Tale told by Wasari - Atysmas Storytelling Assembly in Jena Year 2576 (2013-12-22)
Ash and Amber
When the old amber forager felt that his Seed would soon perish, he called his daughter to his bed, a beautiful and clever girl. The small Tryker hastened to her father, fearing the worst, as his condition had deteriorated during the last weeks. Too often had he inhaled the noxious gases emerging due to his aggressive digging.
With a broken voice he said to her, " My dear child, as I come close to my end, I want to give you these three exceptional ambers. Keep them well, because one day they may help you find your greatest happiness." Sadly she took the ambers from him and they took leave of each other while the old man breathed his last breath.
Unfortunately, not only had she been occupied by the care of her father, but countless attempts at healing by serious healers (and also several quacks) had depleted all her savings, causing her to go deeply in debt. Now she had to work off this debt.
Her hard luck was that her creditors took pleasure from her misfortune and made her carry out the most menial work. She had to be the first in the house to get up, to clean, wash and cook. Sometimes she had to fulfill absolutely unreasonable tasks that they gave just to harrass her and to show what her place was. Late in the evening she fell dead tired on her tattered bed directly in front of the furnace, where it was always a little dingy from the ashes, despite her efforts to keep the place clean.
One day she saved a baby shalah from voracious Torbaks during one of her errands, and it never left her after that. So she had something warm in her bed. Why her masters did not say anything against it, we may never know.
The hardships of her days were reflected in intense and vivid dreams every night. The hard work, the hardships she was bearing, and also how she saved defenseless animals from dangerous predators, not seldom at the risk of her life. Her biggest dream, however, was to dance at the Atysmas ball leaving behind all the worries of everyday.
The exceptional ambers from her father would have terminated these hardships immediately due to their value, but she would never have given them away for anything in the world. Therefore, she carried the precious pieces always close to her heart, and always made sure that nobody got to see them.
As Atysmas approached, she gathered all her courage and timidly asked if she could go to help with the decoration work for the ball. "You seem not to have enough work," they replied and a large bowl of seeds was emptied into the cold ash. Only after having sorted them back into the bowl she would be allowed to go.
Despair struck her; that task was impossible to accomplish in time. Searching for comfort she looked for Cuddlefuzz, as she had christened the Shalah . Her little friend was nowhere to be found and she felt lonely as never before.
Suddenly she heard a scratching at the door and as she gazed, her faithful companion stood there with all the kinds of animals they had saved. The crowd gathered quietly around the ash and also out to the bridge planks and as if by magic, the cup filled slowly but steadily with the seeds.
When the work was done, it was already quite late and so she set out at a run to the ballroom. In her anxiety not to be late she threw open the door and bumped into a handsome Tryker. It would be hard to tell if she caught her breath from the collision or from the sight of this homin. The most striking thing about him was the red, mask-like tattoo around his eyes. When much later in the evening she lay down to sleep, the memory of the encounter filled her thoughts.
The Tryker prince, as this was the man she had run into, wondered what had happened to him. On the dimly lit bridge he could not exactly see who the girl was who apologized after the collision with a murmur and hastily disappeared. The homina, however, had lost something. He bent down and took up the three exceptional ambers.
Arriving home, he put the ambers on a little table by his bed and laid down for sleep.
That night he had a strange dream. He saw a young woman working as hard as he had never seen a homin work. She received instructions that weren't anything but bullying and humiliation. Her stamina and energy deeply impressed him.
The following night he dreamed of the same Tryker. He watched her fighting a torbak with her pike, an injured shalah baby cowering close to her. After the little girl had killed the great Torbak, she cared for the baby shalah which then followed her. He watched her sharing her meager meals with the infant animal, and how the little one snuggled up to her and warmed her.
Did I mention that the prince was exceptionally fond of animals and what his favorite animal was?
In his dream the third night he saw the young woman dancing at the Atysmas ball, making him definitely falling in love. She looked so glowing and happy. He just had to meet her .
So he began to look for her, first of all in the area where they had collided. He went from door to door and asked everywhere for the woman of his dreams. At each door he was disappointed.
He started to doubt the success of his quest when he was dismissed particularly harshly the evening before the ball. He had already started to turn to go when the ambers began to become warmer in his pocket with every step he made away from the place.
So he knocked on the door, again and pushed past the unfriendly woman. He immediately recognized the bed near the furnace and then saw the little shalah.
The small Tryker could not believe who she saw forcing his way into the room. She drew back into the darkest corner and tried to hide behind her Cuddlefuzz. Determinedly, the handsome homin approached her, bowed to her and said, "Would you do me the honor to accompany me tomorrow for the Atysmas ball?"
Before she could think and respond, a harsh voice sounded from the direction of the door that this was not possible because she had to work off her debt. The prince just asked, "How much?" After some tough negotiations, he had ransomed the woman from his dreams.
At the ball, the two danced together the whole night through, and when he looked into her eyes, he felt as happy as she looked.
You may imagine the outcome.
Ash and Amber
When the old amber forager felt that his Seed would soon perish, he called his daughter to his bed, a beautiful and clever girl. The small Tryker hastened to her father, fearing the worst, as his condition had deteriorated during the last weeks. Too often had he inhaled the noxious gases emerging due to his aggressive digging.
With a broken voice he said to her, " My dear child, as I come close to my end, I want to give you these three exceptional ambers. Keep them well, because one day they may help you find your greatest happiness." Sadly she took the ambers from him and they took leave of each other while the old man breathed his last breath.
Unfortunately, not only had she been occupied by the care of her father, but countless attempts at healing by serious healers (and also several quacks) had depleted all her savings, causing her to go deeply in debt. Now she had to work off this debt.
Her hard luck was that her creditors took pleasure from her misfortune and made her carry out the most menial work. She had to be the first in the house to get up, to clean, wash and cook. Sometimes she had to fulfill absolutely unreasonable tasks that they gave just to harrass her and to show what her place was. Late in the evening she fell dead tired on her tattered bed directly in front of the furnace, where it was always a little dingy from the ashes, despite her efforts to keep the place clean.
One day she saved a baby shalah from voracious Torbaks during one of her errands, and it never left her after that. So she had something warm in her bed. Why her masters did not say anything against it, we may never know.
The hardships of her days were reflected in intense and vivid dreams every night. The hard work, the hardships she was bearing, and also how she saved defenseless animals from dangerous predators, not seldom at the risk of her life. Her biggest dream, however, was to dance at the Atysmas ball leaving behind all the worries of everyday.
The exceptional ambers from her father would have terminated these hardships immediately due to their value, but she would never have given them away for anything in the world. Therefore, she carried the precious pieces always close to her heart, and always made sure that nobody got to see them.
As Atysmas approached, she gathered all her courage and timidly asked if she could go to help with the decoration work for the ball. "You seem not to have enough work," they replied and a large bowl of seeds was emptied into the cold ash. Only after having sorted them back into the bowl she would be allowed to go.
Despair struck her; that task was impossible to accomplish in time. Searching for comfort she looked for Cuddlefuzz, as she had christened the Shalah . Her little friend was nowhere to be found and she felt lonely as never before.
Suddenly she heard a scratching at the door and as she gazed, her faithful companion stood there with all the kinds of animals they had saved. The crowd gathered quietly around the ash and also out to the bridge planks and as if by magic, the cup filled slowly but steadily with the seeds.
When the work was done, it was already quite late and so she set out at a run to the ballroom. In her anxiety not to be late she threw open the door and bumped into a handsome Tryker. It would be hard to tell if she caught her breath from the collision or from the sight of this homin. The most striking thing about him was the red, mask-like tattoo around his eyes. When much later in the evening she lay down to sleep, the memory of the encounter filled her thoughts.
The Tryker prince, as this was the man she had run into, wondered what had happened to him. On the dimly lit bridge he could not exactly see who the girl was who apologized after the collision with a murmur and hastily disappeared. The homina, however, had lost something. He bent down and took up the three exceptional ambers.
Arriving home, he put the ambers on a little table by his bed and laid down for sleep.
That night he had a strange dream. He saw a young woman working as hard as he had never seen a homin work. She received instructions that weren't anything but bullying and humiliation. Her stamina and energy deeply impressed him.
The following night he dreamed of the same Tryker. He watched her fighting a torbak with her pike, an injured shalah baby cowering close to her. After the little girl had killed the great Torbak, she cared for the baby shalah which then followed her. He watched her sharing her meager meals with the infant animal, and how the little one snuggled up to her and warmed her.
Did I mention that the prince was exceptionally fond of animals and what his favorite animal was?
In his dream the third night he saw the young woman dancing at the Atysmas ball, making him definitely falling in love. She looked so glowing and happy. He just had to meet her .
So he began to look for her, first of all in the area where they had collided. He went from door to door and asked everywhere for the woman of his dreams. At each door he was disappointed.
He started to doubt the success of his quest when he was dismissed particularly harshly the evening before the ball. He had already started to turn to go when the ambers began to become warmer in his pocket with every step he made away from the place.
So he knocked on the door, again and pushed past the unfriendly woman. He immediately recognized the bed near the furnace and then saw the little shalah.
The small Tryker could not believe who she saw forcing his way into the room. She drew back into the darkest corner and tried to hide behind her Cuddlefuzz. Determinedly, the handsome homin approached her, bowed to her and said, "Would you do me the honor to accompany me tomorrow for the Atysmas ball?"
Before she could think and respond, a harsh voice sounded from the direction of the door that this was not possible because she had to work off her debt. The prince just asked, "How much?" After some tough negotiations, he had ransomed the woman from his dreams.
At the ball, the two danced together the whole night through, and when he looked into her eyes, he felt as happy as she looked.
You may imagine the outcome.