A Story For The Children
The old woman sat down on a tree stump and smiled at the young boys and girls as they gathered around her for another story. "Tell us a story!" they cried to the old woman.
"A story you say?" the old woman said. "What story would you like to hear?"
"We want to hear the legend of the crystal maker!" the small children said together excitedly.
"Oh alright," conceded the old woman. With a sigh she began to tell the story of the crystal maker; her words were unhurried and she spoke calmly. "The story of the crystal maker begins a long time ago when none of your great-grandparents were alive. Back in those days demons came and tormented humans. These demons were beautiful creatures, but they were powerful and terrible beings.
"One day a young priestess discovered the power to create the most beautiful jewels that rivaled the powers of the demons. The young priestess hid this jewel inside her own body and used the jewel's power to drive out demons from her village.
"Soon word traveled that a young priestess could be more powerful if not more than the demons that tormented the humans. It wasn't long until demons would come to the young priestess's village in peace, asking how a human could be as strong as a demon. The demons showered gifts to the young priestess in order to woo the answer from her, but the young priestess said nothing.
"The villagers were in awe that a human woman could actually stop the demons from wrecking havoc in their villages and that these demons wanted whatever the young priestess had inside her body. Before long both humans and demons were coming to the young priestess, begging her to tell them how she was so powerful.
"When the young priestess still said nothing both the humans and the demons became enraged and jealous and attacked the young priestess. The young priestess felt sad that the people of her village as well as other villages wanted her jewel so badly. So she reached inside her own body and pulled out the beautiful and powerful jewel. She held it in her hand and shouted to the demons and humans who still tried to kill her. 'Look,' she finally said to them. 'This is all I have! If you want it that badly then go and find it!'
"After saying that to the demons and humans who tried to take her life and beautiful jewel, the young priestess tossed the jewel high into the air. With a single arrow the young priestess shot the beautiful jewel and broke it into thousands of tiny pieces. The force of the young priestess's own powers spread all the thousands of tiny jewel shards across the land.
"The smaller jewel shards were powerful and could make any human into a half-demon if that human wished to be more powerful, or, depending if a human wanted to never die, the jewel shard would keep the human alive for as long as the jewel shard remained embedded in that human's body.
"Demons were different; when they became in possession of a jewel shard they could use the shard to become a half-human if they fell in love with a human, or they could use the jewel shard to help heal humans and demons alike."
"But what happened to the young priestess?" a child asked the old woman. "Did she make another jewel?"
With a big laugh the old woman answered, "The young priestess fled from her village the second she shattered her beautiful jewel and hid deep in the mountains so she could see what the demons and humans would do. When she saw that they both could live together in relative happiness her sadness went away. The young priestess lived deep in the mountains for many centuries, watching the humans and demons live happily together. When she felt that she had been forgotten she created one more jewel that was even more beautiful and much stronger than the one she had made before.
"With this new jewel she placed it inside her body and disguised herself as a witch to both demons and humans. Disguised as a witch the young priestess went down to her old village and looked at the people. 'Oh my,' she had said, 'how can you two people, who are so different, live together in happiness?'
"'Because,' they had answered, 'we have found the balance of power and peace. This is how we can live together.'
"The young priestess asked, 'How did you come to have that power? Who gave it to you?'
"'It was a beautiful priestess,' they answered. The villagers told the young priestess of how a beautiful priestess had shattered a beautiful jewel and allowed them to each have a part of the jewel.
"The young priestess was surprised that the people of her old village were sad and ashamed about how they had tried to kill her and take the jewel for themselves. The young priestess removed her disguise and showed herself to the people of her village. 'I hold nothing against you now that I see how happy everyone else is. Continue in this peaceful way and I will allow you to use the jewel shards.'
"The young priestess left the village and went deep into the mountains again to watch the people of her village. In honor of the young priestess the villagers made a shrine dedicated to the young priestess and they would give thanks to the young priestess's power and graciousness."
"So that is why every four weeks we all gather around the old shrine and say our thanks?" a small girl asked as she pointed to a well-kept shrine that had fresh flowers.
"Yes," the old woman answered. "If we do not use our jewel shards wisely and give thanks to the beautiful priestess who gave them to us to use, then she will take them away."
"But what do the jewel shards look like?" a small boy asked.
The old woman's skin began to change as she suddenly grew younger and more beautiful. The small children gasped in awe as a beautiful and young priestess sat on the trunk of a tree smiling at them. "My jewel shards," she spoke sweetly to the children, "look like this." From inside her shirt was a necklace with a small lavender jewel shard that hung from a small golden chain.