EMERALD
Once upon a time in a kingdom long forgotten a girl mourned the death of her father. The girl was thirteen years old with long curly brown hair and eyes a brilliant shade of emerald green. Her eyes were the reason she was named Emerald.
The girl found herself crying because she was alone in the world for her mother had died while giving birth to her, and now her father died in a distant battle on the other side of the kingdom.
'Who will take care of me?' the girl wondered to herself. At that moment she saw a shooting star fly by in the sky above. And the girl wished:
"Star flying high above
Please find me a place of love"
Shortly after that an old woman wandered by Emerald and offered her a home so long as Emerald agreed to work for her until her true love came to her rescue. Emerald believing the deal to be a fair one agreed. Unfortunately Emerald did not know that the woman was really a wicked witch who planned to never let the girl escape from her grasp.
Two years went by and the girl slaved for the woman day in and day out. Everyday the witch had the girl feed all the animals, weed the garden, wash the dishes, cook the meals, clean the house, plus any other random deed that she could think of giving the girl during the day. For instance every month on the night of the full moon the witch sent the girl into the middle of the nearby forest in search of some rare plants like wolfs bane. In return for all of her hard work the witch kept of promise of housing the girl but that was it. When it came to food, the girl was only allowed to eat what was left over from the witch's own dinner which was usually only a half a piece of bread or a few sips of broth. As for sleep the girl was allowed very little, and at most would only get three hours a night.
The girl never gave up waiting though. She remembered the deal with the witch that she made years ago, and she never gave up in the power of shooting stars. Every time that she saw a star the girl repeated her wish:
"Star flying high above
Please find me a place of love"
Unfortunately, Emerald did not know that the witch had doubled crossed her. The witch had promised the girl that she could go free when her true love came to her rescue, but the witch knew that day would never come, for the witch could foresee the future, and she knew that Emerald was meant to save her true love and not the other way around. Pleased by her knowledge, every time the witch heard the girl wishing upon shooting stars the witch would say:
"Silly girl wishing daily for a love so true
You'll soon learn that fate is not made for you"
So time continued to pass until Emerald's sixteenth birthday arrived. It had been three years since she first came to live with the witch, and Emerald was finally begin to feel despair.
'Here I am sixteen and still true love has not come to me,' she thought to herself. 'For I have wished on countless shooting stars and still no love appears.' It was with those thoughts that the girl cried herself to sleep that night.
The next day while the girl was out weeding the garden an old beggar woman came by.
"Please, my dear girl, I have wandered far from home, and I am very thirsty. Please, may I have a cup of water," the woman begged.
The girl moved by the woman's plea decided to help her although she knew the witch would be angry if she found out. The beggar woman was grateful for the drink, and when the time for her to leave came, the woman would turn to the girl and say:
"Pretty girl so just and true
There will come the day that I shall help you."
The girl in turn told the beggar woman that she did not require her aid, but the woman insisted that they would be the day in which she would require it. After that, the woman came everyday, and everyday Emerald poured her a cup of water. In return everyday the beggar woman would say to her:
"Pretty girl so just and true
There will come the day that I shall help you."
Each time in return Emerald would tell her she did not require her aid.
A few months passed in the same manner until one day the beggar woman came and discovered that Emerald had been crying.
"What is wrong, my child?" the beggar woman asked.
"I'm sad because my true love has yet to come," the girl replied.
"You're still young," the beggar woman replied. "There is still plenty of time for your true love to arrive."
"I know, but I wonder if I shall last that long," Emerald sobbed, and told the woman about her life with the witch and the deal they had made many years ago.
"I see," said the beggar woman. "In that case, the time has come for me to help you."
"How can you help me?" Emerald asked.
"Easy," the woman said, "for I shall tell you how to find your true love."
For the old beggar woman was actually Emerald's fairy godmother in disguise and had to power to help Emerald escape her fate.
"You must first talk to the old woman with whom you board for she is really a wicked witch who plans to keep you here until you die," said the fairy godmother. "She knows that in order to find true love you must be the one to rescue them and not the other way around which is why she made the deal she did with you. You, however, are to go to her on the night in which there is no moon within the sky and request a chance to have one week in which you are free to travel wherever you wish because you have realized that your true love has forsaken you, and you desire to see the world before you commit to an eternity of servitude. The witch shall have no choice but to grant your wish that night because witches cannot deny any request made on the night of a new moon."
"Even if that is the case, where shall I find my true love?" asked Emerald.
"I'm afraid my child that you must leave to fate," the fairy godmother replied. "Just follow your heart and it shall lead you on the right path."
With that the fairy godmother took her leave and left Emerald waiting for the new moon to come in order to make her request. A few nights later it did, and like the fairy godmother said the witch had no choice but to grant the girl's request. Afraid that the witch would go back on her word, the girl fled from the house immediately.
Once outside the girl realized she still did not know which way to go, so she put her faith in God and decided to follow the path that lead to the nearby forest. Emerald relished in her freedom, and anxiously spent her journey attempting to find true love. When five days had gone by without success, the girl realized that she must start heading back to the witch's home or else face the punishment that would await her if she came back late. So Emerald turned around and started her sad journey home, for now she truly believed that she would never find true love.
It just so happens though that she did. When she was just a mile away from the witch's home she came across a weary young traveler with curly brown hair and silver blue eyes.
"Hello," said the traveler when he saw her.
"Hi," Emerald responded in reply.
"I was wondering if you could help me," he said. "I fear that I have lost my way in the forest, and I am anxious to find shelter for the night. Do you live around here?"
"I do," Emerald replied, "but I fear I cannot help you with shelter. For I live with a wicked witch who would surely kill you if she saw me bring you home."
"I see," said the traveler. "I'm sorry that you cannot help me for I will most likely be killed by some animal if I sleep out here in the open."
"You are quite right about that," said Emerald. "I have often such dangerous creatures when the witch has sent me out to get herbs during the full moon, but don't despair for I know of a place where you shall be safe."
With that note Emerald gave the young traveler directions to a nearby cave, and she continued on her way. Upon her arrival back at the witch's house, the witch was happy to see that the girl had not found true love, and so immediately upon the girl's arrival she ordered her to go into the forest and fetch some herbs.
Remembering the traveler, Emerald thought he must be hungry so she eagerly set off on the witch's quest, but not without first sneaking some food for him from the witch's pantry.
"Hello," she said as she entered the cave.
"Who goes there?" he called back to her from deep within.
"It is only me the witch's slave," she replied. "I've come to bring you some food."
"I hope it's not to fatten me up so that I'll become the witch's dinner," the traveler said.
"Never," laughed Emerald who thought to herself that this was the first time she had laughed since her father's death.
"Good," replied the traveler. "I would hate to discover that you are evil."
The girl spent the rest of the night talking to the traveler, and it was upon hearing the morning dove that she remembered her task.
"Oh no," cried the girl. "I was suppose to pick some herbs for the witch and now it's almost dawn and I have yet to begin my task."
"Don't worry," said the traveler. "I shall help you and the witch will never be the wiser."
So the traveler helped her pick the herbs. The traveler remained within the cave for seven days and each night Emerald found some excuse to sneak some food to him. The witch began to become suspicious however and decided to follow Emerald on one of those nights. It was then that she discovered the traveler. Upon seeing him the witch said to herself:
"Silly girl wishing daily for a love so true
You'll soon learn that fate is not made for you"
With that the witch put the traveler under a spell that made him forget about Emerald, and so when Emerald came to see him that night, the traveler was no longer there. For the traveler was actually a prince who upon forgetting Emerald remembered that he had been on his way home. That night Emerald cried herself to sleep and just like when her father had died she saw a shooting star and wished:
"Star flying high above
Please find me a place of love."
Each day the girl repeated the wish and she wished beyond wishing that the young traveler would return because she had fallen in love with him. Each day only lead her to more disappointment.
Meanwhile the prince had returned to his homeland only to discover a strong feeling that he had left something behind at the cave. Initially, he attempted to forget about the feeling but one day went by, and then the next and the prince realized he could not ignore the feeling anymore. So the prince returned to the cave.
Night was dawning when he arrived at the cave, and a most wondrous sight struck him for the loveliest maiden he had ever seen was sitting outside of the cave. The girl was crying and looking up at the sky. Glancing up to see what the girl was looking for, the prince saw a shooting star go by. In turn he heard the maiden exclaim:
"Star flying high above
Please find me a place of love."
The prince moved by Emerald's tears and wish felt the witch's spell being lifted from his heart, and he realized that it was Emerald that he had come here to find. With that realization, the prince ran from where he was hiding and exclaimed, "Precious Emerald, I am sorry that I left you. The witch discovered me and made me forget all about you. I remember it all so well now. Forgive Emerald. I love you, and I fear that I shall lose you."
"All is forgiven," said Emerald and the two kissed. It was with the kiss that the witch felt the contract she made with the girl broken, and in her anger the witch threw herself into the fire.
Emerald was not sad to see the witch gone, and she was able to go off with her prince to live a life happily ever after.