In a faraway land, there was a village called Ravensmore, where the sun seemed to always linger to catch a glimpse of the moon. A mother and her child lived within nature’s walls, using the earth for food, shelter, and their canvas. Once in a while, the mother would descend for provisions when food was scarce due to seasonal storms. The child always craved to explore, but her mother would never take her outside beyond their walls.
“Why can you go, but I have to stay?” the child cried.
“It’s not safe outside,” answered the mother.
When the child was younger, the mother would leave an abundance of sweets to keep the child distracted while she left. But as she grew older, the child’s curiosity grew, and sweets were no longer enough to distract her from her mother leaving.
“I am old enough to see the world. Will you finally take me?” the child asked.
“No, I cannot, the world is dangerous and unpredictable,” the mother said.
“What is so dangerous that I cannot see?” the child whined.
“Nothing. I will be back within a few hours,” the mother said and turned to leave.
“If there is nothing, then I will go.”
“In the Forest of Fears, there is a ghost who steals. If you defeat him, there is a meadow guarded by a fierce one-eyed bear. If you escape his claws, there is an ancient god by the river that eats souls,” the mother said. “It is too dangerous.”
After the mother gathered her belongings and kissed the child goodbye, she closed the door. The child lay beside the window, watching as her figure grew smaller. Instead of being scared, she was bursting with anticipation. The world contained too many wonders to be kept locked at home.
She waited, making sure her mother was not going to return, then crossed the threshold as the sun’s rays lit the way. Outside, the Forest of Fears stretched before her, its dense, luscious green canopies resembling a thick impenetrable wall. When the child stumbled upon the entrance, she stopped in her tracks. A hooded figure dressed in black was waiting.
“Are you lost, my child?” he asked.
“I want to go into the forest. There is something I need to see,” the child said.
“Are you sure you can pay the price for passing through my woods?” the hooded stranger asked.
“What is it you would like?” the child asked.
“A precious memory of someone you love.”
“If I do that, will you let me pass?” the child asked.
The stranger nodded and extended his arm. As the child met his hand, a surge of warmth exited her body. He quickly vanished as a path opened up before the child, and the child ran, screaming in delight. She was met with a golden meadow sprinkled with rainbow-colored peonies, tulips, and wild roses. She was in awe of the beautiful sight when suddenly, a large brown bear wearing a black patch on one eye emerged from a dense sunflower bush.
“Who dares to pass my meadow?” the bear growled.
“There is something I need to see,” the child said.
“Can you pay the price for passing through?”
“What is it that you would like?” the child asked.
The bear plucked a nearby white rose and gave it to the child.
“Color this with a drop of your blood,” the bear said.
The child did as she was told. She pricked her finger with the rose’s thorns and specks of blood painted its petals, turning them into a deep shade of red. The bear growled as another pathway unfolded across the meadow and another scream of delight escaped the child. A crystalline river shone brightly as a diamond, and as she was about to step inside, a being with long white hair and a golden tunic appeared.
“What makes you worthy of my river?” he asked.
“There is something I need to see,” the child said.
“The River of Reflections is not child’s play.”
“What would you like so that I can pass this test?”
“Your soul.”
The child pushed onto her chest as a glowing sphere danced along her hand, and she offered it gracefully to him. Once he vanished, the child plunged her feet into the cool water and scattered droplets into the air as they created a prism of color against the sun’s rays. Her body felt lighter, hands trembling with delight as she floated away, leaving no traces behind as she became the wind.
“And that,” said the storyteller, “is why curiosity can lead to life’s greatest wonders.”
Nidia Rodriguez is pursuing her MFA at University of San Francisco. Her writing deals with short and long fiction pieces. She is currently working on her thesis and hopefully fantasy debut novel in the near future.
Featured image by Ugne Vasyliute on Unsplash.
