Week 2 Story

Fairy Tale: The Basilisk and the Woman

Once upon a time there was a young woman who decided to do something nice for her family. She asked her sisters and her mother what they wanted from the market in the next town over. They gave her a laundry list of items to bring home. On her walk over to the next town she was pondering how on earth she was supposed to carry all of these things home. One of the nice sellers gave her a cart to wheel all of her family's items home with her. While in the market she heard stories of a beautiful rose garden at an abandoned castle. Since she was doing something nice for her family, why not do something nice for herself? 

With the cart in tow she headed towards the castle, the townspeople pointed her to a huge dark forest. She then started to doubt the directions she was given and thought maybe going to this castle isn't the best decision. Then in the distance she noticed the forest getting brighter and brighter. While following this path she saw some rose petals and knew she was heading in the right direction. 

Tugging the cart through some bushes she emerged on the edge of the beautiful rose garden. The castle had begun to show some signs of wear and tear because of the lack of upkeep. She made a note to herself to be careful while walking around, just in case a stone fell from the roof. The young woman decided to take a small nap in the rose garden because it was so peaceful and quiet, then she would head home. After waking up she had a strange sensation that someone was watching her. When she finally selected the roses she wanted, she cut them and put them into her cart. A big wind rushed next to her and startled she called out "who's there?" A voice from the bushes replied, "you have stolen my property, you must pay me back for the roses you have taken." The figure emerged from the bushes and it was the terrifying beast they called the basilisk. She cried and pleaded but she knew it was no use, for she had stolen and there needed to be atonement. 

After what felt like years, she got used to being in the castle. The basilisk had a power to make time stop, which explained why the roses were always in bloom, so time was a weird concept to her now. The basilisk one day approached her and asked her to cut off his head. She was so taken aback she laughed and thought he was joking. Enraged at her laughter, he demanded she cut his head immediately or the same fate would come upon her. Terrified she complied and cut his head off, then another type of animal head emerged from the wound. She decided to then cut that head off as well, since the creature never specified. Then the basilisk hovered in the air and transformed into a young prince. The young man thanked her for her help with freeing him from the curse he was under and begged her to marry him, for he had fallen in love with her. She asked for time to think about the decision and to be able to see her family. With the cart in tow she headed back home, not knowing that years had passed since she had been home. 

....The next part of the story will be continued in the next series addition....

Author's Note: so when reading the beauty and the basilisk story, I had a few things I would have liked to change. Like the young woman and the newly turned basilisk getting married immediately seemed odd. I changed some of the other things around to help fit the new story I wanted to create with having the young woman go to the market instead.

Bibliography: Story Source, The Key of Gold by Josef Baudis (1922).

(Caption: Rose image by Flickr)