Once upon a time in Ventralli

Colored Glasses

Once upon a time  there were two siblings who loved each other very much. They had lost their mother when they were really small, so no longer remembered her. They lived with their father in a humble house in Ventralli.

The boy was very smart and clever, while the girl was  really nice and polite. They both complemented each other and were never separated.

Their father used to work in woodcarving, but had lost all inspiration when he lost his wife.

One day, their children saw him carvingagain and were overjoyed by the sudden change. But this change was not unjustified, on the contrary, there was a reason in his new attitude: a woman.

He married her and took her to live in their house, but she hated the kids. She even felt jealous of them, because she wanted the man all to herself. That led her to do unimaginable things.

She tried to blame them for things that they hadn't done, she mistreated them and tried to do things so their father would be disappointed of them.

The children tried to tell their father, but the man was concentrating on his new rediscoveredtalent and paid them no attention. The little ones began to feel very alone, their only consolation was that they had each other.

One day, the woman decided to take things even further. She asked the children to go to get wood for his father to the depths of the forest. Both left their house and made what had been asked for. They gathered branches and trunks, trying not to leave the path, but there wasn't much to collect there. When they wanted to return, they could't find the way home.

They walked and walked, looking for some clue, any indication that reminded them about where they had come. But they felt they were going around in circles and every time they moved away a little further. They started to panic when the sun began to hide. Their desperation led them to a part of the forest they had never seen. And then, something glowed with the last rays of sun. They followed the trail and found a house made entirely of glass. Colors were crossed, forming a rainbow. Reds, yellows, blues, oranges. A delight for the eyes, especially in the case of the children, who loved watching the vibrant colors of Ventralli.

Mesmerized by the brilliance and beauty of what was before them, they entered the house. It was even more beautiful inside, as the colors created reflections around the room, and even the floor was a mirror and reflected the colored glasses throughout the house. It seemed surreal, like a dream. They didn't know where it was up and where was down.

Suddenly the door closed and an even more wicked woman than her new stepmother locked them in the room. She tied their hands and feet with a rope and made them her personal slaves. The boy carefully wiped the delicate floor, while the girl washed clothes and dishes. Although any of them cooked, the woman didn't want any knife near them that can help them break loose, or worse, to defend themselves.

For days, the children worked nonstop. They got up early and put all their efforts in the housework. They went exhausted to bed, but couldn't sleep much.

They wondered if their father would be looking for them, if he was worried. If even hr knew what had happened to them. If he would come to their rescue. But most likely he was still blinded by the beauty of their stepmother and if they would going to leave that house, they would have to save themselves. They could no longer continue that way.

So one night, they decided to hold the temptation to fall into a deep sleep. They carefully waited until the woman was asleep and then proceeded to try to cut the ropes with the same glasses that were part of the house. They sought a sharp edge and despite the fatigue they had, managed to cut the rope and be free.

They fled from that house, heading again to the depths of the forest. Then they saw something on the ground. Bits of glasses, indicating a path.

The boy had dropped them since they had left home, but only in the dark with the moonlight reflected on them and making them visible, they managed to spot them. It led them straight home.

The lights were still on and that caught the attention of the children. Before they could enter, the door flew open and their father appeared in the opening looking desperate and ruined. When he saw them, his face filled with such relief that he fell to his knees, still not believing what he was seeing. His children had found the way home and they were unharmed. They pounced on him and the three joined strongly in a deep hug.

The man told them that when his children didn't returned home, he began to look around all Ventralli. He had even been in Yakim and Paisly, but there was no sign of them. He had left their stepmother immediately when he had noticed her intentions, when finally he had opened his eyes. But it was too late. That's why he was apologizing to his children again and again, and he understood that didn't need anything more to receive inspiration to carve wood. They were his inspiration.