Title: The Journey of the Little River
Date: August 20th, 2008.
Word Count: 1,000
Summary: Once upon a time, there was a Little River. A Rayne fable.
A Copper for a Kiss August Challenge: a Rayne Fable/Myth/Fantasy/Fairy Tale.
Prompt: Picture Book.
Disclaimer: I own nothing or no one. If Jayne insists in stalking me, you should talk to him, not to me.
A/N: My first Rayne fic, YAY! English is not my native language, so feel free to point at anything weird you find.
--o--
"Once upon a time, there was a Little River. The Little River was no more than a stream of crystalline water, and its spring was located in a beautiful forest. The Little River was well protected by the richness of the forest, and there was a Shiny Star that was always looking after the Little River. The Little River, however, wasn't happy with its small forest. The Little River wanted to grow, to become a Great River. The Little River wanted to learn everything that there was to know – to get more water running through itself. So the Little River left its beautiful forest and the Shiny Star behind to look for new waters."
"And the Little River found them – Blue Waters that looked appealing on the outside, but actually brought torment and violence to what had once been a gentle flow. The Little River became a turbulence of dark waters, and the Little River found itself trapped in the hands of the Blue Waters. The Little River tried very hard to find its way out, but the Little River found itself lost. When the Little River was almost giving up, the Shiny Star found the Little River, and its light gave the Little River hope."
"The Little River followed the Shiny Star to a new forest, a Serene black forest where, surrounded by Trees that in time the Little River would call family, the Little River found itself a new home. But the Little River's waters were no longer crystalline, and the Little River's flow was no longer gentle. The Blue Waters had changed the Little River, contaminating its waters, and the Little River didn't know what waters belonged to itself anymore. Even away from the Blue Waters, the Little River could still feel the blue running through itself, along with all the red-blood of those who had died in the Little River's violent flow."
"The Shiny Star tried to help the Little River by showing the way, but the Shiny Star was too high up in the sky to reach the Little River. And the Trees-family could only watch and protect the Little River's course, but its waters were too violent for them. That understanding added a salty taste of tears to the Little River's waters, for the Little River didn't want to be alone."
"However, the Little River's journey wasn't over, and in its course through the Serene forest, the Little River found a Stone. It was a big and edgy Stone, placed there to watch out for the Trees. At first, the Shiny Star though the Stone was just another obstacle in the Little River's path, and the Trees-family were too busy dealing with the wind on their own leafs to pay any close attention to the Stone. So the Stone just stayed there, around the Trees-family and out in the weather, supplying them with a feeling of security that would only be recognized if the Stone ever went missing."
"But the Little River, tired of being alone in its own tempestuous waters, took comfort in the Stone's steady presence. Slowly, the Little River learned to use the Stone's hardness to sort its own waters. Running its waters back and forth, rocking them around the Stone, the Little River could, finally, learn how to separate the waters that didn't belong in its flow. The Stone, large and strong, never moved not even an inch, no matter how violent the Little River's waters could get. In exchange, the Little River gradually took the edge off the Stone, smoothing and polishing its surface, slowly revealing to the Serene forest something only the Little River knew had been there all along: a bright and precious gem."
"Unhurriedly and steadily, like the Stone itself, the Little River brought its flow back to its gentle pace. But the Little River's waters would never be crystalline again. The Little River had run a long path, and added too much to its own waters to go back to its crystalline innocent beginning. And that made the Shiny Star and Trees-family sad. But not the Stone. The Stone, in all its roughness and rawness, knew better. The Stone knew the darkness in the Little River's waters would only make the Little River stronger. The darkness would allow the Little River to become more than it wanted to be. The dark waters wouldn't make the Little River great – they would make it the Greatest River. And there, in the Serene forest, surrounded and protected by Trees-family and under the ever attentive light of the Shiny Star, the Little River found trust, company and love in the form of a Stone."
River closed the picture book she had spent the week drawing and carefully placed it back on her lap. She looked up from her place at the mess floor to her audience, who had attentively listened to her story from their seats. Simon had a proud smile on his face, and Mal looked impressed.
"That's a powerful drawing, Little Witch." Mal said, stunned by the girl's talent.
"Yes, mei-mei, that was beautiful! Thank you for taking your time to tell us a story."
River tilted her head and stared at them with a curious expression. After a beat, she placed the picture book on her brother's hands and stood up. Mal and Simon watched confused as she made her way through the mess to where Jayne was sitting, cleaning one of his girls at the dining table. She stopped beside him and sighed.
"The Stone was right. 'They wouldn't get it not even if we drew them a picture'."
She mimicked his accent perfectly, and Jayne smirked. "Told ya!"
River shook her head. "Boobs!"
They both laughed, and Mal stared at the odd pair for a while, then turned dumbfounded to Simon.
"Huh… Seems to me our little Albatross was trying to tell us something, doc."
"Yes… It was a lovely story; I'm just not sure I'm comfortable with calling it a happy ending, though…"