Peseus and Old Twister

Once, in a land far from here, there was a small kingdom  surrounded by farms and rivers and beautiful country side. Men of great status lived there, always dressed in smart suites and hats with polished walking canes that they twirled expertly on their fingers. But they were always useless against Twister.

Twister came roaring in from the North every late summer, tearing through farms, houses and even the small kingdom itself. The huge, terrifying storm caused flash floods, death and disease and no one had ever caught and imprisoned the storm.

The people then invented deep storm cellars that they could run into when Twister began his rampage. But Twister just dug his long, deep funnel into the ground even deeper and ripped right through their storm cellars.

It was said by the wise men of the East that only a Golden Lasso made of Hair from the Lady Dawn could capture the storm and bind it forever.

The king of the small kingdom sent many heroes in desperation to save his kingdom and bind the horrible storm but not one of them ever returned. And soon the kingdom had a shortage of heroes. They seemed to all have disappeared, none of them wanting to risk their lives in vain.

And so it was that one dark, lonely night that a young man named Peseus set out in secret to journey to the land of Lady Dawn and ask for her golden hair.

He followed the golden moon path on the river and soon reached it. And it was there, standing in the Lady Dawn’s magnificent palace of cloud and mist and shining sun, that he discovered where all the other lost heroes had gone.

The Lady Dawn was very lovely, very enchanting and beautiful. Her hair was of shining gold and it swept down about her feet in long, golden waves of beauty. Her lips were that of the red, red rose and her eyes shone like the bottomless pools.

She had a mother, a blind, white haired mother, and a husband  of which she had never had a baby with. And how she longed for a child just as her mother longed for her sight and her husband longed for gold, real gold and not just hair.

And so it was that Peseus found himself looking into her eyes and feeling no fear. He simply said, “Lady Dawn, like many more before me, i have come to ask for your golden hair so that i may bind Twister forever. He ravages our lands, sets fear in our people’s hearts and brings death and famine with him. What must i do in return for your hair? Tell me and i will do your will!”

“Brave words for the likes of you,” Dawn replied, “But since you ask, i will tell you: Not far from here lives a fierce dragon and he holds in a glass jar, a single wish. Bring me this wish and then, as you may be the one to claim it, wish me a child and i will give you, in return, my hair.”

“I shall try to do this for you, my lady,” Peseus said, bowing. And he left.
He came to the cave of the dragon and entered, already knowing what he would do.The huge beast turned to him and causally blew fire from his huge, gaping mouth.

“I know why you come, puny human,” Said he, “And like all those poor fools, you too shall fail!”Peseus swallowed bitterly when he saw the piles of skeletons lying, rotting in the  corner.”Now, my boy, you want my wish? Yes? Then tell me, what will you wish for? Gold? Wealth? Power? My Death? WELL, SPEAK UP!!! Lost your tongue, eh?”

“I – I Ah, i will wish for- for, ah, I do not know but not your death or power or any of that. I just want to bind old Twister and save my home,” Peseus stammered.

The dragon brought his big, purple eye in close to the trembling young man’s face, “Is that so? Well, when you get back, you will have three wishes to grant and only one wish so i will let you have this old boy because i know Lady Dawn will send you right back here for another and another and then i will get to gut you!!!”The dragon pushed a glass jar containing one glowing, golden wish into Peseus’s astonished arms.

“W-What if i succeed?” The young man asked.

“PAH! You will not! Only a god could grant three wished with one!””I will go now, mighty one, and if i succeed in binding Twister, i will bring him to you for safe keeping.”

And Peseus left, grasping his precious bottle.The Lady Dawn was clearly impressed.”Now wish for my child!” She said.”NO, wish for gold!” Cried the husband.”Wish for MY sight!” Cried the mother.And Peseus understood what the dragon had said: Grant three wishes with one.

“You shall have to go back and get another,” Dawn said, “For if you do not grant their wishes, you do not grant mine!”Peseus stared at her in horror and then he suddenly knew what to do.

“I wish,” said he, “That The Lady Dawn’s Mother could see her grandchild in a cradle of gold.”

And immediately the wish flowed out of the jar and swirled around the three. When it cleared, the mother could see, the husband had his gold just as Dawn had her child.With a cry of joy, she cut off her lovely locks and gave them to Peseus before then turning to scoop up the child in her arms.

Peseus left and returned home, the golden lasso at his side.He went and sat with his back against a stone wall under a tree by the river and waited for old Twister.And soon the storm came, tearing up the river, black clouds behind it in the sky, the water boiling black as the storm tore through it.And Peseus watched, feeling no fear for he knew how to defeat it.When the storm came up close, he whirled his golden lasso as he had once whirled his cane and flung it over the funnel of the storm.Twister screamed and writhed and began to shrink until he fit right into the bottle that Peseus had got his wish in. He corked it up and went and gave it to the dragon who promised to guard it safely.

“He will entertain me nicely these cold winter nights!” The dragon roared, watching Twister dance inside his jar angrily.

Peseus returned home, receiving the Kingdoms thanks but he just smiled and went to live with his love in the forest.No one knows what became of that god but it is said by the wise men of the East that he lived up int the sky, forever watching over us, making sure old Twister never does escape. And his wife, the unknown woman of the South, lives with him.THE END

This photo prompt is thanks to Mindlovesmisery’s Menagerie where there are more for you to uncover 🙂