Lian hopped on his bed as his mother entered the room. He pulled the curtain wide and looked out the window. It was still light outside, light enough to play, and he wanted nothing to do with this bedtime.
"Can't I go outside, mother, please? Just ten more minutes?" he begged.
Kensea shook her head. "Lian," she said, "bedtime is bedtime. You know better than to argue."
"But it's still light out…"
"No is no. Lie down."
Lian pouted. "Then can I have a story, mommy?"
"Of course. What story would you like tonight?"
"A long one. The longest story you know!"
Kensea chuckled. "Anything to stay up just a few minutes later. Very well, lie under your blankets and I shall tell you a story."
"A long one, remember it's a long one!" Lian said emphatically as he lay down.
"I know just the story," Kensea walked over and tucked Lian into bed. She sat down on the side of the bed and pulled the shades closed over the window. Now the only light came from the door that was still cracked open.
Kensea started her story. "Once upon a time-"
"No, mommy, all your 'once upon a time' stories are short. Do a different one."
"Alright then… Long ago…" she paused to check for affirmation from Lian before continuing. "Long ago this land had no king."
"Oh, I like this one."
"This land had no king, and the people lived in fear. For a terrible monster roamed the land, a monster that no man could defeat."
"What did it look like? Say what it looks like."
"Of course, dear. The monster looked like a man with fearsome armor. There were spikes, and horns, and sharp edges. Not even a glimpse could be seen of who, or what, was under the armor."
"Except for his eyes, right? His eyes-"
"The monster's eyes glowed red. They were so fearsome that no man could stand to look it in the face. And many tried! This land had many towns and villages who all tried to band together to defeat the monster."
Lian lifted one arm out of the blankets and swung it. "But the monster defeated them all, with one swing!" he said.
"Yes, one swing of its arm," Kensea said. "Are you fine with this story, or is it too frightening for you?"
"Oh, mommy, it's not frightening. I like the monster, I wish I could be as strong as him!"
Kensea smiled at her son. "I'm sure you will be very strong someday," she said. "The monster terrorized the land for many years. Towns would empty when they heard it coming, its loud wail would echo for miles."
"I bet I could be that loud! Listen-" Lian opened his mouth and took a deep breath, but Kensea put a finger over his mouth.
"Not now, dear. You can roar all you like when you play with your father or your friends."
Lian pouted, then yawned.
"One day the monster happened upon a small village. This village had only a few families living in it, and most of them were ready to leave whenever they needed, in case the monster showed up. Except for one family, a father and his daughter."
"The father had a leg disease, like grandpa does!"
"Yes," Kensea smiled, "yes, the father could scarcely walk. The sound of the monster echoed through the hills one morning, and all the other villagers left. But the man was stuck. He begged his daughter to leave, to save herself, but she refused."
"She was very brave…" Lian said sleepily.
"She loved her father very much. She waited with him as the monster entered the village, and she listened to its roar. She had heard a roar like this before, many years ago."
"It was the roar of a…" Lian yawned.
Kensea stroked his hair. "The roar of a wounded bear," she finished for him, "that was caught in a trap. The bear was roaring in pain, and begging to be let free. So, the woman went to see the monster up close. And she looked into its eyes, and what did she see?"
"Hurt…"
"Yes, the monster was hurt. It was hurt so very badly, but not on the outside. On the inside. So she walked up to it, and it did not attack her. She walked right up to the monster and-"
"I don't like this part…" Lian said.
"She gave it a kiss."
Lian stuck his tongue out. "I think she should have fought him instead."
"She gave the monster a kiss on the top of its helmet… And with that kiss, the armor fell off!" Kensea spread her hands. "There was a man inside who had been cursed to live as a monster. Only the kiss of a beautiful woman could save him from the curse."
"I bet she wasn't even that beautiful."
Kensea laughed. "I imagine you would think her beautiful," she said, then continued with the story. "The man who was trapped was once the prince of the land, but had been cursed to hurt the people he loved. When he told the woman, she told her father. The prince knew he could never repay the people for all the harm he had done, so he prepared to leave forever."
"But he…" Lian started to talk before drifting off into sleep.
Kensea stroked his hair. "The woman had fallen in love with him, and together they moved away into the mountains," she said softly. "There they had a wonderful son, who made friends with the children in the village where the woman used to live."
At length Kensea stood and left Lian's room. She gave one last look at her son before pulling the door closed.
"Another story of the monster?" Pital asked.
Kensea smiled. "Yes. Would you like a story, my prince?" she asked.
"I'd rather tell you one, my beautiful woman," Pital answered with a smile.
"Can't I go outside, mother, please? Just ten more minutes?" he begged.
Kensea shook her head. "Lian," she said, "bedtime is bedtime. You know better than to argue."
"But it's still light out…"
"No is no. Lie down."
Lian pouted. "Then can I have a story, mommy?"
"Of course. What story would you like tonight?"
"A long one. The longest story you know!"
Kensea chuckled. "Anything to stay up just a few minutes later. Very well, lie under your blankets and I shall tell you a story."
"A long one, remember it's a long one!" Lian said emphatically as he lay down.
"I know just the story," Kensea walked over and tucked Lian into bed. She sat down on the side of the bed and pulled the shades closed over the window. Now the only light came from the door that was still cracked open.
Kensea started her story. "Once upon a time-"
"No, mommy, all your 'once upon a time' stories are short. Do a different one."
"Alright then… Long ago…" she paused to check for affirmation from Lian before continuing. "Long ago this land had no king."
"Oh, I like this one."
"This land had no king, and the people lived in fear. For a terrible monster roamed the land, a monster that no man could defeat."
"What did it look like? Say what it looks like."
"Of course, dear. The monster looked like a man with fearsome armor. There were spikes, and horns, and sharp edges. Not even a glimpse could be seen of who, or what, was under the armor."
"Except for his eyes, right? His eyes-"
"The monster's eyes glowed red. They were so fearsome that no man could stand to look it in the face. And many tried! This land had many towns and villages who all tried to band together to defeat the monster."
Lian lifted one arm out of the blankets and swung it. "But the monster defeated them all, with one swing!" he said.
"Yes, one swing of its arm," Kensea said. "Are you fine with this story, or is it too frightening for you?"
"Oh, mommy, it's not frightening. I like the monster, I wish I could be as strong as him!"
Kensea smiled at her son. "I'm sure you will be very strong someday," she said. "The monster terrorized the land for many years. Towns would empty when they heard it coming, its loud wail would echo for miles."
"I bet I could be that loud! Listen-" Lian opened his mouth and took a deep breath, but Kensea put a finger over his mouth.
"Not now, dear. You can roar all you like when you play with your father or your friends."
Lian pouted, then yawned.
"One day the monster happened upon a small village. This village had only a few families living in it, and most of them were ready to leave whenever they needed, in case the monster showed up. Except for one family, a father and his daughter."
"The father had a leg disease, like grandpa does!"
"Yes," Kensea smiled, "yes, the father could scarcely walk. The sound of the monster echoed through the hills one morning, and all the other villagers left. But the man was stuck. He begged his daughter to leave, to save herself, but she refused."
"She was very brave…" Lian said sleepily.
"She loved her father very much. She waited with him as the monster entered the village, and she listened to its roar. She had heard a roar like this before, many years ago."
"It was the roar of a…" Lian yawned.
Kensea stroked his hair. "The roar of a wounded bear," she finished for him, "that was caught in a trap. The bear was roaring in pain, and begging to be let free. So, the woman went to see the monster up close. And she looked into its eyes, and what did she see?"
"Hurt…"
"Yes, the monster was hurt. It was hurt so very badly, but not on the outside. On the inside. So she walked up to it, and it did not attack her. She walked right up to the monster and-"
"I don't like this part…" Lian said.
"She gave it a kiss."
Lian stuck his tongue out. "I think she should have fought him instead."
"She gave the monster a kiss on the top of its helmet… And with that kiss, the armor fell off!" Kensea spread her hands. "There was a man inside who had been cursed to live as a monster. Only the kiss of a beautiful woman could save him from the curse."
"I bet she wasn't even that beautiful."
Kensea laughed. "I imagine you would think her beautiful," she said, then continued with the story. "The man who was trapped was once the prince of the land, but had been cursed to hurt the people he loved. When he told the woman, she told her father. The prince knew he could never repay the people for all the harm he had done, so he prepared to leave forever."
"But he…" Lian started to talk before drifting off into sleep.
Kensea stroked his hair. "The woman had fallen in love with him, and together they moved away into the mountains," she said softly. "There they had a wonderful son, who made friends with the children in the village where the woman used to live."
At length Kensea stood and left Lian's room. She gave one last look at her son before pulling the door closed.
"Another story of the monster?" Pital asked.
Kensea smiled. "Yes. Would you like a story, my prince?" she asked.
"I'd rather tell you one, my beautiful woman," Pital answered with a smile.