Bedtime Story: Marianna

Welcome,

I'm Joanne and this is Drift Off,

A soft place for you to land at the end of the day.

I'd like to offer you a calming bedtime story tonight,

Softly told,

With a nice,

Soft,

Gentle voice that I hope will help you feel nurtured,

Safe,

And at ease so you can drift off.

So are you ready for a bedtime story?

Well then,

Get comfy and cozy in your bed and snuggle up tight and let me be your guide now.

Sweet dreams my friend,

And good night.

Once upon a time,

A wicked nobleman rose in rebellion against his rightful king,

And taking the royal forces by surprise,

Defeated them and seized the kingdom.

The dethroned king,

Who had been severely wounded in battle,

Was cast in prison,

Where he soon died.

His widow,

The Queen,

Managed to escape from the palace before the usurper could apprehend her.

The Queen ran into the dark forest which lay behind the palace,

Holding her baby daughter in her arms.

It was wintertime,

And a heavy snow had hidden the footpaths and the roads,

Making it very difficult for her to find her way.

The Queen was quickly losing hope,

Because she knew that she was lost.

Bravely,

She trudged along through the silence and the cold,

Her heart sinking as mile after mile revealed no sign of a house or a shelter.

At long last,

Late in the afternoon,

When the red shield of the sun could scarcely be seen through the wood branches of the trees,

She noticed a dim light coming from a little grove of cedars by the shore of a frozen lake.

The Queen slowly made her way toward this light,

And discovered a little thatched hut in the silent wood.

She soon learned it was the house of one of the dwarfs of the forest.

The dwarf took pity on the Queen and took her in,

Offering her food,

Shelter and warmth,

But his efforts proved futile.

The poor woman,

Weak and exhausted,

Didn't even have the strength to tell the dwarf anything about herself or the child she carried,

And sadly,

By nightfall,

She died.

So the little dwarf,

Who was a good,

Kind old fellow,

Raised the little girl as if she were his own child.

His brother,

The dwarf of the mountain,

Made her the prettiest leather shoes,

And his cousins,

The dwarfs of the pines,

Made the little girl dresses and shawls from a red cloth woven on fairy looms.

On the night her mother brought her to the hut,

The little girl was wearing a golden heart-shaped locket with a crown and the letter M upon it in diamonds.

So the dwarf called the little girl,

Marianna.

Seventeen years passed,

And Marianna grew into a lovely young woman.

Her hair was as black as the raven's wing,

Her eyes were as blue as the midsummer sea,

And her skin was as fair as the petal of a rose.

One spring morning,

A little yellow bird flew into the cedar grove and gave the dwarf a letter which it held in its beak.

The dwarf read the letter and said to Marianna,

The emperor of the elves has asked me to come to the great assembly of the dwarfs,

Which is to be held next year on the golden mountain.

Alas,

What are we to do?

I cannot take you with me,

Dear child,

For it is forbidden to bring mortals to the assembly,

Nor can I leave you here in this lonely wood by yourself.

To this Marianna replied.

Do not fear,

Dear father.

Give me your crystal flask with the healing water,

And I shall go forth into the world until it is time for you to return again.

Perhaps I shall discover somebody who can tell me the meaning of this locket or the history of my dear mother.

Very well,

Replied the dwarf,

And taking his knotted staff,

He bid farewell to the young maiden and made his way over the hill to the golden mountain.

Then Marianna took the crystal flask of the healing water and walked boldly out of the wood into the wide,

Wide world.

It was the middle of the spring.

The ice and snow had all disappeared.

The trees were putting forth their leaves,

And there were clusters of primroses by the roadside.

In the swaying,

Rustling heart of a great elm tree,

A little thrush was singing.

Through cities and towns went lovely Marianna,

Bringing good cheer to the helpless and the sick,

And curing all who came to her,

Rich and poor,

With the wonderful water of healing.

But never did she find anybody who could tell her about the gold heart with the diamond crown.

Now it came to pass that,

As Marianna was one day walking through a village in the heart of the adamant mountains,

A ragged old woman besought her with tears to come to a hamlet which stood at the head of a high and dangerous path.

Touched by the old woman's supplication,

Marianna followed her to the hamlet and found in a wretched hut,

Lying on a dismal bed,

A beautiful young peasant girl dying of a fever.

So Marianna touched the girl with the water of healing,

And in an instant she became well and strong.

Dear lady,

Said the peasant girl,

Pressing Marianna's hands to her lips,

How sweet and kind are you!

It is the debt I owe thee!

And as the girl poured out her thanks,

Marianna heard a faint chirp,

And looking down beheld a little yellow bird crouching on the hearthstone.

Every now and then he hid his head under his wings and cried unhappily.

It was the yellow bird which had brought the message from the emperor of the elves.

Poor little bird,

Said Marianna,

Bending down and taking him up in her hands.

Why are you crying so mournfully?

Who has harmed you?

But the bird uttered only a forlorn little cry and hid his head again under his wings.

I found him on the rocks at the mountaintop yesterday,

Said the mother.

And has wounded him,

His wing is broken,

And she put the bird on the floor of the house and bade Marianna watch how he fluttered trailing a wing in the dust.

Again Marianna stooped,

And picking up the bird,

Touched the wounded wing with the water of healing.

Scarcely had she done so,

When the yellow bird burst into a joyous and golden song,

And flying to the window,

Beat madly against the panes.

Then the peasant girl threw open the casement,

And the yellow bird flew out into the streaming sun.

He is gone forever,

Said the peasant girl.

Nay,

He returns,

Said Marianna gently,

As the yellow bird flew back and perched in the sheltering of Marianna's arms.

Then,

Accompanied by the peasant girl and the yellow bird,

Who flew singing before her,

Marianna went down the dangerous path to the high road in the valley.

When they reached the foot of the path,

The peasant girl cried,

Farewell,

Dear Marianna,

May it someday be mine to repay thee.

Into the world again went Marianna,

And with her went the yellow bird.

Presently she came to the fairest land which she had ever seen,

A land of rolling fields,

Little hills,

And rivers bordered with pale willow trees.

This pleasant land,

Unknown to Marianna,

Was part of her father's kingdom,

And she was really its queen because her father had been the last rightful king.

Now while Marianna had been in the forest,

The wicked nobleman who had stolen the kingdom from Marianna's father had died,

Leaving his brother,

Garibin,

In charge of the kingdom and of the interests of the nobleman's little son,

Prince Desire.

Prince Garibin,

However,

Taking advantage of the youth and helplessness of his nephew,

Had himself assumed the state and heirs of King.

For some time he had enjoyed undisturbed the possession of his stolen throne,

But as Desire grew taller and stronger every year,

Garibin began to fear the day when he would be compelled to resign in favor of his nephew.

When the prince reached his twentieth year,

Garibin would certainly have killed him openly had he dared,

But fearing the people,

He resolved to use secret methods and bribed a cruel magician to afflict poor Desire with a deadly and mysterious malady.

Of this malady,

Desire was slowly dying,

For no medicine could cure him or even give him any relief from his constant pain.

Every morning the cruel Garibin,

In the hope of finding his nephew dead,

Would go to the sick room and you may be sure that his wicked heart rejoiced when he found the prince weaker and more feverish.

Garibin had just returned from a visit to the prince,

Who was rapidly failing.

When the captain of the castle guard came to him with the news that the wonderful Marianna had arrived in the kingdom,

The king gave orders that she be brought before him.

So Marianna,

Walking between two guards and followed across the courtyard by crowds of curious people,

Was led before the king.

The little yellow bird sat on Marianna's shoulder and never did the maiden appear lovelier or more gentle.

Scarcely had Garibin set eyes on Marianna when he caught sight of the golden locket which she wore about her neck.

Had he not been very old and crafty,

He would have darted from his golden throne,

For he knew that the little golden heart set with diamonds had been one of the crown jewels and that therefore Marianna must be the missing princess and rightful queen of the kingdom.

What was he to do?

If he refused to let Marianna help the prince,

The people may begin to suspect him and start a revolution which would thrust him from his throne.

If he allowed Marianna to cure the prince,

The prince would certainly demand the kingdom on his twenty-first birthday.

What was he to do with Marianna whose right to the throne was superior even to his nephew's?

Perplexed and with fear in his heart,

The king sought the cruel magician who had cast the spell on desire.

The magician lived in a gloomy tower and had an enchanted black dog that he fed with flaming coals.

He listened to Garibin's story,

Stirring a grey cauldron all the while and said,

Do not fear,

I will destroy both claimants to the throne at once.

Garibin rubbed his hands together with glee.

Tonight I shall cast a spell of sleep on Marianna,

Steal the crystal flask,

Empty it of the water of healing and refill it with a liquid which will cause death within a night and a day.

I shall then replace the flask before Marianna wakes.

You will allow Marianna to visit the prince.

She will touch him with the deadly water and the prince will die.

You can then try Marianna for having killed the prince and condemn her to be thrown from the precipice.

So pleased was Garibin with this horrid plot that he could have danced for joy.

That very night,

The magician filled Marianna's flask with the poisonous water and departed,

Thinking that nobody had noticed him.

The yellow bird,

However,

Had seen everything and followed the magician to know where he had hid the real water of healing.

The next morning Marianna was once more led before the king.

Welcome lovely maiden,

Said Garibin with the most dreadful hypocrisy.

I have long hoped that you would turn your footsteps hither,

For my poor dear nephew,

Prince Desire,

Only son of the late king,

Has been ill for some months of a malady no physician can cure.

Perhaps you can cure him with the water of healing.

Marianna replied that she would do her best to help the prince,

So the court chamberlain gave her his arm and escorted her to the prince's room.

The king and many courtiers followed after him.

Desire lay in a great old-fashioned bed,

His face flushed with fever.

So weak was the poor prince that he could scarcely lift his head to look at his visitors.

A great pity swept over Marianna's heart the instant she saw him,

And as for Desire,

He fell madly in love with Marianna at first sight.

Now just as Marianna bent over the prince to touch his forehead with the water of healing,

The yellow bird screamed and cried as madly as if he were caught in a net.

Marianna looked at the crystal flask,

Nothing seemed changed.

The water within seemed as pure and clear as ever.

She touched the prince with the liquid.

Alas,

In a moment,

So terrible was the magician's poison that the prince turned white as the driven snow and fell back on the pillows unconscious.

The royal attendees,

Who had expected to see him spring up entirely cured,

Began to murmur,

And Marianna herself,

Terrified at what had happened,

Let go of the flask which broke into a thousand sparkling pieces.

Suddenly Garibin cried at the top of his voice.

Caesar,

She has killed the prince.

Suddenly there was a great confusion.

Rough hands seized Marianna,

And somebody caught the yellow bird.

The prince remained unconscious on the bed.

At high noon a trial was held,

And since the doctors declared that the prince was dying,

Marianna was condemned to be thrown from the precipice.

When somebody asked about the yellow bird,

Garibin laughed and gave orders that the cook should wring its neck and toss it to the cat.

So Marianna was hurried to a dark prison room and loaded with chains,

And the yellow bird was taken to the castle kitchen and given to the cook.

By great good fortune,

The cook's helper was no other than the peasant girl whom Marianna had saved.

The girl recognized the yellow bird,

And instead of wringing its neck,

Let it fly out of the window.

The yellow bird flew to the window of the magician's room.

The magician was in the chamber stirring the giant cauldron.

The bird flew to the window of Prince Desire's room and saw that he was still unconscious.

An hour later,

The castle bell began to toll,

And a dismal procession was seen walking from the castle toward the frightful cliff from which condemned Marianna was to be thrown.

Next came a troop of soldiers,

Then Marianna waded down with chains,

And last of all,

Garibin and the evil magician.

The bell kept on sadly tolling and tolling.

It roused the prince from his swoon,

And with his last measure of strength,

Poor Desire dragged himself to the window.

The procession was then passing directly underneath the window,

And Desire's eyes met the eyes of Marianna.

Stop,

Stop,

Cried the poor prince wildly.

I forbid.

An instant later,

He sank fainting to the floor.

The procession went on.

Meanwhile,

The yellow bird had returned to the magician's chamber.

It was empty,

And with a joyous cry,

The bird fluttered through the window bars and discovered the vial into which the magician had poured the water of healing.

Clutching it in his claws,

The bird flew once more to the prince's room.

Desire still lay in a heap by the window,

And over him the yellow bird poured the contents of the vial.

The prince sprang up,

Strong as a lion,

Seized his sword,

And rushed down to save Marianna.

He arrived at the cliff just as the poor maiden was about to be pushed off into space.

Garabin,

Seeing his precious plot miscarry,

Grew mad with rage.

Seize them,

Cried he,

And tossed them both over the precipice.

So the soldiers rushed at Marianna and the prince,

Intending to carry out their wicked master's orders.

But even as they did so,

There came a flash of flame,

And the little dwarf,

Marianna's foster father,

Took his place beside the lovers.

Cruel king,

Cried the dwarf sternly,

And thou,

Wicked magician,

The hour of thy punishment is at hand.

Immediately the sky grew black,

The lightning crashed,

And there arose a terrible howling wind.

Two giant gusts drove fiercely by.

The first one blowing the king head over heels over the precipice,

And the second carrying away the evil magician.

And when the sky cleared,

Only the dwarf,

Marianna,

And Desire were left of the company.

Marianna,

Said the little dwarf,

The emperor of the elves has told me all your history,

And it is thanks to him that I have returned in time with the storm at my heels.

You Marianna are the rightful queen of this country.

Dear queen,

Said Prince Desire,

Let me be the first of your subjects to salute you,

And he knelt before her and humbly kissed her hand.

Nay,

Prince,

Said the young queen,

Answering the adoring look in her lover's eyes.

Your father took the kingdom.

If I were you,

I should take the queen.

Which was a bit forward of course,

But nobody minded that very much in those very times.

So Desire and Marianna were married and lived happily ever after.

The yellow bird went to the wedding,

And when the ceremony was over,

Rose singing into the air and flew joyously home to the land of the elves.

____________adomo