The Myth of Madame Mariposa: Part 2-The Woes of Moon Kingdom

The Myth of Madame Mariposa: Part 2-The Woes of Moon Kingdom

Exercise Your Imagination!  Do you like stories with mystery and suspense? Well, if you do, keep reading and enjoy Eggcentricsagas.  If you are just joining Eggcentricsagas, start from the beginning: A La Mano: Part 1-The Treasure

“Once upon a time, in the land known as Moon Kingdom, there lived a royal family. This royal family was very ordinary; a father, a mother, a sister and a brother that lived together in their castle upon Silver Mountain. But they were not the only occupants of the world they lived in. There were two kingdoms that occupied the planet: Moon Kingdom and Sun Kingdom. An ocean separated these two realms. Sun Kingdom was bright and yellow. It was full of hot sunshine that nourished all the sunflowers that lived there. Only becoming dark and gray when rain clouds formed over the sea, blew and watered the land. This was important because the flowers provided sustenance for the living.”

Zerlinda had been quiet, listening attentively, but she interrupted her grandmother at this point. “Baba, what does sustenance mean?”

Ravenna chuckled. “It means nourishment. Like when you eat your dinner.”

Zerlinda tilted her head, covered with enormous red curls. “You mean they ate the flowers? Yuk! Who wants to eat flowers?”

“Well, they did on this world. The flowers were good for them and they tasted delicious. Just like when Magic eats his cat food. You may not like it but he does, right?”

Magic’s eyes were closed, but upon hearing his name, he opened them sleepily. He looked at them with his piercing blue gaze. Then, disinterested, the cat readjusted his furry cheek upon his front feet before returning to doze by the warm fire.

Zerlinda turned and look at her grandmother. Shaking her head, she said, “I don’t think flowers taste good. Okay, go on.”

“Let’s see, where was I?” Ravenna shifted, and Zerlinda rearranged in her lap. When her granddaughter settled, Ravenna resumed her tale.

“Also nourished by flowers was Moon Kingdom. But the blooms were different, silverly just as was the kingdom. Glimmering darkness permeated the land. Spreading over it like soft, black velvet, flecked with glitter. Silver sparkles covered everything; trees, bushes, and grass. Fireflies and pearl-colored moths left rainbow trails of light throughout the dusky forests. The Moon Kingdom was peaceful, beautiful, and mystical.

Filled with magic and mystery, the creatures that lived here were animals of the night. Owls, foxes, bats, toads, cats, and mice. As well as river otters that swam in the Amber River. But some creatures only existed in the Moon Kingdom, such as unicorns, gnomes, elves, and fairies. It was the dewdrop fairies that watered the shiny moonflowers. “The appearance of the Man in the Moon once a month coaxed the sprites out of the sea. He showed his face and smiled at the land. The glowing orb nourished the lustrous moonflowers, so did the starlight, thousands of twinkling stars in the pitch-black sky. A reminder of how many worlds coexisted in the Universe. Everybody in the Moon Kingdom had learned to live with the darkness and drew their life from it.

Everything was fine in the Moon Kingdom until one day when the Sun Kingdom decided it wanted to rule the world. For a long time, the sunshine in that kingdom had been beating down on the land. The heat of the rays had been evaporating the water and drying up their share of moisture. The rain clouds were no longer forming, and the Sun Kingdom was in trouble. The sunflowers that nourished everyone were wilting and dying. 

The Sun King was single-minded and stubborn. Thinking sunshine was the best, he spread the rumor far and wide that the Moon King was bad. Darkness, night, and especially the Man in the Moon were evil and scary. He told his subjects that the moon people needed to be controlled by the sun people. But the Sun King had a secret and determined to achieve his goal. His actual desire was the dominion of all the water in the world. Besides this wicked plan, he wanted to steal all the moonflowers from the Moon Kingdom.

So, he began a campaign trying to convince the sun people that they must go to war with the moon people. Telling them that everything wrong with their world was because of the Moon people and their darkness. The Moon Kingdom, he said, was the root of all evil. The land of darkness would fill with sunshine, and everything associated with it must learn to adapt or die.

Eventually, word of the Sun King’s conduct reached the ears of the Moon King. This made the Moon King very sad. He was a peaceful ruler, so instead of mounting troops and waging war to save his land, he left his throne and castle. Deserting his kingdom, the Moon King set out for the sea. Rowing himself out to a remote island, he climbed down deep into a cave located there. He refused to come out again.

Although disgraced, the Queen of Moon Kingdom would not give up so easily. She did not want a war with the Sun King, but she would not go down without a fight. She decided she would do whatever it took to save her realm from destruction.”

Ravenna stopped when she saw Zerlinda trying to suppress a yawn. “Time for bed,” she told her granddaughter.

“Aw! But I want to hear more,” Zerlinda whined.

Aroused by this noise, Magic stood up and then stretched. Forming his long, sleek, black body into a yoga-like position before sitting down. Yawning widely, he contemplated them with his electric blue eyes.

“Nope. We will continue this story later.”

Next: The Myth of Madame Mariposa: Part 3-The Council of Seven

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About J Fremont

Author/veterinarian J. Fremont has created Magician of Light, a novel about famed glassmaker Rene Laliqué. Exercise your imagination. Enjoy!