today, i'm going to be lazy. i'm going to tell a story.
i came up with this on the spot when my friend asked me to tell him a bedtime story; he couldn't sleep, nor i. i couldn't decide how to start a story off the top of my head, and i begged for something to help me start.
"a candle," he said.
so here is my bedtime story; a story about a young girl, with a precious candle.
there once was a little village down in Ireland, back during what could be described as the middle ages. it was a sweet, darling village with many shops that had moss covering the roofs. everywhere there were friendly people, and the market always had new events happening almost every week.
down in this little village there was a small candle shop, and there lived a candle maker. this candle maker was known for being the best in all of Ireland, and many traveled far to purchase his gloriously scented candles.
not many people knew that it wasn't just this one man creating all these wonderful smells, but also his young daughter. the candle makers daughter was a small lass, but he had taught her well over the years. she could even run the shop by herself if he had let her.
she was a little thing; thin with blonde hair reaching down towards the small of her back. she was quite shy, this girl, but could hold her own.
one day the village held a festival, filled with games and shops and booths. many tourists from around the world came to this festival, knowing that they would find the most precious things in the world. so of course, the candle maker and his daughter set up a booth, giving out small sample candles, as well as selling great and worthy ones.
they made a lot of money, these two. the candle maker wanted the daughter to take his business one day, and she jumped for the chance when she heard, many many years before.
but today, during the last festival day; the girl felt that something was missing. that she knew that there was something else besides candle making; she just didn't know what.
so near the closing time, things started to dwindle down. as the man and his daughter started to pack everything up and head home, a man appeared.
"i would like the most beautiful, loveliest smelling candle you have," said the man. the girl was still shocked at the beauty of this man; his unnatural tan skin and his deep blue eyes that seemed to pierce into her. she shook these odd thoughts away, and answered, "i-i'm sorry, but we have sold all of our candles."
the man shook his head, and retrieved a large pouch from his satchel. he tossed it on the table, spilling out what looked to be the most money that this girl had ever seen.
"you must have something," he insisted.
in earnest, the father nodded excitedly. he exclaimed, "oh, of course! we do have something!" he took a small bag from the daughter, and in fear, she clutched it away from her father. eyes wide, her whole body shook in protest. she turned to the gorgeous man and said: "i'm sorry, but this candle is not for sale. i-it's too valuable."
the man just smiled and pointed to the gold laying on the table. "nothing is too valuable."
the old candle maker had given up, he cared about his daughter more than the money, and returned to packing up the booth.
the girl found all of her courage and said "money doesn't prove worth of anything precious." the man was shocked by her words, as well as she was surprised of saying them. he struggled to find what to say next and finally spoke.
"how can i earn this 'precious' candle from you, then?"
with this she smiled and replied:
"you have to earn it."
for the next month, this man did everything for this girl. he would help around the shop (which pleased the old candle maker), carry her things, buy her things, asking again and again if he could have this candle. every time she replied "you haven't proven your worth."
so time and time went by, this man and girl ended up spending every moment together. at a certain point they even became friends; the topic of the candle came up less and less.
so one day, they were taking a walk they normally would, delivering boxes of candles to a man down the shore from the village. at one point, the man asked for a break near this beautiful lake. the girl agreed, and they set the boxes down and took a rest.
with all of his strength, the man said, "i give up."
the girl looked back at him; shocked. she was having fun with him, and now he was just done? given up? she shouted "what? why?"
the man just laughed then. he sat up, dusting off his trousers and boots, and took her hand. he lifted her up so she could stand, and didn't let go of hand. she was confused and she could feel color rising to her cheeks.
"i don't even care about the candle anymore," he stated. then with a sigh, he admitted to why.
"the only thing i care about is you. i love you."
and with that, he bent to kiss her. she stopped him.
"wait," she whispered. she let go of his hand, and ran over to where her bag lay; the one she carried everyday, everywhere. she opened it, and removed a small box. she carried that little box back to him, and set it in his arms. with silence, he started to open the box, and found that it was what he asked for all along.
he looked at her, completely blown away, and gave her a quizzical look that she knew to be familiar. she just looked back and him and smiled.
"you have proven your worth."
and with that, he took her in his arms and he kissed her. the candle fell and rolled down the dirt pathway, barely still intact. but they didn't care.
because they both found out what was really precious.
each other.
the end.
with love and light,
eve morgan
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