Tale 66- The Alluring Musician

 The Traveler awoke in the familiar white field, once more feeling cold, but no longer wearing that awful pink outfit. Now she was clothed in a dress once familiar, one her mother had stitched for her many years ago, a simple light brown dress with a little rose knot at the top. Her mother had taught her that knot, it was simple but beautiful, and she’d call her a little bloom. She shook her head. No use dwelling if she wished to leave this place. She walked away from both the gate and that fearful nightmare, still hating the field but trying to find a way out once more. Eventually, she came to a point where the flowers began to change colour, turning from white to violet, and surrounding an expanse of ice, looking exactly like the lake she and her brothers would spend hours on during the winter, twirling and whirling around. She looked down and spotted a pair of ice skates, hardly daring to hope, but slipped them on- they fit perfectly. Pushing off, she glided across the ice, leaving a trail of frost wherever she moved, like a vine full of leaves. As she spun in a circle, she suddenly noticed new flowers blooming around the perimeter, asters and forget-me-nots all forming upon each other as the pink chrysanthemums would, though not in a sinister manner. They, too, moved across the ice, in a delicate dance of petals and leaves, the Traveler spinning amongst them. Light as a feather, with the grace of a fairy, the Traveler moved, gliding over the surface as flowers serenaded her, clumps upon clumps gathering around and leaving her covered in blue and purple petals. She let out a small giggle, remembering just how fun this had been so long ago, before raising up one leg and letting herself spin, feeling as if all was finally right in the world. No worries clouded her mind, no horrors plagued her sight…she was happy. As she finished her joyous dance of solitude, she noticed a crack forming in the ice and moved back, watching as several forget-me-nots fell into the waters below. A light shone underneath, piquing the Traveler’s curiosity, and she dove into the cold water, diving deeper and deeper- the blackness seemed infinite. When she finally reached the bottom, she found herself by a bottle, the girl retrieving it with now freezing hands and swimming up, gasping for breath. Upon resurfacing, she discovered she was once more alone, and the flowers that had joined her had retreated back into the ground. She stared down at the bottle- it was exactly like the one she’d found, and it reminded her of a promise she’d once made to always protect her brothers. She sighed. Where had that gotten her? She couldn’t even protect herself, and they would no longer want her, but at least she had the fond memories…and now, with this wish she’d found, a new hope of seeing them and apologizing for everything. As the rest of the ice started to crack, the violet chrysanthemums turned pink, forming a cage over the lake and forcing the girl to fall in, ruining the moment with the reminder that she was still walking in chains. But now, she had yet another thing to fight for. 

Once she awoke, she moved through the town, finding a little girl playing with a jump rope. Getting the familiar sensation, the Traveler moved closer, the girl smiling up at her and offering for her to try the game. Some more children appeared, clamouring for the cloaked girl to try, so despite carrying a heavy sword under the cloak and being quite frail, she stood and waited for the children to get in position. At both ends they stood, before starting to swing the rope, round and round. 1…2…3… she jumped, and with each jump she found it more and more fun. 20…21…22… thoughts of fear began to leave her head, giving her the same childlike joy she’d once had. 32…33…34… the world seemed much brighter. 41…42…43…everything was lifted, she was growing stronger. 50…51…52… that joy…it was intangible, but she loved it. 61…62…63… no longer was she a cloaked stranger, but she was once more playing this game with her brothers, and each second was a crystallised memory, like fragments of glass. 73…74…75… but regardless, there was still danger to overcome. She continued to jump, over and over… 79…80…81… how much longer would the game go on? 97…98…99… nearly there…so close…! And as she completed the final jump, the children all cheered for the mysterious girl, snapping her out of her thoughts. Managing a proud smile, the Traveler beamed as the little girl from before approached her. “Miss, that was amazing! None of us can do all 100!” She exclaimed, the Traveler kneeling down by her and wondering how to approach the subject of a story, but the girl did it herself. “Oh, everyone! I heard a story the other day, do you want me to tell it?” and the rest of the children agreed, sitting down. The Traveler sat down amongst them, the little girl being slightly surprised, but grew curious as she took out her book. Smiling, the little girl told the tale of ‘the Alluring Musician’

‘Once, there was a man who travelled far and wide in a beautifully decorated caravan, playing music in a fantastic one-man band. He played every instrument known to man and always learned more whenever they were invented. He could understand any song and play it immediately by ear, making him one of the most fascinating individuals to ever walk the earth. However, there was a bit of a catch. The man possessed an unusual magic, for when he moved from place to place, he cast a spell on the residents to draw them closer, and would sort them into people who were good and evil. If there were cruel nobles or unkind officials, he would put a curse on them through his music, forcing them to dance until they died. However, if there were kind and sweet people in a town, he would bless them with good fortune, and allure them with his music, filling their thoughts with beauty and joy. They wouldn’t suffer even in the coldest winter or the most blazing famine, for his songs would soothe their souls and doubts even long after he was gone, as a gift for their kindness and good natures. So, if you ever see him, let him judge you, for a just judgement is better than living a life of evil and lies.’

The girl finished the story, the rest of the children now wondering if the mysterious musician may someday appear in their village, before they stood up, the Traveler following, surprising the children. She gave a smile and waved goodbye to the little girl, before heading away into the forest. Only 33 more tales to go…