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At the top of a hill, in a small house, lived a grandmother with her granddaughter Flora. Every evening before bedtime, the grandmother read the girl stories and fables. Most of all, Flora loved the tale about a magical Fearless Flower which blooms during moonless nights in the depths of the Immortal Forest.

“The one who picks this flower will become the bravest in the world, and will never fear anything again”, claimed the grandmother. “It grows within an impenetrable thicket, where an old owl hoots at night. Only the Forest Sprite knows how to get there. Many have sought out this mythical flower, but none have yet managed to take it.”

The grandmother always finished the story with these words. She then turned out the light, bid her granddaughter good night, and left for her own room.

Flora remained alone in her room. She was unable to fall asleep for a long time. She was quite afraid of darkness. She hid by pulling her blanket over her head. “If only I had that flower. I would not be afraid of anything anymore…”, dreamed the girl.

One day, the grandmother became ill. She had developed a fever by evening. Flora became quite anxious and decided to fetch a doctor from the village. She quickly got herself ready and left the house.

It was very dark outside… she became fearful. But she had resolutely decided to get a doctor for her grandmother.

The road to travel was a lengthy one. To reach the village, one had to walk down the hill and cut across a large corn field with scarecrows meant to frighten birds away. The scarecrows seemed sinister at night. They swayed with the wind and fluttered their hollow sleeves. The local farmers had placed them there to chase crows from their fields.

Flora gazed at the sky. It was sprinkled with stars. There was no sign of the moon, not even a sliver. It made the night even darker.

“Would it not be on a night just like this one that the magical flower should bloom?”, thought Flora. “How useful it would be for me right now! And what if I went into the forest to find it? Then, I would become the bravest girl… and I wouldn’t be scared on my way to the village – not even a tiny bit.”

Without mulling over this for too long, the girl turned towards the forest. Somewhere within the impenetrable underbrush, grew the mythical flower. The forest also harboured a pond. The grandmother had named it ‘The Witch’s Eye’. Its waters were so sombre that even the forest animals refused to drink from it. This pond possessed a secret: Misty Spook lived there. Spook was afraid of light. So during the day, she always hid at the bottom of the pond, which means that people didn’t know she existed. However, at night she came out to unnerve the woodland inhabitants. Just as Flora entered the forest, Spook was poking around for someone to frighten.

“Oo-oo-oo, how lucky I am”, murmured Misty Spook while she wafted behind the girl.

Flora made her way through a tangle of branches towards the owl’s hooting. She pushed deeper and deeper into the forest. At night, the huge trees resembled scary hungry monsters to the girl…

Suddenly, something creaked nearby.

“Who’s there?”, cried the startled Flora while spinning around. She had a feeling that someone was hiding in the darkness.

Misty Spook rustled the leaves of a large bush with all her might. Fear felt like spine-tingling insects crawling up the girl’s back. Her little heart began to thump so loudly that she thought it would jump out of her chest. Misty Spook was having a ball! She made scary sounds and tapped on the trees’ leaves. When she removed sticky spiderwebs from a bush and threw them in the girl’s face, Flora could take no more and began to run.

“Oo-oo-oo… Sh-sh-sh-sh…”, hissed the happy Spook, catching up to her victim. She loved it when people were afraid of her.

Misty Spook grabbed at the girl’s legs. Flora tripped and fell. She almost began to cry in fear, but suddenly changed her mind.

“Enough! I’m not going to be scared of anything anymore!”, resolutely announced Flora. “Hey, you! Come out and show yourself! Now hear this… you won’t spook me!”, she yelled at the invisible terror.

Misty Spook didn’t expect such courage from a small girl. She herself was quite timid. So realizing that she was no longer scary, she quickly faded into obscurity.

The owl could no longer be heard. Flora looked around and realized she was lost. She seated herself on a fallen log… “How foolish I am”, thought the little girl. “Instead of reaching the village to fetch a doctor, I got myself lost in the forest. I wonder how my grandma is doing? There’s no one else but me to help her! What should I do now?”

Suddenly, a tiny frail old man appeared from behind the trees. A large owl was perched on his shoulder, a toadstool hat covered his head, and his long thick beard was tucked into his trousers.

“I believe we found her”, he declared to the bird.

“Hoo, hoo”, hooted the old owl, who promptly flew away.

“Good evening, Flora. I know what you’re seeking. Come, I’ll guide you.”

The elderly gentleman took Flora’s hand and led her through the forest on a small path known only to him, to where the flower of courage blossomed.

You’ve probably guessed who the girl just met in the forest?…

A bit later, Forest Sprite and Flora reached a clearing. There, the girl witnessed a small miracle: on a mouldy old tree stump, a tiny flower of unrivalled beauty had grown. It was no larger than one’s little finger and illuminated its surroundings with a soft violet glow. Flora gasped in astonishment.

“You’re a very brave girl. The Fearless Flower is now yours. You may take it”, announced the old man.

“No, I’m not brave at all. I’m quite afraid of the dark”, replied Flora with sadness.

“Is it not dark nor scary in the forest at night?”, exclaimed the elderly gentleman. “But you conquered your fear!”

“And if I pick the flower, I’ll become even braver?”, inquired the girl.

“Probably not. But the courage you already have will remain with you forever!”

“Then why should I pick this tiny magical flower? Let it be”, decided Flora. “Maybe someone else will need its courage.”

“You not only possess guile, but are also overwhelmingly kind”, beamed the old man. “It is only to people such as yourself that I show where the Fearless Flower grows.”

“Oh! I completely forgot about my grandmother! I need to fetch a doctor”, suddenly recalled Flora…

Forest Sprite led her out all the way to the village itself. She then turned towards the elderly gentleman, but he had already vanished.

The brave girl walked briskly to the doctor’s house. She told him that her grandmother had become ill and they hurried back. The anxious grandmother met them on the front porch.

“Grandma, you look well!”, rejoiced the granddaughter.

“Flora, you can’t imagine how I worried about you”, declared the little old lady, tightly hugging the girl.

The doctor examined the grandmother and stated that she was already cured. They all sat down for some tea.

At the table, Flora recounted her nocturnal adventures.

Her grandmother listened while smiling mysteriously. She remembered how, long ago when she was still a little girl, she had spent the night in the Immortal Forest. She also remembered the minuscule violet flower, that she left to bloom as Flora had done, on the old stump…

© Asa Guves, 2012

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