I Remember

I am faced with a monstrous-sized husky. He’s not growling, but he is staring at me intently. I know what he wants. He wants me.

“Mommy! Mommy!” my daughter cries. “His name is Fred! He’s so cute! Can we keep him? Pleeeease?”

I stare into the dog’s wolf-like eyes. Then I remember my journey down the esophagus. I had been a fool, and I had paid for it in full. It was dark all around.

“Please mommy?” my daughter begs. I snap back to the present.

“No,” I say firmly. “You have to give it back.”

“But mommy!”

“No! Now hurry up. We have to go to grandma’s house.”

Grandma. Yes. She was there too. I remember her holding my hand. I remember her telling me it’ll be all right.

“I thought it was you!” I tried to explain.

Grandma just shushed me and told me to forget about it. The darkness was thick.
I now watch my daughter begrudgingly cross the street to return the dog to our neighbor Mr. Hunter. He is a good man.

I remember the darkness being broken by a sliver of light. It grew wider and brighter. A strong hand pulled me out. It was like being born again. I was being made new. I promised to never again mistake wolves for women.

A Classic Fairytale

Once upon a time (anytime really) in a land so far away that no one cared to calculate how far removed from the rest of civilization this land was, there lived an old king with a regal sounding name like Preston or Earl. This king had anywhere from two to five daughters, all of whom were very beautiful. But the youngest daughter, who had a lilting kind of name like Melody or Ruby, was exceedingly beautiful. She was the most beautiful girl in all the kingdom, world, or universe. Her beauty was talked about often among the commoners, and eventually word of her beauty reached a very handsome prince with a sturdy name like Grant or Edward. He sought out at once to win the heart of this beautiful princess.

Now there lived in the kingdom an evil wizard or sorceress. He (or she) was most likely in the pay of the king as an advisor (The king was oblivious to his advisor’s wickedness). This evil wizard (or sorceress) was either lustful or jealous of the young princess’s beauty, and he (or she) saw it as an opportunity to become ruler of this far off kingdom, which he (or she) so greatly coveted. So the evil wizard (or sorceress) devised a dastardly plan. A powerful dragon was summoned out of a mountain or caldron to kidnap the princess. The king’s guards were unable to fight off the monster and the princess was stolen. The kingdom wept for its loss as the princess was held for ransom.

The handsome prince despaired over news of this tragedy. So he proclaimed loudly in the king’s court with many people watching on in earnest that he would venture forth to save the princess. The king excitedly agreed. He blurted out that should he accomplish this task then he and the princess would be married. The king’s court and/or the townspeople probably cheered the prince on as he left for his adventure. The prince crossed many mountains, or went through caves, or journeyed on the waters to a dark and tall tower with spikes and constant inclement weather. The prince was stopped by the dragon before or after he could enter the tower. The battle was fierce. The prince’s sword was strong metal and, when applied to the right spot, killed the dragon by piercing its heart, or cleaving its head in twain. The evil wizard (or sorceress) in anger charged for the prince, and, due to either a sudden earthquake or other natural disaster, or because the prince had struggled with him (or her) on the tower’s roof, fell into an abyss, pit of lava, or boiling cauldron of potion.

The prince made his way to the princess. It was true love at first sight, pure and simple. He was a handsome prince, and she was a beautiful princess. There is a possibility that when he kissed her he broke a spell that may, or may not, have been placed upon the princess at some point earlier in her life. The beautiful princess jumped into the arms of her rescuer. They returned to the kingdom and there was a big celebration, feast, or parade (but most likely all three) for the return of the princess. The king kept his promise and the two were married the very next day. When they became king and queen they had at most a dozen children, all of whom were very beautiful and handsome. And they all lived happily ever after, until their children started murdering each other over succession to the throne.

The End