The Tale of Sasha the Merrimaker
Dear Reader,
Welcome to Sara Montgomery's Story Corner! This story started for me as an exercise in writing plot with aggressive simplicity to combat my predilection for verbosity. When I finished it, I liked it so much I decided to share it here. It begins with the spare, sometimes strange prose of a fairy tale, but eventually relaxes into a balance between my natural wordiness and the bare-bones style I attempted to emulate. The chapters are comic book length, and the story starts with one hero, but has many by the end, each one grappling with what it means to be who he or she is, and whether or not change is possible. For the most part, though, it is a romp through a world of magic, dragons, gods, and the life of the mind. I hope you enjoy it.
Sincerely,
Sara
P.S. Accepting illustration submissions.
Welcome to Sara Montgomery's Story Corner! This story started for me as an exercise in writing plot with aggressive simplicity to combat my predilection for verbosity. When I finished it, I liked it so much I decided to share it here. It begins with the spare, sometimes strange prose of a fairy tale, but eventually relaxes into a balance between my natural wordiness and the bare-bones style I attempted to emulate. The chapters are comic book length, and the story starts with one hero, but has many by the end, each one grappling with what it means to be who he or she is, and whether or not change is possible. For the most part, though, it is a romp through a world of magic, dragons, gods, and the life of the mind. I hope you enjoy it.
Sincerely,
Sara
P.S. Accepting illustration submissions.
PROLOGUE
One time long ago, Zeus the almighty, King of the Gods, left Olympus disguised as a giant eagle. During his flight he encountered the Four Winds engaged in a battle to determine which of them was strongest. Not recognizing their king in his altered form, the Anemoi shoved and flipped and threw Zeus around until he crash landed outside the home of a farmer and his wife. The farmer brought the bird inside so his wife could make it for dinner, but the woman felt intense pity for the injured animal and instead of cooking it, she nursed it back to health much to the displeasure of her husband for they were poor and hungry.
For five days and nights, the woman cared for the eagle, never leaving its side, until finally on the sixth day, the restored animal flew away. That summer, a horrible drought threatened the family’s well-being, so Zeus, in an effort to repay the farmer’s wife, showered her land with all the rain the sky had to give. The couple produced the largest vegetables anyone had ever seen, and grew rich with the bounty of that season. Zeus considered his debt discharged. But then, word of the farmer’s fantastic harvest reached the ear of the king, who asked the farmer to bring examples of his exceptional yield to the castle, but on his way to court, thieves beset the farmer, and he died protecting his goods.
In despair, his wife threw herself off the highest cliff she could find, only to be caught by a giant eagle who flew her to a secret castle where dozens of servants saw to her every need. They served her the most delicious foods, sang her the most beautiful songs, and told her the most wonderful stories, but her sadness only increased and she begged to be returned to her home.
When Zeus heard of this he came before her as his true self, furious that his great generosity should be met with such displeasure. He screamed and shouted, demanding to know what she needed to be happy.
“What does a god like you care if a poor woman like me is discontent or not?” she asked him. Zeus wondered himself for the woman was neither young nor beautiful, neither noble nor exceptional. In a fluster, Zeus turned once again into an eagle, took her home, and flew away determined to never think of her again.
Over the next several years, the woman’s grief dissipated, and she once again cultivated a prospering farm. Zeus came back to check on her often, at first in secret, then just for brief conversations, then he stopped in for tea, then dinner, and before too long, he became her lover…
For five days and nights, the woman cared for the eagle, never leaving its side, until finally on the sixth day, the restored animal flew away. That summer, a horrible drought threatened the family’s well-being, so Zeus, in an effort to repay the farmer’s wife, showered her land with all the rain the sky had to give. The couple produced the largest vegetables anyone had ever seen, and grew rich with the bounty of that season. Zeus considered his debt discharged. But then, word of the farmer’s fantastic harvest reached the ear of the king, who asked the farmer to bring examples of his exceptional yield to the castle, but on his way to court, thieves beset the farmer, and he died protecting his goods.
In despair, his wife threw herself off the highest cliff she could find, only to be caught by a giant eagle who flew her to a secret castle where dozens of servants saw to her every need. They served her the most delicious foods, sang her the most beautiful songs, and told her the most wonderful stories, but her sadness only increased and she begged to be returned to her home.
When Zeus heard of this he came before her as his true self, furious that his great generosity should be met with such displeasure. He screamed and shouted, demanding to know what she needed to be happy.
“What does a god like you care if a poor woman like me is discontent or not?” she asked him. Zeus wondered himself for the woman was neither young nor beautiful, neither noble nor exceptional. In a fluster, Zeus turned once again into an eagle, took her home, and flew away determined to never think of her again.
Over the next several years, the woman’s grief dissipated, and she once again cultivated a prospering farm. Zeus came back to check on her often, at first in secret, then just for brief conversations, then he stopped in for tea, then dinner, and before too long, he became her lover…
On to Chapter One...