The Cave of Lost Wonders

 It's the end of 2022, and we are off to 2023. If you're interested in supporting a small creator, go support me on Patreon or through Paypal.Me. There's also purchasing my poetry book "Living Day by Day: A Collection of Poems."  The "Inquiring, Cheshire Cat" miniseries is starting January 2023, so be sure to come by and tell your friends and family.

    Inside the moist cave, tears of crystalized water fall and sing of forgotten dreams. The echoing despair eats at the mountain of treasures. Djinn lamps, gold slippers, and magic mirrors stand out among the piles of great wonders. But the torch lights are dim, and the chill of the cave claws its way to the bones. With such low light, one shin gets easily cut by stones. Leaving the bottom half of your leg dressed in red blood. It's fitting in a way as red has always been a passionate color and decorates the cave. Rubies, garnets, and burgundy silks cloth long dead bodies. Is it possible that these lost souls found themselves trapped? Or did they willingly enter the cave? Forgetting who they were as the gold and gems sang to them. Who knows, for their ears have long since decayed and fallen off.

Deeper into the depths, there are still treasures left. But the glamour has long worn out. Nothing within excites the mind. It's just a gaudy pile of things with skeletons popping out here and there. Who they were when alive matters not, for they are just another gem amongst the gold. What pleasure is there to be found in this near darkness? Food and drink aren't provided; it will be long until another body joins the pile. The dust coating the floor may be what is left from those long crushed under the weight of gold. But all that's left is to aimlessly wander the caves in dreaded wonder. So unforgiving this cave is, as you stay. And the song of falling crystalized water goes on, silencing the steps of the walking dead man. 

Dreams of wealth have manifested inside the cave, and all who have a hunger for its safety find themselves wandering within the moist tunnels. The cruelty of such an existence would be laughable if not for the broken world. For it is only the security of wealth that has anyone chasing these impossible wonders. Damn the curse of greed that preys on those who fear looming poverty. The beautiful gems twinkle with mocking tales of happiness. The bitterness of acidic water fills the mouth with each inhale of the cave's air. A temporary spark of joy could be found in dressing oneself in silk gowns and slippers. Decorating each body part in jewelry, but the serotonin doesn't last long. As each passing second inside the belly of the cave leaves you hungering for more. But the gluttony of gold leaves you starved.

It's not long before you feel too drained to take another step forward. There's still so much of the cave to explore and tunnels brimming with worthless gold. But surely a brief break isn't going to prevent further exploration. Finding a plush silk pillow partially buried within the gold, resting seems possible. But, sitting upon the cushion, exhaustion takes over, and sleep invades the body. Glittering dreams terrorize the mind, making it impossible to leave the cave filled with uncountable wealth. And the hypnotic song of falling crystalized water lulls all who rested into a permanent sleep. And once more, the cave added another treasure to its endless tunnels. END.

Guess What's Happening in the New Year

We're at the end of 2022, and I got one last end-of-the-year post in the wings for you. If you want me to post twice a month regularly, join my Patreon and become a patron. You can also purchase my poetry book, "Living Day by Day: A Collection of Poems," and leave a review. Think of it as a late Christmas present to me. The "Inquiring, Cheshire Cat" Miniseries will be starting January 2023 and will be the last miniseries posted on the Learning to Stand blog. I've been working on the "Inquiring, Cheshire Cat" miniseries since 2018, and creating these multi-chapter-length short stories is a lot of work. If you like my miniseries, join the $40 tier on my Patreon. You can also go through PayPal.Me if you're not interested in any of the above. Tell your friends and family about this and see you soon!

Patreon Request 29: The Fairy from the Icecap Castle

It's time for the final post of 2022, and it's been an exciting year. I hope you've been doing well this December, and happy holidays. May the new year be a better one! If you'll like to support me and this blog, join my Patreon or purchase my poetry book, "Living Day by Day: A Collection of Poems." Be sure to leave a review if you buy my poetry book.

Carved inside the highest point of an icecap mountain is a castle. The castle's harsh beauty is unwelcoming to the weak and gentle-hearted. Amaranth Emmerich is the master of this horrific chateau that resides at the highest point of the kingdom. But past the frost of the outside is warmth and gluttonous comfort. Inside the palace is a cozy throne room, and a visiting ogress reveals some exciting news.

"Your grace, have you heard that the King and Queen have finally managed to have a baby?" the ogress licks her lips.

"A baby? I see an heir has finally been born," Amaranth takes a sip from their gold goblet, which clashes with their cornflower blue skin.

"Yes, there's going to be a celebration to honor their daughter, and many have where invited,"

"Oh, have the fairies been invited too?"

The ogress bows deeply to Amaranth, "The seven other fairies have been," The ogress pauses. And feels a nervous sweat gather on her brow, "Naturally, you'd be invited to the celebration soon. You should receive great honor. I'm afraid that I must depart, your grace." 

The ogress then quickly flees the throne room to not suffer Amaranth's wrath. Amaranth rushes to one of the large stained glass windows to chill their frustrated feelings. Pushing the window open icy winds whip their face and cool their irritation. Unbothered by the cold, Amaranth casts a spell of harvesting wind to learn any news about their invite. When their hex returns, Amaranth learns they'll never receive an invitation. For the King and Queen had deemed Amaranth unworthy of the celebration. Slighted, Amaranth plans their revenge on the baby princess.

On the day of the blessing ceremony, Amaranth is dressed in their finest clothes and goes to the celebration in their finest dragon-drawn chariot. Upon their arrival, servants and nobles bow deeply in shock at their appearance. Even the King and Queen rise from their golden seats and welcome Amaranth. The royal couple had no idea that Amaranth was coming. The King then offers Amaranth an honorary place among the other fairies. Thanking the King, Amaranth removes their beaded black overtunic, revealing their chartreuse tunic gown underneath. The Queen compliments Amaranth's gown, and Amaranth returns the compliment. As the tension eases in the dining hall, the food gets served. At first, Amaranth is satisfied with their silver dinnerware embedded with rubies. However, the other fairies had gold dinnerware decorated with diamonds.

"Your majesty, do you believe I prefer silver to gold?" Amaranth tucks away strands of gray hair to look clearly at the King.

He hesitates and slightly bows his head, "I'm afraid your grace misunderstands. I was unaware of your continued presence in the kingdom as no one from my court has heard from you for around 50 years. Thus your dinnerware differs from the other fairies; otherwise, you would have received gold and diamonds."

Amaranth then turns to seven other fairies, "And none of my dear fellows thought to inform his majesty that I still reside in the kingdom?"

The bravest and closest fairy to Amaranth answers, "Have you forgotten, Amaranth Emmerich? At your request. We're not to disturb you unless welcomed into your home."

Amaranth harshly frowns, "Even still, Ellowy Lilymoon, as fellow fairies of this fine country, I still should have been informed about the celebration. Now I seem uncaring of the realm's goings-on."

"We all know that you care deeply. Why else would we reframe from distracting you?" Ellowy remarks into her wine-filled goblet.

The dining hall sparks renewed tension as the eight fairies enjoy their meal. The low rumbling of conversation quiets whenever one of the fairies cuts too brutally into their food. Neither the Queen's gentle voice nor the King's jolly nature brings comfort to their guests. But with everyone's bellies full, all that was on anyone's mind was what blessings the fairies would grant the princess. Finally, the long tables are cleared, and her wet nurse brings the baby princess in. A beautiful baby crib with bedding made of white silk and silver embroidery is set up for the princess. The sweet babe is laid within the crib and cooed upon by her parents. All except Amaranth are delighted to see the princess. It doesn't take long until the first fairy recites their blessing onto the baby.

The first blessing is for the princess to be beautiful as she ages. The following gift is for her to be intelligent. Next is the talent for needlework. The fourth fairy blesses the princess to be skillful in music. Her fifth blessing is to be good at horse riding. The sixth fairy gifts the princess a lovely voice to match her beauty. But none of these pointless words reach Amaranth. So why should they care about the wasted magic on a princess who'll receive a unique gift from them? A gift that everyone at the blessing celebration will never forget.

What could Amaranth gift the babe that would ensure that never again should anyone in the kingdom dare to slight them? Maybe for the princess to be kidnap and eaten by ogres. Or for all her children to die in adolescence. They could have the princess be deathly clumsy and die by her own two feet. But they will need more than these blessings to get their point across well. However, they have been working on a new enchantment. The gift of sleeping death should be a blessing to remember. Believing that all the other fairies have blessed the princess, Amaranth steps forward.

Looking at the infant, Amaranth does admit that she is a darling. But unfortunately, the girl has such careless guardians. Amaranth smiles politely at the King and Queen before speaking.

Amaranth turns to the court, "For my blessing, I'll grant the beloved princess eternal sleep. She'll prick her finger on a spindle on the year of her 16th summer. And die!"

A ghastly blue ring circles the princess as Amaranth's curse lays upon the King's daughter. The Queen sobs and begs for her daughter's life. The other fairies hiss in disgust as Amaranth gloats in the face of the nobility. Their threat was clear, and no one was foolish enough to stop them. Amaranth believes no one will ever snub them in this lifetime again. Summoning their overtunic to them, Amaranth puts it back on and leaves with a flourish. None dared to stop them as they rode their dragon-drawn chariot away.

As 16 summers came and went, Amaranth continued with their work of maleficent magic. Currently, they're working on creating an unbreakable egg for Lord Bluebeard. He desires an egg to give to his new bride. Amaranth believes that this would be bride number 11 this summer. After placing the finishing enchantment upon the egg, Amaranth learns that Lord Bluebeard has arrived. They put the egg inside a velvet pouch to hide it from view. Leaving their lab, Amaranth goes to receive Bluebeard.

"You're just in time, Bluebeard. I've just finished with your request," Amaranth hands him the pouch.

Peering into the pouch, Bluebeard sees the enchanted egg inside. He hands over the gold owed to Amaranth with a wide smile.

Lord Bluebeard fiddles with the pouch string, "Have you heard of the kingdom's most pressing news?"

A wicked smile takes over Amaranth's face, "I must say sleeping death is a beautiful curse that makes it impossible for the recipient to avoid."

Bluebeard nervously laughs, "Then, I'm sure you're aware that the princess you cursed isn't dead. Instead, she has fallen into a 100-year sleep."

"And who saved the girl from my curse!"

"I believe the fairy was Ellowy Lilymoon. The princess is said to wake up when a deserving prince is ready to wed her."

"I'm afraid we'll have to cut your visit short, Lord Bluebeard. Come back at a later time." Amaranth escorts Bluebeard out of their castle.

Leaving their castle, Amaranth searches for Ellowy. It took them almost three weeks, but finally, they found the other fairy. Taking Ellowy by surprise, Amaranth traps the meddling fairy inside a mirror. With Ellowy trapped within, Amaranth places a curse on the mirror, making it impossible for Ellowy to escape. Wishing to punish Ellowy further, Amaranth decides to gift the magic mirror to someone. After a minute of consideration, Amaranth remembers a cruel stepmother and her two vain daughters. The three noblewomen would drive the captured fairy insane with their selfish desires and haughty nature. After a quick visit to the family, Amaranth visits the sleeping princess.

Calling in a favor or two, Amaranth learns that the princess resides at her family's summer palace, surrounded by an idyllic hunting forest. What was once a welcoming forest is now a near-impenetrable barrier to nature. Yet, despite Ellowy's magnificent display of magic, Amaranth quickly passes through the enchantment. Amaranth searches for the princess, ignoring the slumbering servant scattered about the palace grounds. Bypassing rooms upon rooms of expensive furniture, Amaranth finally finds the princess atop a bed of silk embroidered with silver and gold. The princess sleeps as Amaranth whispers a new curse into her ear. Then, with Amaranth's last blessing ringing inside the sleeping princess's ear, Amaranth leaves the summer palace.

A 100 years go by, and Amaranth hears about the sleeping princess waking up and marrying the worthy prince who found her. Just the happy ending Ellowy wanted for the princess. After a few years of marriage, the young royal couple has two beautiful children. And with the passing of the prince's father, the country requires a new King and Queen. It's this moment that Amaranth has been waiting for. The height of the new Queen's happiness. Locating the magic mirror, Amaranth presents it as a gift at the royal couple's coronation. After all, Amaranth does need to deliver an honored guest to the new Queen.

During the coronation, the new Queen couldn't hide her happiness. Tears of joy sparkle at the tips of her eyelashes as her flush cheeks frame her dazzling smile. Although many things have changed during the 100 years she slumbered, much remained the same. The young Queen now has a beautiful family and a peaceful kingdom to rule over, as is her right. With the ceremony over, the King and Queen inspect their congratulatory gifts. Servants present one extravagant gift after another, with the most curious present being a mirror. Strangely, the Queen finds herself drawn to the mirror despite vanity not being a vice she possesses. Gazing into the mirror, the Queen receives 100 years of endless cruelty. Overwhelmed by the sensory overload, the Queen drops dead before her husband, children, and guests. Hysteria takes hold of everyone inside the palace as no one understands what caused the Queen's sudden death. Figuring that the Queen's untimely demise has something to do with the magic mirror, the King deems it cursed and has it thrown out of the palace. News of the newly appointed Queen's death spreads across the kingdom. Far and wide, from the nobility to the peasantry, quietly speculate the cause behind the Queen's death. During the mourning period for the lost Queen, Amaranth discovers the magic mirror again.

"I believe the neighboring kingdom has just welcomed its new Queen. She's the second wife of the King and the stepmother of a princess with snow-white skin and ebony hair," Amaranth smiles at the mirror, "I think you'll serve this Queen well." END.