The Challenge:
In 2500 words or less, create a fairy tale!
The Result:
Tess, The Daughter of the Dwarves' King
By, Asya Pekurovskaya
There are days when everything crops up as stated by your wishes. The
sun sends its gentle rays your way. The
buds of cherry tree branches develop into flowers right before your eyes, and
the critters tip off their knitted hats, greeting you with reverence.
Tim hurried up. Yet on
his way he had to shake the paw of Ben, the crocodile, bow Humphrey the cat and
catch up with the mouse Bertha, who dropped a velvet purse with blue lapis
lazulites.
In his pocket he
carried a map of the area. In his backpack there was his favorite, ball- shaped
donut filled with cherry jam.
From time to time an
idea popped up in his head that it would be marvelous to eat that donut right
now. But apart from donut, he had nothing to eat. Yet he had a long way to go.
You probably want to
know where he was going.
But, sad to say, he did
not really know that himself. That is, he knew, of course, that he ought to
find a colossal diamond, which was stored in the underground kingdom of the
dwarves. But he had not the slightest idea of how to get there.
He thought of the map,
to be sure. However... although he had already learned to read and could read
long book titles such as: "Get your spoonful of boon/ "With the fibs
from Medoon," he had never had a chance to read a map.
But things you have
never done before, better not to start now, especially if they have an impact
on your cherished journey.
And Tim started to look
for a passer-by who had had to deal with the map before.
“I should have asked
the crocodile Ben. He lives on the lake and promenades in the cherry alley
every day. If he did not know how to read a map, he would have already get
lost.
Tim went after the
crocodile, mentally, needless to say, and assured himself the crocodile had
already made it home and, after putting on his bathing suit, taken a dip
freestyle to the other shore.
But the time to think
about Ben, the crocodile, run out very quickly. Right before Tim’s eyes a
butterfly fluttered in a strange pirouette.
The butterfly moved its
proboscis, then turned it into a tube and started spinning it like a ballerina.
Tim stared at the
butterfly, forgetting everything, including his backpack in which a donut was
waiting for him filled with cherry jam. And the butterfly seems to catch sight
of him, as well.
And here is what
happened next.
Apparently, very tired,
the butterfly–ballerina perched on an open flower of the cherry tree and
stretched her antennas which turned to be delicate arms, in Tim’s direction.
When the
butterfly–ballerina’s arms reached out to Tim, they gently took his both hands
and lifted off the ground.
And they flew, picking
up speed.
“But I have absolutely
no time for a flight. I am not promenading, I am escorting myself,” said Tim
and looked displeased at his companion.
“Why did you decide
that I was promenading?” the butterfly–ballerina replied.
“Yet our ways may not
cross,” Tim said and immediately regretted it. After all, he wanted his ways to
always cross with the ways of this beautiful butterfly–ballerina.
“Why do they not
cross?” the butterfly corrected him. “You're Tim, are not you? And if you guess
my name, I will help you find the underground kingdom of the dwarves, and even
show you the way to the magic diamond that ...”
“But how do you know
about the magic diamond? This is my very private secret,” interrupted Tim.
“Akh, you do not think it
straight and loose time,” the butterfly ballerina said in a melancholy voice.
But instead of stopping
to loose time, that is, instead of guessing the name of his companion, Tim
started to carelessly compose a poem about her.
And here is what he
devised:
To create a butterfly
Someone modeled on the
sly
A dynamic flying shirt
Trendy pants, TP, for
short,
Borrowed petals, light
and awesome
From the most
entrancing blossom.
And to demonstrate her
gown,
Baby circled twice her
town:
Paid a visit to her
mates,
Garbed both chic and up
to date.
Munched her breakfast
at the daisies,
Lunched with indolent
and lazy
Clovers. Then she
turned her keel
To bluebells for an
evening meal.
To complete her trying
cruise
Got prepared for a
snooze:
Funneled her fatigued
proboscis,
Mutely closed her
wings, don’t ask us
Why...
But
then something happened, causing Tim to immediately regret his careless
distraction.
His
companion had disappeared, and he flew down rapidly, like a stone.
He
certainly got hurt, but not as much so as not to see that he landed downright
on a flower bed, caught between two amazing, utterly exotic plants ...
“What
a pity the butterfly–ballerina will not see this beauty!” flashed through his
mind. And when he got up to look more closely at the flowers, they seem to have
bowed their heads towards him and kept gazing at him in response.
Once
again, Tim reminisced about the butterfly–ballerina. Only now did he realize
that she looked at him the same way as these flowers, that is, not with her
eyes, which he had not even noticed, but with her entire body.
Only
the entire body of this mysterious plant did not embrace its wings and
proboscis like the body of butterfly–ballerina. All it had were leaves that
were looking up, like pointed spears, and petals of pink and lilac color
resembling those of a lily.
As
he glued his eyes to the remarkable plant, Tim noticed, in the very convergence
of petals, yet another yellow flower, around which a fence of pistils grew
which had all the hallmarks of a very dark lilac flower.
“I've
never seen flowers with such colorful eyes. But what if these are not flowers
at all, but enchanted dwarves?” Tim guessed.
And as soon as he made this guess he noticed a brass plate, which denoted
something in an unknown language.
“Who
could conceive hanging a sign that can not be read?” Tim said out loud.
But
as he expressed his astonishment, he detected a miniature table, on top of
which someone dumped .... No, to grasp that was beyond Tim’s fancy. But it was
exactly so. The plausible dwarf seem to have forgotten his ... reading glasses,
on the table.
“May
I...?” Tim asked the dwarf, and, without waiting for an answer, reached for the
glasses.
The
plausible owner of the magic glasses dropped no word in reply.
“I
can see you don’t mind,” Tim said and rushed to put on the glasses. But as soon
as he mounted them on his nose, everything transformed around him.
The
sky acquired a pale lilac color, yet the flowers grew blue and white and
started to emit some captivating smells. It even occurred to Tom that flattering among the flowers was a
silhouette of his beautiful butterfly–ballerina.
And
when he finally saw the brass plate, he couldn’t believe his eyes. The
inscription read: “Passiflora, the flower of suffering.”
“The
flower of suffering,” Tim repeated like an echo, and the glasses flew from his
nose.“Flowers can not cause suffering. And if there is an enchanted dwarf
hiding in a flower, one needs to make sure he was no longer there.”
But
as soon as Tim pieced together the future fate of the enchanted and the
plausible dwarf, a fence began to grow around them. And something was very
strange.
The
space inside the fence was arranged in such a way that the bed with the Passiflora flowers was stretching
along the path and turning right, whereas next to the bed there appeared a new
path that curved left and stretched all the way to the summit.
“If I
do not follow the Passifora
flowers I will avoid suffering, Tim
thought.
“Then
change your course to the left,” Tim
heard the same voice.
He
looked around. Not a soul was seen on all sides.
“How
will I climb this huge mountain? Besides, the kingdom of the dwarves is in the
dungeon,” Tim replied.
“So,
you have already made your choice,” the voice continued calmly.
“I
made no choice. I am at a crossroads. Do not you see?
An
alarming silence fell over them.
“Someone
is trying me. It could be the glasses that returned from their exile. They must
be magical,” Tim thought.
“Akh, you
do not think it straight and loose time,” the voice
warned him.
“Somewhere
I have heard this warning,” Tim thought.
But
it was too late. He fell down again, and when he landed, he immediately
recognized the area.
It
was impossible not to recognize it. After all, Tim saw himself walking down the
road that led from his own home.
He
was in a rush. Yet he had to shake the paw of Ben, the crocodile, bow Humphrey
the cat and catch the mouse Bertha, who dropped a velvet purse with blue lapis
lazulites.
And
when he fumbled the area map in his pocket and assured himself that his
favorite, ball–shaped donut filled with cherry jam was still in his backpack, a
very unhappy thought flashed in his mind.
“I
will never get to the underground kingdom of the dwarves and get a magic
diamond. Instead of going forward, I came right back.
“But
you still have one more chance,” Tim heard the familiar voice.
“How
wonderful it is that magic glasses have not left me,” Tim thought.
“If
you prepare a new challenge for me, I will listen, I will waste no time and I
will not miss anything. I even will agree to take the path to the left,
although climbing a vertical trail is very difficult, almost imposs ...
“We’ll
check it now,” the glasses interrupted Tim, “Did you chat with the daughter of
the Dwarves’ King?”
“I
conversed with the butterfly–ballerina. Is she the daughter...?”
“You
talked to her, not knowing her name, and did not even try to guess it,” the
glasses hurried to continue, ignoring Tim’s question. “It was not polite and
also quite annoying. After all, from your figuring out her name depended your
joint destiny. Now the princess is imprisoned in the tower, and you have lost
access to the diamond, which is locked in her casket.”
“This is
terrible! She needs help! Promptly! But
how could I reveal her name? Names are plentiful, and they are all different
... Her name is Tess!” Tim blurted.
If he
was told a moment ago that he could effortlessly guess the name of the unknown
princess, he would have never believed it.
“But
who said I really had guessed her name?” flashed through Tim’s head.
“Well,
you guessed it right. Now, there is very
little you have to do. You will have to liberate the princess and find the key
to her casket. Remember: the key is placed on the wrong side of one of the
copper mirrors in the Kingdom of dwarves.
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