Once upon a time there lived a nice man and a nice woman. They loved each other more then life itself, and got married in a beautiful church. The couple had everything, a nice house, plenty of nice things, each other, but there was something missing. They wanted a child. After a year of trying and not conceiving they decided to go see a doctor. After a few tests he determined the woman to be infertile. Devastated by the news the man vowed to have a child so he packed up a bag, kissed his beautiful wife goodbye and set off to find someone who could heal her.
After traveling for a few long days the man came to a small village. There he stopped and rested, and during his short time there he managed to talk with some of the towns folk. He explained his situation and the villagers took pity on the man. They showed him a tablet that read "In the darkest of times, one must look up to the sky and stare at the heavens. They alone will give them the power to fight, they alone will give salvation. And while living your darkest hour, you will be reminded of those who died living lives much worse then yours, and you will feel at ease." The man read these words over a few times but didn't understand what they meant. The villagers explained that there was a sacred orchard not far from there where you could speak to the heavens, and there he would be saved, providing he was a good person.
The man thanked the villagers for their help and went on his way to the orchard. Along the path there was a very fast moving stream. The man knew that if he were to fall in he would be carried a long way, so he decided to walk along side for a safe way to cross. He had not been walking more then twenty minutes when he found an area with several big rocks that would make crossing the stream easy. He slowly began crossing the rocks but soon discovered they were much more slippery then he anticipated. He fell down and hurt his leg badly, but did not slide into the river. Gathering all his strength, the man stood once more and limped to the other side of the river.
Next to the river was another large rock and the man carefully climbed to the top. Just on the other side of a small yet dense grouping of trees he could see the orchard he was searching for. Without wasting another moment he climbed off the rock and began limping through the trees as fast as he could. The man would have been wrong if he thought this was going to be an easy area to go through, and before long he was covered with scrapes and cuts. At one point the man tripped and fell, almost losing the will to continue. Then he thought of his wife and how much she wanted a child so he continued on his journey.
Finally the man reached the orchard and walked to the center of it, then looked straight up into the heavens. "I have traveled hear seeking a cure for my wife. Along the way I have hurt me leg on rocks and cut myself on trees, but I will not rest until we can have a child. Please, help me for I have not sinned." In the heavens an angel watched and took pity on the man and began to cry. The man continued to stare upwards snd the angel's tears ran down her perfect face and dripped down upon the man, who then fell to his knees and cried, for he was healed. All his pain had disappeared and he was rescued.
He then went to his wife and told her what had happened, and she was delighted. Still wanting a child she ventured off to see the angel for herself. There in the orchard where her husband had his salvation she called out "Angel of mercy, hear my prayers. I have been deemed infertile by the heavens but I wish so much to have a child. Please, I beg you." The angel did not feel as much pity on the woman, for her journey to the orchard had been an easy one, as she was carried by her husband. Woman." The angel called out. "Listen to me. You were not meant to have a child, you were meant to do much greater things. Go forth and adopt a poor child in need, and raise it as your own. You will be doing a great deed. "But angel." Argued the woman. "I want a child of my own flesh and blood. Please allow me what all other women are allowed to have." The angel told the woman once again to adopt a child, and finally the woman went away.
This wasn't satisfying enough for the woman. The woman did not want to adopt someone else's child, she wanted one of her own so badly so every day she returned and called out to the angel, and every day the angel gave her the same response. Still the woman did not listen to the angel and kept asking for her own child selfishly. One day the angel got tired of the woman's pleading and said "Woman, this is my final warning. Do as you were meant to or feel the wrath of the heavens upon you." This frightened the woman but she wasn't going to let up. Nothing, in her opinion, could be worse then being childless.
The following day the woman returned with her husband by her side to once again plead for a child. "Woman. I have warned you and you have disobeyed me. You will now have to suffer the consequences of your greed and selfishness." And in that instant the woman's life was sucked out of her. The man began to cry but in a few moments the woman disappeared and was replaced with the most beautiful baby girl the world had ever seen. Gently the man took the child and held her close.
Around the child's neck was a medallion that read "Do not have greed, to do have lust, instead have love, instead have trust. Await your turn, await your time, those who are wrong will die in time."
