Winds

 They say there are winds that blow so strong that they can pass right through you without you ever realizing they were there. They also say that these winds were created by a goddess in the olden days and if you fell prey to them, that was the end: you were held captive for ever.

 

The dewdrops on the leaves of the trees around the lake sparkled in the sun and the cool breeze, which sang like the harps of angels, ruffled the Lady of the Lake’s golden hair, proclaiming her beauty to the very ends of the earth. This was virgin land and no man had ever set foot here. The only duty the Lady of the Lake’s had was to kiss the lake and fill it with her beauty. Indeed, there was no one more beautiful than the Lady of the Lake and if people had known of her existence, they would have gathered all around her so they could admire her from morning till night. Yet, the Lady of the Lake knew nothing of the world except for this magical place where she was the sole dweller. What’s more, she had made a solemn vow to the gods never to let any emotion ever enter her heart so that she could be completely devoted to the lake.

And so the years, the decades and the centuries passed without anyone ever laying eyes on this magical land and this beautiful Lady until one day, as life would have it, a lowly, young shepherd of no particular ancestry, but as daring a daydreamer as anyone, decided to travel the world to gaze upon its hidden beauties. Every step he took brought him closer to new lands and new discoveries. And he was as happy as ever because he would have stories to tell for years and years to his fellow villagers �" stories of things no one else had ever seen.

And so one day his steps brought him to the Lady of the Lake, who was sitting on the opposite shore, on a rock overhanging the Lake’s emerald waters. She was so beautiful that fairies paled before her. The young shepherd called out to her, but she did not stir from her spot, but merely shot him a cold and indifferent stare. Our young shepherd, however, well acquainted by now with hardship from his long and arduous travels, decided to stay and make this Lady love him though he was a mere mortal and though he had to fight against solemn vows made to gods.

There were days when he stood there staring at her without so much as blinking; there were days when he dove into the Lake and tried to swim to her, but the waters then swelled and angry waves hurled him back onto the shore while the Lady of the Lady just sat there, staring at him coldly and indifferently; there were days when he could not sleep a wink and the gods to whom the Lady had made her vows looked on from above and laughed at him.

Yet the lowly, young shepherd truly loved the Lady of the Lake and would not think of leaving. Thus, the years passed and he grew into a man. The Lady of the Lake’s gaze changed too: from a cold and indifferent stare, her gaze had filled with awe for the man who had stood there unfailingly for so many years. The laughter of the gods faded too, and its place was taken by an irritation over this mortal’s tenacity. There was only one goddess, in fact, who had managed to notice that the Lady of the Lake’s awestruck gaze was filled with tears over the vows she had made to the gods, which like magic crystals kept her away from the man who loved her so much.

Then this goddess, with a spell older than the gods themselves, whipped up winds swifter than light or death or even hope, and sent them over the valley, round the mountains and trees straight into the Lady of the Lake’s heart. The shepherd dove into the Lake and the angry waves that swelled to hurl him back to the shore were blown away by the winds. The lake waters, which had been there for thousands of years, slowly started becoming dewdrops and rose to the sky. The crystals that had formed in Lady of the Lake’s heart from the vow she had made to the gods started cracking from the strong winds that whipped through her.

And as the lake waters started vanishing into the rising dewdrops, the shepherd was able to make his way to the Lady of the Lake and he embraced her with all his heart and soul. Just then the dewdrops started to swirl into a whirlwind, sweeping the shepherd and his Lady high up into the sky, transforming them into a constellation. They say that these winds have not vanished, but rather dwell in this constellation. At night-time they travel faster than light or death or even hope and haunt people that are destined to be held captive by love. 

Reviews

[EcstaticEuphoria]

Wow! There are tears welling in my eyes to behold which a piece filled with emotion. Speaks right to the heart of all of us hopeless romantics that dream of such an endless love of those emortal and mortal and those desires and hopes that keep us searching and pushing forward to win the heart of the mystical. Loved every well made word and emotion that you shared with me! This one will go down in history.

[Manos]

thank you!!!!!!!!

[Nariko]

I like how you described the scenery and the lady of the lake. I can almost envision all of it happening right before my eyes. The magical touch you put in the story is nice!