Clover Chain and Daisy Chain
May. 8th, 2011 09:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ember_keeltyMy Myth, Ritual, and Performance professor assigned us to write fairy tales.
Once upon a time there were two young maidens who were very close friends. As children, they would often play together in the woods just outside their homes, making crowns of flowers for each other's hair. Because they would wear these crowns all around the village, everyone who knew them called them Daisy Chain and Clover Chain.
When Daisy Chain and Clover Chain came of age, their families arranged for them to be married: Daisy Chain to a man who lived over the mountains to the east, and Clover Chain to one who lived over the sea to the west. The two of them were distraught, for this meant that they would likely never see each other again, but no matter how much they begged, their families would not budge on the issue. As a last resort, the two girls went out together into the woods, deeper than they had ever gone before, to visit the witch rumored to live there.
They found the old witch in a dilapidated little shack by a stream. Her hair was long and tangled and her wrinkles were deep, and she appeared quite frightening, but the maidens did not run away from her. Most people the witch encountered did run, and she was so glad for company that she immediately invited them into her house and shared with them fruit from her garden.
After they had eaten, Daisy Chain told their story and the witch pondered it over. "I can cast a spell," she said at last, "that will turn you both into birds so that you may fly far away and escape from your families. Whenever you touch the ground you will take your human forms again, and jumping into the air will turn you back into birds. However, there is a cost. The spell will also create a monster that will follow you wherever you go, and you must keep flying or it will catch you." The two maidens agreed to this plan. The witch cast her spell, and the two of them jumped into the air and became birds and flew off to the south.
At some time during the first day of flying, Clover Chain looked down over the lands beneath them and saw a field full of daisies. "Daisy Chain," she said, "we must go down there so that I can make a fresh crown of flowers for your beautiful dark hair!" The other bird agreed, and the two of them touched down to earth and began to chain daisies. They had only just finished the crown when an enormous wolf as black as shadows appeared from over a nearby hill and bounded down toward them baring teeth like the heads of arrows. The two maidens screamed when they saw him and turned back into birds and flew away.
On the second day of flying, Daisy Chain looked down over the lands beneath them and saw a field full of clover. "Clover Chain," she said, "we must go down there so that I can make a fresh crown of flowers for your lovely yellow hair!" The other bird agreed, and the two of them touched down to earth and began to chain clover. They had only just finished the crown when the big black wolf came charging out from the shade of a nearby copse of trees and lunged at them with his dagger-like claws extended. The two maidens screamed when they saw him and turned back into birds and flew away.
On the third day of flying, Clover Chain again looked down over the lands beneath them and saw a field full of wild roses. "Daisy Chain," she said, "we must go down there so that we can dance together among the roses!" The other bird agreed, and the two of them touched down to earth. Daisy Chain put her hands on Clover Chain's waist, and Clover Chain put her arms around Daisy Chain's neck, and the two of them began to dance. They quickly became so caught up in dancing and in the sweet smell of the roses that they almost did not notice the wolf sneaking up on them. At the very last moment they saw him and screamed and turn back into birds, but by that time the wolf had gotten close enough to catch Clover Chain in his mouth and swallow her down whole. He then turned back north and trotted away.
Daisy Chain was distraught. She followed the wolf for the rest of the day, at a distance and in bird form, hoping that he would not notice her. When night fell and the moon rose, she was surprised to see him transform into a man before curling up on the grass and falling asleep. Daisy Chain touched down to earth a little ways away from him. She found a short, broad wooden stick and sharpened one end of it, then tucked it into her belt and approached the man who had been a wolf. As she leaned over him, he woke with a start and, upon seeing her, jumped to his feet. "Daisy Chain," he said, "dance with me like you danced among the roses!" Before she could object, he seized both her hands and began to dance her around.
"My, Daisy Chain," said the man, "what long lovely legs you have." He stepped playfully around her feet so that she had to move them quickly to keep from being trod on.
"The better for running from monsters with," said Daisy Chain.
"My, Daisy Chain," said the man, "what a big beautiful mouth you have." He leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to it.
"The better for shouting a warning if I see a monster," said Daisy Chain.
"And my, Daisy Chain," said the man, "what sweet dainty hands you have." He let go of one of them to twirl her around.
Daisy Chain said nothing. She just grabbed the stake from her waist and stabbed him through the heart. He gasped, turned back into a wolf, and fell to the ground dead.
Daisy Chain cut his stomach open with a sharpened rock, and Clover Chain emerged from it, shaken but unharmed. The two of them linked hands and continued on their journey in human form, for they no longer had anything to fear. Eventually they came to a stream in a wood just a little outside a town, and there they built a cabin and planted a garden. From then on they lived happily together, and if they are not dead then they are still alive.
Once upon a time there were two young maidens who were very close friends. As children, they would often play together in the woods just outside their homes, making crowns of flowers for each other's hair. Because they would wear these crowns all around the village, everyone who knew them called them Daisy Chain and Clover Chain.
When Daisy Chain and Clover Chain came of age, their families arranged for them to be married: Daisy Chain to a man who lived over the mountains to the east, and Clover Chain to one who lived over the sea to the west. The two of them were distraught, for this meant that they would likely never see each other again, but no matter how much they begged, their families would not budge on the issue. As a last resort, the two girls went out together into the woods, deeper than they had ever gone before, to visit the witch rumored to live there.
They found the old witch in a dilapidated little shack by a stream. Her hair was long and tangled and her wrinkles were deep, and she appeared quite frightening, but the maidens did not run away from her. Most people the witch encountered did run, and she was so glad for company that she immediately invited them into her house and shared with them fruit from her garden.
After they had eaten, Daisy Chain told their story and the witch pondered it over. "I can cast a spell," she said at last, "that will turn you both into birds so that you may fly far away and escape from your families. Whenever you touch the ground you will take your human forms again, and jumping into the air will turn you back into birds. However, there is a cost. The spell will also create a monster that will follow you wherever you go, and you must keep flying or it will catch you." The two maidens agreed to this plan. The witch cast her spell, and the two of them jumped into the air and became birds and flew off to the south.
At some time during the first day of flying, Clover Chain looked down over the lands beneath them and saw a field full of daisies. "Daisy Chain," she said, "we must go down there so that I can make a fresh crown of flowers for your beautiful dark hair!" The other bird agreed, and the two of them touched down to earth and began to chain daisies. They had only just finished the crown when an enormous wolf as black as shadows appeared from over a nearby hill and bounded down toward them baring teeth like the heads of arrows. The two maidens screamed when they saw him and turned back into birds and flew away.
On the second day of flying, Daisy Chain looked down over the lands beneath them and saw a field full of clover. "Clover Chain," she said, "we must go down there so that I can make a fresh crown of flowers for your lovely yellow hair!" The other bird agreed, and the two of them touched down to earth and began to chain clover. They had only just finished the crown when the big black wolf came charging out from the shade of a nearby copse of trees and lunged at them with his dagger-like claws extended. The two maidens screamed when they saw him and turned back into birds and flew away.
On the third day of flying, Clover Chain again looked down over the lands beneath them and saw a field full of wild roses. "Daisy Chain," she said, "we must go down there so that we can dance together among the roses!" The other bird agreed, and the two of them touched down to earth. Daisy Chain put her hands on Clover Chain's waist, and Clover Chain put her arms around Daisy Chain's neck, and the two of them began to dance. They quickly became so caught up in dancing and in the sweet smell of the roses that they almost did not notice the wolf sneaking up on them. At the very last moment they saw him and screamed and turn back into birds, but by that time the wolf had gotten close enough to catch Clover Chain in his mouth and swallow her down whole. He then turned back north and trotted away.
Daisy Chain was distraught. She followed the wolf for the rest of the day, at a distance and in bird form, hoping that he would not notice her. When night fell and the moon rose, she was surprised to see him transform into a man before curling up on the grass and falling asleep. Daisy Chain touched down to earth a little ways away from him. She found a short, broad wooden stick and sharpened one end of it, then tucked it into her belt and approached the man who had been a wolf. As she leaned over him, he woke with a start and, upon seeing her, jumped to his feet. "Daisy Chain," he said, "dance with me like you danced among the roses!" Before she could object, he seized both her hands and began to dance her around.
"My, Daisy Chain," said the man, "what long lovely legs you have." He stepped playfully around her feet so that she had to move them quickly to keep from being trod on.
"The better for running from monsters with," said Daisy Chain.
"My, Daisy Chain," said the man, "what a big beautiful mouth you have." He leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to it.
"The better for shouting a warning if I see a monster," said Daisy Chain.
"And my, Daisy Chain," said the man, "what sweet dainty hands you have." He let go of one of them to twirl her around.
Daisy Chain said nothing. She just grabbed the stake from her waist and stabbed him through the heart. He gasped, turned back into a wolf, and fell to the ground dead.
Daisy Chain cut his stomach open with a sharpened rock, and Clover Chain emerged from it, shaken but unharmed. The two of them linked hands and continued on their journey in human form, for they no longer had anything to fear. Eventually they came to a stream in a wood just a little outside a town, and there they built a cabin and planted a garden. From then on they lived happily together, and if they are not dead then they are still alive.
