By: Nicole
He bent down to kiss his daughter good night when she said, "Daddy?"
"Yes?" His tired eyes looked into her soft blue ones.
"Can you tell me a story? Please? If you don't, then the gorilla under my bed will take all my covers in the night." Her eyes got wide as she spoke and he smiled. How could he resist logic like that?
He scratched his rough, unshaven beard. "Sure, I don't see why not. Once upon a time..."
... There was a father who loved his daughter very much. Together, the two lived on a farm and make a living by taking their food to the marketplace each Sunday afternoon and selling it.
One day, the girls father contracted a strange illness. She brought him to the local doctor, but he said he could do nothing and advised her to consult the Greek god, Apollo.
So, the next day, she went to Apollo who told Sarella not to feed her father anything, buy bread for three days and his illness would subside.
Over the first two days, her father's illness steadily worsened and Sarella began to think that her father would die nonetheless. So when he asked for a piece of his favorite blueberry pie, she assumed that it couldn't hurt and that she might as well make him happy in his last days, or even hours of life.
When the third day rolled around, her father passed peacefully and she was left to weep by the hearth, when suddenly, Apollo appeared. Her tear stained face looked up at him and then looked down in shame. "I should have waited until the third day to feed him that pie, I know. And for my evil deeds, I must die."
"I will do no such thing Sarella!" Apollo reached down to kiss her hand and said, "For I have fallen hopelessly in love with you. If you will promise to be my bride, your punishment will be less harsh."
Of course, Sarella agreed to marry Apollo. As for her punishment, the deeds she did each day would reflect upon the dreams she had at night. If her deeds were good, so were her dreams. If her deeds were bad, her dreams were worse.
And that... was how dreams and nightmares were created...
... He looked down at his sleeping daughter and smiled. He then pulled the covers up to her chin and turned off her bedside light.
"Good-night princess. You remind me so much of your mother, Sarella," Apollo whispered before disappearing into the night.
go to Kerrie's story (Red, Red, Rosita)
go to Jeannie's story (How Lightning Got Its Name)
