A Fable (854 hits)
Category: NoneRating: 1.33 on 29 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by Lojope <lojope.at.juno.com> (View user info) at 2005-03-24 12:03:24 EST
Once upon a time, in a faraway kingdom, there lived a beautiful princess named Mara. Mara was a wonderful, benevolent princess, and everyone loved her. She had a laugh that could fill a room and a smile that shone light on the faces of everyone around her. She was, as princesses usually are in fairytales, almost perfect.
But only almost.
You see, long ago, an evil man from a neighboring kingdom put a spell on Mara. His curse made it so that every spring, as the world came back to life and recovered from the cruelty of winter, Mara would fall into madness. Her illness made her violent and dreadful, and many lovers had been killed by Mara when she was in the throes of it. No suitor of Mara had ever survived spring.
One summer a travelor named Dayshaun came to Mara's kingdom. He saw Mara in a field picking forget-me-nots and immediately fell in love with her. As he made his way towards her, however, Mara ran from him. He pursued, and she dashed behind a tree.
"Stay there." Came her voice from behind the tree.
"Come out from there." Dayshaun called to her.
"I cannot." Mara called back with sadness in her voice.
"But I love you." He replied.
"You ought not." She responded.
"Why? Do you not find me handsome and strong? Do you think me not worthy of your love in return?" He wondered.
"No, good sir." She told him. "It is for your own good that I remain out of sight. If you see me, you will fall in love with me and I have an illness that will cause you harm if you come any closer."
"I have seen you already, and love you this moment. Come out, I will survive any harm you could possibly do."
So Mara stepped out from behind the tree, and Dayshaun kissed her.
For many months Mara and Dayshaun were happy. They loved each other like the sun and moon. They danced on stars each night and on flowers each day. The kingdom was filled with the sounds of laughter and the air was alive with joy.
And as the snow began to fall, their passion rose. They both forgot the warning Mara gave Dayshaun on the day they met. It seemed as though nothing could go wrong in the world.
But the snow began to melt. Spring was coming.
No suitor of Mara ever lived past spring.
Mara thought of the men she has killed in her madness. She though of the injury they suffered while her control was not her own. And she feared for Dayshaun's safety.
So Mara braided a long golden thread. One end she tied to her wrist, and the other she handed to Dayshaun.
"The illness will beset me soon, my love, and when it does you will not be safe if you remain near by. Take this thread, and walk out of the cottage and down the road til the thread is taught. Stay there until I pull the thread three times, because that will mean it is safe for you to come back. Please do not let go of the string. And no matter what you hear coming from inside this cottage, no matter what happens, do NOT come inside. Stay on the side of the road until I call you back to me. It is the only way you will be safe."
So Dayshaun kissed Mara, gripped the golden thread, and promised not to let go. He walked down the road until the thread was taut, and there he sat down to wait.
Mara locked the doors and windows of the cottage, and checked to make sure the thread was securly tied to her wrist. Then, she waited.
When the madness overtook her, everyone in the village knew to stay away, except Selima who was allowed to go in to feed Mara and comfort and care for her. Selima was a beautiful young girl, and a faithful friend and care giver to Mara.
And every day, as Dayshaun would hear shattering glass and screams from inside the cottage, he watched Selima walk calmly through the door and come out unscathed.
As days turned to weeks, it grew more difficult for Dayshaun to wait. It grew more painful to listen to the terror inside the house where his love lay hurting. He wanted to inside, he wanted to know what was going on behind that door. But he knew he could not.
So instead he asked Selima as she walked by to tell him if the woman he loved was alright. Selima tried to calm his fears. Week after week, Dayshaun would wait for whatever morsel of information Selima could give him. And their mutual love for Mara extended into love for each other.
And still Dayshaun waited. Through rain and storm, though it was often cold and dark, though his hand cramped and grew weak from gripping the golden thread, he waited.
As Mara's condition worsened, and Selima feared that she may not survive. Her reports to Dayshaun grew darker and more ominous. Niether of them thought Mara would ever come out of the cottage alive.
And one not very special day, as Selima saw the pain in her new friend's eyes, her heart broke for him. As they spoke on the side of the road, she reached out to hold his hand in comfort. But when she touched his hand, her nail snagged the golden thread and cut through it.
The thread was broken.
At that moment, Mara pulled on the thread three times, antcipating the joy of reuniting with her lover at last. But she found it was loose. She pulled the thread until the other end was on her lap. The end that Dayshaun was supposed to be holding on to. The end that was broken, and held by no one.
She looked down at the broken thread and wept.
No suitor of Mara had ever survived Spring.
User Reviews
Submitted by lojope (user info) at 2005-03-25 13:10:31 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
You know, Apollo, I'm not entirely sure of the moral myself. Maybe just that sometimes no matter how true the love between two people is, sometimes there are things that just make it not work.
Submitted by munkeypants (user info) at 2005-03-25 12:21:55 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by BLITZKREIG_BOB (user info) at 2005-03-24 12:16:00 (#)
Ranking: 2
That's what he gets for thinking that weed-whacker line is a golden string.
-----------------------------------
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
i fucking love this guy.
Submitted by Donitsu2002 (user info) at 2005-03-25 10:10:58 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
uhhh, sucktacular
Submitted by apollo88 (user info) at 2005-03-25 06:02:13 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I really liked this for some reason.
I have always been a sucker for fables.
Although not sure what the moral of the story is.
Submitted by mystiamoon (user info) at 2005-03-24 20:00:45 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
how predictible
Submitted by screamfeeder (user info) at 2005-03-24 19:21:08 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
soooooooo gooooooooooooooooooooood
A+++++ WOULD READ AGAIN!!!!
im an ass
Submitted by QueenAshlee (user info) at 2005-03-24 18:57:32 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Oooh...
Submitted by Durae (user info) at 2005-03-24 18:48:20 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
What if Mara have another guy standing around the cabin? That maybe she walked out to meet a few times and prance around with for a while? Dayshaun and Selima could've been a little confused by that.
And if a finger nail could break a thread how strong was it to begin with? Fairy tales never make any sense.
Submitted by polyamorousaj (user info) at 2005-03-24 18:28:17 EST (#)
Ranking: -2
We need to talk.
Submitted by Sassmasterr (user info) at 2005-03-24 16:38:31 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
i'd do her
Submitted by JonnyX (user info) at 2005-03-24 15:31:24 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
If she woulda just taken a Premsyn, she would have been fine!
Submitted by knucklesnelson (user info) at 2005-03-24 15:04:50 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by jumpinjellyfish (user info) at 2005-03-24 14:37:21 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Cool, a fairy tale...I liked it!
Submitted by lojope (user info) at 2005-03-24 14:11:31 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Cornnugget,
I don't think selfish is the right word. Unreasonable is maybe a better one, though still not quite right. The word impossible is most accurate. Selfish implies that there was a choice in the matter and she chose the selfish one. Impossible is more like there wasn't really a choice, but what had to happen for their success just couldn't be done.
Submitted by TheSpook (user info) at 2005-03-24 13:58:38 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I thought this was going to be about Bush's Iraq exit plan.
Submitted by PukingDog (user info) at 2005-03-24 13:48:28 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Man, I thought it was pretty good... you got dishragged a lot for it.
One question - is that Dayshaun Jackson? That motha fucka owes me $20 for that sack of orange last week... or is that the Dayshaun that plays for Miami? You know, the Heat? Dayshaun Smith, or something...
Submitted by professorfuckface (user info) at 2005-03-24 13:27:02 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Too bad you look like a pig lojope
Submitted by AlwaysAnEagle (user info) at 2005-03-24 13:11:54 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Hoo boy.
Submitted by Professional_Peon (user info) at 2005-03-24 13:00:51 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I have the same problem, but I put a sign on the door:
I'M ON THE RAG - ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!
Submitted by screamfeeder (user info) at 2005-03-24 12:58:42 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
http://www.ubersite.com/m/59735
Sort it out.
Submitted by Jeanneee (user info) at 2005-03-24 12:46:20 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Cool.
Submitted by Pentameter (user info) at 2005-03-24 12:38:33 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
This is well written.
I have the feeling that this is autobiographical.
Submitted by corn_nugget (user info) at 2005-03-24 12:38:31 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
But, is it really fair of... her... to expect someone to wait? Madness or not, that's a selfish thing to desire. Or, no no... you can DESIRE that as much as you want, but to expect it... that's just unreasonable.
Submitted by Teephphah (user info) at 2005-03-24 12:29:45 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Is this autobiographical? If so . . . oh, the Uber-drama.
Submitted by rad1101 (user info) at 2005-03-24 12:27:50 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
+2 for this:
Submitted by BLITZKREIG_BOB (user info) at 2005-03-24 12:16:00 (#)
Ranking: 2
That's what he gets for thinking that weed-whacker line is a golden string.
Submitted by rad1101 (user info) at 2005-03-24 12:22:36 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
This was crap.
Submitted by Josephine (user info) at 2005-03-24 12:16:15 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
You ruined my favorite season, but it was well written.
Submitted by BLITZKREIG_BOB (user info) at 2005-03-24 12:16:00 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
That's what he gets for thinking that weed-whacker line is a golden string.
Submitted by Shlongy (user info) at 2005-03-24 12:14:29 EST (#)
Ranking: -1
You should have thrown "The End" up there right after the first paragraph.