Flashes of Inspiration

Water Spirit

Water Spirit

The clouds gathered behind the mountains, their snow-white columns building up layer by layer. In the valley, the temperature and humidity rose driving the entire population into the cool caverns beneath the crumbling walls of the ancient castle. The drought had gone on so long that even the sacred fountain, the only object remaining in the castle's subterranean chapel, had stopped following. The water left in the fountain's amethyst basin glowed like a star in the night sky.

One by one peasants and nobles filed past the fountain. Each person paused only long enough to lay an object on the edge of the fountain's basin. Prince Jarin removed the crown from his head and laid it on the basin. Princess Celeste removed the diamond broach from above her heart and placed it next to the crown. The beggar woman, Noreen stopped and studied the items left by those who had passed the fountain before her. She had nothing of value, not even a copper coin, to place on the sacred rim. Yet both tradition and faith dictated that every believe who passed it must leave something of value on the fountain's edge.

Indeed Noreen had only on thing of value, only one thing she would give her life to protect, and that was Kayla. Kayla, the baby she had found ten years ago playing in the mud flat of the Whispering River. Noreen had picked up the child, cleaned her off, as best she could and taken the baby back to her own hovel. Since then, she had raised Kayla as her own, telling anyone who asked that the child's father was a wandering knight who had passed through the valley looking for work. They did not believe her, any more then the believed that Kayla was Noreen's child, or even that Kayla was human.

Kayla was two feet tall with sparkling acqua eyes and slightly pointed ears. Moreover, she was thirsty all the time. The child could not get enough to drink. She would drink almost anything, except the stagnate water remaining in the valley's ancient wells. The entire population of the valley had to drink that water on a daily basis, but Kayla refused to take even a sip of it. No matter what Noreen did to the water before she offered it to Kayla, the child would not drink it.

Picking up Kayla and setting her on the edge of the fountain, Noreen walked out of the chapel, with tears rolling down her cheeks. Kayla leaned into the basin and took a sip of the water. At that precise moment, the roof of the chapel collapsed and it began to rain.


A few days later, Noreen found Kayla setting in the flowing fountain playing with Prince Jarin's crown.

Author's Note: ▼

I am not sure when I wrote this. I think it was when I was going to UNLV or to CCSN.