The Wizard of Light said angrily, "Why did you capture those two cats? They did nothing to harm you!"
WWW smiled and replied, "I was just having some fun. You know how boring it is at times. I let them go, didn't I? Maybe I shouldn't have listened to you."
"Why didn't you let me go as well? You have kept me captive in your cave for aeons, solely for your selfish amusement. You were so jealous of Evanora you had to do something to hurt her!"
WWW laughed and her eyes narrowed.
"Let you go? Why should I? You are not altogether blameless, you know. It was your greed for power that made you my prisoner and my prisoner you shall be until I have no use for you! As for Evanora or the Forest Queen as she calls herself now, I wouldn't bother about her, she doesn't care for you any more!"
WWW shrieked with laughter again. "Oh, go away, you're just as boring as you always have been! I'm going to have some fun now chasing the clouds." With that, she turned and disappeared.
The Wizard of Light shed a tear. Oh, what terrible fate had befallen him! Then he saw one of the beautiful butterflies in the cave fly towards him. It came a little closer and whispered, "Wizard of Light! Don't be sad. I can help to set you free!"
"You can?" he exclaimed and in his excitement, the mantle of light around him flickered off and on and his face took on a sinister glow. Help at last!
The butterfly continued. "I overheard the other night when WWW was mumbling in her sleep ... only one who has a good and kind heart can free you. I was afraid to tell you in case she saw me speak to you."
"Oh thank you, little butterfly." whispered the Wizard of Light sweetly. "But where can I find someone like that? This is witch territory and no one has a good, kind heart here."
"The cat, that one who came to rescue his friend! Try him!"
"That cat? But how can I reach him?"
"He meditates a lot ... see if you can reach him when he is meditating. Tell him to get some of the holy water from his temple and sprinkle it over WWW's cave. That will break the spell and you'll be free! I must go now!" and the scared little butterfly flew off.
The Wizard of Light could not contain his excitement. He was going to be free at last, free to do as he wished ...
I woke up with a start. I had been dreaming again and what a funny dream - something about witches, wizards and butterflies. Just then, Head Nun called me to breakfast and I thought no more of the dream.
Head Nun had recently extended our meditation sessions as she felt the nuns were not doing enough of it. For the past week, we had been getting up as early as 5 a.m. and meditated until 6 a.m. Of course most of the time I could hardly keep my eyes open and I was not the only one! But we were improving and I could tell Head Nun was pleased.
It was quite cold and dark one morning when we trooped into the prayer hall to begin meditation. Light rain had been falling the night before and most of us were very reluctant to get up and leave our cosy beds! The gong sounded and we took our respective places.
That morning's session was strangely a very good one for me, as I felt very relaxed and my mind was as still as the water on a lake. As I meditated, I suddenly became aware of a light, at first very dim, then getting brighter as it approached me. I was fascinated as I had heard of this kind of experience from one of the senior nuns, so I watched the light until it stopped and hovered before me. Then I heard a voice .... "Please help me, please free me of this wicked spell that has been cast on me ..." it pleaded.
I found myself silently responding to this call for help. "But who are you and what can I do to help you?"
"You know me, you have met me ..." it replied.
Just then the gong sounded. I sat up with a start and looked around me. The nuns were already stretching themselves and getting up. What a strange experience it was, I thought to myself, but decided not to tell anyone about it in case they laughed at me.
The next morning I had the same experience and the voice again spoke to me. Then I saw to my amazement, flashes from the time Ning and I were held hostage in WWW's cave. As the haziness cleared, I saw with a shock that it was the Wizard of Light who was communicating with me! And what he asked of me was to get some holy water from the temple and sprinkle it over WWW's cave to break the spell she had cast on him!
I of course wanted to help him because he had saved both Ning and myself from WWW. But how do I get this water to him? I would have to ask the Forest Queen for help again.
That morning, as soon as meditation was over, I hurried to the forest and began calling for the Forest Queen.
"Your Majesty ... Your Majesty .... I need your help!" I waited for some time for her to respond and was about to give up hope when she suddenly appeared.
Before I could tell my story, she snapped angrily at me: "You busybody cat! Who asked you to interfere in affairs that don't concern you? I know what you are going to ask of me ... to take you to WWW's cave! Well, the answer is "No"!"
"But ... but .... Your Majesty, the Wizard of Light has asked me for help. He saved my life and I do want to free him from the clutches of WWW ...." I protested.
The Forest Queen shook her head. "You stupid, naive cat! You believe everything you hear! Firstly, it's too dangerous for you to go back to the cave unless you want to live in a bottle for the rest of your life, and secondly, things are not always what they seem. You get it?"
"What do you mean?" I asked, completely confused.
"Here, come and sit down and I'll tell you the whole story...." I did as I was told and listened in awe as she related her story.
"A long, long time ago, when I was a young witch, I fell in love with this young wizard. He was handsome, clever, everything a girl could wish for. We were great friends and everyone knew we would marry some day. Then came the day when he was bestowed the title of Wizard of Light and WWW, in her jealousy, did everything in her power to take him away from me. She promised him the sun and the power to control the universe and in his greed, he succumbed to her temptations and so became her prisoner. I thought he truly loved me but I knew then that power was more important to him. So I left the Witches' Den ... the rest of the story you know."
"Is that why you didn't try to rescue him?" I asked.
"Tell me, is it worthwhile fighting over someone who doesn't really love you?"
"I guess not. But will she ever let him go?" I asked.
"Never! She enjoys having someone to control and be a puppet in her hands. Now you know the story, think carefully. If you free him, you might be destroying the whole world and everyone and everything in it."
"I don't know what to think," I stammered.
The Forest Queen looked at me and said quietly, "I'm very fond of you, cat and I don't want anything to happen to you." With that, she turned and disappeared.
I sat for some time thinking over what the Forest Queen had told me - and I believed she was telling the truth.
I went back to the temple feeling rather crestfallen I had hoped it would have been a happy ending for the Wizard of Light and the Forest Queen and that they would be reunited. But I was wrong, it was not going to be a "live happily ever after" story.
WWW smiled and replied, "I was just having some fun. You know how boring it is at times. I let them go, didn't I? Maybe I shouldn't have listened to you."
"Why didn't you let me go as well? You have kept me captive in your cave for aeons, solely for your selfish amusement. You were so jealous of Evanora you had to do something to hurt her!"
WWW laughed and her eyes narrowed.
"Let you go? Why should I? You are not altogether blameless, you know. It was your greed for power that made you my prisoner and my prisoner you shall be until I have no use for you! As for Evanora or the Forest Queen as she calls herself now, I wouldn't bother about her, she doesn't care for you any more!"
WWW shrieked with laughter again. "Oh, go away, you're just as boring as you always have been! I'm going to have some fun now chasing the clouds." With that, she turned and disappeared.
The Wizard of Light shed a tear. Oh, what terrible fate had befallen him! Then he saw one of the beautiful butterflies in the cave fly towards him. It came a little closer and whispered, "Wizard of Light! Don't be sad. I can help to set you free!"
"You can?" he exclaimed and in his excitement, the mantle of light around him flickered off and on and his face took on a sinister glow. Help at last!
The butterfly continued. "I overheard the other night when WWW was mumbling in her sleep ... only one who has a good and kind heart can free you. I was afraid to tell you in case she saw me speak to you."
"Oh thank you, little butterfly." whispered the Wizard of Light sweetly. "But where can I find someone like that? This is witch territory and no one has a good, kind heart here."
"The cat, that one who came to rescue his friend! Try him!"
"That cat? But how can I reach him?"
"He meditates a lot ... see if you can reach him when he is meditating. Tell him to get some of the holy water from his temple and sprinkle it over WWW's cave. That will break the spell and you'll be free! I must go now!" and the scared little butterfly flew off.
The Wizard of Light could not contain his excitement. He was going to be free at last, free to do as he wished ...
I woke up with a start. I had been dreaming again and what a funny dream - something about witches, wizards and butterflies. Just then, Head Nun called me to breakfast and I thought no more of the dream.
Head Nun had recently extended our meditation sessions as she felt the nuns were not doing enough of it. For the past week, we had been getting up as early as 5 a.m. and meditated until 6 a.m. Of course most of the time I could hardly keep my eyes open and I was not the only one! But we were improving and I could tell Head Nun was pleased.
It was quite cold and dark one morning when we trooped into the prayer hall to begin meditation. Light rain had been falling the night before and most of us were very reluctant to get up and leave our cosy beds! The gong sounded and we took our respective places.
That morning's session was strangely a very good one for me, as I felt very relaxed and my mind was as still as the water on a lake. As I meditated, I suddenly became aware of a light, at first very dim, then getting brighter as it approached me. I was fascinated as I had heard of this kind of experience from one of the senior nuns, so I watched the light until it stopped and hovered before me. Then I heard a voice .... "Please help me, please free me of this wicked spell that has been cast on me ..." it pleaded.I found myself silently responding to this call for help. "But who are you and what can I do to help you?"
"You know me, you have met me ..." it replied.
Just then the gong sounded. I sat up with a start and looked around me. The nuns were already stretching themselves and getting up. What a strange experience it was, I thought to myself, but decided not to tell anyone about it in case they laughed at me.
The next morning I had the same experience and the voice again spoke to me. Then I saw to my amazement, flashes from the time Ning and I were held hostage in WWW's cave. As the haziness cleared, I saw with a shock that it was the Wizard of Light who was communicating with me! And what he asked of me was to get some holy water from the temple and sprinkle it over WWW's cave to break the spell she had cast on him!
I of course wanted to help him because he had saved both Ning and myself from WWW. But how do I get this water to him? I would have to ask the Forest Queen for help again.
That morning, as soon as meditation was over, I hurried to the forest and began calling for the Forest Queen.
"Your Majesty ... Your Majesty .... I need your help!" I waited for some time for her to respond and was about to give up hope when she suddenly appeared.
Before I could tell my story, she snapped angrily at me: "You busybody cat! Who asked you to interfere in affairs that don't concern you? I know what you are going to ask of me ... to take you to WWW's cave! Well, the answer is "No"!"
"But ... but .... Your Majesty, the Wizard of Light has asked me for help. He saved my life and I do want to free him from the clutches of WWW ...." I protested.
The Forest Queen shook her head. "You stupid, naive cat! You believe everything you hear! Firstly, it's too dangerous for you to go back to the cave unless you want to live in a bottle for the rest of your life, and secondly, things are not always what they seem. You get it?"
"What do you mean?" I asked, completely confused.
"Here, come and sit down and I'll tell you the whole story...." I did as I was told and listened in awe as she related her story.
"A long, long time ago, when I was a young witch, I fell in love with this young wizard. He was handsome, clever, everything a girl could wish for. We were great friends and everyone knew we would marry some day. Then came the day when he was bestowed the title of Wizard of Light and WWW, in her jealousy, did everything in her power to take him away from me. She promised him the sun and the power to control the universe and in his greed, he succumbed to her temptations and so became her prisoner. I thought he truly loved me but I knew then that power was more important to him. So I left the Witches' Den ... the rest of the story you know."
"Is that why you didn't try to rescue him?" I asked.
"Tell me, is it worthwhile fighting over someone who doesn't really love you?"
"I guess not. But will she ever let him go?" I asked.
"Never! She enjoys having someone to control and be a puppet in her hands. Now you know the story, think carefully. If you free him, you might be destroying the whole world and everyone and everything in it."
"I don't know what to think," I stammered.
The Forest Queen looked at me and said quietly, "I'm very fond of you, cat and I don't want anything to happen to you." With that, she turned and disappeared.
I sat for some time thinking over what the Forest Queen had told me - and I believed she was telling the truth.
I went back to the temple feeling rather crestfallen I had hoped it would have been a happy ending for the Wizard of Light and the Forest Queen and that they would be reunited. But I was wrong, it was not going to be a "live happily ever after" story.
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