Tale 27- The Cracked Globe

 As the Traveler and Sarafelle walked through one of the mountain paths, they took a rest stop, sitting on the rocks and gazing at the view. The landscape was covered in snowy hills and pine trees, small villages and towns scattered around in between. Atop the mountain the air was crisp and clear, the Traveler breathing in before the two stared up at the sky as small snowflakes began to flutter down toward them. Catching one on her palm, the Traveler suddenly recalled something from long ago. Sitting back down on the rock, she turned to Sarafelle, explaining she remembered a tale her mother had told her when she was a little girl, deciding to name it ‘the Cracked Globe’. Closing her eyes, she returned to that day.

She was around five or six years old, running through the rooms of their small house to try and find her mother. She wanted to show her the strange flowers that had started blooming all over their garden, purple flowers with vibrant yellow centres which looked as if they could be fallen stars. Running into her mother’s room, she stared up as her mother gently held the newest member of their family in her arms, caressing the little baby with all the love in the world. Noticing the young girl was present, she beckoned her closer, the girl eventually climbing onto the bed and being permitted to hold her little brother. “We’ve decided to name him Richard.” her mother spoke, the girl nodding and looking down into his peaceful, calm face. “Hi Richard…” she whispered, the baby looking up at her as if he knew she was speaking to him. She then looked over to the bedside table, where her mother’s favourite snowglobe sat, and let out a little gasp. The glass had a small crack in it, and water was spilling out of it slightly. Instantly, she got her mother’s attention, the woman picking up the globe and showing it briefly to both children, Richard making a little noise of curiosity. Her mother then stared down at the crack, before turning to the girl. “Do you want to hear a story about this?” she offered, the little girl nodding eagerly. She loved storytime with her mother.

‘Once upon a time, there was a huge city stuck inside a globe, the citizens smaller than ants and snow constantly falling over them, the city never truly sleeping. They wore fluffy coats and boots to keep themselves warm, and bundled themselves up in blankets to keep out the snow. However, one strange day, the elders of the city noticed something incredibly strange. The sky had a crack in it. Panicked and shocked, the citizens immediately began feeling a strange new sensation. Due to how cold the world was, they weren’t accustomed to the burning, fiery warmth flooding in through the broken sky, and immediately began to melt away like snowflakes in the sun. And so, the city in the snow globe was left empty forever.’

The young girl stared up at her mother, before whispering to her brother. “Did you hear that Richard? The city people all melted like the snow. That’s weird isn't it?” she giggled, before staring down in surprise as he curled his tiny hand around her finger. Smiling, she lifted him up and gave him a proper hug, before her mother got out of bed and they all went outside, staring at the asters flooding their garden, the young girl deciding they should be named “Richard-flowers”.

The Traveler opened her eyes, taking a shaky breath as the tears began to fill her eyes. Sarafelle listened in silence, recognizing the waves of nostalgia and loss tearing apart the girl’s heart, before meeting her eyes and offering a hand. Hesitantly, the Traveler took it, before a cold wind blew from nowhere, sending both snow and fallen petals into the air, swirling around the two of them. The Traveler felt one of them stick to her hood and Sara plucked it off, passing it to her. Staring down, the Traveler gave a tiny, wistful smile. A Richard-flower had found her…and maybe one day she’d find him… no, all of them, again.