Deep in a cave that sits on top a high mountain, Zendor the witch gazed at a crystal ball. In cages going far back inside the cave were the living souls of children crying for their parents. She loves to hear their pleas and wails, it is music to her ears.
She peers into the crystal for more souls to capture in the night and add to her collection. Two children, twins born only a few days before can be seen. A worthy prize, she thinks and cackles in amusement while holding the globe up high for the souls of children held in the cages to see as well. When the children wailed and cried for her to stop, she laughed even louder.
The baby boy and girl lay in their cribs guarded night and day by the king's soldiers, for these were the children of the king and queen of the realm. Their castle sat on a high cliff with only one road to the gate. The villagers, in the valley below, complained to the king of their children's soul's taken from them, for they were left with babies that didn't cry or laugh, the children without souls found no interest in parties, parades, toys, puppies or kittens. They just sat and stared out the window at other children that played and danced, read books, and wished on stars.
The king sent for a wizard known to live deep in a primeval forest. But he could not be found, for the wizard was wise to mankind and their need for more wealth and power.
Zendor the witch plotted and planned. She sent rats and bats to spy on the castle, and black widow spiders to hear everything within the castle walls. So she knew the king was in search of the great wizard. This presented a problem, she thought, but not sure what he might do, if anything, since he detested mankind for its greed. She would have to plan her theft very carefully this time she thought.
One day a carnival came to the kingdom. They sat up tents on the outskirts of the village with bright banners and flags. They had sword swallowers, fire eaters, and trained ponies that carried pretty women who performed acrobatics on the backs of steeds. A man with a very large hat and short legs stood on a stool beckoning people to see women with beards, and men so hairy they looked like wolves. Snakes with a dozen heads and a goat who's head could turn in a complete circle were available for all to gaze upon.
As the citizens wandered the carnival grounds, the king's soldiers looked closely at the carnies and their tents. They looked in barrels and bags, they looked at the ponies and even felt in the beards of the bearded ladies but found nothing unusual. Still though they kept a close eye on everyone for the guards were suspicious.
No news came to the king of the wizard. The prince and princess had guards night and day for their children, they were never left alone no matter if asleep or awake, for two sentries always stood next to them.
Everyone went to the carnival, even people in other kingdoms heard of the wonders and traveled great distances to see the performers and strange creatures that harbored inside tents. They marveled at the acts and when it was announced that the last day of the carnival there would be a fireworks display not like any other. As word spread more people gathered on the last day when the moon was only a sliver in the far horizon.
It was a spectacular day on the last day of the carnival for all day entertainers meandered about to keep the crowds entertained and for no charge. There was cotton candy swirled in clouds of pink, yellow and blue, and ice-cold lemonade for any child. There were games to win teddy bears and dolls and as the the sky darkened, people began to gather in the fields around the carnival to have the best view.
When night's blanket covered the sky and stars twinkled in the firmament, the first firework flew high. It whistled all the way into the sky with a shrill noise it made before a boom rang out and the sky turned brilliant sparkling colors. Then more rockets, and more, until the whole sky looked like one giant waterfall of colored light, sparkling and shining brighter than the sun.
Suddenly the show ended with the sky going dark again. It went very dark without anyone able to see the stars again. That's when people began to notice that they couldn't see each other. They couldn't see anything. It may have been a good thing too. For when the sky darkened the entertainers turned back into rats, wolves and bears that scattered into the forest leaving everyone else to wander aimlessly.
For three days and nights the people couldn't see. They wandered about, some to untimely deaths, until they realized everyone was blind and decided to wait for help. But that help never came. On the fourth day their sight began to come back and finally, after a full day, their sight returned.
Everyone was so grateful see again that they didn't realize a very strange thing. All the children were quiet, they never left where they stood on the night of the fireworks, but stared with blank eyes. No crying or laughter did these children make. That's when people saw each child had lost their soul. The king and queen ran to bed chamber where their children slept and with a sharp gasp of breath turned their babies over to see eyes with only slits opened that looked at nothing.
Throughout the kingdom the wails of mothers and fathers could be heard. The king and queen, frantic to find someone who could help, went to the king of faeries themselves to beseech his intervention. After the king and queen of the realm left the faeries talked among themselves, for none of the magical beings in the world were fond of humans, their greed being a problem for all sprites. But to hear so many unhappy creatures and know how they would feel if such a fate befell their children, decided to intervene.
The reason no human could locate the great wizard was that only those in possession of magical abilities could find him. It wasn't hard for the king of the faeries to do. He opened the East door of the castle and walked into a beautiful realm where cuckoo birds called among the great oak trees and followed a running brook jumping with trout. When the king of the faeries came to a cave, where the brook sprang from, he took his scepter and banged the end against a nearby rock. It rang out like a temple bell, deep and loud.
Soon after, the great wizard appeared at the entrance of the cave. "Come in dear friend and tell me what brings you hear?" He asked of the faerie king.
"I think you know, but let's talk of this matter and see what can be done."
The great wizard bowed before he beckoned the king inside to his great hall. The vast room sparkled with cut gemstones protruding from the cavern's walls. It was like walking into a mineral glowing vibrant with colors. He led his guest to one particular group of crystals and asked the king of faeries to look.
What he saw were all the children held captive by Zendor. He saw their sad ghost like faces imprisoned and wanting to be back in their bodies. "There is a great many of them isn't there," the king finally said.
"Yes, far too many. We need to restore balance my friend and I'll need your help and that of the humans."
"You know you have mine, and I'm sure that of the humans, but we should ask them, I think."
"Let me know their answer for they will have to give up all their wealth to have the children back."
So the king of the faeries went to the king of the realm and said they had a plan but it would require the entire wealth of the realm. All jewels and gold must be turned over, anything of value so that the only thing left would be the clothes on your back and the roof over your head. The king agreed and set out to gather all the wealth.
He went to each villager far and wide, and in great heaps carted off all possessions leaving only the clothes on their backs and a home for shelter. Those that protested, the king took to his castle and showed them the bare floors with not a chair to sit on. No crown on the king's head and no rings on his fingers. Everything was brought out of the castle and stacked. So those that hesitated saw the king was a good king and did the same.
When everyone's possessions lay in front of the castle the king bid the faerie king to come and see that they did as instructed for none of the humans could bear seeing children with no soul. No amount of money was worth that.
The faerie king looked over all the things and in a flash, everything vanished from sight. "You must now wait," he said, before he too disappeared from sight.
And the humans did. They toiled the soil for bread and kept nothing that came their way save to keep clothes on themselves and a bit of food on the table. Day and night parents waited for the return of their children's souls.
One day a peddler came to Zendor. He wanted to bargain and had many things that the witch might need in exchange for some of the souls of her captive children. She wasn't much interested, the fine jewels, silks, barrels of flour and butter didn't appeal to her nearly as much as listening to the cries of children.
The peddle offered herds of cows and goats. Cheeses, carts, donkeys and chickens. He showed her crowns of gold that glittered with diamonds. But the wail of souls soothed her to sleep she said, and how could she sleep without their pitiful pleads.
He finally unveiled a cabinet, the door made of glass so that you could see inside. It was big enough to fit two people, three would be a bit crowded. "I doubt you would be interested in this since nobody else is."
The witch looked at it with some curiosity. "What is it?"
"A travel machine of course." You can travel anywhere by getting in and saying where you want to go." He told her, "It's useless for anything else, and people don't like it because it can't hold much."
The witch thought it over before she asked how many souls for the travel machine. Which the peddler said, "I only need two, for their cries keep pesky children away."
She had so many, she thought, what would the loss of two be among all the crying souls, and a travel machine might be useful.
"Alright, you can have two but first show me how to use the machine."
"Very good and I'll be rid of carrying this around with me." He opened the door and stepped in , then beckoned the witch to do the same.
Zendor stepped in before she turned to face the glass door as if in an elevator.
"Now where would you like to go?
"To the top of the highest mountain."
"Very good. Now make up a rhyme that tells the machine where you want it to go."
The witch thought a moment, " Take me high, to the highest mountain, where I can see both land and sea "
There was a shudder in the cabinet when suddenly the cabinet stood on top the highest mountain where the witch could see both land and sea. The witch was delighted and opened the door to step out.
She smiled to feel the shock of cold and a view so far up. Then she got back in the booth. 'I'll take it."
"Very well," said the peddler, " Take us back from where we came, take us to where souls cry and wail."
Another shudder occurred before they came back to Zendor's cave and the wailing souls of children.
They stepped out with the witch excited about the travel machine, but still hesitant to part with any children. She still wasn't sure if it was worth two souls.
"Oh, I forgot to mention that you can travel anywhere, even the stars if one want, but who would want to go to a star?"
The witch very much wanted too, for she had heard from a rat that said he had seen the great wizard himself, of a distant star that gave anyone who went there, great magical powers. The Wizard star, and it was said it held a fountain with the water of magic.
"It might be useful. Alright then, do you have a preference of souls?"
"No, just as long as they scream loud so as to ward off pesky children who only want candy, but not to buy."
She went to a cell and said a magic spell. The cage opened and the witch fished about before she caught two souls. She placed them in a bird cage and then handed the cage to the peddler. "There you are, now be off with you, for I have work to do.
The peddler gathered all his belongings before he started his walk back to the base of the mountain. When he was well on his way, the witch stepped into the travel machine and with a shudder it disappeared. At that moment, the great wizard transformed himself from a lizard nearby and went to the cages of souls. He said the magic spell he heard the witch whispered, and all the cages opened. Then he led the souls of the children back to his camp below and soon they each found their way back home where their bodies lay waiting.
The whole land was happy, for the laughter of children could be heard and everyone agreed, their happiness was worth all the gold in the world. And the witch, try as she might could not get back to her cave, for it no longer held the souls of wailing children.
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