(no subject)
Just a picture that was taken today, right when I woke up. I don't much care for it, but that's understandable. I look horrendous in it. Yet to find one I like...things are going semi-okay. I hate my nose. :( It is so crooked.
Umm...I may update later, but here is a short story I wrote earlier this morning..
There was once a man named Edward who had a terrible temper, and was cruel to the people around him. He was tall and strong, so most people did what he told them to do out of fear. When he became angry he would beat whomever he thought had done wrong, or- if he couldn’t get to them- he would take his anger out on the nearest person to him.
Edward, you see, was king of a small country. He oppressed his people with high taxes and extreme punishments for the smallest of crimes. Every week he would gather his royal solders and ride through his country to be sure his commands were being carried out with no mercy. Along the way he would amuse himself by whipping the small sons and abusing the daughters of the poor, starving farmers. He would sometimes stop along the way and raid the home of some innocent person, stealing anything that struck his fancy and ordering his soldiers to search the house for money, to be sure the taxes had been paid in full. The penalty if the house was found to have money in it was the immediate death of the head of the household, and all other members of the household were taken into slavery.
During one such trip he stopped at a small cottage, intending to raid it. As he stormed toward the tiny door, the door suddenly flew open as an old, hunch-backed women greeted him at the door. “I have nothing- your majesty- to offer you, for you’ve already taken all I own except this little shack.” Nevertheless, he shoved her roughly aside and tried to push his way through the door. Alas, he found that the door was too small for his tall stature. When he couldn’t get into the cabin, he smacked the old women and left her home in frustration.
Many years later, Edward was ready to marry and ordered a lavish ball be thrown, and every women in the kingdom attend; so that he might choose a wife from them. Among his slaves were several young women, but they had nothing to wear. Hearing this he ordered every one be given a simple gown to wear. The women were overjoyed and set about trying to look their very best in hopes that the prince might choose them. One young girl, Katherine, was left out. She had no family that she knew of and was the lowest of the slaves. In turn to being beaten by the prince, the women beat her and ordered her around; giving her even more work then she had. Everyone was sure that she would never make it to the ball, order or no order.
On the day of the ball all the women were given the day off, and the men were driven twice as hard to prepare the palace and grounds for the celebration. Katherine was forced to help all the other women get ready before she was given time to attend to herself. Her gown had been stolen, and she had nothing to wear but her tattered work dress. The truth was that the other women slaves had conspired to see to it that she didn’t go to the ball, because she was strong, beautiful, and clever. She sat alone in her corner and cried when the others made their way to the palace not so very far away.
Her face was soaked in tears when she heard a soft voice say her name. She looked up to see the very same old women the prince had visited all those years ago. “My daughter... my little girl... You’ve grown into such a beauty. I knew that there would be no one to help you and so I came to see to it that you shine like silver tonight. Prince Edward stole you in violence when you were just a little girl, and now you and I shall take what’s ours with all of a women’s wit. You see, your father was a king over this country before Edward killed him and took you away thinking that I too was dead. That is why he can’t call himself a king.”
Together they washed her hair until it was as soft as silk. Then Katherine bathed and washed away all the dirt and filth hiding her beautiful, pale skin that shinned like mother of pearl. The old women pulled an elaborate, fantastic gown with rubies and diamonds sewed into the seams with gold thread. This was what she had hidden away in that tiny cabin when he stopped at her home. When Katherine stepped into the dress, she truly looked like a queen, and then her mother gave her slippers made with satin and solid gold buttons to wear on her feet and set a delicate gold tiara in her black hair. She was a sight to behold in her fine gown, happy for the first time in her life.
“Now,” said the hunch-backed old women, “this is what you shall do. When you arrive, walk directly up to the prince and insist he dance with you. While you’re enjoying yourself at the ball, I’ll be making everything ready out here. After all the guests have left, I’ll come inside. You will introduce me as your servant, and bade him walk with you. Lead him to this spot, and his greed and hate will do the rest.”
Not really knowing what was meant by that, Katherine nodded and agreed. When she walked into the room every head turned to her, the music stopped, and time was frozen for an instant. She walked gracefully to Edward’s side and took his hand, pulling him near to her. He ordered the music be started again at once, hardly containing his temper. They danced every dance, floating across the floor while the other women watched in jealous science.
Edward was captivated by her and practically begged her to tell him her name, which she refused. With every refusal she saw his temper start and then be held back, for he didn’t want her to see the monster he was. After the other guests left, her mother hobbled in as if to take Katherine home. “This is my servant,” Katherine announced to the prince. Sure that she was a princess or a wealthy heiress, he followed her without question as she lead him closer and closer to her ramshackle shack. She chatted pleasantly, which kept him from noticing where they were headed. It wasn’t until they were inside the one room of her pitiful home that she quieted and let go of his arm.
He looked around, somewhat stunned at his surroundings, until his eyes rested once again on the old women. He was sure he had met her somewhere before, but he couldn’t quite place her. Then the old crone stood to her full height, the black rags falling away from her face. She looked identical to Katherine, except that her face was wrinkled from years of loneliness and worry, and her hair was white rather then black, as it had once been. On her head sat a small crown, the crown of the queen he thought he’d killed, and across her neck was a scar where he thought he slit her throat, but had failed to cut deep enough.
At the sight of the old women he flew into a rage, and all the temper he’d held back that night came pouring out in a frenzy of hatred. Katherine had already slipped outside, and her mother was just at the door when he flew at her. She slammed the door shut and barred the door in the seconds before he would have had his hands on her. The two women stepped back far away from the shack and stood to watch his hate consume him inside. Determined to break down the door, he threw his whole weight into it; but the house was so poorly built that it collapsed, killing the former Prince Edward.
Katherine and her mother took back their throne and lifted the burden of oppression off the grateful nation. In time, the aged queen died peacefully in her bed, leaving behind Katherine and her new husband to rule over the land that had been stolen form them and set things right with her subjects, who had for years been subject to the will of the greedy dictator. Under her care and rule, the people prospered once again, and they all lived happily
ever after.
The Moral: Wit and patience will always bring success, but greed and hatred will always
bring failure and sorrow.
The End