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There was once a young girl
who was smart, beautiful, and rich, with parents who loved her.
One day while sitting in her garden, a strange woman approached
her. Catherine was astonished and asked, “Who are you?
How did you get past my guards?”
The woman smiled and turned to smell a yellow rose.
“What do you want?”
asked Catherine.
The woman remained silent. Catherine was tempted
to call for help but something about the woman intrigued her so
she too remained silent, waiting for the woman to speak.
In time the woman said, “I am Fate. I have
come to offer you a choice.”
“A choice?” asked
Catherine. “What kind of choice?”
“It is your time of choosing.
You must decide if you want to be happy while you are young and
unhappy when you are old, or unhappy when you are young and happy
when you are old. Choose one or the other. Your preference will
be hon-ored.”
“These are not choices I wish to make,”
said Catherine.
“Choose now or lose your opportunity.”
The woman’s intensity frightened Catherine.
She called for her guards but none came. She tried to leave the
garden but could not move. The woman smiled. “You cannot
escape Fate, my dear. I ask you for the last time, do you want
to be happy when you are young and unhappy when you are old, or
do you prefer to be unhappy while you are young and happy when
you are old?”
”Wrinkles and misery make poor companions,
I choose to be unhappy when I am young and happy when I am old,”
Catherine said reluctantly.
“So be it,” said the woman who
then disappeared.
Soon after, one of Catherine’s serving women
brought her a cool drink. “You look pale my lady, is something
wrong?”
Looking around, Catherine saw that nothing had
changed. “Perhaps I have just had a bad dream. Thank you
for your kindness.” She sipped the refreshing liquid and
tried to pretend that all was well.
For a few days, all was as it had always been,
yet Catherine felt uneasy. She sensed something was amiss. Her
fears proved true. Her father’s ships with all his wealth
were lost at sea. Thieves attacked those defending the mansion,
taking what was valuable, setting fire to the house as they left.
Only Catherine survived, escaping with only the clothes on her
back.
“Oh Fate, could you not have spared
my parents? Surely they deserved better. They have done no harm...”
Catherine begged and pleaded, but there was no response.
A servant who saw what had happened gave Catherine
a few of her clothes and a basket of food. “Take these,
Miss. You were good to me and my children and we have not forgotten
your kindness.” As the woman was about to leave, she warned,
“Remember, the world is not as you have known it. Be careful.”
Catherine nodded, too grief-stricken to speak.
For many days she walked, wondering what to do
and where to go. When she arrived in a large town Catherine decided
to seek out a kind looking woman and ask for work. Up and down
the streets she trudged, not seeing anyone she dared to ask. Just
then, a well-dressed woman appeared in an open window. “Please
good woman, I am the daughter of a wealthy man who lost his fortune.
I seek work as a ladies maid. Although I have few skills save
embroidery, I am willing to learn.”
“You have come at the right time. My
serving woman left this morning. I will teach you what you need
to know.”
And so for a time, Catherine was content. Her mistress
was kind and patient. Perhaps, thought Catherine, I was merely
meant to learn to serve. Perhaps all is now well. A few more days
passed without incident.
One morning, her mistress said, “I leave
this morning to visit with my sister. I will return tomorrow.
Take good care of everything while I am gone.” No sooner
had the woman left than Fate appeared.
“So my sweet Catherine, did you think
to hide from me? Did you think that I forgot your choice?”
Catherine watched in horror as Fate smashed glasses,
tore curtains, broke furniture, and slashed paintings. Sobbing,
Catherine ran out of the house, too afraid and upset to stay.
After she disappeared, Fate restored the house to its former condition.
When the woman returned, she looked for Catherine. Not finding
her she checked the whole house but nothing was missing. All she
could do was wonder what had happened.
For seven years Fate followed Catherine, disrupting
her life wherever she went, however she fled. Catherine learned
to be observant and prepared for she could not predict when or
how Fate would strike. She wondered how old she had to be before
she was old enough to be happy.
On her travels in a remote village at the foot
of a mountain, Catherine once again found employment and asked
what her duties would be. She was surprised to her mistress say,
“Every morning, I will need you to take a special plate
of bread and cheese up the path which winds around and ends at
the top of the mountain.”
Catherine could not hide her astonishment. “May
I ask why?”
“Certainly. It is well that you know.
You are bringing an offering to my Fate. I shudder to think what
my life would be like were she not to receive this every morning.
It was easier when I was younger. Now, each day the climb becomes
more difficult. I have been worrying what would happen when I
could no longer walk the steep path. I am happy for your service.”
“Your Fate?” asked Catherine.
“Yes,” said the woman. “Fate
and I have had many encounters. My care of her takes care of me.
Listen well. Tomorrow morning, when you approach the top of the
mountain, you will smell a sweet scent. Follow your nose and it
will lead you to the home of Fate. Knock three times. A door will
open and a tall woman will stretch out her hand. Give her the
plate and wait. She will soon return it to you. Bring it home
and wash it carefully. Place it where you found it.”
“Oh,” said Catherine, looking unhappy and frightened.
The old woman asked, “What is wrong?
After telling her what had happened since Fate
first appeared in her garden, Catherine asked, “Do you think
it is possible that your Fate might help me find a way to please
my Fate? I will do anything to appease her.”
“Be careful what you promise. Fate
is a hard taskmaster. Still, when you have fed my Fate, and you
feel the time is right, ask for her help. Do not beg. Be pleasant.
Accept what happens without complaint.”
For seven days, Catherine fed the woman’s
Fate. On the eighth day, she decided the time was right to ask
for help. The tall woman who took the food answered, “Now
is not the time to ask. When you return tomorrow, I will take
you to her.” Catherine thanked her and gathered a bouquet
of flowers which she laid in front of her door.
The next morning, after receiving the plate of
bread and cheese, the tall woman took Catherine to meet her Fate.
“Sister, here is one who begs an end to your torment. She
looks deserving of a rest.”
Fate stared deep into Catherine’s eyes for
a long time. It was all Catherine could do to meet her gaze, politely,
without flinching. “Very well, my dear Catherine, here is
a skein of silken thread. If you continue to take good care of
it and me, we will treat you well.” Before Catherine could
thank her, Fate disappeared. This time Catherine gathered two
bouquets of flowers, laying them in front of each door.
All the way down the mountain Catherine tried to
make sense of what had happened. Even her mistress was puzzled.
“The thread looks ordinary to me but I advise you to follow
Fate’s advice. Take good care of it and in time, we shall
know its use.”
The next morning, after Catherine returned from
the mountain, her mistress told her what she had heard. A proclamation
had been issued. The King was to be married and there was no more
silk thread of the right color. Without it the King’s wedding
robes could not be finished. Anyone with silk thread the color
of the royal robes was to bring it to the court. “Go, Catherine.
I am sure your thread is the right color. Give it to him and you
will be rewarded.”
When Catherine appeared before the King she noticed
how handsome he was and thought it a pity he was soon to be married.
“Your majesty, is this thread suitable for your purpose?”
The thread matched perfectly. “Bring the
scales. You shall have gold equal to the weight of the skein.”
The scales were brought in and the skein put on one side, gold
on the other. But no matter how much gold was put on the scale,
the skein weighed more. Exasperated, the King put his crown on
the scale and immediately there was balance.
“Where did you get this thread?”
asked the King.
Catherine told him all that had happened. The King
listened, noticing her intelligence and beauty, the grace with
which she spoke. “I have changed my mind. I want to marry
you.”
And so it happened as Fate promised. Catherine
lived to be a very old woman and each year was happier than the
one before.
Excerpted from Dancing
With Wonder: Self-Discovery Through Stories,
published by Champion Press.
There are many ways to create a story journey. The
following four suggestions are meant to help you begin once you
have paint that you can use with your fingers--at least 6 colors--red,
brown, blue, green, black and yellow-- and non-hardening clay.
It's nice to work with two or three people so points of view can
be shared, but if you are by yourself, read aloud, or tell yourself
the story, and begin exploring.
   
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