Week 6 Story: Dust and the Snake King
There was once a village called Thunderbolt that was known for its aptitude in the ways of magic. Many legends of the land told of Thunderbolt and its magical spells. They had spells to bring endless provision of grains do barren fields, spells that turned figs into fruits of gold, and spells that would tell the future of any man. Most famous among these spells, was their enchantment to bring the dead back to life. In fact, the people of Thunderbolt used that particular spell quite heavily in the process of child rearing. They had found that throwing their children into fires, hanging them, and lopping off their heads proved much more effective than simple time-outs.
In Thunderbolt, there was a particularly naughty little boy by the name of Dust. Dust was so mischievous that he had died seventeen times by the time he was four. His mother was so appalled by his behavior that she was nearly always at her wit's end and begged the gods daily for their help. The parenting style of Thunderbolt had an unfortunate effect on young Dust. For now he held no fear of death and enjoyed his own recklessness.
Dust grew and became a young man. The gods finally heeded his mother's cries and tamed the wildness in the boy's heart, but they could not remedy his irreverence for his own life. Dust was as fearless as the king of lions. He became a brazen soldier and was quickly promoted within the king's army. However, king recognized Dust's braveness as competition and a deep hatred and fear grew in the heart of the king. The king was not brave, he relied on his cunning and trickery to defeat his enemies. If Dust was a lion, the king was a snake.
The snake king plotted against the brazen boy. He learned of Dust's heritage and sought to destroy the magic of Thunderbolt. In the deep of the night, while the king's army was protecting the border against a band of thieves, the king summoned his wickedest magicians. He ordered that they place a curse on Thunderbolt that would consume the village and its magic. The magicians greedily agreed, for magic lost to Thunderbolt was magic gained for them. They worked throughout the night to conjure a ghost of fire that would eat up the town. At dawn, the evil magicians and the snake king sent the fire to destroy Thunderbolt.
As the last of the houses and magical scrolls burned to the ground, Dust was struck in the heart by an arrow on the battlefield. He fell with a shudder to the ground and smiled as he welcomed his old friend, Death.
Author's Note: In Twenty-Two Goblins (Translated by Arthur Ryder) there is a story, the Three Lovers, with a sub-plot concerning a mother punishing her child by throwing him in the fire and then using magic to bring him back to life. I thought this was a really interesting/morbid detail so I decided to use it to write this week's story.
In Thunderbolt, there was a particularly naughty little boy by the name of Dust. Dust was so mischievous that he had died seventeen times by the time he was four. His mother was so appalled by his behavior that she was nearly always at her wit's end and begged the gods daily for their help. The parenting style of Thunderbolt had an unfortunate effect on young Dust. For now he held no fear of death and enjoyed his own recklessness.
Dust grew and became a young man. The gods finally heeded his mother's cries and tamed the wildness in the boy's heart, but they could not remedy his irreverence for his own life. Dust was as fearless as the king of lions. He became a brazen soldier and was quickly promoted within the king's army. However, king recognized Dust's braveness as competition and a deep hatred and fear grew in the heart of the king. The king was not brave, he relied on his cunning and trickery to defeat his enemies. If Dust was a lion, the king was a snake.
The snake king plotted against the brazen boy. He learned of Dust's heritage and sought to destroy the magic of Thunderbolt. In the deep of the night, while the king's army was protecting the border against a band of thieves, the king summoned his wickedest magicians. He ordered that they place a curse on Thunderbolt that would consume the village and its magic. The magicians greedily agreed, for magic lost to Thunderbolt was magic gained for them. They worked throughout the night to conjure a ghost of fire that would eat up the town. At dawn, the evil magicians and the snake king sent the fire to destroy Thunderbolt.
As the last of the houses and magical scrolls burned to the ground, Dust was struck in the heart by an arrow on the battlefield. He fell with a shudder to the ground and smiled as he welcomed his old friend, Death.
Author's Note: In Twenty-Two Goblins (Translated by Arthur Ryder) there is a story, the Three Lovers, with a sub-plot concerning a mother punishing her child by throwing him in the fire and then using magic to bring him back to life. I thought this was a really interesting/morbid detail so I decided to use it to write this week's story.
A young warrior. Source: Wikimedia
I had no originally read this story, so your author's note helped a lot. Like you said, the story was a bit morbid but it worked well with the tone and voice you brought to the story. I also really like the image of the young warrior you included, because it fits well with the imagery you used throughout the story. Good job, and good luck this semester!
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