Tale 74- The Man made of Petals

 The Traveler wandered toward the forest, finding some of the mushrooms Sarafelle had previously shown her were safe, and cut them with her sword, eating them. They weren’t particularly yummy, but they were food, and she would faint if she didn’t eat so anything was better than nothing. She took a moment to sit on a rock, opening her book and reminiscing. Her mind wandered around the norigae and thoughts of her brothers, reminders of times long past and stories they’d shared. One particular memory came to her, and she thought back, leaning against a tree and closing her eyes.

One winter’s night, there was a huge blizzard outside. The youngest had been afraid, so Richard and his older sister had been reading books and acting out plays to comfort him. Richard was dressed in a dark sheet, pretending to be an evil villain, and was chasing his sister around the bed, until she eventually jumped onto the bed next to the youngest, the two wrapping Richard in a blanket and throwing him down onto the floor, thus defeating the evil villain. Despite the freezing temperatures and low lighting, they made do with their thin nightwear and blankets, making shadows with a lantern and reading all sorts of story books to each other. Richard finally got up, tucked in his little brother as it was getting late, and chose one more story to tell, insisting that only he wanted to tell it as he was the best at reading aloud. His sister agreed, and got into her own bed, as there was no point inducing Richard’s dramatic temper when it was this late. Though it was freezing and they had few layers, she curled up and tried to stay warm, until Richard had an idea. Grabbing the blankets off each bed, he walked over toward the central bed, the one belonging to the youngest, and clambered in beside his little brother, the eldest following. Now they were sandwiched in one bed and huddled for warmth and protection, Richard telling both the tale of ‘the Man made of Petals’

‘Long ago, there was a man who was so tiny that he lived inside a flower, making furnishings and clothes out of leaves and petals alike. He lived inside a beautiful bud, one that was purchased by many a gardener, the little man trying to stay hidden from them all whenever the bud bloomed. The flower was passed between friends, until it finally landed in the hands of a beautiful young girl, the man finding himself curious about her. Though he was shy to reveal himself, the two eventually became close friends, the young girl living alone and being quite isolated from the rest of the world. The two would talk for hours upon hours, the little man explaining the secrets of taking care of flowers, and the girl’s garden bloomed a hundred times more beautifully than any other. However, despite the love that passed between them, the two understood that their conditions meant they could not easily be together. Despite this, both learned a valuable lesson: if thou doth love something, let it fly free.’

The littlest leaned his head on the eldest’s shoulder, who gently gave him a kiss goodnight on his forehead, tucking him in further. Richard snuggled close, the eldest putting her arms around both her little brothers, holding to her vow of always protecting them for as long as she was with them. They were warm in her embrace, and she would let no cold seep in, keeping them safe from the frost and the gusts that would tear through their thin clothing. As she closed her eyes that night, she found herself dreaming of a bright future of them all together, skating and playing together for as long as they lived together.

The Traveler opened her eyes, feeling nostalgia pass through her, and opened her book to the wish she’d found. Holding it close to her heart, she wrote down the tale Richard had told her, and reiterated her vows- to apologize for her sins and to tell Sara just how much she loved her.