I self-published this fable in Dec. 2021. By self-published I mean I used cardstock paper, a hole- puncher, and some ribbon to gift a copy to a few friends and family. To keep the posts short and sweet, this short story is presented in parts. You can find Parts 1, 2, and 3 here , here, and here, respectively. Enjoy!
The man came home from work one day and he could no longer see the shine glimmering from his wife’s skin. In fact, the lies he had told himself had grown so strong that he no longer saw her beauty at all. He could only see a hag bent on taking his money. In his mind, he heard the whispers of the prostitutes he visited on his way home, telling him he should put his wife and the child out, telling him his wife only cared for his money, telling him that they, instead, would comfort him.
That same day the man had also imbibed quite a bit of strong drink. Without warning, his temper took hold and he unleashed curse upon curse on his wife and ordered her to leave, “lest I slaughter you like the beast you are.” The wife saw the darkness pour out of her husband and into the house. Despite the candles that lit the room, it was so dim she could hardly see.
The woman had seen this day was coming. A spirit had come to her in a dream a week prior to warn her.
“When you wake tomorrow morning, you will find an abandoned donkey along the eastern shore. Take the donkey home and feed it with your best barley. Do this for seven days, for on the night of the seventh day, your husband will cast out you and your child. The donkey will carry you safely back to your village through the night and no harm will befall you both. Take care not to take anything with you, save the clothes on your backs, for all else is contaminated with darkness of this land.”
The next morning the wife had indeed found the donkey, as the spirit had said, and she did all that the spirit had instructed. So, when the husband commanded her to get out, she simply bowed her head, took her daughter, and walked out the door. The moment they mounted the donkey they became invisible, so the husband could not see his wife and child as they rode away into the night.
Still full of fury, the man built a large fire and burned everything his wife had ever made. The fire roared and the man raged and cursed until, finally, the strong drink overtook him and he fell into a deep sleep. As he slept, he was visited by the old man he had met so many years earlier. “You should have heeded my warning, young sire. Now you will yearn for your wife and child the rest of your days, but the only way to find them is to denounce the evil in your heart.”
At that moment, the man woke with a start. He looked and saw all that surrounded him. In his mind’s eye, he saw his wife and daughter as they left, and he immediately felt pangs of grief so terrible he could only fall to his knees. Then from the depths of his soul leapt a scream that was so loud, full of sorrow, and horrifying all at once that every creature above and below fled from the area.
