the flame of my own soul."
The boy listened to this and nodded. From his rucksack he pulled free his book and turned to the page that had information on the beast in the woods. He took out a writing tool and scribbled notes into the margins of the page. "A curse, you say? Go on."
"Aye, that is the truth," said the older lad. "I can tell my story, if you wish it."
"I would like to hear it, yes, but I want to know one thing first," said the boy.
"What do you wish to know?" asked the older lad.
The boy spoke his question quietly, "Why did you let me flee?"
"I do not like to collect the souls of children," said the older lad. He gestured to the tea kettle and wore a sad smile. "I obtained this curse when I tried to save my younger brother from being turned into one of these trees. That tea kettle was his. We had come to this wood to find trees to tap with our spile. He was so innocent and young and wanted to collect all the sap into a tea kettle. I told him it was silly and we should use a larger vessel, but he insisted and so we brought it. We became lost and our hope of finding home left us as we wandered. At some point, I slept and when I awoke, my brother was gone. I searched and searched to find him being turned to a tree, the beast looming close to him. I attacked the beast to save my brother, and in the end I became what I killed."
The boy looked concerned and his scribbling had stopped. "And what of your brother?"
The older lad frowned. "My brother was saved, I think. It's hard to remember. I have been in this forest too long. The more I lose my memories, the more I feel myself becoming like the beast I killed."
"I'm sorry," said the boy as he put his book down.
"If I continue to mourn for those lost to the forest and cling to what memories I have, then I feel like I can keep my humanity a little longer," said the older lad.
It was hard to know if this forest demon was speaking the truth, but it sounded like truth to the boy's ears and he felt sad to know the older lad's tale. The boy looked to the older lad and said, "I can look for your family, if you wish. I may not find them, but I can try."
The older lad shook his head and said, "I don't want them seeing me like this. Perhaps if the curse was lifted from me, then maybe I could see them again."
The boy put his book back into his rucksack and sat quietly, unsure of what to do now. He had come to kill a beast, but instead he found the beast to simply be a cursed youth. He toiled to find something to say when an idea struck him. "What if I break the curse?"
The older lad looked in shock at the boy. "That is a difficult mission and I cannot help you with it."
That answer made the boy curious. "You know how to break the curse?"
The older lad nodded, "Aye. To break the curse, three tasks must be completed, but the tasks cannot be performed by me because the curse makes it impossible."
There was an entry in the boy's book that said the beast in the woods was a liar and the boy wondered if what the older lad was speaking was the truth. "How is it impossible for you to break your own curse?"
The older lad shook his head, "I cannot touch what is not mine."
The boy was skeptical, reaching out a hand to touch the older lad's arm. "I can touch you."
The older lad shrugged the hand away. "You don't understand." It was the older lad’s turn to reach his hand out to touch the boy, but the hand never touched. It slipped by like a shadow through a window. "I can touch this wicked tree because all these wicked trees are mine." The older lad pressed his hand against the trunk of the wicked tree he rested against. "That lantern is mine, the spile is mine, the bag and everything in it is mine, the tea kettle is mine because my brother gifted it to me. That yonder tree is not mine." He rose from his spot on the ground and the boy noticed that the older lad had not actually been seated on the ground but merely hovering, and now the older lad glided across the forest floor towards a nearby oak tree. The cursed lad reached to touch the tree and it seemed as though he was a ghost passing through it. "I cannot perform the tasks needed to lift the curse if I can't touch what isn't mine."
The boy no longer believed this beast to be a liar. "What are the tasks? I will do them for you. I can make you human again and you can return to your brother."
The older lad smiled and rejoined the boy, seating himself against the tree. "The rules are simple – When one task is completed, then I can tell you what the next task is. I cannot help you directly with the tasks, but I can give you one hint for each task. All tasks must be performed within this forest. If you complete a task outside of the forest, then you must start from the beginning."
"And what is the first task?" asked the boy.
"The first task," said the older lad, "is to obtain a golden comb."
The boy stood to his feet and cried out, "A golden comb! I am not poor, most certainly not, but I am not rich enough to gain a golden comb! This task seems impossible already!"
The older lad smiled and said, "Anything is possible if you set your mind to it. I know that you are intelligent. Intelligent people like to solve riddles. Seek out a golden comb within this forest and bring it to me."
"But how will I find you in this thick wood?" asked the boy.
The older lad pulled from his bag a silver bell and gave it to the boy. "Go to the river where the mermaid sings and ring this bell three times. I will come to you. Take as much time as you need and you may ask for help from others."
"You know the answer to this riddle, don't you?" said the boy.
"I've had many decades to ponder it," said the older lad. "That is why I am giving you unlimited time and allowing one hint for each task."
The boy frowned and asked, "What is the hint for this task?"
The older lad smiled and sang –
Swirl gentle colors to the breeze.
A door floats above em'rald waves
Where the summer queen waits for thee.
The boy listened to the older lad’s song, humming its tune as he memorized the words. "Will all the hints be songs?"
"Yes," the older lad said as he kept his smile on. "I wrote these as poems and now I can sing them to you. Most are too afraid to help me, but you are the first to want to try. I wish I could provide more aid beyond vague poetry and simple songs, but I cannot."
The boy sighed, "This should be enough. I will do my best to complete this task for you."
"Thank you," said the older lad and it was very sincere.
The boy picked up his rucksack and gathered his hatchet. "I will ring the bell when I find the golden comb. Good-bye until then."
The pair gave their farewells and the boy thought hard on what to do. He thought to ask his sister for help, but he wanted not to do so. Though he adored her insight on much, this was a task he wanted to complete without anyone else’s help.
Into the forest he walked, determined to find the grassy shoreline mentioned in the song. It seemed like he was to find a meadow, but he knew not where one was. The day was growing late and the sun had nearly disappeared completely before he headed towards home. As he had done the day before, he arrived home in the darkness and found all to be asleep. He threw his tired body onto his bed and tried to sleep, yet the song ate at his mind. He would ask his sister for help come morning. Until then, he would try to rest.
The boy arose the next morning and to his sister he went. Every day she sat at her knitting, making clothes for their family. He sat beside her after breakfast and watched her work before he asked her to help him with the riddle he was given. She smiled and was excited to help. He told her it all and waited for her response.
Sister laughed loudly at her brother, "A golden comb in the forest? Gold doesn't grow in the forest!"
The boy frowned at her and said, "I told you what I seek and sang for you the song, yet here you laugh at me!"
She laughed and laughed then she hummed the song to herself. "You are right to think that it must be near a meadow, but there are no doors or queens there."
"Oh, sister!" the boy cried out. "This confounds me so!"
"The only queens in forests are bees," said sister as she thought aloud.
The boy made a noise so loud it startled his sister much. "That's it, my sister, that's it! It means that near a meadow, a beehive must hang from a tree. The golden comb must be a honeycomb!"
His sister laughed with glee, "Oh, my brother, that must be the answer! It sounds so smart! I must be very good a riddles to help so well with this one!"
The boy laughed with his sister and said, "If the next riddle tests me so much, I shall ask you again for help."
She smiled at this and nodded, "I would like that, but I daren't help you with the task of taking a honeycomb from a beehive. You be careful or filled with stingers you'll be!"
The boy nodded and spent time to think on how best to obtain a honeycomb from a beehive without being stung by the bees. "I have a plan, dear sister. I shall not be stung by bees this day!"
Sister shook her head and laughed, "That silly book keeps giving you silly ideas! Just be home in time for dinner. We worry when you are out so late. Farewell and safe travels, dear brother!"
The boy nodded at her words and raced out the door and towards the forest again. He needed to find a meadow, and for this he needed to ask for help. He came upon where the fairies danced and played and thought to ask for their help.
"Pardon my rudeness," said the boy to the circle of fairies, "but I wish to ask directions."
The fairies fluttered in their circle and sang to him,
Sing your question, sing for us now!
The boy was not good at singing, but if he had to sing to learn where to go, then he would sing for the fairies. The boy would sing for the fairies, and this was what he sang –
I seek to find with all my might
A sea of grass and flowers bright.
Please guide me there before it’s night.
The fairies giggled and fluttered around him, whispering songs into his ear. The words were light as butterfly wings and he knew which direction to go. He thanked the fairies for their aid and headed eastward.
Soon he came to a vast expanse of green, the summer wind lifting colorful wildflower petals into the air. This was it, the grassy shoreline where colors swirled in the breeze. The boy now had to find a tree that housed a beehive. He walked along the meeting point of meadow and forest for many minutes before finding a tree with a hole in its trunk that looked like a door. The sound of buzzing came from it and the boy circled the tree with care to find a large hive dangling from one of the branches. Now he needed to see the summer queen.
He approached the hive and spoke as he had to the fairies, "Pardon my rudeness, but I seek audience with the queen."
The bees buzzed and continued their work, ignoring the boy's words.
The boy spoke louder this time, "Excuse me, but I need to speak to the summer queen!"
Suddenly, the buzzing stopped and all the bees turned to stare at him. From their ranks, a single bee ventured closer to the boy and spoke, "The queen does not speak to man."
"I am not a man," said the boy. "I'm a boy aged thirteen, and so not yet a man. Please, allow me to speak to her."
The bee buzzed up and down and circled around the boy before speaking again, "Why do you wish to speak to her?"
"I am on a quest and I need her help," said the boy.
The bee circled the boy again. "I will ask her. If she agrees to speak to you, then you may ask her for help. If she denies your request, then you will leave before we sting you dead."
The boy agreed to this. The bee left into the hive as the other bees hovered and stared at the boy to make sure he did nothing wrong. The boy had no want to do anything wrong because he wanted to not be stung by thousands of bees.
It was only a few moments before the bee returned and said to him, "She will see you. Wait at the other side of the tree and she will meet with you." The bee flew back to the hive and returned to her work, the other bees moving to do the same.
The boy did as instructed and soon a lone bee that was larger and more beautiful than the other bees flew up to him and said, "I am the summer queen. What business have you with me?"
The boy bowed deeply to her and said, "Your majesty, I am on a quest and I need something of yours."
"What have I that a human would want?" asked the queen.
The boy bowed again and said, "I need a bit of honeycomb."
The queen buzzed and came closer to him. "You want part of my home for a quest? It is not something I can give so freely. I want something in return for it."
The boy lifted his head and asked, "What is it that you need, my queen?"
"I desire a flower from the river," said the queen. "The mermaid will know what I ask for. Give me a flower from the river and I will give you a bit of my home."
The boy agreed and thanked the queen many times before heading to find the river flower.
The river was not so far away, but the mermaid lived further downstream than the beehive and meadow. He trekked for an hour or so before finding his way to the mermaid’s rock where she sang her bright song. She waved to him and he waved back as he rounded close to the water's edge. She smiled at the boy as he drew closer and spoke to him, "Have you come to see me properly today?"
The boy laughed and said, "I have seen you every day this week and haven't properly greeted you. How are you this fine afternoon?"
The mermaid joined the boy's laughter, "I am doing well this day! The summer sun has warmed the water perfectly! Have you another adventure today, young man?"
"I am questing today," said the boy proudly. "The summer queen sent me here to ask a favor of you."
"Goodness, the summer queen sent you!" the mermaid cried out. "She always has tasks for others to do! What did she want from me today?"
"She asks for a flower from the river," said the boy.
The mermaid smile and said, "That is such an easy thing! Wait here, young man, and I will give it to you!" The mermaid pushed off from her rock and into the water of the river. A few minutes passed and soon the mermaid emerged with a large flower in her hand. It was a strange flower he had never seen before. The mermaid handed the flower to the boy and said, "Here you are, young man! Go quickly to the summer queen and give this to her before sunset. If not, then you will wait until morning."
"I will go now, then," said the boy. "Thank you for your help!" With those words, he rushed back towards the meadow and the beehive, the beautiful river flower shining in his hand.
The sun was beginning to set when the boy returned to the beehive. Again he shouted for the bees to call the queen to him and again he was asked to wait at the other side of the tree and there again he greeted the queen with a deep bow. He presented the flower to her and she gasped at the beauty of it.
"You have brought the river flower to me," said the queen, "and now I will give you what was promised."
A small swarm of bees came to lift the flower from the boy's hands and replaced the empty spot with a chunk of sticky honeycomb. The boy looked at it in awe and bowed twice more to the summer queen.
"Thank you for aiding me, great queen!" he cried.
"Continue your quest in the morning," said the queen. "The day is soon over and the beast will lurk the woods in the darkness. Farewell."
The queen and her swarm returned to their hive, leaving the boy with his piece of honeycomb. It shined like gold in the shrinking light of the sun and he knew that he needed to hurry. He ran to the river and from his rucksack he pulled the silver bell and rang it three times. Only seconds passed as the last note sang out before the older lad emerged from the trees.
"You figured it out quickly!" The older lad was surprised and happy.
The boy presented the honeycomb to the older lad and said, "I had a little help."
"Help is fine!" the older lad laughed. "I'm glad you have intelligent friends!"
The boy pulled the older lad's hand up and placed the honeycomb in it. "Here, this gift is now yours. You can touch it as you can touch your trees."
"Thank you," said the older lad with a smile. "Now, you must go before the sun disappears. Go to your family and be safe tonight. Tomorrow, I will tell you what the next task is. We shall meet at the spot where we first met days ago and I will tell you the task. Now, go!"
The older lad motioned for the boy to leave, glancing towards the fading sunlight as he did so. The boy uttered a swift good-bye and ran off towards his home. This evening, he would be able to eat dinner with his family, but he was sad to not be able to tell them of his adventure. He stole a quick look at the older lad to find that he was already gone to the shadows of the forest. The boy ran home and entered the front door just as the last sliver of sunlight dipped under the horizon.
The next morning was gloomy and sun was nowhere to be found in the sky as rain wet the ground. The boy wanted to keep his promise, but the rain made him want to stay inside where it was dry. The rain poured and the boy watched it from the window as he pondered if he should still meet with the older lad this day.
In the gloom of the tree line as the boy watched the rain, he saw a shadow like a person move. The shape reminded him of the older lad and he thought to go out and see if it was truly him. Without explanation to anyone, the boy left and ran into the rain toward where he had seen the shadow.
At the edge of his family's property he could see more clearly the older lad in the rain. He waved to the boy and the boy waved back.
"Are you not cold in this rain?" asked the boy to the older lad.
The older lad shook his head. "I do not feel cold or hunger or tiredness. I wish you not to be in this rain too long, but I wanted to give you the next task and song so you can ponder it warm in your home."
The boy nodded. "Tell it to me and I'll finish the task when the sun shines again."
The older lad smiled and said, "Your next task is to find a spool of silver thread."
The boy smiled back and replied, "I am still not poor yet not rich, but I think I can do this task still."
"Good," said the older lad before he opened his mouth again to sing,
Is where to find one who sees all.
She weaves a tapestry of lies
To capture sinners just like flies.
The older lad looked to the boy when his song ended and spoke, "This one should be much easier."
The meaning of the song was already being pondered as the boy hummed the tune to himself. "I think I know what I must do, but I cannot do it today. It is far too gloomy today."
The older lad nodded and said, "Go home and be safe. You will catch cold if you stay here longer, and then you cannot do the tasks to end my curse. Please, go back inside and stay warm and dry. I will see you again soon."
The boy turned to walk back to his home. He gave the older lad a glance, and the older lad motioned for the boy to keep going. Without another word or glance, the boy walked back into his house and embraced the warmth of it.
He lied as to why he rushed out without a word, telling them he thought he had seen a bear and wished to scare it off. His sister looked to know that was a lie but she did not press him on it. The boy took a warm bath and put on dry clothes and rested for the day as he pondered the new riddle he was given.
"You have another riddle," said sister as she watched her brother.
"I have, but I think I know its trick," said the boy.
"Oh, dear brother, please let me hear it!" cried sister to her brother. "I wish to know it and try to find its answer, too!"
The boy sighed and did as before, telling her the task and singing her the rhyme. His sister hummed the melody and pondered it just as he, both of them looking with seriousness to the ceiling.
"I thought it must mean a cave in the mountain that I must search," said the boy. "A witch it must be, weaving dark fates in a dark cave."
"Or a spider," said sister with disgust. "I hope she is not a spider."
"A spider she also could be," said the boy deep in his thoughts. "Yes, a spider weaves a tapestry and catches flies."
Sister gasped, "You think she is a giant spider and gobbles up children whole?"
The boy laughed, "Perhaps she is! And she will gobble you up, too!"
Sister laughed as well and said, "She will gobble you up first!"
They laughed and laughed and soon talked about other things, the day growing to night and the rain letting up as they both went to sleep.
When morning came, the sun was seen in the sky again and the boy headed off towards the mountain. He walked and walked for a very long time until he found what looked to be a cave. He took with him this time a lantern and searched for the seer in the song, but found nothing but cobwebs and darkness.
"Hello," he called out. "I am looking for a seer who weaves tapestries."
In the dark he heard movement before seeing the many eyes and many legs of a large spider. She stepped into the lantern light and said, "Who seeks me out this day? Speak now."
"I do," said the boy. "I am on a quest and I need something of yours."
The spider looked at him with all her eyes and asked, "What is it you need of mine? I can catch you now and gobble you up so you take nothing of mine."
The boy was frightened but stayed strong. "I need a spool of your spider thread. I'll do whatever task you need done if I can get this one thing in return."
The spider laughed and said, "Oh, you are a brave little boy, to ask a spider for her thread! I will take your offer. Find for me a fern flower and I will give you my thread."
The boy agreed to this and went out into the forest. He knew this task would be hard as ferns did not grow flowers, but he hoped to find something. As he walked through the forest, he heard a gnome and an elf bickering. The boy found them and thought to ask for their help.
"Pardon my rudeness," he said to the gnome and elf, "but do you know where to find a fern flower?"
The gnome and the elf ended their bickering and looked at the boy.
The gnome was the first to speak, "A fern flower is a rare flower, and they only bloom on solstice night."
The elf took this moment to speak, "They say it only blooms at the solstice, but that is untrue. They bloom all summer if you know where they are."
The gnome looked at the elf and scoffed, "You are a liar! All gnomes and dwarves know elves to be liars!"
"I am no liar," said the elf crossly. "I can show you that I am not a liar! I will take you both to the fern flowers and prove that elves are not liars!"
With this, the elf started towards the north and the gnome and the boy followed after. They walked and walked for a very long time until they came upon a part of the forest that the boy had never seen before. The gnome did not know it either and the elf said smugly, "Only elves know this part of the forest and only elves can enter it. You are my guests and so you can enter, too."
The boy and the gnome followed the elf into this new part of the forest until they came upon a clearing filled with ferns. Upon each fern were bright purple flowers that glowed like starlight.
"You both may take only one flower," said the elf. "Take it as your proof that I am not a liar and then leave this part of the forest."
The gnome was the first to take a flower, inspecting it carefully. "You are not a liar, elf. This is a real fern flower!"
The boy was next to pick a flower and it felt warm in his hands. "Thank you, elf! This is exactly what I needed!"
The elf smiled at being called not a liar and soon led the way out of that part of the forest. However, the gnome became greedy and stole another flower for himself. The elf, spotting this, cast a curse on the gnome and turned him to stone on the spot. The boy saw this and knew to not disobey the words of an elf.
After leaving that strange part of the forest, the boy thanked the elf again and journeyed back towards the cave in the mountain. When inside, he presented the fern flower to the spider and she was overjoyed by its beauty. She got for him a spool of her spider thread and sent him on his way, thanking him for his quick work.
The boy then ran towards the river, noticing that the sun was starting to set. At the river bank he rang the silver bell thrice and the older lad appeared as he had the last time.
"You work so quickly!" said the older lad with glee.
The boy took the older lad’s hand in his own and gave the spool of silver thread. "Here, this gift is now yours. You can touch it as you can your trees."
The older lad smiled down at the spool of thread and said, "That leaves one last task for you." The older lad pulled from his bag a silver cup. "Your final task is to draw a bath for the sun using only this cup."
The boy laughed, "The sun cannot take a bath in a cup!"
"Anything is possible if you set your mind to it, remember?" said the older lad with a smile. "You'll figure it out. You are very intelligent."
"And is there a song for this task, as well?" asked the boy.
The older lad kept his smile and sang,
While the sun was sad and weeping,
While the sun was drained and tired,
They drew the sun a silver bath.
The boy hummed the song as he did the others, but this one gave no more answers to him. As he thought, he looked to the river and got an idea. He took the silver cup from the older lad, filled it with the rive'’s water, and set it on the mermaid's rock. He looked at the older lad and said with joy, "The sun will set directly into this cup! That is how she will take a silver bath!"
The older lad walked on the water of the river and placed the honeycomb and the spider thread into the cup. "You really are very intelligent!"
"Now what must I do?" asked the boy.
"You must wait until the sun has fully slept in the bath," said the older lad. "She will be reborn in the morning. When that happens, the curse should be lifted, but you must stay awake for it to work. Can you do this?"
The boy agreed without hesitation and the older lad smiled at this. They bid each other good-bye and soon the boy was alone with his task. He watched the sun lower herself slowly into the silver cup, the items in the water of the cup glowing as this happened. Now he needed to wait until sunrise. The boy moved to face east on the rock as the water lapped at his feet. His shoes and legs were wet and he felt himself becoming drowsy, but he stayed awake despite this.
Through the night he could hear all manner of sounds from the woods, and many times thought he saw the beast's glowing lantern and eyes through the trees. At midnight, the mermaid visited him and they talked and sang as the silver cup and its contents glowed. The mermaid stayed for many hours and left just before sunrise so the boy could watch the sun reborn in the silver cup.
Soon, the sun curved over the top of the silver cup and light shined around it. It glowed and sang a shrill tone until the sun rose above the rim of the cup and into the sky. The boy picked up the cup and its contents and ran towards the river bed, hoping to see the older lad emerge from the trees.
He waited for a very long time until the figure of the older lad slowly came into view. The older lad looked tired and hurt and approached the boy, begging for water. The boy offered the water from the silver cup and the older lad drank it heartily. As the older lad drank, he filled with vigor and life that the boy had not seen from him before.
The boy soon asked, "Is the curse lifted?"
The older lad nodded and spoke, "It feels like it is. I am cold and hungry and tired. I forgot how much those sensations hurt."
The boy smiled and said, "Then come with me to my house and we will eat a fine meal together! You can meet my family and we can tell them of what happened this week."
The older lad smile back and laughed, "I would like that greatly. Thank you for all your help these days. You are a true friend."
The boy held the older lad's hand in his own and guided the older lad to the edge of the forest. The older lad hesitated before placing his foot on the boy's family property, and when he did so without feeling the curse on him, he wept as they walked towards the house. Inside the boy’s home, they told the story of what happened over the last many days and enjoyed a meal together.
In days after, they found the older lad's brother and family and he could finally have a home again. The boy and the older lad remained friends from then on and no one ever talked of the beast in the woods again.
