Tale 212: A Flower Adventure (Ash)

(real tale: What Came of Picking Flowers)

"There was once a woman who had three daughters, whom she loved very much." Ash begins. " One day the eldest--we'll call her Miriam--was walking in the shallows of a river, when she saw a pink rose somehow growing in the water. She stooped to pick the flower, but her hand had barely touched it, when she vanished into thin air--poof!"

"Where did she go?" Misty wonders, fearing for Miriam.

"The next morning, the middle sister--we'll call her Hailey--went out into the meadow, to see if she could find any trace of her sister." Ash continues. "As she was searching, she spotted a rosebush by the road, with one branch sticking out into the road. As she bent down to move it away, she could not resist picking one of the roses. In a moment she too had disappeared. Wondering what could have become of her two sisters, the youngest--we'll call her Jen--followed in their footsteps, and fell victim to a jasmine branch. So the old woman was left without any daughters at all."

"So what sort of fiend captured these sweet little girls?" Brock asks--it pains him to hear about any girl, real or fictional, in danger. "And what about their mother?"

[Yeah, what did she do?] Tarina echoes Brock's concern.

"Simply put, she did what anyone else would've done in these circumstances--she cried." Ash replies. "She cried, and cried, and cried some more. In fact, she cried for so long, her son, who had been a little boy when his sisters disappeared, grew up to be a young man. Then one night he asked his mother to tell him what was wrong."

[And then?] Tarina sparks excitedly.

When our hero--we'll call him Gavin--had heard the whole story, he said..." Ash switches to a sightly higher pitched version of himself to represent Gavin. "Give me your blessing, mother, and I will go and search the world till I find them."

As himself, he continues "So he set out early the next morning, and after he had traveled several miles without anything of note happening, he came upon three boys fighting in the road. He stopped and asked what they were fighting about, and one of them replied..."

"Our father left to us, when he died, a pair of boots, a key, and a cap." Brock explains in one of his standard 'young man' voices. "Whoever puts on the boots and wishes himself in any place while singing the magic spell 'Seios, higarima laisido', will find himself there. The key will open any door in the world, and with the cap on your head no one can see you. Our eldest brother wants to have all three things for himself, and we wish to draw straws for them."

"Oh, that is easily settled," Ash smiles as Gavin. "I will throw this rock as far as I can, and the one who picks it up first, will have the three things."

"So he took a rock and threw it..." Ash pantomimes throwing something. "and while the three brothers were running after it, he quickly put on the boots, and cast the spell."

He then sings as Gavin Seios, higarima laisido...

As himself, he continues "In a flash of bright light, Gavin was standing on a steep mountain before the gates of a great castle guarded by bolts and bars and iron chains. The key, which he had not forgotten to put in his pocket, opened the doors one by one, and he walked through a number of halls and corridors, till he met a beautiful and richly-dressed young lady--his sister Miriam--who jumped in surprise at the sight of him, and exclaimed...

"Oh, sir, how did you contrive *to* get in here?" Misty gasps as Miriam.

"Gavin replied that he was her brother, and told her how he had been able to pass through the doors." Ash goes on. "In return, she told him how happy she was, except for one thing--her husband lay under an evil spell, and it would not be broken until a man who could not die was put to death."

[How's that s'posed to work?] Korra wonders.

"They talked together for a long time, and then Miriam said he had to leave her, as she expected her husband back at any moment, and he might not like him there." Ash explains. "but Gavin assured her not to be afraid, as he had with him a cap which would make him invisible. They were still deep in conversation when the door suddenly opened, and a Talonflame flew in, but he saw nothing unusual, for, at the first noise, Gavin had put on the cap of invisibility. Miriam jumped up and brought a large golden basin, and as soon as the water touched him, he became a handsome man. Turning to his wife, he cried...

"I am sure someone is in the room!" Brock thunders in his "somebody's in trouble" voice.

"Miriam was scared stiff, and explained that she was quite alone, but her husband persisted, and in the end she had to tell him." Ash narrates.

"But if he is really your brother, why did you hide him?" Brock asked in a gentler version of the voice he used. "I would not harm any friends or family of yours, so long as I can see them with my own eyes."

"At this Gavin took off his cap, and stepped forward." Ash continues. "Then the husband saw that he was indeed family as Miriam claimed, and embraced his brother-in-law with delight. Drawing a ruby from his pocket, he said..."

Brock offers Ash a prop ruby. "If you are in danger, only sing, Karuto, iichiida shou... and I will come to your aid." he instructs in character.

"Gavin thanked him and went on his way, and after he had left the castle he invoked the boots again..." Ash then sings Seios, higarima laisido... again. "and came to the place where his middle sister Hailey was living. As before, he found himself at the gates of a huge castle, and within was his second sister, very happy with her husband, who loved her dearly, but longing for the moment when he should be set free from the spell that kept him half his life a Gyarados. When he arrived and had been introduced by his wife to her brother, he welcomed him warmly, and gave him a sapphire, saying...

Brock next offers Ash a prop sapphire. "If you are in danger, call to me, Rou iitsa ron selga vichii... and I will come to your aid."

"Gavin thanked him and took his leave, and when he was outside the gates he invoked the boots..." Ash sings Seios, higarima laisido... again. "and came to the place where his youngest sister Jen lived. It was a dark cavern, with steps of iron leading up to it. Inside she sat, crying, and as she had done nothing else the whole time she had been there, the poor girl had grown very thin. When she saw a man standing before her, she jumped to her feet and exclaimed..."

"Oh, whoever you are, save me and take me from this horrible place!" Melody pleads as Jen. "He told her who he was, and how he had seen her sisters, whose happiness was spoiled by the spell both their husbands were under, and she, in turn, told her story."

Melody pantomimes talking as Ash goes on "She had been carried off in the river by a horrible monster, who wanted to force her to marry him, and had kept her a prisoner all these years because she would not submit to his will. Every day he came to beg her to consent to his wishes, and to remind her that there was no hope of her being set free, as he was the most constant man in the world, and he could never die. At these words Gavin remembered his two enchanted brothers-in-law, and he advised Jen to promise to marry the old man, if he would tell her why he could never die. Suddenly everything began to shake, as if it was shaken by a whirlwind, and the old man entered, and flinging himself at Jen's feet, he said...."

"Are you still determined never to marry me?" Brock sneers in a low, deep voice. "If so you will have to sit there crying till doomsday, for I will always be faithful to my wish to marry you!"

"Well, I will marry you," Melody replies as Jen, "if you will tell me why it is that you can never die."

Brock erupts into one of his villain laughs, a perfect mimic of Ganondorf. "You are thinking how you would be able to kill me?" he sneers in character, making Tarina shudder in fear and delight. "Well, to do that, you would have to find an iron casket which lies at the bottom of the sea, and has a shining Pidove inside, and then you would have to find the egg the Pidove laid, and bring it here, and smash it on the ground."

He snickers as Ganondorf, much to the Pokemon's delight. "Now you will be obliged to marry me, as you know my secret."

"But Jen begged so hard that the wedding be put off for three days, that he consented, and went away rejoicing at his impending victory." Ash continues. "When he had left, Gavin took off the cap of invisibility, and told his sister not to lose heart as he hoped in three days she would be free. Then he put on his boots, and sang Seios, higarima laisido... teleporting him to the seashore. Once there, he took out the sapphire..." He shows the group the prop sapphire from before. "and sang..."

He then sings as Gavin Rou iitsa ron selga vichii..., making the sapphire glow blue.

"...and his brother-in-law swam up, and asked what he could do." Ash explains as he passes the glowing sapphire from hand to hand. "Gavin explained everything, and when he had finished his listener summoned all the fish Pokemon to his presence. The last to arrive was a little Magikarp, who apologized for being so late, but said he had hurt herself by knocking his head against an iron casket that lay in the bottom of the sea. The Gyarados ordered several of the largest and strongest of his subjects to take the Magikarp as a guide, and bring him the iron casket. They soon returned with the box placed across their backs and laid it down before him. Then Gavin produced the key and opened it, and though they were all crowding round, ready to catch it, the shiny Pidove flew away."

[Oh no!] Tarina gasps.

"It was useless to go after it, and for a moment Gavin's heart sank." Ash sighs. "Then he remembered that he had still his ruby, so he took it out..." He shows the group the prop ruby from before. "and sang..."

As Gavin, he sings Karuto, iichiida shou... making the ruby glow red.

As himself, he continues "A mighty rushing wind was heard, and the Talonflame perched on his shoulder, and asked what he could do to help. Gavin told him the whole story, and when he had finished the Talonflame commanded all his subjects to hurry to his presence. In a moment the air was dark with bird Pokemon of all sizes, and at the very last came the Pidove, apologizing for being so late by saying that an old friend had arrived at his nest, and he had been obliged to give him some dinner. The Talonflame ordered some of them to show the young man the Pidove's nest, and when they reached it, there lay the egg which was to break the spell and set them all free. When it was safely in his pocket, he invoked the boots..." He pauses to sing Seios, higarima laisido... "and they carried him straight to the cavern where Jen sat waiting for him."

[And then? And then?] Tarina sparks excitedly.

"Now, it was already far on into the third day, which the old man had fixed for the wedding." Ash reminds Tarina. "and when Gavin reached the cavern with his cap on his head, he found the fiend there, urging Jen to keep her word and let the marriage take place right away. When Gavin gave a signal, she sat down and invited the old fiend to lay his head on her lap. He did so with delight, and Gavin, standing behind her, passed her the egg unseen. She took it, and smashed it on the ground. With a groan that some mistook for the rumblings of an earthquake, he turned over and died."

The Pokemon cheer at the old man's demise. "In a flash of red and blue light, the husbands of the two eldest daughters regained their true forms, and, sending for their mother-in-law, whose sorrow was so unexpectedly turned into joy, they had a great feast, and Jen was rich to the end of her days with the treasures she found in the cave." Ash concludes with a grin.

Misty leads the applause. "You have the villainous laugh down to an art, Brock--you even had ME scared for a second."

"That was one of my tamer ones." Brock replies. "I didn't want to frighten Tarina too much."

"Yeah, save your good ones for when the little ones are in bed." Melody agrees.