Week 14 Story - The Cottage Atop the Hill
Atop a quaint hill at the furthest end of the longest road in the kingdom sat a small cottage, wherein a small family of three lived. The father was old and gruff, with a beard down to his toes, and the mother was fragile and sweet, with a particular penchant for making the finest pies in the land. Their child, a single daughter, was a delightful, fair lass with the most elegant blonde hair in the whole of the kingdom. There they lived, beloved by the whole of the village around the hill, in peaceful harmony.
One day in the village, residents reported that their livestock had been disappearing when they neared the hill to graze. None could find why such a thing was happening, so a pair of farmhands decided to keep watch over the grazing cattle during the night. The next morning, they were nowhere to be found. The folk of the village soon began to suspect the elderly couple atop the hill thereafter.
As more and more livestock and villagers disappeared, the residents became angry. At last, they formed into a mob and stormed up to the cottage, banging on its door as demands to open it. When not even a sound came in return, they forced themselves through, and the dozen of them entered the home. The door they had knocked down resealed itself behind them, and the light of day quickly dimmed darker than a new moon night.
The village folk began to panic, but they soon fell to sleep as the darkness grew around them. When they woke, they found themselves spread amongst the mosses of an old growth forest, littered with lilacs as far as the eye could see. The light of the sun above could but barely pass through the mighty canopy of leaves. They came to their senses, and began to hear what sounded like music coming from afar. Off they went to investigate, and what they found was an almost familiar pair of beings - a satyr not unlike the old man, and a dryad not unlike the old woman, each playing their instruments softly on a high up branch. The village folk realized they had fallen victim to the classic test of the Faerie King and Queen - to suspect without evidence is to damn without trial.
Author's Note: I wanted to try and recreate an odd fairy tale, one with a moral, weird twist, and unruly conclusion, which all seemed to be commonalities between Lang's Fairy Tales.
One day in the village, residents reported that their livestock had been disappearing when they neared the hill to graze. None could find why such a thing was happening, so a pair of farmhands decided to keep watch over the grazing cattle during the night. The next morning, they were nowhere to be found. The folk of the village soon began to suspect the elderly couple atop the hill thereafter.
As more and more livestock and villagers disappeared, the residents became angry. At last, they formed into a mob and stormed up to the cottage, banging on its door as demands to open it. When not even a sound came in return, they forced themselves through, and the dozen of them entered the home. The door they had knocked down resealed itself behind them, and the light of day quickly dimmed darker than a new moon night.
The village folk began to panic, but they soon fell to sleep as the darkness grew around them. When they woke, they found themselves spread amongst the mosses of an old growth forest, littered with lilacs as far as the eye could see. The light of the sun above could but barely pass through the mighty canopy of leaves. They came to their senses, and began to hear what sounded like music coming from afar. Off they went to investigate, and what they found was an almost familiar pair of beings - a satyr not unlike the old man, and a dryad not unlike the old woman, each playing their instruments softly on a high up branch. The village folk realized they had fallen victim to the classic test of the Faerie King and Queen - to suspect without evidence is to damn without trial.
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| A Satyr |
Hey Gage I really enjoyed this story and I like how the story progressed. I would have liked to see more information on the Fairie Queen and King and what they looked like. I also wondered what happened to the animals and the villagers that had gone into the Fairie Queen and King's realm before the mob? I feel like the story could have been expanded a little more along with your authors note to describe how your version of the story came to be. Good luck on finals and hope you enjoy the experience of the last week of school.
ReplyDeleteHi Gage!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this story a lot. I enjoyed the image also. It reminded me of the faun, Mr. Tumnus from Narnia. I would've liked to see a longer authors note just to see where you got your inspiration from.
Hey Gage!
ReplyDeleteGreat story! It moved quickly but there were no feelings of corners being cut. I'm really intrigued by these Faerie King and Queen characters. I love folk tales that are founded in magic and trickery. The King and Queen remind me a lot of the character my storybook is about. Excellent work!
Hey Gage,
ReplyDeleteThat story was pretty interesting. Not in a good or bad way, it was just unique! I wasn't quite sure in the end what had happened exactly. It seems like they unfairly assumed the guilt of the old man and woman. I don't know what the test of the faerie king and queen is, and I'm sure others may not as well. You might consider putting that info in your author's note!
Brady
Hey Gage,
ReplyDeleteThis story was very interesting! It's a great story that was kinda face paced. I really like the Faerie King and Queen characters. I wish there would have been a little more backstory on them. I also wish you would've expanded a little more on your Author's note. But, great job!
Hey Gage,
ReplyDeleteThis story was really fun and interesting to read! It grabbed my attention immediately and did not give it back! I really liked hearing about the Faerie King and the Queen and I think it would be great to read a story about them individually and would be so much fun to create a little more backstory on the world you created. Great work, and good luck on your finals!