Twisted Fables I

Sometimes, you just need to take an old idea -- like that of the fable -- and twist it around into something new...and, given the way my mind works, invariably wicked. So, please enjoy the first installment of Twisted Fables from my dark mind!

The Boy and the Bee

Once upon a time, there was a boy hard at work in the blacksmith shop to which he was apprenticed. It was a hot summer day dripping with humidity and between the warmth of the day and the hellish heat pouring out of the furnace, the poor boy was drowning in his own sweat. His muscles ached from swinging the heavy hammer for hour after hour, and he was bone tired.

The apprenticeship would last another five years, and he often felt trapped by it.

During their noonday break, the blacksmith told the boy to remain in the shop while he relaxed inside. As the boy leaned against the anvil drinking great draughts of water, he noticed a bee bouncing against the window, trying to get back outside. The boy's kind heart felt for the bee, feeling a sense of kinship with the trapped insect.

"You and I are not that different, little bee," he said. "I'm trapped in here, too, and I'm desperate to get out also. There's no reason we should both be stuck in here. You at least should be free."

The boy approached the bee, carefully timing a grab to gently catch it in his hand so he could release it back outside.

But unfortunately, the bee is just an animal and reacted to the boy's kindness with instinct, which in this case meant stinging his hand. The bee now lay dying on the floor of the shop after leaving its stinger in the boy, while he felt the effects of the sting -- to which the boy was unknowingly allergic -- close his throat.

The boy died a few minutes later on the dirty floor of the shop, gasping desperately for a breath of coal smoke-tinged air. 

The Monk and the Old Woman

There was once a woman who was sad beyond all measure, beyond all understanding. Her life had been nothing but a long, unending path of misery and woe. Now, in her declining years, she was all alone, her children and grandchildren wanting nothing to do with who they believed to be a bitter, angry old crone.

The woman ached for death to release her from her personal hell.

However, the woman had struck up a friendship with a young monk from a nearby monastery. The monk, who was newly advanced from his novitiate, saw in the woman her pain and felt it was his duty to do what he could for the woman, and so he set out to talk to her, to improve her mood, to give her reason to live.

Though it took many long months, the old woman, at last, could again see the sun shining in her life. She no longer felt like she was constantly surrounded by an implacable black cloud of sadness, and she looked forward to the remaining years of her life.

The next day, however, she contracted an infection that killed her within the week, because she was old with a compromised immune system.

   

The Soldier's Return

After many years of serving across the seas and fighting in numerous battles, a soldier returned home to his beloved family. He hugged his children with tears in his eyes, and embraced his wife for many long minutes, unwilling to let the love of his life from his arms. He'd been separated from them all for too many years, and he promised them he would never again leave their side. He also promised God he would now live a life of peace after having had to kill so many enemy soldiers.

He'd done and seen much violence, yet somehow he'd survived all these wars without so much as a scratch upon him. The soldier now wanted to dedicate his life to his family and peace.

And the man was true to his word. He remained by his family's side, working hard to be the best father and husband he could be, and wouldn't so much as kill a spider he might find in their small home, instead gently sweeping it outside and wishing it well. He never strayed far from home and could be counted on to be there every time his friends called upon him.

Which didn't suit his wife one bit, who had enjoyed entertaining those many friends in her bed while the soldier was away fighting in the wars. So, they one day arrived with clubs and cudgels and beat the peaceful soldier to death.

The Farmer and his Gold

One day, a poor farmer was out tilling his field for the first springtime plow. His mind was beset with dreadful thoughts of poverty because his family was close to losing their home, their lands, and their hope. He had barely enough money to buy second-rate seeds, most of which wouldn't come to fruition anyway. The farmer was desperate and feared his large family would starve.

But then, his plow caught on something buried in the ground. When he stopped to see what it was, he was shocked to discover it was an ancient wooden box full of gold. His prayers had been answered!

He told his family the miraculous news, then ran into town to tell others what had happened to him. Unfortunately, by doing so he came to the attention of the local authorities, who said some of that gold was theirs, and they took their share. Same for the ever-higher levels of government, all which took more and more of his treasure, until he was left with a paltry quarter of what he found. 

But no matter, the farmer told himself. He still had plenty, more than enough for the family to survive.

Until the owner of the farm before him heard what happened, who then took him to court saying the gold was actually his and he wanted it back. By the time the legal battle was done and the farmer had paid the many lawyers he had to hire to defend himself, his gold was gone.

And the family all starved to death anyway.