Thanatophobia : a morbid fear of death
Once upon a time, there was an old lady, who feared death. She feared death so much, she went to great lengths to avoid it. First, she begun to dabble in dark magic, to keep her living, but old and frail.
But then, there were rumours, in her tiny village, of a flower. A flower that could heal any illness, even death. Of course, the old lady, fearing the thing that could be healed so easily, sought out this flower. And when she did, she refused to share this flower with anyone, fearing what would happen if she did.
Centuries pass, and the old woman still lives, drawing life from the magic flower, not far from the kingdom that had been established on an island.
Then, rumours the queen of this kingdom was sick spread, even to where the old woman was. And rumours the kingdom was looking for the legendary sun flower. Her flower. And for the first time, she had to physically hide the flower, covering it.
But once, she was careless, once she had drawn life from the flower, she had knocked aside the covering with her lantern as she melted into the forest once again. Cries of 'We found it!' fill the woman's ears, and a panic wells in her dark heart.
Once upon a time, there was an old lady, who feared death. She feared death so much, she stole the princess with the hair of the same powers her flower once had.
Feared it so much she kept the child locked away as her own, taking the power from her hair, fearing the day it was cut away.
Once upon a time, there was an old lady, who feared death. She feared death so much, that she still kept the princess locked away, even after she had taken her home from the kingdom again.
But the princess remembered. And the princess tried to escape. The old woman would not allow that, never allow that. So she puts the girl in chains, even when the man comes to rescue her, and though he lays dying, she is foiled.
A shard of mirror in the man's hand, cuts away the princess' locks. Cuts away the old woman's life. 'What have you done? What have you done?' Horrified at the reflection, broken, the old woman pulls her cloak over her face, hiding her age. And she falls.
Once upon a time, there was an old lady, who feared death. She feared death so much, that when she fell from a tower's window, her body turns to dust on impact.