Tales of the Blind Bard Sam'uel: Kindness and reward
“Tell us another story!” the children demanded in the dimly lit room. “I want to hear the story of the Travelling Princess!” said one of the youngest girls. “Not that again, tell us about the Mergoin! Or a story about Knights of the Grand Flock” pleaded one of the boys.
Sam’uel was a popular visitor at the orphanage. The children loved his stories and the matron gladly gave them to his care. Dummling didn’t look like the brightest star in the night sky but the matron knew his stories and songs were full of wisdom and hope.
“Stories aren’t always about adventure and excitement” Sam’uel cleared his throat as he sat down on the simple chair by the fireplace, “But they can still be worthwhile to hear. Have I told you about the clumsy Kypiq and the Brudvir hunter?”. None of the children said yes so he began telling the story:
Once upon a time there was kypiq who was known for his unusual clumsiness in his tribe. One day he was gathering mushrooms growing on the sides of the trees deep in the forest. He climbed the trees mostly without any problems but one of the trees had a lot of vines growing around it. Usually the vines make climbing easier but the clumsy Kypiq grabbed the withered vines that gave up even under his light weight. He fell but tried his best to grab any of the vines he could reach while falling but ended up entangled, hanging just a few feet above the ground. He tried and tried, but the vines were so tight that he could not escape no matter what he did. Soon the sounds of his struggling attracted a pair of curious canis rabbits and as the beasts got closer and closer, the Kypiq started panicking and praying out loud for help.
A Brudvir hunter happened to be nearby and hear the ruckus the Kypiq was making. He went to see what was happening and as he approached the noises, he saw the canis rabbits jumping to reach the poor Kypiq who was hanging just a few inches too high for them.
“My lucky day”, said the hunter as he pulled the string of his bow. He quickly shot the first canis rabbit and then the other before it noticed its partner missing. The Brudvir came out of the bushes, picked up his prey and turned to leave.
“Wait, wait, wait please, wait!” Yelled the kypiq, “Don’t leave me here hanging!”.
The Brudvir glanced at the Kypiq, “why should I bother, I already saved you from the beasts?”.
“Please, just cut some of the vines! I have nothing on me, but I will repay you some day, I swear!” cried the Kypiq. The Brudvir grunted but turned around with his knife and cut the Kypiq loose. “Thank you! Thank you!” the clumsy Kypiq cheered, “I’m sure to repay you”.
“I doubt that”, said the Brudvir, disappearing back into the forest while the Kypiq was still struggling his way out of the remaining vines.
Few days passed and the Brudvir was hunting again, this time trailing animals a bit farther away in an unfamiliar part of the forest. He was an experienced hunter and knew how to move in the forest but sometimes luck just isn’t your side. As he walked past some old ruins, the ground collapsed under him! He had fallen into an old well.
He cursed his bad luck and looked at the smooth wet walls of the well. “It will be hard to get back up”, he said to himself and indeed it was. He tried to get a grip of the wall, but it was too slippery. He tried to use his trusty knife to climb but broke the blade. He tried and tried once again but soon he realized there was no escaping the well. The fear grew in his heart as he realized the trouble he had gotten into and started yelling for help. He was far away from any settlement and there were no roads nearby, but he shouted as hard as he could.
But no one came. He was trapped in a well with no food and no way to escape. Hours passed and the Brudvir lost his hope. As he sobbed in despair something splashed into the shallow water next to him.
“A rope?” he looked up and saw a small figure waving at him. “Climb up already! I promised to repay!” the Kypiq hurried him happily and thus the Brudvir was saved from his demise.
Sam’uel smiled and tilted his head, “So what was the moral of this story?”. Most children stayed quiet or mumbled something under their breaths but one of the braver kids raised his hand and said, “helping is good?”
“Basically, yes! Small acts of kindness are often rewarded greatly! Help those in need and you will be helped someday”. Sam’uel smiled and stood up. “Thank you for listening again, you are the marvelous crowd. It’s getting late and I’m sure the matron wants all of you in beds already”. Children groaned displeased but started preparing their beds.
“Thank you again” the matron approached Sam’uel, “This was their highlight of the week as always”. Samuel nodded with a smile and let the matron guide him to the door.
It was already dark outside but that wasn’t an issue for the old Dummling who had lost his eyesight. He was used to the eternal darkness and the area was familiar to him, so he started heading to the local tavern without any hesitation in his step while pondering the meaning of his last story. Life isn’t always that simple, he knew that sometimes even good deeds were rewarded with ungratefulness or even malicious intent, but it was better for the children to keep their innocence as long as possible. They have plenty of time to learn how cruel the world can be if they haven’t figured it out already, having lost their parents after all. He just hoped his stories and songs would entertain them and maybe even guide them.
Sam’uel sighed and carried on. He was already close to his destination and he could hear some music and chatter from afar. The tavern was crowded as always, and as he stepped to the door, he felt eager to perform again and meet some old friends.
Continue reading: Prelude - A Barmaids Roguery and Tales of the Blind Bard "Sam'uel" - The First Riddles
Written as part of the Owl Library - Writing Competition
