The Priestess and the Troll

The Priestess and the Troll

By Duston L. Justice

         At a far off time in a place quite near there was a village ruled by women. Here they worshipped motherhood and the spirits of their ancestors. There was one priestess of whom it was said to be the most pious, and yet she had never been blessed with a child of her own, despite there being much passion between her and her husband.
         So, after three years had passed she came to him and said, "You may go be the wife of any who will have you. I wish to choose another."
         She soon had another husband and despite there being much passion between them, in three more years there was no child. So, she came to him as well and said, "You may go be the wife of any who will have you. I wish to choose another."
         She soon had another husband and despite there being much passion and though he loved her dearly, in three years more there was still no child for the priestess. As she had done to her previous husbands she came to the third intending to send him away. His face was downcast as he knew what was to come. He did not want to go as he truly loved the priestess. She felt pity for him and knew in her heart that it was not his fault, but instead believed that the spirits of her ancestors had forsaken her. That very night she fled in shame from the village and into the forest. She ran until dawn, all through the next day, and at dusk she fell down exhausted and wept.
         A figure in black stepped from the shadows and said, "My lady, why do you weep so?"
         "The spirits of my ancestors have forsaken me, for I have never had a child," she replied.
         "Perhaps you have given praise to the wrong spirits, my dear," said the figure in black, who had stepped closer and showed herself to be a beautiful woman.
         "Perhaps so, for my prayers have indeed gone unanswered," cried the sorrowful priestess.
         The dark woman knelt beside her and gently lifted her chin until their eyes met. She placed one hand upon the priestess' belly and said, "I can give to you that which you desire. All you must do is fall on your knees and offer praise to me at dusk for the next three days."
         The priestess suddenly began to tremble, and was filled with a fearful dread she could not explain, but she wanted to give life more than she wanted to live her own and so she replied, "Yes, my goddess, I will."
         No sooner had she spoken those words than the priestess swooned in her exhaustion. When the priestess had awoken she was alone in a clearing, but near her were three stones; one in the center, quite like a table, and two smaller ones besides, quite like chairs. Upon the stone in the center was a tablecloth and it was set with food enough for a whole family. There were roasted meats, cheese, bread, and wine, all like they were freshly prepared in a kitchen. She ate her fill, and thought of her husband, and thought of what she had agreed to, but most of all, she thought of the child the dark spirit of the wood promised to give to her.
         At dusk she fell to her knees and offered praise to her dark goddess. No sooner had the words passed her lips did she feel a sensation as though ice was within her womb. There was no small amount of pain and she shivered, but her only thought was that she now had a spirit to worship that would answer her prayers. She soon fell asleep.
         The next morning she awoke again to the stone table and chairs and the wondrous meal. She ate and drank her fill and she thought no more about what she had agreed to, for she was now very pleased that she had done so. She still thought of her husband, who loved her like no other before him despite being little more than a slave, but most of all she thought of the child the dark spirit of the wood had promised to give to her.
          At dusk she fell to her knees and again offered praise to her dark goddess. No sooner had the words passed her lips did she feel a sensation like fire from within her womb. There was no small amount of pain and her body dripped with sweat, but her only thought was that she now had a spirit to worship that would answer her prayers. She looked down to see that she appeared to be with child like a woman who could give birth at any moment. At this all she felt was joy and she soon fell asleep.
         The next morning she awoke once more to the stone table and chairs and the wondrous meal. She ate and drank her fill and thought no more of the husband who loved her like no other before him, having now forgotten about else than the child the dark spirit of the wood had promised to give to her.
         At dusk she fell to her knees and again offered praise to her dark goddess. No sooner had the words passed her lips did the child growing within her begin to come forth. She felt no pain and within moments she held her newborn son in her arms.
         The dark spirit stepped from the shadows and said, "I see you are happy with your new son."
         "Oh, yes, my goddess. This is all I have ever wanted," the priestess replied.
         "Is it? Do you not also wish that the boy would grow up with health, vigor, and have a long life? Be assured, I can also do this."
         "Of course, I will do whatever you ask of me, goddess."
         "Remain in the clearing and never return to your former life. Offer your praise to me at dusk for three more days, and you and your son will want for nothing. He will have vitality, vigor, and you both shall have life everlasting."
         There was no hesitation like before; no fear, no apprehension. All was forgotten except for her goddess and her son.
         "I will, my goddess," and with that the priestess swooned as she did when she was first in the presence of the dark spirit of the wood.
         The next morning the priestess ate her fill of the wondrous magical food, and nursed her son. At dusk, she offered praise to her dark goddess, but she noticed no change over her son. Nevertheless, she was quite content, and they both went to sleep.
         The next morning, lying beside her was a boy apparently aged twelve years! She was alarmed for but a moment, but knew it was the working of her dark goddess. They ate of the magical food provided for them and played together until dusk. The priestess said her promised prayer and they both went to sleep.
         The next morning, lying beside her was a man! Her son was now fully grown. They ate of the magical food provided for them and played and talked together until dusk. The priestess said her promised prayer and they both went to sleep.
         On this morning, lying beside her was a nearly indescribable creature unlike anything of this world. It was twice as tall as the largest man and covered in course hair, it smelled like blood and the grave, had a mouth full of teeth like knives, and claws like sickles. The sight of this abomination drove the priestess quite mad. She now had a demon for a son, but she was still a mother, and she had promised to remain in that clearing deep in the forest, and I have no doubts that they are there even now.

*          *          *

         You may be wondering how I came to know this story. Well then, children, just listen and I shall tell you by telling you what happened next the way it was told to me...
         The man of the true heart the priestess had left behind had begun looking for her the day she disappeared. For thirty years he searched and encountered many strange things, but the clearing never found him. He never saw the spirit of the shadows, his beloved priestess, or her demonic son.
         During his search he often came to a village located near one of the far edges of the dark wood. Here lived the wife of a man who was once a companion of the man with the true heart, who had died one winter. They had three children; two boys, and a girl, who was the youngest. This child reminded the man with a true heart so much of his priestess that after a time he asked that he might stay. The woman accepted for he had brought them food and deerskin many times over the years and he was a skilled hunter even at his advanced age. The boys called him uncle, but the little girl called him Grandpapa, and she loved him best for she had never known her own father. Grandpapa loved her best of all too, and thought of her as the daughter he and his priestess could never have.
         In time Grandpapa became ill and without him and perhaps because of him it became very hard to find enough food to feed all of them. One morning at dawn, the children were sent out to gather berries and nuts at the edge of the forest. They all went together, but soon the boys went off alone and left the girl by herself. This she minded little, for the boys were selfish and cruel, but she loved them nonetheless, and gathered berries until noon so that they all may eat.
         When her basket was full she made her way home and to find her older brothers. They were not easily found, despite not having gone far at all. Their baskets were empty, as they had done nothing but play pranks on people in the village and harass livestock. When she finally found them it was dusk. When they saw the little girl's full basket they pushed her down, took it from her, and evenly distributed its contents between themselves.
         With tears in her eyes, the little girl followed close behind, and the boys told their mother that they had to spend most of the day looking for the little girl because she wandered off alone. She could not speak up for herself through her tears and ran to Grandpapa and she cried herself to sleep beside him.
         The mother was not a fool and did not fully believe the boys' story, for even though she thought of the little girl as a ne'er-do-well, she also knew the boys were lazy and foolish, like their father could often be in his youth.
         The next day she decided to do things a bit differently. She would send the boys out, one at a time at different times of day. This way, she thought, they are less likely to get into mischief. At dawn she sent the eldest boy to gather nuts and berries at the edge of the forest.
         At first he did as he was told, but he quickly became bored. He picked up a stick and played at being a brave swordsman, going deeper and deeper into the dark wood. He soon became quite lost. He wandered for some time and soon came to a clearing where he found three stones. One was larger and quite like a table, and two besides were quite like chairs. Crouched beside a tree was a woman weeping. The eldest boy dropped his stick, walked towards her and said, "Lady, what is the matter?"
         "I weep, little one, because I have never had a child of my own. If only I could have a son like you. Would you please come let me feed you breakfast and pretend that I have a son at last?"
         The elder son realized suddenly that he was quite hungry, and since the woman was very beautiful and kind, he agreed. She brought a tablecloth and laid it upon the stone that was like a table and roasted meats, cheese, bread, and wine appeared and were as though freshly prepared in a kitchen. The eldest son ate his fill and the woman of the wood beckoned him to her with a large sack in her hand.
         "I will let you fill this sack with what remains of the food for your family if you promise to have breakfast with me again," said the woman of the wood.
         "I promise I will return," he replied.
         "No, my dear, I do not believe you shall ever return."
         "I swear on my father's grave I will return!"
         "Oh, no, my dear, swear as you may, I know you will not return."
         "Cross my heart and hope to die, I will return!"
         At this the woman of the wood smiled and said, "Cross your heart you may, and hope to die as you will, but you certainly shall never return!"
         With that she threw the sack over the elder son's head, swept his feet from under him, and tied the end.
         She called out, "My son, come to me, for I have your breakfast!"
         The elder son began to tremble and wept loudly. Out of the shadows stepped the demonic son of the woman of the wood. He picked up the sack and brought it down hard on the stone in the center. With the snapping of tiny bones being crushed, the loud weeping and trembling ceased and the troll carried his breakfast into the shadows from whence he came.
         After several hours the elder son's mother began to worry. At nearly noon she sent her younger son out in search of her missing child. At first he too did as he was told, but he quickly became bored when his brother did not answer as he called out to him. He picked up a stone and played at being a wild man on the hunt, going deeper and deeper into the dark wood. He soon became quite lost. He wandered for some time and soon came to a clearing where he found three stones. One was larger and quite like a table, and two besides were quite like chairs. Crouched beside a tree was a woman weeping. The younger boy dropped his stone, walked towards her and said, "Lady, what is the matter?"
         "I weep, little one, because I have never had a child of my own. If only I could have a son like you. Would you please come let me feed you lunch and pretend that I have a son at last?"
         The younger son realized suddenly that he was quite hungry, and since the woman was very beautiful and kind, he agreed. She brought a tablecloth and laid it upon the stone that was like a table and roasted meats, cheese, bread, and wine appeared and were as though freshly prepared in a kitchen. The younger son ate his fill and the woman of the wood beckoned him to her with a large sack in her hand.
         "I will let you fill this sack with what remains of the food for your family if you promise to have lunch with me again," said the woman of the wood.
         "I promise I will return, he replied."
         "No, my dear, I do not believe you shall ever return."
         "I swear on my father's grave I will return!"
         "Oh, no, my dear, swear as you may, I know you will not return."
         "Cross my heart and hope to die, I will return!"
         At this the woman of the wood smiled and said, "Cross your heart you may, and hope to die as you will, but you certainly shall never return!"
         With that she threw the sack over the younger son's head, swept his feet from under him, and tied the end.
         She called, "My son, come to me, for I have your lunch!"
         The younger son began to tremble and wept loudly. Out of the shadows stepped the demonic son of the woman of the wood. He picked up the sack and brought it down hard on the stone in the center. With the snapping of tiny bones being crushed the loud weeping and trembling ceased and the troll carried his lunch into the shadows from whence he came.
         Several more hours passed, and the young children's mother became beside herself with worry. No one in the village liked her sons, and so she had no choice but to send her daughter, for she herself had to do what work she could when she could to put any food on the table. She told her daughter to only call to her brothers from the edge of the wood and not to venture within. Once they were found they were all to return home straightaway.
         At first she did as she was told, but despite the way her brothers mistreated her, she loved them dearly and became exceedingly worried when they did not answer when she called out to them. She crept cautiously into the forest all the while calling to her brothers but receiving no answer. After slowly making her way deeper and deeper into the dark wood, she too soon became quite lost.
         She continued wandering for some time and soon came to a clearing where she found three stones. One was larger and quite like a table, and two besides were quite like chairs. Crouched beside a tree was a woman weeping. The little girl walked towards her and said, "Lady, what has made you so sad?"
         The woman of the wood glanced at the child, and in her surprise her words caught in her throat. It was as though she looked into a magic mirror that showed her reflection from the past.
         Stammering, she said, "I weep, little one, because I have never had a child of my own. If only I could have a... a little girl like you. Would you please come let me feed you dinner and pretend that I have a daughter at last?"
         The little girl realized suddenly that she was quite hungry, and since the woman was very beautiful and kind, she agreed. She brought a tablecloth and laid it upon the stone that was like a table and roasted meats, cheese, bread, and wine appeared and were as though freshly prepared in a kitchen.
         The little girl, however, found that she had very little appetite and picked at her food for several mintutes.
         At this the woman of the wood said, "You have hardly eaten anything. What is the matter, my dear?"
         "My brothers have been lost all day and I cannot find them. I am very worried about them, but more than that, I am worried that if we cannot find some food soon Grandpapa will die, for he is very ill."
         The woman of the wood inquired further about this Grandpapa, and the little girl told her all about him. She told her how he searched for his priestess for many years and how he decided to stay with her mother and the children because he saw the face of his priestess when he looked at the little girl.
         The woman of the wood looked towards the ground, and shook her head as though she was trying to shake something loose from the branches of her mind. When she looked up again, she explained how the tablecloth made the food appear, and told her how the clearing had come to her. The girl listened intently to all she was told, and she became very afraid.
         The woman of the wood beckoned the little girl to her and said, "I will let you fill this sack with what remains of the food for your family if you promise to have dinner with me again."
         "I promise I will return," she replied, but she lied, for she was too afraid to want to return.
         "No, my dear, I do not believe you shall ever return."
         "I- I will return, I swear!"
         "Oh, no, my dear, swear as you may, I know you will not return."
         Lying out of the fear that she might never get away otherwise, she said, "Cross my heart and hope to die, I will return!"
         At this tears began to run down the woman of the wood's cheeks and she said, "Cross your heart you may, and hope to die... No, little one I will not let this happen to you. Take the tablecloth and run home to your Grandpapa. Your brothers are dead, food for my son the demon. He comes now, please go at once!"
         And so she ran as fast as she could with the sound of gigantic footfalls close behind her. Somehow she made it out of the dark wood and she heard no more sounds of the pursuit of the troll.
         She told her Grandpapa all that had happened. With the magic of the tablecloth he became well again and told the little girl who it was she had met in the clearing. He took up his bow, long knife, and hatchet, and went into the dark wood to search for his priestess once more, but was never seen in the village again from that day forth.
         No one really knows whether Grandpapa found his priestess. She could still be in the clearing, deep in the forest, luring children to their death to feed her son.