Day 646: 5 Minute Freewrite: Sunday - Prompt: a curse
As the young debutantes of Unbeton were presenting themselves in their season of presentation to their Queen-Steward Justiss, Lady Auldlangsyne began grumbling.
“I don't know why these new ladies are coming up with all these new ideas and fashions – they aren't going to get any more done with all their silliness than our generation did. They aren't going to be more than we are.”
Queen-Steward Justiss overheard this. She waited until the debutantes had gone, and then told Lady Auldlangsyne, her contemporary, a story.
“82 summers ago, a wicked old witch encountered a poor but beautiful and kind young woman, and on observing her was jealous of both her youth and the love she enjoyed in her hometown. This witch was known for the power of her spells, and how energy gathered at the tip of her wand as she pronounced her curses.
“The witch cornered the young woman one day by the side of a hill and spoke her dreadful curse – that the young woman would henceforth do nothing the old witch herself had not or could not do. But the young woman knew of her, and that there was a time delay before the power gathered on the witch's wand and gave the curse its force, so, she threw herself over the side of hill and rolled down just before the witch finished pronouncing her curse.
“Behold the result – because the two women were now linked in activity, and the young woman had rolled down the hill, the energy wrapped itself around the old witch and forced her over the side of the hill. She was too old to survive the roll! All her bones broke and she died, so, at once, all her curses upon the people of the town and region were broken.
“However, the young woman had been seriously hurt; she had only survived because she was exceptionally strong and tall in stature. She was also pregnant. She gave birth prematurely to her daughter a week later, and then died also, thereby robbing my hometown of one of its kindest and wisest young women, and me of my mother, whom I never knew.”
Lady Auldlangsyne gasped, and then trembled as Queen Justiss narrowed her dark eyes.
“When we curse the young by trying to confine them to our view of how they and the world should be, we run the risk of destroying all generations. We lose the innovation and energy of the young, and they lose the help we should give them to become all they can be to take care of themselves, their children, and us in our feeble old age.”
Queen-Steward Justiss stood, revealing the remnants even in her old age of the strong, tall stature she had inherited from her mother, and then raised her scepter, her wrath revealed upon her face.
“I don't need a wand," she growled. "I was chosen to live, in spite of the curses of a jealous old woman, and bear the scepter! So long as I bear this scepter, no one in the reach of this scepter had better dare to do anything in word or deed to hinder the young people of Unbeton. Do you understand me, Lady Auldlangsyne?"
"Yes, Your Majesty," Lady Auldlangsyne squeaked, in her terror.
The decree went out 20 minutes later.
"It is the decree of Queen-Steward Justiss of Unbeton that those affiliated with the royal court and government who have nothing to say that will help the young people say nothing at all about them while in official duty in public and policy-making settings. The punishment for disobeying this order, henceforth, shall be instant banishment from court, and from all non-elected positions in the realm."
Photo Credit: Mervyn Chan on Unsplash