Tale 36- The Miserable Snake

 Heading toward a new area under the cover of night, the Traveler walked down the forest path, before hearing a strange sound. Someone was crying. Nervous, she wondered if it was a trick, but it sounded genuine enough that she decided to see if there was anything she could do. Stooped down, surrounded by white lilies, was a man, hands over his face as he sobbed in pure despair. Quietly approaching, the Traveler sat next to him, the man being a little embarrassed to find someone watching him cry, but something told him this girl wouldn’t tell. Staring at her through his teary eyes, he deduced she was no older than sixteen, if even that, around the same age as his daughter had been. The thought of her memory caused more tears to fall, the Traveler using a serviette ‘Ma’ had given her to wipe his tears. His stomach grumbled- he hadn’t eaten in days, so the girl offered him her food, the two sitting as he tried to eat even despite his tears. “M-May I tell you about my daughter?” He asked, the Traveler immediately nodding. Quietly, she sat and let him speak, as he gathered the lilies into his arms and began to tell the tale of ‘The Miserable Snake.’

‘Once, there lived a father and a daughter, at the edge of the forest. The man was a widower and had lost his wife in childbirth, so his daughter was constantly lonely as he had to work to provide for them. One day, the girl was playing in the forest when she met a friend, a snake who had the ability to talk. Amazed, the girl brought him home, and the small family gained a new member, a member who would eat all the apples and keep the pests away. Unfortunately, though, the snake had been cursed with misery, and was constantly pessimistic. The girl, innocently believing that just listening was enough, often let him wind around her head and shoulders, so he could speak into her ear and tell her of his misery. As the months went by, however, the pessimism began to take its toll on the daughter, to the point that she believed humanity was a doomed and depraved species. The snake would tell her of the horrors of the world which he had witnessed, the cruelties of life he had been subjected to, and as she mentally deteriorated, she began to welcome pessimism and pain within herself. Finally, unable to take the depressing existence, the girl whispered for the snake to choke her, which it did on command.’

Quietly, the Traveler asked for his permission to write his daughter’s story, the man agreeing on the condition that she keep it safe. Taking his hand in her own, despite her reluctance to touch others, the Traveler swore it, before offering to help the man walk home. Agreeing, the two walked into the village, where the man entered the nearby cemetery and laid down some new flowers by his daughter’s grave, the Traveler clasping her hands together in sorrowful respect. She understood the dangers of pessimism all too well, and vowed to not succumb to despair. Behind her, she turned, noticing a young girl bending down to look at the lilies. With a grateful smile toward the Traveler, the ghost disappeared, and the man walked home, feeling a new sense of contentment and peace now he’d finally been able to tell his daughter’s story to another. As she continued walking away from the forests, the terrain began to change around the Traveler. No longer was the ground covered in snow, but blazing hot, to the point that her collapsing shoes became a blessing, rather than a curse. As sand covered her feet and cloak, the girl realized just how far she’d wandered and debated turning back. The rising sun was blazing on her face, the feeling of sand uncomfortable, but she didn’t want to remove her cloak. It was at times like this where she was glad it was thin yet opaque, as it obscured her while not smothering her. Breathing in, she wandered through the desolate, sandy desert, hoping to cross it in two days to try and find water as quickly as possible.