The boy’s hands had been frozen cold by the snow. He shivered wondering if he had the strength to return home, but he must mother needed the food. He imagined the warmth of a blazing fire. He saw a key that poked out in the snow. So tiny yet he could sense its power. Curious how a wooden box appeared. “There’s a bit of magic I would guess” much later to that he’d attest. As the gold key turned in the box, the key began to grow and glow.
The fire he had hoped for sprung up around the key, but the boy was brave and touched the fire without being burned.
Though many people in the presence of magic ask for something to ease their lot, the boy was content to hold the warm key and box. The box got heavier until the boy reluctantly set it down on the ground, but he continued to hold on tight. As the flame grew more intense, the box, which revealed itself to be pure gold, became clear like glass. The boy expectantly peered inside. The only thing he could see was a plain gold ring. He reached in through the fire, grasped the flame filled ring, and placed it on his finger.
An onlooker would have seen a most magnificent thing on that frozen eve. A key, a box, and a ring transformed a boy to a knight. The glow about him melted the snow. A kaleidoscope of color mingled with the fire, flowers sprung from the impotent earth, fruit sprouted on nearby trees, and life that had so long ago departed returned to the barren land.
Little did this simple boy know that he was chosen by the key for a mission. The knight would save many downtrodden soul in the cold, unrelenting world and provide golden hope for the besieged. Long after the knight was gone stories would be told, through the land, of the knight who carried warmth for all in his hands and his heart.
Today is National Tell a Story Day.
penned in moon dust 